The post by Allistair McCaw

The injured athlete: Why a setback can be a great opportunity for an even bigger comeback!

This is the way I see it, maybe because I’m a total optimist, but I only see injuries as a great opportunity to re-assess and improve.

Any experienced athlete will tell you that injuries are all part of sport and the athletic journey. And one thing we do know is that fortune favors those who are better prepared and take care of their bodies.

I strongly believe that the injured athlete who is optimistic and hungry to get better, takes the initiative and goes to work on other areas of their body or mindset. He or she understands that there are always area’s that can be improved and worked on.

You see, It’s not all doom and gloom when an injury happens. In fact, it’s what I call ‘opportunity time’. I even like to joke with athletes that it’s just God’s way of saying “ Dear Athlete, you need to work on other things”.

So If an athlete has an injury to the lower limbs for example, then the core and upper could be worked on and vice versa (injury to the upper body, then legs and movement could be trained). An injury always tells me how hungry and how determined an athlete is. The champion athletes are not locking themselves away in a room drowning in their misfortune, they are instead pounding on their trainer’s door to get a program to work on!

If you have attended one of my seminars or workshops you probably would’ve heard me speak about ‘the want to’.

Simply explained, ‘the want to’ (and not ‘need to’ because the coach or parent said so) is when the athlete is so determined and hungry to get better, and they will do anything. They want it badly.

And here’s the funny thing, in a lot of cases I’ve actually seen athletes come back from an injury even stronger, faster, or better. The forced time out from playing and competing has made them work on areas that needed serious attention but weren’t putting enough time into.

On top of that, the time away from playing or competing has given them a renewed freshness (mindset/body). I always say that a fresh and hungry athlete is a dangerous athlete. Like all other things in life, we have a choice in how we see things. When an injury happens, you can either be absorbed in your self-pity or get to work and improve on other things.

So next time you get injured (or maybe you are now), see it in the most positive light possible. Together with your coach, sit down and devise a training plan and program. Address the area’s you know need more work on. In my opinion, there are no ‘off days’ for the athlete who wants it more. There are always things to work on and improve, be it flexibility, balance, etc.

Don’t waste your energy mopping around the house or the mall, rather get your butt into the gym, or out on the field and get to work! Remember injuries are only great opportunities to get better, and that a setback is a great opportunity for an even bigger comeback!