Trust Your Process
Developing as a player is hard to do in a neutral environment and it gets increasingly difficult to grow under manipulated circumstances. Be patient and trust your process.
The number one issue that I see every off-season, no matter what age group, is kids and parents being frustrated that their progress is not happening fast enough. I believe that people don’t realize how difficult football is or how easy the professional players make the game look. The fact is that we are dealing with the human body and adding a new skill set is something that does not happen quickly. Whether it is strength in the weight room, speed on the field, or a position specific skill, the process of improvement takes time. Having coached for 15 years, my unofficial research has concluded that sticking to a consistent plan makes for a steady rise that includes an acceleration of skill sets once the maturation process takes hold. *Please note that I said “takes hold” and not “begins”.
Developing is hard to do in a neutral environment and it gets increasingly difficult to grow in manipulated circumstances.
Far too often players and their family become impatient with their progress and begin to try and manipulate the process to have faster gains. This behavior manifests itself in many forms, including; increased social media film fluff, transferring schools prematurely, and paid-for hype on social media channels. And really, these are just a few of the countless examples of this behavior. These things that are ultimately short term ego strokes, transform into an unnecessary pressure for a said player that will ultimately be detrimental to their long term growth. Remember, we are dealing with child development which is a long investment, not a series of day trades.
There is no other way to slice it, kids are ready when they are ready. It cannot be manufactured.
It should also be noted that what may be a child trying to play ball with his buddies for fun, could evolve into a series of business decisions for a family that the child is not ready for. Additionally, what parents are ready for, is not necessarily what the player is ready for. If a player is thrown into live action unprepared and they are scrambling to not fall on their face, it will become a serious setback. Unless you are Rambo in Cambodia, scrambling to survive is not fun in any capacity.
In the end, the goal is to reach your full potential and be the best player that you can be…No matter what level you play at. There are no shortcuts in football, which is why the game is so great. The only way to tackle quality growth is with a steady diet of positive work ethic and trusting your process. No doubt it is hard to be patient at times, but it is in the best interest of growth to stay the course and trust your process in your development. Your time will come and when it does, the hard work will pay off and you will flourish.