The Pro Player Timeline: November

Working from The Pro Player Timeline: Overview, this individual month post focuses on what a professional player overseas - or an aspiring pro player - should be outlining each specific month of the year like.

SEE ALSO:

Navigating Sports Abroad blog post.

Play Abroad 101 for the most accurate preparation in print.

The Pro Player Timeline: Daily 

& The Pro Player Timeline: Weekly.

Most players looking to play professionally overseas don't really have any idea how to do it! This is not your fault; unless you know someone who has done it or have incredible connections already in the pro world of your sport - you try searching Google and barely anything comes up. A few agencies, some club team pages, maybe an incomplete Wikipedia page about a league or two.

Beyond Athletic Podcast:

Never Just an Athlete with Tabi Love

Pro sports are cyclical. What might be a frenzy of hiring in August right before the season starts can occur again in January at mid-season transfer periods. Players coming out of university eligibility are ready to go pro at different times, depending on graduating in December or May.

How you handle the months of your year will vary depending on if you are already signed and with your team or not signed with anyone yet. The first section of this post will deal with "When you are signed," and the second section of this post will give advice for what to do "When you are not signed yet."

NOVEMBER - POISE & PATIENCE

November is when our American sport experiences start to show. This three month mark is our ingrained sport season timeline and we can have conflicting emotions when the reality sets in that there is still five to seven months of season left. But part of becoming a professional athlete overseas is learning how to manage the time and pace of the season.

Poise is a word that tends to get overlooked on a list of character traits to strive toward. Thinking about how to manage our internal and external reactions in a professional manner and making the right decisions before we are expected to is what poise is all about. Doing breathing exercises, yoga, and other calming meditative activities consistently can go a long way in centering yourself for when the situations around you are out of control.

A player with poise is going to be able to perform well in stressful moments, and a person with poise is going to be able to handle the unexpected events with calm dignity and a clear mind.

The patience factor definitely applies to players who are still waiting to be signed at this point, but also to the players who are already signed and with their teams.

Patience in November can be related to your progress as a player. Some players can immediately fit in and thrive, but it's not the case for everyone. If it's taking you longer to adjust and do what you know you are capable of in your sport, getting mad at yourself isn't going to help your process. Take a deep breath and set some smaller, more attainable daily goals to improve your day-to-day habits. Sometimes change takes longer than a day, week, or month, and your journey is your own. Be patient with where you are and use fresh ideas to get yourself to where you want to be.

For the players who are unsigned, there will be days your patience is amazing and days you may have to fight for it. This is totally normal. It can be really difficult to continue telling your friends and family that you're still waiting for an offer, but when you know professional sports abroad is what you really want to do and should be doing, then it's better to keep your hopes high and focused. Remember also that in November, you're just around the corner from the mid-season break in December when teams will do another rush of hiring to fill in the gaps in their teams.

More inspiration here >>> Live Well 2019: November

Every month of your year can be outlined with a theme, enhanced with motivational reminders, and structured in a way that your day-to-day activities promote your short and long term growth and well-being.

When you have already signed...

Practice the local language in public with people you don't know.
Try a totally different type of food (best on an off-day, just not before any practice).
Take one off-day to venture to another part of your new country.
Review your Goals & Vision and update a new version, if necessary.
Have a conversation with your coaches about what you're doing well and what you should be working on, from both your perspective and theirs.

When you are not signed yet...

Contact representation to ask if they are able to partner with other agencies or contacts to give you a higher probability of finding a team.
Consider taking a trip to do your own team tryouts (if you haven’t already earlier in the fall) and price plane tickets for the last week of December and first weeks of January.
Make a plan for income and work that starts toward the end of January for if no opportunities come up.

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