As a young collegiate athlete, I learned a lesson that would shape my approach to pretty much everything after school. Despite my ambitions, I spent months on the bench, earning only occasional opportunities to prove myself in matches. Each time, I had mere moments; sometimes just a single attack, block or play to make an impact; which much of the time was not the case. I quickly realized success wasn't going to be what I thought it was. I needed to learn to embrace my role, no matter its size, and maximize every practice rep to earn trust incrementally.
In short, I had to get out of my own way.
Before I could truly contribute in matches, I had to demonstrate consistency, resilience, and execution in the daily grind of practice. The daily grind of proving myself in fleeting moments felt pointless early on. Yet incrementally, those repetitions built the trust that eventually let me shine. Later this same slow, incremental process would help me advance to being able to compete professionally in beach volleyball. Without realizing it, I’d learned to iterate and once I recognized the pattern, it became my blueprint for tackling every new challenge, on and off the court.
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Sports have always been more than just games. The playing field serves as a laboratory for developing skills that extend far beyond whatever sport it is we play. Whether you're an athlete, parent, coach, or supporter, understanding how athletics shape character and develop transferable skills into the real world can transform a simple pastime into a powerful preparation for life's challenges.
What I am hoping for from this article is to explore some of the elements of how sports builds certain “soft” skills into a person and point at why [maybe] those can be the difference in long term success in life on and off the court or field. We’ll identify key transferable skills, and provide practical strategies for intentionally connecting athletic experiences to everyday success. These insights aren't just theoretical, they're actionable tools for athletes and supporters alike. I know that a subtle shift in many training environments can alter the course of its culture and create big gains for the athletes we are building.
Sports naturally develop many things but for this purpose of this let’s focus on two types of character that are commonly developed: performance character (grit, resilience, self-discipline) and moral character (integrity, respect, caring). While performance traits emerge naturally through competition, moral character requires intentional development.
During my time at University, I was fortunate to be a part of the unique culture of collegiate athletics. It is a tight knit group of common experiences and challenges to navigate college while being an athlete. Though our paths crossed only occasionally in and around McKale Center or campus life, Tedy Bruschi's reputation athletes firmly in place. He was well known for his work ethic, leadership, & commitment and was a popular figure on campus. Years later, when he suffered a stroke just weeks after winning his third Super Bowl, I wasn't surprised to see him apply that same determination to his recovery. Eight months after his diagnosis, Bruschi returned to professional football, transforming what doctors initially thought impossible into reality.
This transfer of athletic character to real-world challenges isn't unique to professional athletes. Every day, former athletes draw from these same wells of discipline and determination in their careers, families, and personal challenges. But which specific skills transfer most effectively from sports to everyday life? Not to mention how do we do a better job of bringing awareness to the process of this type of skill acquisition to the athletes in junior environments?
Research suggests that former student athletes are more productive, more successful and see as much as 7-8% higher annual earnings than those who did not participate in sport. While there are many ways to come at this and determine the “why’s” for now, let’s take a look at these key transferable skills developed through athletics. Most often as a coach what I see as the skills making the most difference for an athletes success in college and life often circle around the following:
Resilience and Perseverance
These are very buzzy, trendy ones right now, but possibly the most important athletic transferable skill is resiliency (bouncing back from tough situations). We hear it all the time; “it’s not what happens when life knocks you down, it’s what you do to get back up.”
Life throws curveballs constantly, and tests our character continuously. So how we respond to stress and adversity directly impacts our success or failure. Being a part of a collegiate athletic program pushes the need for this skill acquisition directly into day to day life.
Teamwork and Leadership
I often talk to teams and athletes about the value of being both a quality leader and a good follower. It’s an under appreciated skill to know how to follow well, but being a part of a good teams also much more than that. It’s a mixture, a dance, a thing made of parts. As such being able to recognize times to follow, and times to lead is as much art as skill. But we focus so much on leading; be a good leader, lead, yata, yata.
We can also get caught up in the act of leading and forget what it means to be a “quality” leader, not just a pointing in a competitive or aspirational direction and driving forward. But also understanding how a quality leader differs from a good one. A quality leader knows how to help those grow strong with them by letting others lead and supporting the process.
Time Management
At the speed of life these days being able to manage time is crazy important for anyone. So much so there is an entire industry sprung up to help adults get more done or in some case just mange the distractions and turn a day into a functional unit of…time.
As an athlete continues to level up or compete at higher level the need for this skill becomes a key in determining everything from success to health. If you aren’t getting enough rest, or able to balance the demands of an athlete’s schedule - ooofh. Look out in college for this one, it may be one of the top things I hear from college coaches when they talk about incoming athletes. their inability to manage their own time.
But, as you get better and better at doing so, the ability to navigate a busy schedule, make changes, know what to drop, or just know when to take a break are key stress and success tools in the real world.
Problem-Solving Under Pressure
I would actually categorize this a little differently these days as athletes and new generations come through athletics and into life. This kind of skill has become more about being comfortable being un-comfortable.
Life in the end isn’t a list of todos it will only really be the kind of thing you can grow in and with if you are willing and able to be uncomfortable. Sports provides this kind of moment daily almost. Every kind of situation from social to athletic to competitive.
Adapting to, or being open to unexpected situations, sports teach how to analyze situations, consider alternatives, and make informed choices under pressure. This directly translates to and kind of life that involves…well other people or goals!
This can be the tricky part. The transfer of skills from sports to life isn't automatic, it requires awareness and intention. So to move us into the practical side of our chat, here are some practical strategies for athletes, parents, and coaches:
For Athletes:
Identify Your Skills: Be aware of the skills you've learned through athletics and consciously recognize the possibility of transferring them to other contexts. This awareness is the first step in successful skill transfer.
Create Parallels: When applying for jobs or preparing for interviews, provide specific examples illustrating how your sports experiences have developed key transferable skills.
Be Willing to Fail: Remember that none of the people you admire got to where they are without failures (big and small). You don’t have to live in them or publicize them, but do not shrink back from challenges or the metaphorical deep end of the pool. Take risks and fail forward!
For Parents and Coaches:
Facilitate Reflective Conversations: Research shows that parents can connect sports to character by reinforcing core values like respect and responsibility, seizing teachable moments to discuss confidence and leadership, and supporting their child's independence and decision-making.
Emphasize Both Types of Character: Establish team core values that reflect both performance character (competitiveness, grit, effort) and moral character (integrity, respect, compassion).
Connect the Dots: A 2014 study by Kniffin, Wansink, and Shimizu found that managers looking to hire for entry-level positions have the expectation that former student athletes possess leadership skills, self-confidence, and self-respect, giving them a competitive advantage in the job market.
Everything learned through sports has value in big and small ways. Lifelong value that extends far beyond championships and trophies, into the nooks and crannies of everyday life.
The healthy habits athletes develop lead to lasting benefits, one long-term study found that children who participated in youth sports between ages nine to 18 were five to six times more likely to be physically active as adults. Another study from consulting firm Deloitte points to a high number of senior level jobs and careers actively looking for candidates with collegiate or competitive sports experience.
What sports lessons have shaped your approach to life's challenges? By consciously connecting the playing field to everyday life, we can maximize the incredible character-building potential of sports for ourselves and the next generation of athletes.
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Brett Cherry is a former collegiate and professional beach volleyball player, current youth sports coach, and professional development consultant who helps organizations leverage the principles of athletic excellence for success in life.
**AI used to provide research and structural elements of this post.
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