TOVO Institute Founder, Todd Beane, discusses the need for a holistic view of player development.
One indicator of a footballer’s chance for success beyond sport competition is the way in which they’re trained as a youth player. Experts in the field of child development point out the importance of holistic development. That is, children are multi-dimensional by nature and need to be nurtured physically, mentally and emotionally.
It is critical to offer the youngster a safe environment in which to explore and learn. Applying this knowledge to athlete development will help us to train young players for success not only in sport, but also for the challenges they’ll face throughout their lives.
The Traditional Club Model
What we witness in current models of athlete development is a splintered division of responsibilities when it comes to developing youth players. Clubs take charge of athletic development, schools are responsible for intellectual development and families are left to tend to character development. In this model, sport clubs only concern themselves with the athletic development of a child by offering technical, tactical and physical training. A good footballer is a winning athlete regardless of whether or not they possess the character or intellect to succeed beyond sport.
Applying this knowledge to athlete development will help us to train young players for success not only in sport, but also for the challenges they’ll face throughout their lives.
The Root of the Issue
The core issue is that athletes are not athletes all day, everyday, every year. Even the most dedicated athlete remains a son, a daughter and a friend to someone for some portion of their day, and all athletes need development models that reflect this reality. Engagement in sport is merely one fraction of a productive life. Sport clubs today tend to teach athletes specific technical skills only, and then they wonder why young athletes don’t have the strength of character to represent themselves and the organisation well. They wonder why athletes don’t have the intellectual capacity to meet new challenges.
A Solution: Total Development Model
Academy programs need a complete paradigm shift if they’re to create competitive athletes and productive citizens simultaneously. We don’t lower our athletic standards, however. Instead, we establish loftier and expanded goals. We set ourselves to developing talented, intelligent and responsible footballers. With this in mind, we define the skills and habits required for short and long- term success. We provide individual functional training to address their needs, and we collaborate as coaches to facilitate the young athlete’s development.
Ultimately, we must develop individuals who respect themselves and others and possess the knowledge and skills to accomplish varied goals over a lifetime.
The program objectives will be communicated clearly to all stakeholders – players, parents, coaches and club administrators. Results are assessed and a record of the athlete’s growth towards defined objectives is put in place. Ultimately, we must develop individuals who respect themselves and others and possess the knowledge and skills to accomplish varied goals over a lifetime. In other words, we must train athletes for life.
Ultimately, we must develop individuals who respect themselves and others and possess the knowledge and skills to accomplish varied goals over a lifetime.
Cover Image:
Johan Cruyff. Photo: Nationaal Archief
