Practical Tips for Student-Athletes
By Fee Teng Liew
It can often feel like life is just a constant battle of trying to balance a hundred things whilst maintaining some level of sanity. As a student-athlete, it can be especially challenging as there are essentially two major commitments that can sometimes seem impossible to balance. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a constant balance in every area of your life at all times, but rather, there will be different times when different areas of your life will be prioritised over the others. I like to think of it as having different seasons of your life, and depending on what season it is, different areas will need more nurturing than others.
Despite much controversy (including the views of my younger self), I do believe there are ways you can succeed in both areas and pursue further education alongside professional sport. I completely understand that every student-athlete will have a different experience and will be dealt different cards, depending on their sport, country, culture, support available, and so on. Therefore, the tips below are merely based on my personal experience and what has really helped me. Moreover, these tips do not solely apply to student-athletes but can often be applied to many other domains too. So, I hope that anyone reading this can gain some insight to try implementing into their life, whether they are a student-athlete or not.
1. Know Your Priorities
Firstly, and arguably foremostly, you need to establish what is important to you as this will be the basis of how you choose to fill your time. Some student-athletes may prioritise sport over academics, and others may prioritise academics over sport, and both are okay. Some may think both are equally as important, and that too is okay. Moreover, your priorities may even shift over time. Ultimately, it is important to know what YOUR priorities are. Not what your coach, parents, lecturers, friends, or anyone else wants for you, but what you want for you.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s important to accept that you can't do it all, all the time. At times your studies may suffer (e.g. during a heavy competition period), at other times your sport may suffer (e.g. during exam season), and at other times your social life may suffer. I believe that sacrifices are essential to be successful, so based on your priorities, it is up to you to manage what sacrifices you will have to make at what times.
2. Time Management
This is an obvious one but is undeniably crucial for keeping on top of both commitments. The student-athlete life can definitely be overwhelming, quite a lot of the time. Being able to manage your time effectively will help reduce the stress and overwhelm that this lifestyle brings, and more notably, will help to avoid burnout too. Rather than feeling like you’re rushing around all the time, organising your time allows clarity and structure to your days. It also makes it easier to say no to distractions because you already have something planned.
Additionally, seeing clearly in front of you what your week will look like allows you to see where you can slot in some extra training, some extra studying, or just time to relax. In this way, your mind will be less cluttered of what you need to be doing, and you can use that energy to focus more on making improvements in your sport, studies and self-care.
3. Be Honest With Your Coach
I am fully aware that this advice may not suit every situation as every coach-athlete dynamic is unique and not all coaches will be quite as receptive as one would like. Moreover, the coach-athlete relationship is complex and is a whole other widely researched topic in itself.
Nonetheless, your coach is ultimately there to support and develop you as an athlete, and not necessarily as a student, so understandably will want to push you to become better in your sport. However, if your priorities also lie with academics, it is important to voice this so that you are both on the same page. This way, you are able to manage your time according to your priorities without feeling the pressure or guilt of potentially missing a few training sessions. I understand this can sometimes be difficult to do because you don’t want to seem like you are ‘slacking’ or are not committed to the sport, which could potentially affect future selections or opportunities. If you can be honest with your coach about how you’re feeling and what your priorities are, then you can build a mutual respect and work together more effectively.
4. Make Time To Relax
Whilst keeping on top of everything and eliminating distractions is vital, it is also equally as important to take time to relax. It can be very easy to get sucked into a fast-paced, go-go-go lifestyle every day. However, the intentional action of slowing down allows activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is crucial for adequate rest and recovery. Activating this system facilitates the rest and digest response, where the body can carry out the vital functions needed for healing, regenerating, and keeping your body going. It slows your heart rate down, relaxes your muscles, and helps your food digest effectively.
Conversely, being highly aroused activates the sympathetic nervous system, which produces stress hormones to prepare us for attack. Whilst always being busy may seem productive, too much continual adrenaline causes an imbalance between the two systems, and this disruption thus becomes counterproductive for your goals. Try to intentionally schedule in time to slow down, be quiet, and relax. For example, meditation, reading, walking in nature, or yoga – anything that will slow your heart rate down and bring you to the present moment.
5. Have A Notebook
Taking notes from lectures is seen as a non-negotiable part in the world of academics. However, I want to mention taking notes from your training and competitions / matches too. Write down what you have learnt, how you felt your competition / match went, and what you need to remind yourself of the next time you do a certain exercise or are in a specific situation.
Write down what your strengths, weaknesses, and goals are – both as a student and as an athlete, and even as a person in general. In my opinion, self-awareness is the basis and the first step for development in any area of your life. Writing things down also helps build the neural connections in your brain which further enables you to learn things quicker. The more you remind yourself and the more you recall, the more it will stick in your brain, and the more likely you will be able to replicate it and see improvements in real life!
6. Know That You Are More Than What You Achieve
The final point goes a bit deeper into the psyche. It is very easy for athletes to have their whole life and identity revolve around their sport. This can arguably be useful for your performance, but I believe will have detrimental effects on your mental health and well-being. Athletes are prone to basing their self-worth on their performance results, which is understandable because an athlete’s recognition and rewards are almost directly correlated with their results and ability. This is the unfortunate reality of elite sport, and thus leads to a continual comparison of self to others, further leading to that never-ending feeling of not being ‘good enough’.
Whilst striving to become better is crucial, it comes to a point where it becomes unhealthy. It is important to know that there is much more to you than your sport or your achievements. There will always be someone ‘better’ than you, but there will also always be someone ‘worse’ than you. So, whilst others can be used to inspire and motivate you, it shouldn’t come to a point where you feel demoralised about yourself. Try focusing on being better than yourself each day, think about how fortunate you are to even be in a position to play sport professionally whilst studying alongside it too, and try exploring things outside of your sport and academics that you might enjoy! I believe that everyone has multiple passions in life and when you can discover what they are, you become much happier and more fulfilled.
A final message
I’m sure there are plenty other student-athlete tips out there, but these are what I deem to be most important. Moreover, the overarching emphasis of this article is around prioritising your physical and mental health over your performance or results. Being a student brings its own challenges, whilst being an athlete brings other challenges. Therefore, combining the two together, you could potentially say, is a recipe for disaster. But it really doesn’t have to be!
Remember to stay organised with deadline / assessment dates, as well as competition / match dates, and keep on top of your lectures and work throughout the year to avoid much unnecessary stress as exams or deadlines approach, and most importantly, take care of yourself!
Furthermore, if you do find that you are really struggling, please talk to someone and ask for help. The stigma around athlete mental health is still prevalent and is often hidden within elite sporting culture, but that does not mean it does not exist. And with that said, I wish you the best of luck with whatever you go on to do!