014 | PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

A JOURNEY TO A WELL-ROUNDED PLAYER STARTS WITH IDENTIFYING YOUR WEAKNESSES AND WORKING HARD TO STRENGTHEN THEM.

When I was playing club growing up, it was normal to be involved in a lot of extra training. If it wasn’t shooting, it was strength, and if not that it was skills. Many players around me were doing the same thing working on sharpening their skills or their best features to showcase at college and National Team ID camps. 

I think what helped me the most was recognizing that instead of being good at one or two things, I could work to be a well rounded player, and instead depend on all of my skills, so I could adapt to any situation on the field. 

It’s takes ALOT of work and dedication, but when you think about it — as the levels you play continue to get more and more technical, it’s where attention to detail matters the most. Teams will scout you and know your strengths and weaknesses so if you can identify your weaknesses early on it give you time to get better. So ask yourself at those extra sessions what do I need to work on? What am I shying away from? What would make me a more well-rounded player?

No one likes to work on things they aren’t good at, but one day you will see progress and eventually mastery. You won’t even remember you couldn’t do something months ago. So always work on all parts of your game, because in the end, it will help your team and push you to levels you didn’t know you were capable of.

Don’t spend all of your time on what you’ve already mastered, push yourself out of your comfort zone.