5 Don’ts of Player Development
Over the past two plus years I have made it my mission for Beyond The Field to educate, enlighten and empower those in the player development position and those looking to get into the role. I have highlighted a lot, given tips and perspectives on how to get things done and create impact, BUT I do not think I have spent a lot of time talking about what not to do in the role, so here are the FIVE Don’ts of Player Development.
DO NOT ASSUME
Now this can be the first do not for a lot of people and professions, but this is HUGE in player development. HUGE! You cannot assume ANYTHING in player development. That may seem like a wild statement, but it is true and was my experience at all three universities and for four head coaches I worked for. Whenever I assumed in the role, I was always reminded of the Outkast line in the song “Roses” which says, “And the other half either got you (PAUSE) Cussed out or coming up short.” I did not get cussed out, but I definitely came up short when assuming. So, the best way I know to go in greater detail is to make a list of the assumptions you cannot have in this role.
Do not assume the person interviewing you knows player development and how it can impact a program (I had a few interviews where someone interviewing me knew the ins and outs of the position. One interview where someone was in a position at a professional level.)
Do not assume the people who hired you know what success in the role looks like
Do not assume those who hired you know how to support you in the role
Do not assume the staff knows what you do
Do not assume the players know what you do
Do not assume the recruits know what you do
Do not assume the parents know what you do
Do not assume your meeting about programming was understood
Do not assume your email about programming was understood
Do not assume the Head Coach, Chief of Staff, Director of Operations will think of your programming when creating the calendar
Do not assume player development will be thought of when the budget is created
Do not assume recruiting will use you in the on campus recruiting plan
Do not assume people will let you know changes on the calendar
Do not assume people will relay your message to the Head Coach
Do not assume the community wants to work with the program you serve
Do not assume companies want to work with the program you serve
Do not assume former players know what you do (most did not have this position when they played)
Do not assume former players will be bought in to what you created and are doing
Do not assume the players know the expectations of the Head Coach, athletic department, university, and your player development program
This is an extensive list, and I could have gone a little longer with these assumptions. This list is assumptions I made in the role and got burned because of them. So, how did I improve or not fall into the traps of these assumptions? I began to OVERCOMMUNICATE. In my office I was so serious about OVERCOMMUNCATING I had a sign on all four of my walls. Wherever I turned I was reminded to OVERCOMMUNICATE.
DO NOT DO IT ALONE
My six years in the role, I did not have another dedicated full-time staff member who worked with me. The best help I had in the role came from Lauren Hawkins who interned with me in Kansas for two years. Most people in the player development role are in the role as the only full-time staff member in the player development department. This is not ideal, but there are ways to make sure you are not alone in creating impact.
I mentioned one earlier, if you know it is only going to be you in the role ask for student interns. Go to the sports management department on your campus or in your city, let them know you are looking for help and the rest will be history. There is no shortage of students in sports management departments who want in on the experience.
Create a player development support system, I have heard Dr. Lacee’ Carmon-Johnson calls it a Board of Directors. These are the people who will see the athletes just as much as you do. For me it was the academic staff, the sports medicine staff, the strength and conditioning staff, the nutritionists/dieticians staff, compliance staff, equipment staff, the coaching graduate assistants and campus housing, I would interact with these groups daily, letting them know programming we had, issues that may arise, highlights which needed to be celebrated and anything important to the experience of the athletes I served. At the universities I worked at there were meetings set up for us all to get together and talk about every player on the roster. I appreciated this group so much and built genuine relationships with them as we came together for the betterment of the young men we served.
Reach out to other professionals in player development, you will need a support system of people who know exactly what you are doing and what is asked of you. Do not be afraid to reach out and get to know someone else in the role. The player development professionals around the world are great at what they do and are willing to share what works and what doesn’t. I have built some deep friendships with those who are in player development. Do not miss support.
DO NOT OVER PROGRAM
I must thank Lauren Hawkins for helping me with this. In my quest to use the time I had on the calendar and the space we had with the athletes during non-football months, I filled it with copious amounts of programming. Team programming, position group programming, individual player programming. One day in my office while squaring programming away, answering emails and taking care of planning, a player walked in and handed me something I needed. I thanked him and wished him well on his day. Lauren stopped me in typical Lauren fashion, “ED JONES!” I responded and she said I think that young man wanted to talk to you. I let her know he just wanted to turn in the paper and go about his day. She then asked me if I saw his body language, she knew my answer was no because I was glued to my screen preparing programming. I acknowledged I did not, thanked her for the observation, called the young man and you guessed it he wanted to talk. That day I thanked Lauren as she helped me realize I was so into programming I forgot to continue to build upon relationships daily. It is tough in the role at times I did not get much if any space to create programming. So, when the opportunity was there, I wanted to capitalize. This is my message to you, continue to program and create deeply impactful moments but do not put the programming over relationships. Less is more at times.
DO NOT PROGRAM DURING TRAINING CAMP
Speaking of programming, PLEASE do not program during training camp. I worked in college football, and I tried my best not to program during fall camp and spring ball. There were community or campus events we had to be at per administration, but I never wanted to plan programming during this time as this is the time when players are competing for position and playing time. I always wanted them to succeed on the field as well, so this was their time to give full focus towards those efforts. During these highly competitive parts of the calendar, I just wanted to support and be an open door for the players. If the players wanted to do programming, I would wait until the end of those camps as positions were locked in at that point.
PS: One program we did at one university which was suggested by the Head Coach was having our freshmen, who are on campus, help their freshmen class move in. I always liked this as the freshmen were allowed to get away from the grind of fall camp and meet students they would be in class with. Also, a wonderful opportunity to get the student section packed for the coming home game.
DO NOT SCHEDULE ANYTHING ELSE ON YOUR CALENDAR WHEN NEWCOMERS ARE COMING TO CAMPUS
January, June, July, August and in some cases December, the time when college football newcomers were coming to campus. Early on in my career I thought I could juggle my responsibilities with them and athletic department or campus events as well. I was WRONG. Moving all their stuff in and getting their keys does not eliminate their newness to the university and the questions, concerns and needs they may have. Newcomer orientation does not answer everything. Later, in my career I learned to say no, at least for the first week of newcomers on campus. Ideally, I would try and get two weeks of attention to them. I learned over the years at newcomer orientations, this move is new for the athlete and their family. Family members would ask me questions throughout the day, want updates and just needed someone to talk to. The players like independence but truly need guidance with everything that was asked of them. When I finally grasped all this and made sure I had time for the newcomer and his family the transition became better on campus.
There are five don’ts of player development. I hope you enjoyed this blog. These don’ts come from my experience in the role and the headaches I created in it. Please adhere to these and avoid the road bumps I created on my path.
If you would like more guidance in the player development role, email info@btfprogram.com and let me know how I can champion your player development journey.
If you are interested in the Player Development Guide Course, click here: https://forms.gle/5KgcujWqPgq8eNYq6
Listen to The Player Development Pod here: https://linktr.ee/btf_program
Visit: https://www.btfprogram.com/
Follow:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/BTF_Program
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/btf_program/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BTFProgram
Tag on Social: #ThePDPod #BeyondTheField