India is a country teeming with athletic potential. From cricket and football to badminton, hockey and Lawn Tennis, the country has produced remarkable talents who have made India proud on the global stage.

However, as much as India have the talent, there’s isn’t a ecosystem to regularly convert the potential into the top-class athletes. An area where India can make a huge change is by creating a proper system for the player development.

This involves a more holistic approach that goes beyond finding the gifted individuals and focuses on the nurturing of their physical, mental, and tactical capabilities. Here’s why teams in India need to create a holistic system for the player development to take Indian sports to new heights.

Also Read: Guide to sports nutrition

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The Importance of a Structured and Clear Development Pathway

A. Clear Pathway: One of the reason why India is lagging so behind other nations in sports is the lack of structured and clear pathways for players.

Let’s be honest, most aspiring athletes, and even their parents, don’t have clear knowledge about how their precious child can get to the top of the sports, let’s say football. Teams should make it mandatory to counsel parents about the roadmap of the sports, and how enrolling the kid in their academy can help their kid.

B. Hiring Better Coaches At Grassroot Level: Most of the clubs and academies at the grassroot level often end up hiring young coaches who don’t have the necessary and required experience of coaching.

Often this goes unnoticed as parents don’t bother about checking the experience of the coaches. But we know why Arjuna became “The Arjuna” because he was coached by the Great Dronacharya. A great coach can help unlock the great potential in the kid.

C. Better Scouting System: USA and Europe dominate the sports because they have a well-defined systems that identify talent and then provide for step-by-step development.

For example, football clubs in Europe follow systematic approaches, which focuses on young kids’ skills in a particular sport, his fitness, and how he responds to his coach’s instruction in a match.

For India to become a true giant in the world sport, there has to be a better scouting system and a network of coaches that can identify the talent at a very young age.

D. Seamless Transition: India must a kind of model that ensures that the talented players have a seamless transition from grassroots to professional levels. Clubs and academies should encourage programs that equate sports with education, provide mentorship and exposure to competitive environments.

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Focus On Physical Development

A. Access To Better Facilities: Playing the sport at an early age may be the start of a player’s journey, but physical development is the bedrock for sustaining success.

Most Indians, more so the low-tier city players, do not have access to even the most basic facilities, let alone the scientific training methods that are prevalent in Europe’s modern and advanced sports system.

If academies in India can ensure to bring an end to this perpetuating situation and offer better practicing conditions for the budding athletes, then we may witness the continued production of good players in India.

B. Improving Physical conditioning: Young players should also be encouraged to build strength, endurance, and flexibility from early age. Methods to prevent injuries should be practiced since an early age. In addition, teams are better off crafting curated training plans specific to an individual player’s needs.

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Focus On Mental Conditioning

A. Developing Resilience: At the very top level, there isn’t much difference between the players. But what separates the winners from the losers is the resilience, players’ never-give-up attitude even in the face of a defeat. Remember Liverpool’s unthinkable 4-0 win over Barcelona in the semifinal of the Champions League in 2019. Liverpool managed to overcome a huge deficit because their players showed more resilience and mental toughness in the 2nd leg.

Teams and coaches should put more focus on mental toughness. With right education, our players can perform better in high-pressure situations. For sure, this is the least exploited aspect of player development in India.

B. Teaching Kids To Accept Criticism: From accepting criticism to their failure, athletes face a series of psychological pressure in their career. Preparing the young athletes to accept failure and accept criticism in a positive way can help them navigate the tough phase in their career.

Mental conditioning should be a part of sports curriculum in even the lower level leagues. Hiring better sports psychologists can be helpful for the players to build confidence, focus, and resilience.

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Grassroots Investment: The Need for Infrastructure

A. Basics of development: India needs better infrastructures at the grassroots level to provide young players with good facilities, coaching, and competitions. Most lower-tier cities in India don’t even have proper grounds for young kids to train and develop the skillset. Teams with bigger infrastructure and better purse should also start investing in the small cities and villages.

B. Encouraging Investment: Organizations, governments, and corporate entities can also provide solution by establishing training centers, scouting programs, and funding schemes for identifying young talent in the remoate areas of India.

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The Bigger Picture: Building a Winning Culture

The whole thing Player development in India is not just about becoming better athletes but about creating a winning culture. The better the training, the more skilled, the more adaptable, and the more team-oriented the players become. It all start with the team and the culture the young athlete is introduced at an early age.

If teams start investing in better coaches and take other important aspects such as mental conditioning and physical development with seriousness, there’s a very strong chance of seeing an Indian playing for top European clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Barcelona. And imaging the sight of an Indian tennis player lifting the Grand Slam.

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Conclusion

There’s no dearth of talent in India. But the talent without access to proper playing conditions is likely to end up an average player at best. True success lies in developing that talent with a holistic player development system. Teams and academies should leave no stone unturned in improving the on-field skills – be it physical, mental, and tactical aspects of play-investing in grassroots infrastructure.

Better coaches are required who can unlock India’s remarkable sporting potential. It’s time to act now. Bringing the right kind of focus to player development in India, the nation can go from being a nation of raw talent to one of sustained sporting excellence.

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