Milo and the Rookie
Take home message
LESS CAN BE MORE.
For Coaches
Be unpopular and say no to protect younger athletes.
For Athletes
Progress is progress. You might not like doing less, but it is more than nothing.
I’m writing this out of a bit of frustration. A weekly regular chat with my good mate and he elaborates on the latest injury set back to his talented, overly-motivated daughter. So I’m penning this out of frustration, a desire, a plead; to other players, coaches and parents regarding less is more. It’s a story about two players I was fortunate to work with these past few years: Milo and the Rookie.
Milo is a dynamo. A player that is equal good and bad problems. He goes hard when he trains and plays, which is great. But his youthful enthusiasm means he does everything 100%, red-lines himself, and sometimes breaks.
The Rookie loves training, is athletically gifted and, at training is like a kid in a candy shop, wants to try everything. Well, when you’re a young athlete, you can’t do everything.
Milo, is affectionately called Milo because his gym program follows the Milo Principle. Milo (the original Milo, 6th century BC) was a Greek wrestler who each day carried a calf. As the calf grew, so too did the work Milo did. Little bit by little bit he became incredibly strong and an Olympic wrestling champion. Exercise scientists call this form of progressing the stimulus overload, a basic principle of physical preparation (I'm not suggesting you start carrying animals). With our Milo, each gym session he progressed by the smallest possible margin in an exercise. Either an extra rep or an extra kilo - but not both. It was excruciating and the young thundercat hated it. He was capable of more - he knew it. I knew it. Didn’t matter as far as I was concerned. Baby steps.
The Rookie was equally as hard to contain. Like a kelpie pup, this guy wanted to chase every ball at training. And that’s tough when we have over 100 balls every session! Even at light training sessions, I would have to take his stick off him to get him to stop. He even knew my walk too when he was in trouble. He would sheepishly lower his head and offer his hockey stick.
What does this have to do with my mate's teenage daughter, or any other young athlete? Well, Milo and the Rookie were in their 20’s, had been training for a while and yet I was either making the smallest possible increments in their training, or limiting their training. These were elite players preparing for the Olympics (and they both went). And in order to do anything at training (ie. train or play) I did not let them do everything.
A couple of important points. Initially I was not popular. Actually, for a long time I was not popular as you will see below. But I was ok with that. I’m not there to make friends, (I have my 4) and I would do it again. It’s tough love and as a parent or coach, tough love is critical. These players were also lucky to have a really supportive team around them who saw their restrictions as important to their longevity and not a limitation or slacking off. The team would support them and reinforce that slower was better. So too did the coaches who were excellent at being aware and supportive of less is more.
I totally get it. Sport is fun. Playing with your friends is fun. Or playing your best players every week to that U/14 win is awesome. But getting hurt and watching is not fun. Sometimes, in order to do anything you want you can’t do everything. The funny thing is, as the player, you cannot see it at the time. All you see is what you are missing out on.
And because you are unlikely to listen to me, your coach or parents, I will leave the final word to the players themselves:
Milo: You have to experience some challenges to know what’s right for you. A setback now is another step towards knowing your body and what works for the future. You’re not going to solve the problems in a month, but over time you will learn and come to terms with the new reality, just like I did. It will be frustrating at first, but the question is, would you prefer to retire at 25 or have a career of resilience and longevity.
The Rookie: At the start in an Olympic year I wanted to play and debut. I copped being slowed down on the chin but I want to prove myself. I had a right to be there and I wanted to prove myself and gain selection. Being held back was frustrating. I know now, what happened was very important to manage the load and it enabled me to not get injured. I would not have been able to go to the Olympics if I was injured so I know it sounds strange but not going 100% all the time as a young player gave me the best shot. I would tell a new player to the team that it is ok to not do as much. My development was at a different point to older players, but that does not mean I was not developing and playing well.
Cover photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
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Thanks again. BA.