I wanted the timing of this post to be consistent with the "big" event going on right now in professional sports---the NFL Combine. News media sources have been covering the training and preparation leading up to the combine, coaches testimony, "expert" analysis, and everything else revolving around this battery of tests.
Unfortunately, every one of these analysts and coaches contradict themselves. Each one talks about the value of all these tests, just to go on to admit it's all about the ability to play football. These athletes do nothing more than lose valuable time as they train like track stars instead of football players.
To repeat myself, what do these tests really prove? As of today, the big focus was on Adrian Peterson. Never mind the fact that for the last three years he was one of the most dominant running backs in all of college football even with all the injuries he suffered. The focus...his 40-time.
Hypothetically, what if someone who had never played the game of football were to walk in off the street and test for the combine. Say this person ran a 4.4, 40 inch vertical, and got 38 reps on the bench press test. Should he be a top draft pick?
Frankly, I couldn't care less about these guys. Most of these guys impressing the combine scouts probably won't even be mediocre players in the league. The rest...who knows? The tests try to measure athletic ability--they can't predict the future.
What I do care about are the kids. Kids don't need to be testing like NFL superstars. All these high school and youth programs want their kids tested. A recent little league tryout that I saw actually looked like a professional combine. Hundreds of kids lined up with numbers on their backs while one kid at a time went through all sorts of tests. Coaches standing on the sideline with clipboards and stop watches, parents up above staring down at all the kids. I remind you that this was a Little League tryout. I saw kids crying, mom's and dad's getting upset, and parent/coaches acting like they are Major League Scouts. One father came up to me and said, "man we really gotta shave a tenth of a second off of his time." I responded, "Why? Your kid is 10 years old..." That was the end of the conversation as he took his clip board and walked the other way.
My colleague noticed that I was rather disgruntled and angry just being in the building to witness this so he asked me, "How would you run this?"
It's simple, I'd make it fun. I'd make it an instructional camp by which the kids actually learn something. Coaching evaluations? Instead of throwing, speed, hitting... how about this...
Pays attention, willing to learn, showed improvement, encourages others....
In this setting, kids can have fun. They aren't being watched, they aren't being tested. They are having fun with their friends. Isn't that what youth sports is supposed to be?
I'm probably not going to touch this topic again for awhile. Not until I see someone do something stupid and it rouses my level of agitation.
Will Haskell
coachwill@athleterevolution.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment