Cutting Diamonds - Developing A $1bn Player (Part Two)

Welcome to part two of the $1bn development challenge!

Continuing the analogy of talent likened to that of a rough diamond I want to say this, not only are diamonds the hardest material to cut, shape, and polish, you have to use another diamond to accomplish that! Only a diamond can cut another diamond!

And that simply means that you need to identify and select the best Elite Performance Engineering team you can put together that I previously talked about in the article ‘Elite Performance Engineering – The Future’. (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/elite-performance-engineering-future-edward-rolihlahla-gray/).

A brilliant cut diamond has 58 facets and can have up to 144 facets, but for this exercise and simplicity I will stick with the 58 (33 Top, and 25 Bottom), and cover a few of the facets in a little more detail.

To be successful in soccer player development there are not short cuts, and there is no quick way to obtain optimum results. Same as a diamond is formed over a long period of time, under intense pressure and heat, elite players need to be exposed to exercises and drills that develops all the skills that an Elite Performance Player exhibits.

1.      Brain Speed – Information Processing. Why is one’s ability in processing information quickly so vital in sports, specifically when it comes to one’s decisions during offensive and defensive moves? That’s because quick, accurate processing of information that comes in through hearing, vision, and the other senses affects “higher” cognitive functions — like memory and problem solving. Slow processing speeds negatively affects reaction-response times, timeous decision making, and affects every other aspect of a player’s overall performance. Slower brain processing speed is manifested in motor skill deficiencies; the greater the balance requirements, the faster the brain must process information provided by the various senses and the faster the brain must process the information coming from the two hemispheres of the brain. It relates directly to converting opportunities into goals, or disallowing the opposition a chance to score. It affects balance, positioning of the body when kicking the ball, anticipating where the ball will end up whilst still in flight, etc.

When the brain can’t quite keep up with the speed at which information is coming in, it bypasses crucial information that it deems irrelevant and makes only partial, “incomplete” representations of that information, and then decide what to do based on that incomplete information. This has short-term and long-term effects. In the short term, it might lead you to mishear what someone said, misinterpret a facial expression, have trouble following instructions given by a teammate against the background noise of the supporters, miss a key visual detail (like an opponent shifting position), or take a poor decision based on incomplete information. In the long term, it affects memory: your brain only has an incomplete recording to rely on, and that in turn affects one’s ability to perfect and improve skills.

2.      Brain Speed – Spatial Orientation. The human brain is a remarkable organ. It has the ability to reason, create, analyse, and process tons of information each day. The brain also gives humans the ability to move around in an environment using an innate sense of direction. This skill is called spatial orientation, and it is especially useful for tracking and monitoring of the objects in the space around us, as well as our body’s positioning in relation to other objects in that same space. Without well-developed spatial orientation skills, we would not be able to kick a ball with great accuracy and players would not have the precise awareness of the position of other players on the field and the movement of the ball which is necessary to play effectively. It is another fundamental brain function that informs all higher-level cognitive activities.

Because spatial awareness requires integrating the information from the different senses into the three-dimensional model of the world provided by the vestibular system, it is necessary to participate in activities which refine the vestibular system and develop sensory integration to help refine all aspects of brain processing. Deficiencies in spatial orientation can hold people back from achieving their true potential, and a lot of players suffer from SID (Sensory Integration Disorder) without knowing it. Knowing the symptoms and identifying this disorder will go a long way towards correcting spatial disorientation deficiencies.

6.      Selective Attention. In most sports, there are situations in which an athlete would need to use selective attention and when that same athlete would need to use divided attention. Both are helpful to athletes and both can be detrimental to athletes. A soccer player needs to make a conscious effort to listen carefully to a coach’s instructions before a match and that involves selective attention. On the pitch the same soccer player would use selective attention when taking a penalty kick. Selective attention is important when an athlete needs to limit interfering distractions. It would be detrimental for the athlete to attend to other stimuli at this time because the stimuli (sounds of cheering or jeering fans, his teammates, waving flags, etc.) would only distract him from efficient performance at this moment in the game. Similarly, a soccer goalkeeper who is preparing to defend against a corner kick from the opposing team must pay full attention to the flight of the incoming ball whilst not becoming distracted by the movements of the players in the penalty area. These few examples show that the ability to focus on what is most important in any situation whilst ignoring distractions is vital for success in sport.

7.      Divided Attention. The same athlete would need to use divided attention when he needs to perform more than one task at the same time. Being able to divide attention efficiently is helpful when the same soccer player is dribbling down the field, sees an opponent approaching him, and needs to decide when to pass the ball. At this time, selective attention would be detrimental because the soccer player needs to handle these many tasks all at once and cannot afford to underperform on any of the tasks. He needs to hear and see his teammates, be aware of the offense, evaluate play making options, and dribble or pass at the opportune moment. Defending against a corner kick from the opposing team the player needs to be aware of what the attacking players are doing, take note of where his own team mates are, and watch the flight of the ball to determine where he should position himself to defend the goal, or to get to the ball first.

10.  Brain Flexibility – Anticipation & Adaptability. Past performance, future tasks and the comparison of the two form the landscape of perceptual anticipation that affects our behaviour and response. A key to making a steal in soccer is that the defender must anticipate where the ball is headed before it gets there. He must anticipate this early enough to be able to beat the attacker to the ball and avoid committing a foul. This means using early cues to anticipate the movement and actions of opposing players that are contained within opponents’ kinematic movements. Why do expert athletes often appear to have ‘all the time in the world’ to respond in highly time constrained sports, while novices appear challenged by rapid speed of play? The ability to anticipate or “predict” the direction of a penalty kick in football prior to ball-foot-contact affords the goalkeeper with crucial time to dedicate to both getting to and preparing for an effective response. The extra time offered via successful anticipation is not only advantageous, but may also be essential in circumstances where the time taken to process and respond to a stimulus exceeds the ball-flight time.

Adaptability has many enemies, the main culprit being fear – fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of failing, fear of disappointment, fear of making a fool of yourself, fear of inadequacy. Other enemies include lack of diversity, bias, habit, conditioning, skill deficiency, short term and rigid thinking. When you see a new problem, you can solve it in old ways or in a new way. The first is the easier path to follow, but one which will not get you the desired long-term results. Instead of remaining stuck in old behaviours, which are wired in the brain, you can use your brain in the following, more effective ways for better results: stop following the status quo, get out of your comfort zone, or break routines. Our individual comfort zone helps us to decrease stress, reduce anxiety, and keeps us from taking risks. We need our comfort zone to go to every once in a while, however if we want to continually grow, challenge ourselves, we need to tolerate the discomfort and embrace the uncertainty that comes with stepping out of our comfort zone. Being adaptable to changes are an essential requirement to excel.

Having briefly discussed only five of the 58 facets that needs to be developed to produce a brilliant player should give you an idea of the importance of having a holistic approach. Players are made up of Physical, Technical, Tactical, and Mental qualities. Neglect to effectively develop any of these qualities and you may destroy a brilliant career in the process.

Developing players to become the best they can be takes great responsibility, care, and lots of passion for one’s sport. Take great care in cutting the diamonds, and the rest will take care of itself!

NB. Please feel free to contact me personally if you need any guidance, assistance, or clarity on developing your talent optimally.