- Hockey: ~0.4% or 1 in 250 high school athletes get drafted by an NHL team.
- Baseball: ~0.5% or 1 in 200 high school athletes get drafted by an MLB team.
- Football: ~0.1% or 1 in 1,000 high school athletes get drafted by a NFL/CFL team.
- Basketball: ~0.03% or 1 in 4,000 high school athletes get drafted by a NBA team.
Now think about that for a minute. Let it sink in.
I’m talking about 250,000+ kids for each of those sports.
With all of those athletes, each sports federation must create a template to gather all of these kids… put them through the same training, same testing, and the same regiment to find that needle-in-a-haystack athlete that will become a professional athlete.
Now be honest with yourself…
Are you or your kids the most talented and/or physically gifted?
Chances are, probably not.
But that’s how the sport farming, scouting, and system is designed.
If you run people through the same factory, only the most talented and/or physically gifted athletes will succeed and be a professional athlete.
In most sports today, you have over 80% talented and/or physically gifted athletes drafted by professional sports federations.
That means the remaining 20% (out of the average 0.5%), get drafted by outworking the rest of the pack, outside of the templated system.
“If you do the same thing everyone is doing, you’ll get the same results or worse.”
You also need to consider that athletes participate in sports for a wide variety of reasons. Some play to get paid. Some play because it’s fun. And some must play just to put food on the table.
What are you playing for?
The trick is to work hard and keep working. You have to do what nobody else wants to do and work on the qualities that will enhance your strengths and improve your weaknesses.
Then maybe you’ll be ready to make that highlight tape when the lights are shining.
My point is, athletes must dig deep and sacrifice, find a strength professional who knows what he or she is doing and stop with stupid nonsensical circuits.
“Hard work pays off – hard work beats talent any day, but if you’re talented and work hard, it’s hard to be beat.” – Robert Griffin III
Stay hungry. Think, act, and be like the 0.1% – it’s time to get off that hamster wheel if you want to become a professional athlete.
About the Author: Clance Laylor
Coach, Instructor & International Speaker. Master Strength Coach Clance Laylor has emerged as one of the most respected names in professional strength and performance training for athletes. He has found success for hundreds of top Olympians, Competitive & Professional Athletes, Coaches, and Executives alike. Founder of LPS Athletic Centre and the Athlete Activation System Certification, Clance helps athletes dominate in their sport.
