Bridging the Performance Gap for Beginner and Developmental Players

A sad, but prevalent observation made during my time in the college coaching world is a simple one: the coaches who took raw, talented athletes and turned them into reliable, high-level performers were not the ones who got the recognition.  The coaches who could recruit top talent and not screw them up, those were the “coaches of the year.”  

This is not to say that there is no merit in being able to recruit talented athletes and maintain or slightly improve their level of fitness and ability to perform under pressure, but where is the growth?  Even as a high school athlete, I have always felt that this is where the real magic of coaching comes in.  

When coaches hear about the performance training in our Connect app, the response is often that they see the benefit of providing it to the elite-level players in their club.  While structured training is highly beneficial for this group, it is often the developmental players that could benefit the most from performance training created by certified professionals. 

Why wouldn’t you want your best players to get better?  In many cases, these athletes are already working with private performance coaches, or being provided access to resources that less talented players are not.  Generally, players not included on the elite travel teams have been labeled “developmental.,” but who is responsible for this development?  These players will immensely improve when given the proper training and resources.  This group, in particular, will see the most advancement from a scientifically-based training program that starts with the fundamentals required for body awareness, coordination, and neuromuscular development, and provides building blocks to advance athleticism and overall strength.  

We see a lot of athletes, and sometimes coaches, who assume that they can jump into an advanced plyometric program, or use speed training gimmicks like parachutes and bungee systems to automatically improve top-end speed.  This mentality can lead to improper mechanics, muscular imbalances, and injury.   

A bonus of improving mid-level players? Getting only a handful of kids from a club or organization recruited, versus a deep roster capable of participating from the NAIA to Divison I levels.  When players can perform at multiple levels, they immediately expand their higher education options and opportunities for financial aid.

Let’s make great coaches the ones who can develop players, recruit elite athletes, and rally teams to win championships.  All players, regardless of their starting point, should leave a youth/ high school/ college program higher performing and more athletic than they started, with a strong grasp on what motivates and inspires them to succeed.