Yesterdays article got a lot of people emailing me asking questions about how they can change what they are doing. One player really stood out for one very easily identifiable reason.
While talking to this player I asked him what his plan was for the summer. He went through talking about all the Tier II pre draft camp, open and main camp invitations he is starting to get.
So I asked him what he did last summer, and he told me all about the pre draft, open and main camps he went to, as well as all the other Showcases he went to. Essentially, this player and one of his parents spent nearly every weekend on the road from the end of May to the end of August.
Spending your entire summer going to camps is not a plan for success.
This player specifically talked about one showcase he is going to. I asked him why he was picking this particular event and his answer was “There are a lot of scouts there so I go every year.”
I said great, that’s a good reason. Since this player has spent the last two seasons in Tier 3, I followed up that question with this question; “Have you ever gotten a main camp invitation or a Tier II contract offer while at this showcase?”
His answer; “No, I have never even spoken to a Tier II team at the showcase.”
So why the fuck are you going back to this showcase for a third time when it has never produced the results you say you are looking for?
Old keys will not unlock new doors.
Nearly every email yesterday was the same. People asking what they can do to change the results they are getting. Yet, when you point out the things they need to change, they question the reason why even when the answer is right in front of them.
To make it clear for you all, coaches have a job to do. They not only have to coach their teams, but at every level they are required to fill camps and generate revenue for the team. Every camp you go to is designed to pay bills, so stop using the stupid phrase that a camp is “just a fundraiser” because every camp is a fundraiser, and your problem is you are picking the wrong camps.
Your old keys that you keep on trying to unlock new doors with simply wont work. Stop and get a set of new keys.
If you find yourself repeating the same steps, making the same choices, spending the same money, spending the same time, chasing one thing and always getting the wrong results, then the problem is not everyone else. The problem is what you are doing and how you are doing it.
Change is painful. Even the best changes are painful for someone. You can not feel pain without having growth. Time to leave old ways behind and make changes. If not, one day you will look around and wonder why nothing happened and it will be too late.
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
