Did your child recently trial for a representative environment and get rejected? Are you constantly trying to get your child onto the so-called ‘Talent Development Pathway’? Let me tell you – it’s a myth. There is no ‘defined’ pathway to reach the top as an athlete or footballer, no matter how hard clubs and federations try to brainwash parents and players into believing so. More on this topic later.
What if I also told you that it may actually be more beneficial for your child’s development if they were ‘rejected’ by a representative environment and that, statistically speaking, they may have a better chance of making it as a footballer than their mate who was selected? Now you think I’m mad!!!
I refer to a study conducted by Dave Collins and Aine MacNamara of the University of Central Lancashire, titled, The Rocky Road to the Top: Why Talent Needs Trauma. The paper talks about the huge effort talent development systems go to, to support young athletes in trying to counter the impact of naturally occurring stressors. The authors suggest this effort is misdirected and that, in fact, talented potential players often benefit from, or even need, a variety of challenges to facilitate eventual expert performance. Their argument is built upon evidence that such challenges are commonplace in athletes who reach the top. Being rejected by a representative environment is one such stressor. So perhaps you should thank your lucky stars your child has been given this ‘desirable difficulty’, and perhaps tell them they’re not good enough YET, but with consistent effort in practice, they may be next year! (Growth, rather than fixed mindset again).
Onto the ‘development pathway’ myth. Firstly, I refer to a paper published by the European Journal of Sport Science titled, Patterns of Performance Development in Athletes. It involved a study of 256 athletes across 27 different sports, examining generalised models of athlete development with the specific pathway trajectories experienced. The study found only 7% of athletes experienced a linear progression from junior to elite senior competition. In other words, only 7% of elite athletes followed the so-called ‘pathway’ from start to finish, leaving a whopping 93% of elite athletes experiencing a non-linear development curve.
If you need more convincing, here is an excerpt from another paper from the European Journal of Sport Science; Selection, de-selection and progression in German football talent promotion:
“The central finding of this study is characterised by sizable annual turnover of its players at all ages. Most young players selected at a young age were replaced within a short time, by others who had developed more prosperously outside youth academies and national programs. Combining these observations leads to the conclusion that the collective of successful senior players clearly emerges from frequently repeated procedures of selection and de-selection across all ages.”
Until next time,
Brad
Spot on Brad. Great blog.
“… but with consistent effort in practice, …” That is the best statement I’ve heard from a coach. It is exactly what the kids and parents need to hear.
Thanks, Brad.
That was great Brad,we will show it to our son, what you said is very, very relevant. If he gets success in the future, it will make it all the sweeter and mean more to him after missing out now. A hard, but necessary life lesson.
Brad, Very well put. We have first hand experience in dealing with an 9 year old,whom with exceptional ball skills, game and positional play understanding is unable to meet development pathway criteria because he is not “ball hungry”.
Your Blog provides hope and a reason not to give up at such a young age.