Every little bit helps, but I've always believed that ultimately every player will be his own best coach.
For all the benefit of external coaching, athletes in any sport develop their skills mainly by watching others and experimenting with what works for them.
A great case study for the 'teach yourself' approach has to be Melbourne's exciting youngster Liam Jurrah.
His ball handling is superb. The footy just melts into his grasp and his kicking action and control is copybook.
When Jurrah kicks the football it is a beautiful thing to watch. The timing, the balance, the taut instep; this is a kicking style that would get a perfect 10 for technique.
No one at the Demons has taught Jurrah that – his ball skills have been learned on the red dust ovals of outback Australia.
Maybe he is simply a freakish talent, but if nothing else he is living proof that recruiting ability is much better than developing it.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
