Interesting reading on the topic of talent includes The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, The Sports Gene by David Epstein and Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin.
Assessing mindset variables
An oft‐cited story, due to his stellar career in the American National Football League (NFL), is that of Tom Brady. Brady was drafted at pick 199 in 2000. At the time of writing, he had won more championships as a player than some NFL clubs have won in their entire history. What is less well known about his story is the investment he made as a junior in a football coach with a wealth of experience, Tom Martinez. In his book The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle describes how Brady carries in his wallet a list of technique tips learned from the veteran coach and that he has an ongoing relationship with his long‐time mentor.1 In the Brady 6 documentary, former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci comments on Brady being overlooked by clubs and his low draft pick: ‘We didn't open up his chest and look at his heart … and resiliency, and all the things that are making him great now.’2
While not identified at his draft as the player he would become, Brady had already invested in a range of ways other than his physical development while a junior that paid him back. Recognising this, Ian O'Connor, reporting for ESPN.com in 2016, wrote an article headlined: ‘Tom Brady's greatest talent is his desire to be great.’3 It's clear that more than talent contributed to his accomplishments.
I have had an insider's view of the AFL draft process, as well as selections of athletes in other sports. Over some 20 years I have been contracted by different AFL clubs and sports to participate in the interview process that supports coaches and recruiters in the selection of athletes. Over that time I have seen the emphasis on personal attributes and qualities grow significantly. Areas that recruiters now consider more than they used to include (in no particular order):
capacity to learn and grow
determination and drive
independence
capacity as a team member
competitive spirit
cultural fit
general game‐day mental skills
resilience
wellbeing
decision making on and off the field
training attitude and commitment
coachability.
The growth in consideration of psychological variables in athlete selection processes reflects the increased recognition of the importance of mindset. This consideration also helps support the wellbeing and development of players once selected. In sports, there is more awareness of the support a player may need before they begin. In the recruiting process, references from junior coaches and key support staff are checked. Of course, physical data and testing, injury history, specific sporting IQ, how they play the game and vital information on sport performance history are important and meticulously scrutinised. However, a multitude of other factors have been increasingly recognised as important when assessing whether a player will be able to utilise, and grow from, any talent shown.
One challenge in the selection process of any athlete in any sport is that while physical prowess can easily be tested and compared (it's simple to test how fast an athlete can run or how high they can jump), psychological variables are much harder to determine and rank. They are not as visible, they vary significantly and they are impacted by many factors, which makes mindset much more difficult to identify, compare and project. That many athletes are selected while still developing physically and emotionally adds further complexity. A person at 16 or 18 is often very different from the person they become in their late twenties.
Through the process of considering mindset variables, it is apparent that observed talent is only one variable in future performance. That's why Sam Mitchell and Tom Brady slipped through the top order of the draft net, only for time to reveal their true ability. If they had not been selected at those late picks, their sporting talent might not have been realised. I wonder what they would be doing now if they had been overlooked in their respective drafts.
On this topic, Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure: mind, body and the curiously elastic limits of human performance,4 observes that ‘even relying on the best science available, you're inevitably going to pick duds — and perhaps more significantly, miss some athletes with potential to develop into world beaters'.5
Research insights
A 2004 study examined ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ influences on sport expertise:
Primary influences include genetics, training and psychological factors.
Secondary influences include socio‐cultural and contextual elements.6
Research insights
Research suggests that coaches and sport psychology staff working with younger athletes should consider targeting specific mindset skill development including personal wellbeing and self‐reliance to enhance sport development in juniors. Skills required to assist young athletes transition from youth squads to elite performers in rugby include:
enjoyment
responsibility
adaptability
squad spirit
being a self‐aware learner.7
Enjoyment matters
Consider what keeps a person highly engaged long enough to maximise the foundation of physical conditioning and skill they have laid in their sport. You cannot become an athlete without dedicated hours of purposeful training and time‐on‐task. If an athlete over time is not enjoying what they are doing, it is unlikely they will train often and hard enough, or with enough engagement and intent, to realise their talent. This applies to all ages but is particularly relevant for younger athletes during their development or transition years from junior to open sport. There are many competing interests for young people so enjoying what they do from an early age is paramount. It is also relevant to more mature athletes, because the level of competition in most arenas is competitive enough that once practice, attitude or mindset slides, performance will give, regardless of talent, even for experienced performers.
In Search of Greatness, an insightful sports documentary by Gabe Polsky released in 2018, features a host of sporting legends including basketballer Michael Jordan, Brazilian soccer star Pelé, Canadian NHL ice‐hockey star Wayne Gretzky, tennis player Serena Williams and San Francisco 49ers NFL player Jerry Rice, often cited as the best wide receiver there ever was. Interviews with each of the athletes provide telling insights into their development and performance.8
Rice insists he didn't feel he had any genetic advantage and was not the most talented receiver, size‐ or speed‐wise, but ‘I knew I had football speed’. His mother wasn't a fan of the game, thinking it too rough. Acknowledging his challenges, however, he explained that ‘what enabled [my] performance was that I worked on certain qualities that I was lacking to make up for my deficiencies’.
Gretsky also recognised early that ‘speed and power was not going to get me to the next level. My wisdom and vision on the ice [got me to the next level]’. Such was his enjoyment of the game of ice‐hockey that from an early age, as he watched games, he would trace the line of the puck on a sketch