A three-pronged approach to developing elite young players

We’ve all seen it – the player who was the best in every age group from the age of 8 to 16 or 17 who was going to make it, but never did.

Equally, we’ve all seen the player who turns good in his early 20s, just a few years too late. The late bloomer.

The question I want to ask, and hopefully answer, is how do you create elite young players who go on to make it in the big time?

Firstly, they need to be able to pass, run, tackle and kick. These fundamental skills are often overlooked or forgotten about after the initial learning stage.

Passing, for example, is involved in pretty much any rugby league drill, but how many times is it actually taught? And when I say taught, I mean more than ‘across your body’ – I mean detailed instructions such as “your elbows and hips should be square, correct grip on the ball” and so on.

A lot of this lack of skills coaching can be attributed to two factors – competition and early specialisation. Coaches who are more interested in winning often won’t take the time needed to improve individual players’ skill levels.

Also, players are increasingly being told where they are going to play too early. “You’re big, so you’re a prop” robs kids the chance to learn skills such as kicking just as letting the small, smart kid play pivot robs him of the chance to learn how to get quick play-the-balls or get used to contact.

Coaches of players under 14 years of age need to coach skills to create better players.

But if we want to create future professionals, we need to create athletes. Athletic development is vital to creating elite footy players, and I’m not just talking about throwing weights around in a gym.

Players need to learn how to move. It sounds crazy, but a lot of injuries can be prevented by better movement technique, which needs to be taught early. We want athletes who are purpose built for rugby league, so they need to be stronger and faster for longer.

Another aspect to player development is mental ability. We need to expose players to disappointment, letdowns and allow them to develop mechanisms to cope. Otherwise we are not creating problem solvers.

Players need to be challenged and pushed beyond their limits in order for them to gain confidence, but also they need to be able to express themselves.

Have you ever seen a kid walk across a carpet or rug with a hot drink? When he’s unaware of anyone watching he’s likely to get there easily making small adjustments himself to ensure he doesn’t spill the drink.

Now, have you ever seen a kid spill a drink when someone’s shouting at him or berating him for how long he’s taking? Of course you have. We need to remove external pressure from young football players, they put enough pressure on themselves without coaches and parents scrutinising their every move.

These three areas – technical, physical/athletic and mental – are the key areas in youth development. Hopefully, we can create more young player who fulfill their potential.