Second Effort
Every player on this team works hard almost all of the
time they are on the field. We see boys running hard, fighting for 50-50
balls, and battling to succeed. The question many ask is why they don’t
succeed at a particular time, or why one player seems "better" than another.
While natural athletic ability and ball skills are relevant, what is the
difference between players of similar ability?
Often, a critical difference is second effort. At the
highest levels of play in almost every sport, this frequently is the first
indication of a top player. Every player will make physical mistakes. They
will lose the ball, or get beat 1 v 1. Everyone gets beat at some point and
everyone loses the ball at some point. The top player is frequently
distinguished by how he responds once he loses the ball or has been beaten.
The better player, once he loses the ball, works
extremely hard to win it right back. The weaker player hangs his head and
sulks when he loses the ball. The better player, when he gets beat,
immediately sprints back either to catch the play or to provide support for
a teammate who helps challenge the opposing player. The weaker player stops
and watches.
While it’s easy to appreciate a player’s first effort,
the second, or even third or fourth, efforts distinguish the best players,
and make them stand out from the others. Many players can look good until
something bad happens. It’s what happens after the mistake that separates
the top players from everyone else.
