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Choosing Your Path

May 11, 2013 by kickittraining

DSCF1490It’s the weight of all the little things we’ve done that tips the scale in the big moments. It’s showing up for the workout at 4:00 on a Friday afternoon when it would be easier to be somewhere else. It’s making sure your feet are in the right position for each start, especially when you’re tired and you just want to get through the session. It’s taking time to check your notes from the last training session before you design this one.

Discovering and developing our potential is a process of unfolding,one step and a time with each step informing the next. It’s an act of faith because we never know exactly where it will take us, when the “big moments” will occur or what they’ll require from us. It’s also an act of love – falling in love with the process, with taking those small steps and with being surprised by what shows up along the way.

It can be scary, painful and it’s ultimately challenging. But it’s also a great journey. And, here’s the really good news. It’s uniquely yours to make. Nobody’s potential, nobody’s contribution , nobody’s journey is exactly like yours. The Spanish poet Antonio Machado wrote, ” The path is made by walking.” Get going, keep moving and enjoy the journey.

Enjoy this little video from Owen Cook.

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Becoming More Of The Player You Know You Are

May 9, 2013 by kickittraining

13ullmannha-actionThere’s a bigger player in there, a bigger person actually, and the real joy of sport is in becoming that player. We don’t always have a clear picture of that player . Often it’s just a a glimpse; a momentary snapshot of what could be. The momentary glimpse though is enough to draw us forward  if we’ll let it.

Becoming that player and that person, requires a lot of  things. Two of which are, making choices and taking risks.

Choices – Making choices, big and small, that help you grow into more of the player you know you are. Making those choices over and over again. Sometimes they’re simple, clear and easy. Other times they’re hard ( see: risk ). Over time they become habits and begin to reveal more of the player and person we know we are. Making choices is about using our power to express what’s important. Are you going to show up for that workout? Are you going to work hard or just get by? Will you pay attention to what you eat, how much sleep you get?

034_34Risk – Risk means stepping up when we don’t know if we’ll be successful and sometimes when it seems as if we won’t.  Every time we step on the court or the field or the ice we take the risk. When we challenge a team mate or take the lead by going hard in practice or decide to try out for a new team or play at the next level we take a risk. Every time we take a step toward becoming more of the player we know we are we take a risk. We might come up short, we might fall – in fact sometimes we will. That’s OK. Because even a step that comes up short is one we can learn from. The alternative to taking the risk, taking the step, is standing still, like a work of art half finished. Developing potential is a process of unfolding and when we let the fear of failure stop us we stop the unfolding.

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Now, here’s the exciting part. As you become more of the player you know you are, you make it possible for the people around you, team mates, competitors, coaches,  to become more of the player and person and even team  they know they can be.  So, is there a choice you see that you’re wanting to make, a risk you’re willing to take? That bigger player is already in there. Show us a glimpse.

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Staying Strong

May 6, 2013 by kickittraining

Strength is an important factor in both performance and reducing the risk of injury. A recent article in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research identified the importance of strength as a factor in reducing non-contact ACL injuries. Scott Moody at Athlete Fit does a nice job of breaking the article down here. Increasing strength to body weight ratios, especially for taller or heavier players and, strength training combined with neuromuscular training like plyometrics or agility training are correlated with a decreased risk of injury.
Strength is factor in performance as well, helping players start, stop, accelerate, change direction and hold posture and position against an opponent.  A study on 112 youth players in Germany found that players who participated in a twice a week strength training program improved their change of direction performance by 5-10%. Jay Williams breaks down the study here. In a nutshell it means gaining an extra yard or two on a cut – a big advantage for any player.
Now that the outdoor season is here it’s important to maintain those qualities. The best players know that. You can see that in this video of the Arsenal Ladies doing their in-season strength work. 
Or, this one of AC Milan continuing to work on speed and agility.
 A lot of our young players worked hard to develop their strength, agility, speed and skills over the winter. It’s important to maintain that now that the focus has shifted to practices and games. A well designed and supervised program that emphasizes good technique and is developmentally appropriate can  make for a safer and more successful season. Do you have a plan to stay strong this season?

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Want To Open Up Your Players Potential? Try Changing Your Metaphor.

March 28, 2013 by kickittraining

The industrial metaphor dominates our world these days. We think in terms of inputs, outputs, and efficiency.  Heck, even the FOX NFL mascot isn’t a player, it’s a robot. The factory mentality has an impact on the way we see players, and the way we see our role as coaches and even parents. An industrial model is great for producing quality cars and big screen TV’s. Not so great for developing people.

In the short ( 2:00 ) video below Sir Ken Robinson offers a different way of thinking about developing people. Good teachers, he says are like good gardeners.  ” A good gardener depends on plants growing under their care  - otherwise they’re out of business. Yet, the irony is every farmer and gardener knows you can’t make a plant grow. The plant grows itself. What you do is provide the conditions for growth.”

In his book, The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle notes the same quality in the master coaches he observes, ” Their personality – their core skill circuit – is to be more like farmers: careful, deliberate cultivators of myelin … They possess vast, deep frameworks of knowledge which they apply to the steady, incremental work of growing skill circuits, which they, ultimately, don’t control.”

