The problem with now

The kid with all the skills is easy to see. 

Young technically proficient kids, win a lot when the others are not as well drilled. And that casts another vote towards the expertise of the sport-specific technical coach. Day after day she is reminded that she knows what she is doing.

And because there are enough kids to point towards and say “that was me.” Some success is enough to continue to breed. Survival bias.

Here is how we have fallen into the trap. A positive feedback loop of sport-specific technical coaching. The foundation of sport in this country.

It’s obvious to see the technically proficient kid.

It’s desirable.

It’s easy, just follow the others.

And if you win, you tell the others. 

And yet, technical and tactical sport-specific success is not breeding success anywhere else in the community. Far from it.

The answer lies in the definition of success. 

Not a skewed definition of success. But a more well-rounded definition. A definition that serves the community, for the many, not the few.