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ASSESSMENT
Customizing a Developmental Plan
When I accept a new client, I begin their session with a collection of detailed information as part of my Customized Evaluation Package. Upon completion of the evaluation, each component of the athlete’s game is systematically graded by three separate entities: the player, the parent and I. Most often, three different opinions result. Typically, the players think they are great in all categories regardless of their actual skill level, the typical Type A personality parents believe their children are underachieving in most categories and I represent an unbiased professional opinion (usually somewhere in the middle). My role is to find a synergy of energy to bridge the gap between parent and child so a harmonious organizational plan can be activated to maximize potential.
I begin by gaining an understanding of the child’s personality profile, their athleticism, their athletic history, as well as their family’s athletic history. We don’t stop there. Discussions cover their general sports IQ (intelligence quotient), their current weekly developmental schedule, their academic schedule, their social calendars and their sport-specific schedules. We then dive into their sport-specific IQ, their current technical skills, their opinions regarding the demands of physical fitness, mental tenacity, and their emotional skill sets. All assets and liabilities are assessed before a customized developmental plan is put into effect.
This organizational process of designing an athletic blue-print should be the parent’s primary responsibility but is most often left to chance. Parents who take the time to develop a customized plan put their child in a position to maximize their potential at a faster rate. Note that for each stage of adolescence (early/mid/late), there are several common developmental protocols that most coaches follow. I challenge you to go deeper.
“Assessing your child’s abilities and developing a customized game plan begins with understanding their inborn strengths and weaknesses. Their brain type and body type play the most important role in understanding their developmental pathway.”