Maybe that’s the big part of changing the metaphor. In the factory you  control the input and the output. When you’re teaching or coaching, you don’t.  It’s an act of service, in a long term process where the most important work is done by the players or the student. It requires patience, faith and a different way of seeing the world and ourselves.  But hey, as Joseph Campbell said, ” If you want to change the world, change the metaphor.”

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Creating A Place Where Potential Can Grow

February 5, 2013 by kickittraining

We invest a lot of time, money and energy in youth sports for all kinds of reasons – healthy and unhealthy. Every once in a while you run across something that helps bring things into focus. I ran across this short video on Daniel Coyle’s Talent Code website last week. It’s about the skiing Cochran family from Vermont. The parents created an environment where enjoyment, excellence, passion and,  character could all be nourished and potential could  unfold. And, not only for their own kids but for following generations of skiers as well. We need more places and people like this. Enjoy !

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Developing Potential In Young Athletes

January 28, 2013 by kickittraining

Youth soccer skillsWhat is a player’s potential? It’s tempting to look at an athlete, especially a young one and think we know. The truth is we don’t. I can offer a relative opinion about how I think one athlete compares to another and where they might end up or what they might accomplish but, it’s based more on assumption than fact and even then only on the limited information I have in the moment. And because it’s limited it’s often also limiting. How much potential goes undeveloped because of premature judgements on the part of coaches, parents and players? Our thoughts about young players’ potential are often about their potential to fit into a scheme that we have – a position, a system, a style of play, a stereotype that we’re comfortable working with.

We’d like to think that human potential can be sized up like the potential energy in the water behind a dam. Problem is there’s  no way I can know or predict all the variables when it comes to a human being; especially one that’s still developing. It’s like trying to tell you how much energy is stored behind the dam without knowing how deep the water is. GIRL LACROSSE

The fun part of working with young athletes and watching them develop over time is DISCOVERING that potential, watching it unfold and being surprised and even delighted at the forms it takes.

The role of the coach, parent, administrator, is to create and sustain the environment where that  discovery and development can take place. Part of creating and sustaining that environment is building a framework that helps us see the big picture and that also helps us focus our time,energy and attention. I keep coming back to four areas or dimensions of development: Physical, Technical, Tactical and Mental. I think of them as four overlapping circles. Each one expands and / or limits the others. Physical elements such as speed, balance, strength, coordination enhance my technical skills. Those enhanced technical skills open up more tactical possibilities. The mental skills support or limit my performance in the other three areas but, as my other skills grow and I can play a bigger, faster game  it helps me grow those mental skills as well.

Development Circles

The key is the overlap. That’s where potential is discovered and developed. That diamond in the middle is what I bring to the field. Development with young players is about growing those  circles and as the circles grow so does the overlap;  that space in the center where potential emerges.

One of the obvious implications is that those of us who work with developing players need to be connected and collaborating. Without that collaboration we can lose sight of the big picture, limiting our own contribution and the contributions of others and in the end limiting the potential of the players we serve. A poor example of  teamwork. When we work together we maximize each other’s contribution and the opportunity for the discovery and development of players’ potential. And, like any team, we get to celebrate those moments when it all comes together, moments of surprise and delight when the whole truly is greater than the sum of it’s parts. IMG_2998

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Create Time and Space To Get More Of What You’re Wanting This Year

December 31, 2012 by kickittraining

SCOREBOARDI was a senior in high school playing middle linebacker and calling the defensive signals. It was the third quarter, we were leading but, the opponent had started to move the ball and we had started to panic. People were pointing  fingers in the huddle, the defensive lineman were telling me to change the calls, run a different defense. Things felt like they were moving faster and faster and we were losing control. Then our defensive coordinator called a time out.

I ran to the sideline. “Coach’, I said, “we need to go to 53!” I don’t remember if he slapped the side of my helmet or just grabbed my face mask, but he got my attention and then said, ” slow down.” In a very calm way he asked me what I was seeing, talked me through a few things and sent me back with a few simple reminders. In those two minutes he created a space, enough space to look around, gather my thoughts, refocus, adjust and get back on track. Happy ending – we regained control, shut them down and won the game.

calendarThe new year is here; a natural transition time. Good athletes know that transitions are key. Sometimes they come in the flow the game, a turnover, a rebound, a fast break or a breakaway. Other times we create them by changing tempo, or formations or by calling a time out. They are where you can create a separation, open up space between you and your opponent.

In sports, and in life, space and time go together. On the field or the court or the ice, space gives players a sense of comfort and freedom. Time allows players to settle themselves and find the optimal target. (More about this here and in AH Naylor’s post here.) This time of year invites us to use the transition to create that space and take the time to choose those optimal targets, the things that matter, that move us in the direction of what’s important to us.

iStock_000002235015MediumSo, here’s a challenge and an invitation to use this natural transition to create some separation.Give yourself some space and time over the next few days to take an unhurried look at where you are and where you want to be. Then, rather than just firing away, or trying to force the action, ( adding more camps or clinics or tournaments or trying out for a different club because of what someone else is telling you ) use that time, even if it’s only a little bit, to get clearer. What are you seeing? What’s standing out to you? What’s important to you?Write it down if it helps or talk it through. Whether its the long term or just the next step you’ll probably get a better decision. Your chances are always better if you pick our shots, even if you miss , than just firing away and hoping something happens. Happy New Year – Good Luck in 2013.

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