Let Them Play: Tips for Developing Young Athletes

By: Dave Laughlin

At the age of 16, Bryce Harper‟s image graced the cover of

Sports Illustrated next to the words “Baseball‟s Chosen One.”
A year later, he dropped out of high school, earned a G.E.D. and
enrolled in a junior college in hopes of being drafted to play
professional baseball before he was even old enough to be
drafted into the military. The message seems clear: if you want
to be great, start young. Popular culture promotes the idea that
“practice makes perfect” and even researchers have suggested
that early specialization and skill-specific development
programs are the surest paths to greatness. Witnessing the
success of Tiger Woods, Venus & Serena Williams, and Andre
Agassi makes it hard to argue with this theory. But is early
specialization and intense training the only path to greatness?
More importantly, is it in the best interest of young athletes? In
recent years, there has been some backlash against the notion of
early specialization and training for youth athletes. It seems that
there is another way that still allows kids to have fun while
developing skills that can later lead to careers in elite level athletics. Bryce Harper may have decided at
an early age that baseball was going to be his career. His decision, though, does not need to influence the
countless number of youth coaches currently working to develop young athletes. Rather than pushing kids
with intense training at younger ages, coaches will better serve athletes by allowing them to grow and
develop their skills while still having fun.

The Temptation: Start Young & Focus Early

It can be tempting to dismiss individuals like Bryce Harper as a natural or a player blessed with a skill
beyond that which can be taught. Although that view might have been popular in the past, it is becoming
increasingly less so. In recent years, there has been a push to see greatness as the product of training.
Parents and coaches have responded by directing young athletes in structured, adult-like programs to
develop athletic ability. Researchers have supported the training hypothesis and none have been more
influential than K. Anders Ericsson. Ericsson‟s work has produced the idea that expertise is the result of
10 years, or 10,000 hours, of practicing with the specific goal to get better. In Ericsson‟s framework,
practice is not enjoyable. Experts endure practice for the payoff alone and the level of performance they
achieve is directly tied to the number of hours they devote to what Ericsson has called “deliberate
practice.” Ericsson originally studied expert chess players and violinists but has expanded his work to
address athletics. The basic premise is simple: to become an expert you have to devote a lot of time and
energy to tasks specifically designed to make you better. These tasks will not be enjoyable and will
require you to sacrifice many other opportunities. They will be highly structured and usually supervised
by a knowledgeable coach. You will receive feedback about your performance designed to help you
overcome your weaknesses and improve your decision-making abilities. Sound like fun? No? Good. It
isn‟t supposed to be.

An Alternative to ‘Deliberate Practice’

It seems hard to argue that Ericsson‟s framework wouldn‟t produce an expert. The question, then, doesn‟t
seem to be can we produce experts in this fashion but rather should we. Some argue that intense
specialization at a young age can harm motivation and hinder learning. Even Ericsson acknowledges the
roles that motivation and effort must play in developing expertise. What he fails to do is address the
development of the person beneath the athlete. This seems like a vital shortcoming in any framework
involving human beings. In his book Creative Coaching, author Jerry Lynch promotes a model of
coaching that attempts to foster personal development and not merely sport-specific development.
According to Lynch, the best coaches value players as people first and athletes second.

The Rambo Dilemma

Most American film-goers are familiar with the story of John Rambo, a Vietnam-era soldier trained as a
member of the special forces. Upon hearing the news of a friend’s passing and being pushed by a small-
town sheriff, Rambo erupted and terrorized a Pacific-Northwest town using
survivalist skills and guerilla tactics. In later years, the government would
spring him from prison to use his expertise to rescue POWs and fight Afghan
rebels. Most recently, Rambo emerged as a 60-year old mercenary who could
be heard uttering the words, “Killing’s as easy as breathing” while
attempting to rescue a group of missionaries who were being held hostage
by a Burmese warlord. Whatever training Rambo received was certainly
good. He was an efficient killing machine. Rambo’s training, however, only
addressed his specific skill. It hardly seems like it was in the best interest
of Rambo as a person or society as a whole. Perhaps there was another
way to develop his killing skills while still maintaining his life-skills.
Coaches are faced with a similar situation. Intense and sport-specific
training will undoubtedly best address sport-specific development. But
what about the person? Is there a way to create training environments
that can produce elite athletes and foster personal growth and overall mental health? Fortunately, the
answer seems to be ‘yes.’

