The Truth About Player Development

What Do Parents Really Mean When They Say They Want “Development”?

If there is one word I hear ad nauseam this time of year, it’s development.

Every parent wants it.

Every team talks about it. And for what it’s worth, I believe none of them are lying. I just think it is a very hard thing to deliver while simultaneously trying to help a team be successful. Every single one of us have had visions of Granger until we get in the thick of things and realize we over promised or expected way too much of ourselves.

No one is more guilty of that than I.

But, unfortunately every year the cycle repeats.

Why?

In my opinion, the biggest reason is that “development” has become too broad of a term.

Everyone uses the word, but very few people define what they actually mean.

I believe athletic development—baseball development in particular—can be divided into two completely different categories.

1. Natural Development

Natural development is what happens simply because you’re participating in the sport.

It’s what takes place in games, dugouts, and team practices.

Examples include:

• Learning game situations.

• Understanding when to take an extra base.

• Live “dirt ball” reads when there are consequences.

• Learning to compete when the pressure is on and your heart is beating out of your chest.

• Late game AB’s with a tie game and teammates depending on you.

• Learning how to be a great teammate, even when you disagree with the coach’s decisions.

• Handling failure without falling apart.

• Learning to communicate with teammates.

• Understanding what it takes for a group of individuals to function as a team.

These are incredibly valuable lessons.

In fact, many of them can only be learned through competition.

This is one of the greatest values of being on a team.

But here’s what often gets overlooked…

A team practice exists primarily to make the team better.

The coach has 10-13 kids standing in front of him.

His responsibility is to prepare that group to win games together.

That means teaching systems, signs, bunt defenses, first-and-third situations, cuts and relays, offensive philosophy, and everything else required for a team to function.

Those are important.

They’re just different than individual player development.

2. Stimulated Development

Stimulated development is training.

It’s the intentional process of making an athlete better through planned work.

The weight room.

Speed training.

Throwing programs.

Hitting drills.

Mobility work.

Arm care.

Pitch design.

Mechanical adjustments.

Skill repetition.

In exercise science, training is simply planned and prescribed activity that produces a desired adaptation.

The adaptation is the goal.

Become stronger.

Throw harder.

Hit the ball harder.

Move more efficiently.

Improve bat speed.

Increase arm health.

Become a better baseball player.

Unlike natural development, stimulated development doesn’t happen by accident.

It requires planning.

It requires progression.

It requires evaluation.

It requires repetition.

Most importantly…

It requires individualization.

Why Team Practices Usually Don’t Produce Much Stimulated Development

This is where I think many families become frustrated.

I believe stimulated development is instinctively what most parents are actually looking for when they say they want “development.”

They want their son to become a significantly better player.

Throw harder.

Hit better.

Run faster.

Move more efficiently.

Give them the best chance to make the HS team or be more recruitable.

The problem is…

That’s extremely difficult to accomplish in a traditional team practice.

Think about the environment.

One coach.

10-30 players depending on age.

Limited practice time.

A game this weekend.

The coach has to prepare the team.

How much time can realistically be spent fixing one player’s swing?

Or rebuilding one pitcher’s throwing mechanics?

Or writing individualized strength programs?

Or monitoring workloads?

Or designing progression from week to week?

The answer is…

Not much.

This is why professional, well-funded college/HS programs have S&C coaches as well as positional coaches.

Yes, players will experience some stimulated development during practice.

There will be batting practice swings.

There will be infield and outfield reps.

There will be throwing.

Players absolutely get better from those experiences.

But that’s often incidental development, not individualized development.

There’s a big difference.

This Isn’t a Criticism of Team Coaches

In fact, it’s the opposite.

I think it’s unfair to expect most team coaches to provide individualized development. And as I’ve stated many times before, if you have one, do everything you can to stay with him.

Most youth coaches are volunteers.

Others receive a small stipend that amounts to very little when you divide it by the hours they invest.

Many are balancing full-time jobs and family responsibilities while trying to coach.

They simply don’t have the time, resources, education, or staffing to build individualized development plans for every athlete.

And that’s okay.

That’s not what most team coaches signed up to do.

Their primary responsibility is to prepare a team to compete.

That’s hard enough.

So Where Does Stimulated Development Come From?

You really have two choices.

Option 1: Do It Yourself

There is more information available today than ever before.

If you’re disciplined, willing to learn, and consistent, you can absolutely improve on your own.

Create a plan.

Track your progress.

Study.

Train consistently.

Stay patient.

Option 2: Work With Someone Who Already Has a Plan

This is where facilities like EAP come in.

Our job isn’t to replace your team coach.

Our job is to complement what your team coach does.

Your team gives you opportunities to compete.

We help prepare you to take advantage of those opportunities.

We build the plan.

We individualize the training.

We measure progress.

We make adjustments.

We provide accountability.

You provide the work.

Final Thoughts

The biggest mistake I see is expecting one environment to do the job of another.

Games teach lessons that training never can.

Training develops abilities that games rarely do.

Both matter.

Both are necessary.

But they’re not the same thing.

Once families understand the difference between natural development and stimulated development, they stop chasing empty promises and start asking better questions.

Because at the end of the day, development isn’t about finding the team with the best slogan.

It’s about consistently placing yourself in environments that make you better.

And those environments don’t all serve the same purpose.