Young Athletes Playing at The Next Level. What’s Required is Not Always Obvious.
The commitment required. Part 2 of series examining what is required for young athletes to compete at the highest levels.
During this unprecedented time, we are surrounded by young athletes in different sports preparing for a return to competition.
Baseball athletes are swinging into full prep mode. Hockey players are preparing for 2021 spring seasons, as in the Ontario Hockey League. We have fall season sports into gearing up for spring practice as in football. Basketball and soccer athletes are always in season it appears. So are individual sport athletes.
While the beginning and the end of young athletes’ “seasons” were getting cloudy prior to the pandemic, the events of the last year have muffled them even more.
Last week, TPM documented the support team required around an elite athlete for them to compete, through the lens of an injury rehab to Olympic gold medalist freestyle skier Mikael Kingsbury.
This week, what boxes need to be checked so athlete can maximize opportunity at the next level.
There are few feeder systems has proficient in athlete development as the Europeans with soccer. Youth soccer academies of players 13-17 years of age are often set up as boarding schools with soccer development as a focus. These academies work to balance development within a team concept while developing sport specific skills. This, in team sport, is very difficult to balance. Personal skill development within team priorities.
In a team sport athlete, cultural fabric coming together and sacrificing for one another is different from the individual sport athlete. In speaking recently with Scott Livingston of Reconditioning HQ, he summarized the dynamics of the different types of athletes: the team sport athlete, we also have the pure individual sport athlete (tennis, golf) and the individual team athlete (skiing, track & field etc.).
Individual development for individual sport athletes has a different process than athletes from other types of sports. The team culture and internal competition is a big asset in track or skiing for example, but not as prevalent in sports like tennis, figure skating and golf.
In the European youth soccer model, they have the benefit in England for example of having a limited geography from which to draw. As opposed to Canada, where hotspots pop up for different sports. BC has been long known as a hotbed for rugby for example, while Lacrosse popularity seems to tip higher in Ontario.
One of the challenges for baseball in Canada is the vastness of the Canadian landscape to truly develop a model like the European soccer academies. There are not as many opportunities for young baseball athletes in Atlantic Canada as there are in Ontario. Unless athletes are willing to move to more opportunities.
With all this in mind, what do athletes (and parents) need to have in place to maximize opportunities (a checklist).
1. A desire to progress. Ambition, belief, a goal, a desire to go to the next level.
2. Opportunities to compete.
3. Premium instruction that focuses on developmental foundation that translates to the next level.
4. Practice.
5. Ability to manage time and priorities.
6. Programs that support the additional skills required rather than just the sport specific skills.
A desire to progress. Ambition, belief, a goal, a desire to go to the next level.
The desire to progress must be matched with belief that it is possible. Without that belief, that confidence then the journey stalls quickly. Often this belief comes from family support structure, a structure that can also destroy the journey.
Opportunities to compete.
This has been the tough one over the last year with reduced opportunities to compete. While there may be many opportunities to compete, not all opportunities are created equal. The #1 way an athlete develops is by playing. By being in different situations and battling through competition an athlete can develop confidence and with that belief in themselves.
Premium instruction that focuses on developmental foundation that translates to the next level.
The increased expectation of playing almost year round has created opportunities for individual coaches in addition to team coaches. As a result not all coaching standards and knowledge are created equal. Coaching credentials are very easy to vet out. Either a coach has a track record of developing athletes for the next level or they don’t. Simple. Without this, all the hard work an athlete puts in maybe developing skills that don’t translate to higher competition.
Practice.
Fundamentals in all sports still reign supreme. Next level competition represents bigger, faster, stronger. Without strong fundamentals developed through repetition, excelling does not translate well when speed of play picks up. There is a big, big difference between simply repeating movements and developing skills. This is where the athlete desire comes into play. Wayne Gretzky has famously said “my dad never pushed me to practice”.
Ability to manage time and priorities.
One of the best life skills from this adolescent journey is managing priorities. Most higher level competitive opportunities are linked to school somehow. Managing priorities and time become very important in balancing progress.
Support More than Sport Specific Skills.
Physical and mental development. Previously in The Physical Movement, we have covered the physical preparation component as well as some of some current mental training tools for the modern elite athlete. Seeking with proven coaches in this category becomes critical to make sure our young athlete is on the right path.
Physical development comes with a solid foundation of athleticism. Strength and speed will assist all young athletes stay on the field of play. This is an area that can make or break an organization if they are measured by athletes that go on to the next level.
Some current examples of what is required to compete at the next level:
On March 10, Netflix released it’s latest of its Last Chance U series and it is an exceptional insight into a developmental model that prepares young people for the next level of competition and the obstacles of life.
For any coach, athlete and parent, this series is highly recommended. Some might find the methods of the coach challenging, however they do in fact mirror the demands of scholarship athletes. Last Chance U 2021 edition is worth it.
Here is an interview with the coach behind the program. Note the ending is spoiled via this interview, but the value of this series is an inside look into the reality of the journey to playing at the next level.
Another example is this one here in Canada of a young athlete from the North pursuing her goal of competing at the next level in basketball. Coming from a very small town in the North to get an athletic scholarship in the USA is quite an accomplishment. There were many sacrifices along the way, yet this young lady and her family have made them. From moving to Winnipeg for high school, then to Toronto to now in Illinois. This case is proof of the sacrifice required by many parties, not just the athlete.
For many, playing a sport at the next level means sacrifice and hard work. While these are pre-requisites there are lots of other things that need to be in play to support a young athlete on their journey. Our young people need sports more than ever, and while many aspire to move on to competing post-secondary most will not.
It is the hope that by understanding what is required to be successful in this journey from the outset will help more young athletes in achieving their goals and developing all the skills that go with pursuing a goal.
Next week we continue to explore what’s required to compete at the next level with a focus on the financial requirements and/or burden for families.