The Game As The Teacher

The Game as the Teacher

May 26, 2015

By Chris LeGates, Tackling College Sports Co-Host

A few months back Kobe Bryant criticized AAU basketball programs for the lack of technical development in basketball players in the United States. Bryant, who was raised in Italy for many years, had seen how the youth development of his sport was handled in Europe. It was not about dunks and three-pointers, but more about skill development, tactical development, and passion for the sport. Furthermore, he fired the warning shot that basketball players in the USA could be falling behind their European counterparts. In this social media generation, the highlights we see are trick shots, monster dunks, one-handed football catches and the like. YouTube is filled with athletes doing things like, Messi’s amazing moves that lead to a goal in the recent Champions League semi-final, but what is missing are the little things in sports that get players to the next level. Not everyone is going to be Kobe Bryant or Messi or Ronaldo, but, by relying less on coaches and more on becoming a student of the game, the development will occur organically.

On TCS Podcast 007, Mark and I were very fortunate to have Dan Gaspar. Dan is a Portuguese-American soccer coach from Hartford, CT who has had an incredible journey in the sport. That journey has taken him to four continents and on the bench as a coach during the last two World Cups. He had many messages and stories for our listeners regarding the game of soccer in the United States and where it succeeds and fails. His belief that the game is the best teacher for athletes is a statement that I believe crosses into all sports and applies to all athletes. Coaches and club administrators can sell all the pie in the sky ideas about college scholarships and possible professional opportunities all they want, but at the end of the day, it is about substance. Sports in the United States are a reflection on our government set up – which has unfortunately been inundated with too much red tape.

No AAU program, club program or coach can get you where you want to go as an athlete if you are not a student of the game.

Too many players who are not of the caliber that they need to be to play at the higher levels are playing in these elite programs, thus diluting the player pools and the level of play. If they do not get playing time, they will search for another club that will accept their money, and the process continues. There are too many club programs in all youth sports in the United States, and it hurts the true elite athlete. Because of the need for having more teams, these players do not get a chance to play with other elite athletes and push each other to be even better. The level of training sessions is not the same and the competition in match play is not where it could be. This is unlikely to change as long as there is more money than ever in youth sports. The governing bodies of these sports have to make changes and develop criteria on the state and national levels to end this saturation or the development of the elite or potential elite athlete could be stunted! This brings us back to the athlete. No AAU program, club program or coach can get you where you want to go as an athlete if you are not a student of the game. Sports are everywhere on our cable channels today and regardless of what sport you play, you are bound to find a channel that is carrying it. So, are young athletes watching their sport on TV and looking at it like a classroom where they study what players are doing? Dan speaks about the passion of soccer in all of the countries he has been in. Are youth athletes passionate about their sport in the USA? Will they sit down and watch a match, a game, a meet, and then go out and emulate what they saw in that competition? They should be! It is more than just the dunks or bicycle kicks or one-handed catch that make an athlete. Whatever the sport is, it is about the little things. Things like playing defense, movement off the ball, technical aspects as they apply to your sport. These are things that only the game can teach you. When you compete, what are you learning from those events? Too much emphasis, both positively and negatively, falls on coaches. We are given too much credit for success and blamed too much for failure. The ultimate responsibility must fall on the athlete, and by having that passion for your sport, and by becoming a student of the game, the game will be best the coach and teacher you will ever have!

TCS is always here for you so please do not hesitate to contact me at info@tacklingcollegesports.com with any questions or comments. We will be releasing TCS podcast 008 with UCLA diving coach Tom Stebbins next week, and we are very excited about this interview. We hope you are enjoying the TCS podcasts so far and would be delighted if you would please share them with your friends.

Good Luck, Work Hard and ALWAYS #BeYourBest

Chris