The Culture Rep
Essential Reading for All Developers
The 6 Keys to Developing a Special Player
October 25, 2024 | Read on my website | Read time: 5 minutes
Let’s start here: Every player can become a special player because every player has potential.
This is the litmus test.
The rest of the article will not make sense if you don’t believe the first sentence.
It’s also a requirement of being a Developer.
The three laws of player potential:
- Everyone has a potential to work towards.
- That potential can never be defined.
- And we never arrive; potential is an endless horizon.
This can give us hope as coaches. It also puts us on the hook because, as much as development is a two-way street, leadership is the first mover.
If you aren’t willing to believe in potential and hold up your end of the bargain...
Then you are the biggest hurdle on the player’s journey.
The player might find a way to bypass you on their development march, but many will not. And even if they do, you did their development a disservice.
By special players, we aren’t necessarily talking about 15-year pros or national team mainstays. We are talking about players who are scraping their potential in real time and can have a high impact at the next level—whatever that may be.
Just look at our current soccer culture.
The non-developer coaching bottleneck remains a hurdle for every player in this country. This is the main reason we don’t produce as many special players domestically, despite greater infrastructure and the growth of the sport.
But this can change tomorrow if we are up for it.
Here are the 6 keys to developing a special player:
1. There is Talent Everywhere
There are talented players everywhere.
Everyone has potential, so you can find players in your backyard, in non-traditional places, or even on your own team.
- The best attacking player I ever coached was a walk-on from Omaha, Nebraska (backyard).
- I coached a Serbian full international who was raised in rural Iowa (non-traditional).
- I coached a two-time All-American center back and USL Defender of the Year who never played CB until his junior year of college (own team).
If we had defined the potential of all these players, there is no way they would have achieved what they achieved (and continue to achieve).
So when you watch your players train, understand this: they all can become special players.
2. It Takes a Village
Collaboration is paramount.
The special player requires support from many for a long time span:
- The coaches at every level
- Their parents' emotional, physical, and financial support
- Any leader they come across
This may be the biggest hurdle in our soccer culture.
Developing special players requires that leadership serves and collaborates on the player’s behalf. But many leaders are ego-driven and make it about themselves.
A player requires a village, but it’s possible in the current soccer culture to never find one coach that wasn’t an obstacle to their potential.
3. The Minimum is 2 People
That being said, the minimum requirement for development is two people.
A Developer and a committed player can move mountains:
- A coach to guide
- A player willing to work
- And a shared trust
At some point in every special player’s journey, they encountered a coach who showed them a better way forward.
Be that coach.
4. Requires a Strong Team Vision
Development requires a vision.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it must be directionally correct:
- A culture vision that develops resilience
- A playing vision that pursues higher ideals
- And a game vision that brings both prior visions out in a match setting
This gives everyone a chance to grow for as long as you’re their coach.
And that’s important because everyone has potential.
5. Requires Patience
The special player requires time.
Because everyone has their own unique path:
- It can be gradual
- It can feel like the flip of a switch
- It can be a bumpy ride
The most important thing is that the coach has the patience to continue to support.
The development of a special player requires most that we stay on our path.
6. Requires a Shared Belief
The special player and the coach have to believe in each other.
But more importantly, they have to believe in themselves:
- A player needs to believe in their potential
- A coach needs to believe they’re up to the challenge
- And a shared trust can strengthen shared belief
If there isn’t self-belief or belief in the other, the journey to special becomes that much more difficult.
A player and coach that back themselves and each other is a powerful combination.
A Quick Story
I had a player this past weekend who, in his second start at the MLS Next level...
Was the best player on the field.
Even more impressive...
He has played on our second teams for the past four years.
His performance:
- Played his first full 90
- Scored his first-ever goal
- It was a mature and skillful finish
- Earned seven fouls during the game
- Created the most chances in the match
- Worked hard defensively
- An absolute terror to defend against
Now, I don’t know how far this player can go. None of us do.
But I do know this...
His breakthrough would have been far less likely if the club, his previous coaches and the player had not committed to the previous six keys.
So our job remains clear: help our players continue to stay on their path.
It’s the best way to develop a special player.
Injury Time
A Chance to Connect Before the Final Whistle
Let me be honest...
I haven't done a good enough job.
I invest a lot of time in the content.
But not enough time connecting with you.
Moving forward, I will use Injury Time as an opportunity to:
- Connect 1-on-1 (through email)
- Celebrate your big "small wins" in development
- Learn from your experiences
- Hear your challenges
- Better serve our community of Developers
So every week moving forward, I will post a question at the end of the newsletter that can open a door to strengthening our community.
Your responses can:
- Remain a valuable private conversation
- Be shared (with your permission) the following week to help others
- Better inform future articles
So here we go...
The Question of the Week:
What is the most difficult challenge you have as a coach every week that others (outside coaching) would be surprised to hear?
Reply to this email and let me know your thoughts!
I think this has the potential to make the newsletter even more valuable moving forward.
Thanks, as always, for your support of the newsletter and The Developer's Way.
To Development,
Nate Baker
Founder of The Developer’s Way
Author of Nate Baker's Newsletter
Creator of The Daily Developer
P.S. Whenever you are ready, there is 1 more way I can help you👇:
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