Player development vs. person development

When you think of “player development” I’m sure the first thing that pops into your head are an individual or small group skill sessions working on fundamentals and the finer techniques that help players master their craft. We are all familiar with the image of the player bent over at the waist, sweat dripping off their face, the empty gym with the sound of the ball bouncing, the *ting* of a ball hitting a bat in the cage, or feet thudding on the turf around various layouts of cones. The very idea of player development is central to the philosophies we carry out as coaches.  The off-season and pre-season is jam packed with reps regarding fundamental skills. We might even argue upwards to 90% of our player’s time during those time periods are solely dedicated to their development as a player. In-season there may be entire days devoted to this or at least various segments of practice. Player development has become such a focus for younger and younger players who feel they need to get an earlier start to get ahead of their peers. We see more and more skills “experts” offering their services (guilty!) to help develop the games of youth all over the your city, state, and across the country. 

So what’s wrong with this picture? Too many, nothing, and in a lot of ways this focus and effort is a huge reason players fall in love with their game of choice. For others, it may increase their ability to play and continue playing at higher levels, but once again we seem to focus the majority (in not all) our time on purely player development, while the development of our players as people is largely left alone. Developing our players as people will not only increase their leadership ability and character, but elevate the culture of your program as a whole. Creating better people will create better teammates and therefore a better team. Taking the time to develop all of the fundamental skills related to who they are as a person can’t help but translate into a better performance on the field. Think about how these following traits tied to leadership would directly lead to increased output on the field: communication and listening, self-awareness, discipline, enthusiasm. Would having your middle linebacker become a better communicator help you more effectively change a coverage before the snap? What about the players he’s giving directions to? Do they need to be effective listeners? After the snap, how disciplined do you want that player to be when it comes to managing their assignment? How aware do they need to be in order to execute? These seem like simple answers when we take a second to think about them, but how much time are we devoting to improving these skills. How much time during the year is spent working in these areas? How many reps are your players getting at becoming a more effective communicator or listener?

Player development and person development are two different things, but the success of each is inherently tied to each other. Keep spending those late nights in the gym or early mornings in the cage, have the QB and WR meet before practice to work on the timing of their routes, but also find the time for those same two players to improve in the areas associated with who they are as teammates, as people. After all, these skills will stay with them long after their playing days are over. These skills won’t diminish with age, while we all know one day our knees and backs will inevitably give out. Equip them with the skills that will make them better parents, spouses, employees, employers, neighbors, and citizens. Equip them with the skills they need on the field of play, but more importantly, give them what they need to successful when life carries them 'Beyond the Baseline'. 

to begin truly developing your players today click here.

In Service, 

Kyle Kavanaugh | #CultureMatters