Although Ericsson‟s model is a useful starting point, it fails to address the human aspects of player
development. In recent years, Jean Cote, Joseph Baker, and Bruce Abernathy expanded on Ericsson‟s
work to offer a more balanced approach to developing athletes. In this approach, early specialization is
discouraged and player enjoyment is considered an important consideration, especially at younger ages.
Coaches are encouraged to help athletes progress through developmental stages rather than direct them
toward deliberate practice at an early age. The model outlines three stages of development. In the first
stage, called “Sampling,” athletes try a variety of sports to develop motor skills while having fun.
Typically, this stage lasts from around age 6 to age 12. The next stage, called “Specializing,” typically
lasts from around age 13 to age 15. In this stage, athletes are still having fun but their focus narrows to
one or two sports. The final stage, called “Investment,” is marked by a commitment to achieving an elite
level of performance in a single activity. It usually starts around the age of 16 and continues throughout a
player‟s involvement in the activity. Unlike Ericsson‟s model, Cote and colleagues suggest that play has a
beneficial role for athletic
development. Progression through
the stages is marked by decreasing
levels of play and increasing
levels of practice. Whereas
Ericsson‟s demands deliberate
practice for improvement, Cote
and colleagues argue that play is an important step toward expertise. Unlike deliberate practice, play is
done for its own sake and is enjoyable. It isn‟t taken too seriously and the focus is on the performance
instead of the eventual payoff. Cote believes that play lays the groundwork for the motivation needed to
one day pursue practice seriously.
Take-Home Messages: Tips for Youth Coaches
Ericsson attempted to identify the path to expertise. Recently, researcher Joseph Baker has interviewed
elite athletes and discovered the paths to expertise are far more varied than Ericsson first suggested. Cote
and colleagues have attempted to amend Ericsson‟s work to include these findings. What is important is
what all of these efforts can teach us about designing programs that are most likely to help young players
develop as athletes and people. The best concepts from both research efforts can be combined into a list
of tips for designing athletic programs for young athletes. Ideally, keeping these tips in mind will help
coaches develop well-adjusted players and well-adjusted individuals.

Coaching Tips for Developing Youth Athletes

Tip #1: Encourage Variety
Early specialization is more than unnecessary; it can actually hinder athletic and personal development.
Encourage young athletes to play a variety of sports for enjoyment. This will help them develop basic
motor skills and discover what types of activities they enjoy the most. If they do one day decide to pursue
a single sport seriously, early exposure to multiple sports might decrease the time it takes them to reach
elite status in their chosen activity.
Tip #2: Preach Excellence, Not Winning
Ericsson suggested that the best athletes resist the urge to stop learning. The best way to instill this in
young athletes is to stress getting better instead of winning. In addition, focusing on the process of
improving can help athletes feel less anxiety and pressure to perform. They will not only be more likely to
improve, but they will be more likely to continue playing and enjoy participation.
Tip #3: Play Is Okay
Play can be an important part of development in athletes. It can lay the groundwork for the motivation to
pursue a sport seriously and helps young athletes develop the motor, cognitive, and social skills necessary
in high level athletics. As athletes mature, they will naturally replace play with practice. So encourage
play to help young athletes discover what they like enough to one day practice.
Tip #4: Teach Why, Not Just How
One of Ericsson‟s most valuable contributions was highlighting the role that decision-making helps play
in expert athletes. Expert athletes are better at recognizing patterns within their sports and planning what
they will do next. Don‟t simply teach young athletes what to do and how to do it. Teach them when to do
it and why it is done. Encouraging participation in a variety of sports can help young athletes develop
pattern recognition and decision-making skills. If an athlete decides to focus on a specific sport,
encourage him or her to play a variety of positions. Athletes that understand their game from all angles
will be better at recognizing situations and responding quickly.
Tip #5: Make It Fun, But Structured
Cote and colleagues stress the concept of “Deliberate Play.” There are rules in deliberate play, but the
goal is maximizing enjoyment. Deliberate play offers a stress-free environment where young athletes can
develop the social skills and goal-directed behaviors that will be necessary should they choose to pursue a
sport seriously. Coaches can help design activities that provide structure while maximizing fun.
Tip #6: Grow With Your Athletes
Recognize that younger athletes need more play and less practice and older athletes need more practice
and less play. Adapt to provide opportunities for athletes to experience sports in ways that are age-
appropriate. When athletes are young, a coach is best viewed as a „sport helper.‟ As an athlete matures
and makes the decision to pursue an activity seriously, a coach can adjust to be a „sport specialist.‟
Always make sure your coaching techniques match the developmental needs of the athletes.
Let Them Play
Hopefully, following these tips will help coaches provide experiences that help young athletes develop
the necessary skills for continued sport participation. At the least, they should help coaches create
atmospheres that can be both enjoyable and instructional. Practice might make perfect but it can also
make you miserable. It is vital for coaches to remember that play can make practice more likely. Give
athletes the opportunity to play. Provide them with the time to develop both the skills and motivation
needed for elite level athletic competition. It will create better athletes and happier kids.

References:

Cote, J., Baker, J., & Abernathy, B. (2003). From play to practice: A developmental framework for the
acquisition of expertise in team sports. In Janet L. Starkes & K. Anders Ericsson (Eds.), Expert
performance in sports: Advances in research on sport expertise, pp. 89-114.

Ericsson, K.A. (2003). Development of elite performance and deliberate practice: An update from the
perspective of the expert performance approach. In Janet L. Starkes & K. Anders Ericsson (Eds.), Expert
performance in sports: Advances in research on sport expertise, pp. 49-84.

Ericsson, K.A., Krampe, R.T., & Tesch-Romer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the
acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363-406.

Leite, N., Baker, J., & Sampaio, J. (2009). Paths to expertise in Portuguese national team athletes. Journal
of Sports Science and Medicine, 8, 560-566.

Lynch, J. (2001). Creative coaching: New ways to maximize athlete and team potential in sports.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Picture Credits:

Bryce Harper SI Cover:

http://media.highschoolplaybook.com/networks/Centralflorida/images/member_album_photos/122407/br
yce%20harper%20SI%20cover_original163701.jpg

Rambo III Poster:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Rambo_III_theatrical_poster.jpg