5 Truths for Molding Sports Success in the 21st Century | By Dr. Brad Kayden
What is Truth?
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| Truth |
Truth is representative of the nature of something and how it actually operates.
There are many truths to consider. But finding the ones that matter most should be your first objective.
This blog post is about a truth-finding framework we are all going to need if we expect to mold sports success in the 21st century. There are five truths about it that should begin to help you more easily navigate all the information there is to know about youth sports. In the end, it should help you focus on what is most important, the truths.
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to press in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."
Truth #1 - Have a Plan
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| Sports success continuum |
The framework's first truth for molding sports success in the 21st century involves having a plan.
Why is it so hard to find the truths of youth sports? In the model, you can see an example of the ping-ponging effect that occurs between truth-finding discovery and the design of plans that lead to applying truth. It is here where even we, as sports educators and experts, sometimes get lost within the huge web of knowledge that exists on youth sports.
It is important to mold sports success by identifying the truth or truths you want to deliberately focus on with your athlete. This is done in lieu of recycling knowledge, missing truth all together and fooling having a plan.
Truth #2 - Follow a Natural Order
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| Ages to Stages Developmental Approach |
The framework's second truth for molding sports success in the 21st century is to follow a natural order.
There are innumerable degrees of sports success that exist, from the big picture view to focusing on the small stuff. The professionalized sports culture we live in is very much focused on the bigger, faster, stronger elements of elite performance. However the best examples, historically, of sports success and children who have made it to the elite ranks have been from successful athletes encouraged, during their youth, to explore many different sports.
Early specialization or a single-sport focus, while an option, is not advised nor is skipping steps to try and get a competitive advantage. The latter two I consider manufacturing sports success, not molding it. They typically have a lower rates of children achieving long-term sports success.
Truth #3 - Find Balance
"There are many ways to describe the ebbs and flow, yin and yang, bubble-blowing and bubble-bursting phases of (worldly) cycles."
-Quote from author and entrepreneurial guru Guy Kawasaki's book The Art of the Start
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| Guy Kawasaki photo from guykawasaki.com |
As author and entrepreneurial guru Guy Kawasaki
writes in his book, The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, we have to be both microscopes and telescopes.
The framework's third truth for molding sports success in the 21st century is we must find balance. We mustn't get overly focused, like microscopes, on the details (i.e. wins or losses) or like telescopes on the long-term goal (i.e. elite performance).
We must use our knowledge, love and determination to mold sports success without getting bogged down in theory, "flash in the pan" trends and unnecessary details. The truths you can trust will serve as your guideposts. They will keep your certainty and focus for molding sports success in check as long as you take a balanced approach.
writes in his book, The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, we have to be both microscopes and telescopes.
The framework's third truth for molding sports success in the 21st century is we must find balance. We mustn't get overly focused, like microscopes, on the details (i.e. wins or losses) or like telescopes on the long-term goal (i.e. elite performance).
We must use our knowledge, love and determination to mold sports success without getting bogged down in theory, "flash in the pan" trends and unnecessary details. The truths you can trust will serve as your guideposts. They will keep your certainty and focus for molding sports success in check as long as you take a balanced approach.
Truth #4 - Make Feelings Matter
"People change what they do less because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking and more because they are shown truths that influence their feelings."
Inside molding sports success, it becomes absolutely imperative that you turn the feeling side of your brain on.
The framework's fourth truth for molding sports success in the 21st century is making feelings matter. For too long parents have felt ignored, isolated and uneducated about the sports process. They have been forced to live in uncomfortable states of uncertainty and their lack of focus, as a result, has created unwanted distractions we too often hear about in the media.
In order to avoid feeling like this, you must play your part. It begins with your investment into the athletes themselves often outside of sports. Aside from serving a logistical purpose, you must bring a human element and help young athletes engage their feelings. It is a critical element of sports success that is often overlooked but easily taught because it is transferrable to and from everyday life.
"People change what they do less because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking and more because they are shown truths that influence their feelings."
The framework's fourth truth for molding sports success in the 21st century is making feelings matter. For too long parents have felt ignored, isolated and uneducated about the sports process. They have been forced to live in uncomfortable states of uncertainty and their lack of focus, as a result, has created unwanted distractions we too often hear about in the media.
In order to avoid feeling like this, you must play your part. It begins with your investment into the athletes themselves often outside of sports. Aside from serving a logistical purpose, you must bring a human element and help young athletes engage their feelings. It is a critical element of sports success that is often overlooked but easily taught because it is transferrable to and from everyday life.
Truth #5 - Think Universally
"Imagination is more important than knowledge"
-Inventor, Albert Einstein
Case in point, a study of 628 coaches from all levels of sports were surveyed. They were asked what attributes were most important to an athlete's sports success. At the end of the survey, the results were tallied and these attributes were in the majority's top three:
1. A love of the game
2. A positive attitude
3. Be coachable
And here is the BONUS! You now know the top three things pretty much every coach in your athlete's career is going to be looking for. Actively help your child learn to embody them by finding opportunities in everyday life to mold them.
The framework's fifth truth for molding sports success in the 21st century is to think universally. Every coach will be different, but if you know how to connect with the universal wants and desires of all coaches, it is as simple as it sounds, to your advantage when molding sports success.
Truth is the most valued aspect of sports intelligence we can seek. Use this framework for identifying and using truth when molding sports success and you will have a better understanding of the true nature of youth sports and how it actually operates.
References
Bloom, B. S. Developing Talent in Young People. NY: Ballantine Books. 1985.
(out of print)
Côté, J., Baker, J. & Abernethy, B. (2007) ‘Practice and play in the development of sport expertise’ in sport
Tenenbaum, G. and Eklund, R.C. (Eds.) Handbook of Sport Psychology (3rd ed., pp. 184-202):
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Giacobbi, Whitney, Roper and Butryn’s (2002) College Coaches’ Views About the Development of Successful Athletes: A Descriptive Exploratory Investigation.
Kawasaki, G. The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything. 2004.
Kuchenbecker, 1999 (August). Who’s a winner? Coaches view on winning young athletes. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association.
Kuchenbecker, 1999 (August). Who’s a winner? Coaches view on winning young athletes. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association.
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