TPM #252: What We Understand About Work Ethic Influences The Youth Sport Experience.
The only barrier to achieving elite sport success is working hard is a false narrative, dangerous and here is why.
Welcome to The Physical Movement (TPM) #252, hope you had a great week!!
As per edition #251, I am fascinated by the rise of women’s sport. More specifically it’s rise and upswing into public acknowledgement.
The women’s college national basketball championship in the past week had over 18 million viewers, up from 14 million in the semifinal and 12 million in last year’s championship game.
While the viewership, revenues and interest are moving upward across multiple women’s sport, it’s rise has been anything but sudden.
Women’s sports have been undervalued for years, and only through continuous improvement and persistence by all stakeholders (from builders to coaches and athletes) as the skill level continues to improve and is finally reaching critical mass appreciation.
The success of women’s sport reflects a work ethic second to none.
The commitment, sacrifice, practice and persistence by athletes, their families and coaches/ leaders compare to anything on the men’s side.
There are so many positives from this, perhaps most important another stream of influential role models for young women and athletes to admire.
A great example is the perspective attributed to champion women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. Coach Staley was a fantastic basketball athlete in her day and continues her excellence in leading the women’s program at University of South Carolina.
Here is the comment / assessment that worth exploring:
“The mismatch between aspirations and effort. There are individuals who have high ambitions, akin to wanting to succeed in a highly competitive field (like making it into a professional sports league), yet their commitment and work ethic do not match those lofty dreams. They are putting in minimal, “backyard” effort, which is insufficient for achieving such high goals.”
Moreover, she points out a problematic aspect of encouragement from parents or guardians, suggesting that they celebrate or condone this insufficient effort.
Instead of pushing for more dedication or acknowledging the gap between dreams and effort, this applause might reinforce the belief that minimal effort is enough.
It’s a call to align one’s work ethic with their aspirations and a critique of misplaced encouragement that doesn’t help individuals realistically pursue their goals.
This thought can be unpacked from multiple angles but the one that jumps out at me is the “backyard effort” and the reinforcement by parents that minimal effort is enough to achieve elite levels.
Malcolm Gladwell’s 2008 book Outliers shares the conditions and variables towards mastering specific skills across multiple disciplines.
Gladwell pushed forward the 10,000 hour rule, stipulating it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery of complex skills and materials, like playing the violin or getting as good as Bill Gates.
In addition to the volume for practice required to master a skill, there are 3 other pillars to Gladwell’s Hypothesis, each impacting Coach Staley’s message to a degree. These cornerstones outline the foundation to this connection between work ethic and skill development.
1. There is an important variable that Gladwell does not focus on in his book but relevant here. How good a student’s teacher/coach is.
Professor Anders Ericsson of the University of Florida State University, co-author of a specific study Gladwell references in the book suggests that practice is important, and it’s surprising how much it takes to master something complicated. Ericsson’s research suggests that someone could practice for thousands of hours and still not be a master performer. They could be outplayed by someone who practiced less but had a teacher who showed them just what to focus on at a key moment in their practice regime.1
This would conclude that a very high practice volume over years + coachability are critical toward maximizing mastery.
2. Gladwell closes his book reinforcing that the most successful people don't rise on their own, but as a result of history, legacy, community, and fortunate opportunities driving their achievements and making them possible. The self-made man or woman, the rugged individualist, is a folk tale.2
This dispels the myth, to a degree, that those who want it more will prevail. Those who are put in the work + have good coaches/teachers + have the support at home, in community or otherwise in giving opportunity make mastery possible.
3. The last cornerstone is enjoying the practice process. According to Gladwell, “It's very hard to find someone who's successful and dislikes what they do.”3
This pillar reinforces that our young athlete who aspires to master their specific skills must enjoy the process.
The pillars summarized to skill mastery then would included 10,000 hours + competent coaches & coachability + are well supported + enjoy the practice process.
Work ethic is a tricky topic in 2024.
Having a strong work ethic is likely the most valuable skill we can teach our young people.
· The connection between volume of practice/work and achievement.
· The need for proper guidance and that link to achievement.
· The perspective of being supported and purpose (enjoyment/fulfillment) in the process of practice.
These are the boxes to be checked to avoid the “backyard work ethic”, to understand what is required to elevate the skill level equal.
If you investigate the very best at their craft, we see all of the above present.
The work ethic in our culture today is not as obvious and previous generations. By defining it, may dilute the unrealistic expectations identified by Staley.
Aligning expectations with reality can only improve perspective and hopefully the joy of youth sport.
Have a great week everyone!
References on the work from Malcolm Gladwell and Professor Anders Ericsson.
3. https://strategiesforinfluence.com/malcolm-gladwell-10000-hour-rule/