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Super athletes are born with good, basic skills, but those skills must be developed to their real potential before a superstar can emerge. A super athlete is seldom ‘born’ who cannot benefit from the wisdom, coaching, expert training and advice of predecessors in the sport.

In fact, athletes regularly vie for the attention of top coaches and performers in their field to capitalize on the opportunity to learn. Top coaches and former athletes-turned-coaches are very selective about the talent with which they work. It is a great honor if a pro blesses you with his or her attention or decides to mentor you on your journey.

While most of us will never have the opportunity to train with a professional or Olympic-caliber coach — or even to meet the hero or heroine of our favorite sport — we can all learn just a few things from those who have gone before us.

Throughout the years, famous coaches and athletes have freely given us the benefit of their experience by way of their words of wisdom and advice.

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” — John Wooden

“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” — Mike Singletary

“The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.” — Peggy Fleming

“Sports should always be fun.” — Charles Mann

“The key to any game is to use your strengths and hide your weaknesses.” — Paul Westphal

“We have a lot of players in their first year. Some of them are also in their last year.” — Bill Walsh

“I ski to win. When the day comes that I can’t get myself into a fighting mood anymore, I won’t be able to win and I’ll stop racing.” — Ingemar Stenmark