The Impact of Late Development

There are many paths to take to reach your PEAK potential, however the overwhelming majority, but often overlooked path is through late development and competing in a range of activities. In this video, David Epstein who is the author of “Range” speaks about the power of delayed development and range to help people find a path to success. This is a great watch as it is very relatable to athletics, and basketball in particular. 

Coaches, parents and players are too often mesmerized with the player who is very skilled at a young age, and who can do many things that players many years older can’t do such as shoot step back 3’s or intricate combo moves off the dribble.

While nothing is wrong with the player who can perform these skills early, focussing on these types of “closed skills” as David Epstein calls them, often leads to stunted development. This type of teaching is very outcome oriented where players are rewarded only for making the shot, or beating the defender 1 on 1.

Instead, players need to be taught decision making, fundamentals and intangible skills such as resiliency and hard work that have a lasting impact. This allows for players to put it all together as they narrow their athletic focus at a later stage through continual improvement, passion and persistence.

At Split Second Basketball we strive to have great program options for players of all stages of their development. Whether it is late developers who have yet to hit their growth spurt, multi-sport athletes, as well as for early developers who need to be taught those skills of decision making and intangibles. There is a pathway for all stages of a player's development at Split Second Basketball.

For the full 56 minute conversation between David Epstein and Malcolm Gladwell at Sloan Sports Analytics Conference watch the video below.