After watching many games throughout the grassroot summer months- a few things jumped out, but for this blog we will only address one issue (maybe two) we saw and have seen over the years.
We have all seen that highly regarded youth player who created a “buzz” as a 7th/8th grader only to be “average” in 11th/12th grade. Although the now “average” student-athlete will attract a certain level of college interest but at one point “the cant miss prospect” was the talk of his/her respective city. So, now “average” hooper enrolls in a university where the student-athlete “struggles”, transfers and is largely considered “a bust”.
We all have seen/heard this story before, but by in the large the process as a whole has aided in the destruction of the player. Now, if you add the student-athletes’ own lack of (fill in the blanks) then you will understand the current system is stacked against a large portion of today’s hooper.
Lets examine a typical high school player’s yearly schedule:
September:
- School “college open gym” days (2x per week)
- Train with “trainer” / “s&c coach” (3x per week)
- Work
October:
- School “open gyms” for “all” students
- “College open gym” days
- Train with “trainer” / “s&c coach”
- Work
November:
- HS team practice (5x per week)
- Train with “trainer” (1x per week)
- HS Scrimmages
December/January:
- HS team practice (4x per week)
- Train with “trainer” (1x per week)
- HS Games (2x per week)
February/March:
- HS team practice (3per week)
- HS Games (2-3x per week)
- Train with “trainer” (2x per week) *if eliminated from post season
- AAU practice begins
April/May/June/July:
- AAU Practice (2-3x per week)
- AAU games (3-4x per week)
- Train with “trainer” (2x per week)
- Work
August:
- Family time
- College Visits
- Rest/ Recovery
- Train with “trainer” & “s&c coach” (2x per week)
- Work
So, the question aka the “Elephant in the Room” when does a student-athlete really have enough time to genuinely add to their game?
4 comments:
Werd. And that's the trick bag of it all. The traditional schedule ABSOLUTELY doesn't allow for REAL development. What's the answer? If one is REALLY invested in development you have to eliminate traditional "schoolyard opt for something like homeschooling or boarding school. Somewhere in there a way has to be found to get more hours out of the week so development can be acutely focuses on.
Additionally, when is the student athlete studying or participating in extra curricular activities? Especially, if they are working and developing as an athlete. This is exactly why I looked into home schooling and boarding.
We have heard stories of student-athletes getting up at 4/5am before school to get extra work in before (high)school. Granted, this way of life will have an affect on the entire family, but it can be done. As AAU season begins, we would recommend playing in events were college of coaches would be present (I.e. live period events).. Pretty sure this theory is not popular but some events directors "require" are just a waste of time. All for live reps, but never given an opportunity to adjust or add or correct one MIGHT not do it at all. Additionally, very few AAU actually practice even when they are at practice - again, not popular, but skipping a few "practices" will NOT hurt especially when they time spent can be used differently. These are a few suggestions, but knowing the selfishness of programs they would shun such behavior.
This schedule, although it may look exhausting and unrealistic, many students do it! The real question aside from training to perfect one’s individual game is, what kind of STUDENT are you? A schedule like this really leaves little to no room for a student to excel in HS, and, as a parent of student-athlete who attends a private school where I foot the bill, this matters! AAU program coaches have their handpicked favorites and if your kid isn’t one of those then all that hard work is just wasted energy and MONEY. The politics behind AAU programs is real. Save your time, energy and MONEY and have your kid perfect their game with a trainer, or even alone by watching videos. These days EVERYTHING is online. ANYTHING you can possibly think of learning, there is a video online to guide you. Kids these days need advocates, and I am not talking about coaches, I’m talking parents. That whole “parents shouldn’t interfere and/or speak to coaches” is so 1990’s. With the current mental health issues surrounding kids these days, parents need to step in and advocate for our kids, literally be our kid’s “agent”. Teach your kids how to speak UP and stand UP for themselves but be on the sideline to make sure your kid isn’t bullied by the “peers” who are supposed to be making them better. PARENTS AND STUDENT-ATHLETES: SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GREAT EXPOSURE TOOL, USE IT!
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