The concept of developing a better athlete (taking raw talent and molding it into a bona fide athlete) appears to be unknown in the eyes of most coaches. To them, it is a known “fact” that athletes are for the most part blessed with what they are born with. Is it innate God-given talents that enable them to achieve their results. The job of the coach is to create the conditions in which the athlete has an opportunity to display his potential.
However, genetics plays an important role only on the extreme ranges of the athletic population as for example, for the fastest man in the world or the fastest marathon or ultra marathon runner. But, because coaches believe that great athletes are born and cannot be made, they keep seeking more athletes (recruiting, buying) hoping that they will find a gem among the masses. How many more years will it take before we begin to examine how to get more quality from the athletes that we have regardless of how many athletes there are?
That coaches continue to seek higher numbers of athletes can be seen in many different sports. For example, in a recent special youth running feature in Runner’s World it was brought out that many kids can get started at ages 4-6 and continue running until they are teenage runners and then become bona fide runners. The essence of the article was about creating more and more runners rather than developing the talent that some runners already posses.
For example, technique or how to run most effectively was not discussed. In fact it is rarely discussed in the literature and even in practice. When it is talked about technique is usually given a small sidebar with a few tips. For example, keep the shoulders relaxed and don’t cross the arms when they swing forward and back (a common misconception). Working on technique was not recommended until the late high school years.
But, we know from maturation patterns, running research and from many practical experiences that this age is already too late to master most effective running technique. Ages 9-11 are best for learning and mastering basic running technique. By the time runners are 17-19 years of age, technique should be worked on but mainly in relation to adjustments due to the weight training and running training that is done. It becomes very difficult to make changes because the basic running pattern is already well ingrained.
Track coaches lament the loss of female runners to touch football and football and other coaches lament the loss of male track athletes to lacrosse and other sports. But you can’t blame most of the athletes since experiencing these new sports is usually more challenging and satisfying. If these track athletes experienced more progress in their running they may not be so prone to switch to other sports or would continue to participate in both.
If developing athletic ability was a primary factor we would not see emphasis placed on recruiting, trading, buying and selling or even developing more programs to get more athletes to participate. How to develop or make an athlete is a new concept for many coaches. We in the US have long been under the impression that if you have enough athletes you can’t help but find a few great athletes who are capable of competing on a high level.
If we look at the trend today we will see that many of our professional and collegiate teams are manned by more foreign athletes than they are by American athletes. The time has come for us to take a closer look at what it takes to make an athlete. The information and know-how is available. It only needs incorporation and coaches who are willing to learn something new to make better athletes.
For related information see Build a Better Athlete and Sports: Is It All B.S.?