7 Realities Young Athletes Experience During Their First Year Of Elite Sport
If a young athlete learns from playing with the big boys then they’ll soon become a superior adult athlete
I was 15 years old when I first started playing with the adult team.
And it was as they say:
“A whole new ball game!”
But oddly enough, I don’t mean that in a bad way.
Here’s a breakdown of the things of what I learned in my first year mixing it with the big boys.
1. The pressure is not on you to perform:
When you’re young going to play with men is a holiday. It really is. More so, it’s a vacation away from your age group. See it as a reward because you`ve attained a certain level of mastery in your age range. And like any day off you must enjoy it. If you decide to enjoy it you’ll be shocked at how well you’ll do.
The reality is you’re not going to be seen by anyone involved in the team as the ‘go-to guy’ for making a tackle, stopping shots, playing the perfect pass, or scoring. At least you shouldn’t be. If you are then, with due respect, your team is in trouble.
If you have a good coach or manager then they realize that bringing you in to play at the top table is as much a treat as it is a need for their team. Of course, the problem is not every coach notices this and instead, they do try to build teams around very young players who have a bit of talent. But even if they do this, others around the coach will know that this isn’t right. Players who are in their 20s and 30s will feel as if they are being cast aside for their playing worth and the ‘young star is stealing the show’.
Top adult players are happy to see young players come through but really don’t expect them to lead the team for a few years yet.
2. Whatever you achieve this year is a bonus:
On your first year in the big league you`re going to notice that things are done very differently. One of the most prominent things I noticed when I stepped into a men’s locker room for the first time was hopelessness. As the team hadn’t won a trophy in years they never expected to be able to win on that particular year and so returning to play for a new year was like a continuation of the previous year which lacked success.
I was struck by how these guys were mentally. They never had huge hopes or any expectancy at all to compete in the later rounds of the competition. Not to mention winning it.
Stranger again, was that the head coach never noticed that they felt as if they weren’t going to win, and expected them to just compete as if they felt they were going to the final that year.
When you are used to playing underage there is a greater buzz and feeling of it being a new year and one filled with new hope. Generally, you`re moving up the age ranks with the players you`ve played with underage but with each new year, a fresh hope is created as each young player gets bigger, stronger, faster, and more mature.
But this is not seen at an adult level.
When you reach an adult level in a sport many players can go through the motions of training and playing. By understanding this you can achieve more than you think in the first year of your adult involvement.
3. It’s still more important to achieve at your age group:
Even though there is little pressure on you to perform at the adult level of your sport because you`re now involved at this level it increases the expectancy on you to perform better at your own age group.
The smart coach understands that by getting a young player involved at adult level they will see it as a reward and this will motivate the youth to step up and take more responsibility at their age group. The best way for a young player to show this reasonability is to lead their age group with more maturity. If the opposing team knows that you are now playing at a higher age range or with the most prominent adult team in the club then they’ll probably want to man-mark you, double team you, or blank you out of the game.
For an opposing team member, your new-found respect as a player is their ticket to the big time also. If they can nullify your performance then others will see them as talent for the future too. So in your age group, there is greater pressure and expectancy on you to perform better.
Many players, and their parents, coaches, and supporters will expect that you will be the one that scores more and creates more chances for the team simply because if you can survive at adult level then you must be able to do more like an underage athlete.
But as with any game involving a ball and two sets of players once each game is on you just can’t truly predict how it will go. You may perform to your best on that day or the ball may not run for you either. However, the one thing that you must bring to the game is greater leadership.
Fellow players, parents, coaches, and supporters will be content with you if you assume a greater role of responsibility.
By leading with ambition and confidence others around you will become more ambitious and confident and it will inspire your team to perform better.
4. Learn from the older players:
Being in an older locker room you’re going to notice new behaviors. By your second year there those behaviors will rub off on you and you’ll begin to become part of the overall team culture. It won’t seem as daunting to you as it would have in your first year. If you listen to older players in the first year you’ll learn a heck of a lot. That’s not to say all or indeed any of what they say will be of use towards winning, but it will teach you about life as an experienced adult player.
How you use this knowledge now and in the future of your playing career is up to you. By understanding that winning demands that most players do the right thing most of the time you`ll begin to understand why you`re team is positioned where it is and how you can improve it in the future.
5. Train as hard as you can and you’ll earn respect:
Although you may feel as if you have to prove yourself as a young player by stepping into an older team, you really don’t have to prove anything. If you are good enough at your age range then beginning to play at the older level is just a natural progression.
However, if you want to begin to show your greater potential then train as hard as you can.
If you train as you`ve never trained before and show a hunger towards your improvement then older players will respect you. By doing so, they’ll also see an ambition in you to improve team morale.
They’ll recall when they were your age and when they felt as if they wanted to improve as well. You`ll inspire them to raise their game and this will make you a favorite in the locker room where you’ll feel more welcome than you’ve ever expected.
6. Know your limitations and stick to what you’re good at:
Keep it simple.
Playing at the adult level is more difficult than people realize. Don’t get me wrong you can start with a bang and have some great performances as a young player in an adult team. But before long you’ll be found out. Players and coaches at the adult level will not want to be beaten by a young player too frequently. If you are performing well they’ll start to see why and before you know it they’ll be a tactic out in place to stop you.
Usually, this tactic will involve the one thing most adult teams have on younger players and that’s the ability to withstand a higher level of training and physicality. Even if you are a bigger player than many of the adult players your body is still not fully mature.
By keeping your play simple and consistent you’ll fit in better with adult teams. Consistency is what is lacking for lots of young players so working on establishing that in your performances with older players will benefit you a lot in the shorter and longer-term.
7. Don’t worry if the head coach doesn’t communicate with you much:
Head coaches are all different.
By the time you reach the adult level, you`ll begin to notice that quite often the coaches are in their own little worlds a lot of the time.
In reality, the coach is feeling the pressure of managing a group of adults. Because they are adults, the coach realizes that these guys all have jobs or are as well educated as they are. Having 20 or more different personalities under your watch can be challenging for many coaches and knowing that they will all expect that you know more than them can be daunting.
In many sports, winning at an adult level is more of a pressure than it is at an underage level. As there are generally more people watching the games at this age range many coaches feel this increased expectancy to win every time. Avoiding the expectation that the coach will be communicating with you regularly will teach you how to begin to self manage your own emotions around competing at the adult age range.
Many coaches don’t mean to lessen their communication with young players but simply don’t find the time to do so, especially on big game days. By understanding this as a young player and not taking it personally, you’ll begin to show the maturity that is expected of an older player. This is where leadership begins and where you can grasp the opportunity to take control of your mind.
Once you master your mind composure will follow and a superior performance becomes consistent too.
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