Book Review: 'How to Make Champions' by Gabe Jaramillo and Gyasi Hall

Here’s a must-read for parents, coaches and athletes alike. The book content ranges from grassroots to Grand Slams and everything in between!

Below are four fundamental principles from the book that truly resonated with me.

1. Difference between Talent and Potential

“You can think of this dynamic in terms of packing a suitcase for a long trip - Potential is the amount of space in the suitcase, and Talent is the amount of clothes. You can think of the Process of training and talent honing as finding the best way to fill the suitcase!”

2. Identify your child's skills

“Recognizing enthusiasm sets up a healthy dynamic between you and your child. It is impossible to build a truly great athlete if they don't have a genuine love for the game."

3. Mastering foundational skills

“All sports training relies on mastering a foundation of skills, and this is true even before you bring drills or game rules into a child's life. Some of the actions are – throwing, catching, and striking. Sports such as tennis, require nearly all of the skills, while some other sports, like golf or darts, require only one or two."

4. Get familiar with the local sports culture.

“To shape your child's athletic potential at the early stages needs, the parent to become familiar with the local sports culture. This requires a lot of research, and it is important for the following questions to be addressed :

- What sports are supported in my area?

- Where can I find professionals to help train my child?

- How much does the training cost?

- Is there a university that could provide sports scholarships?

Kudos to the authors Gabe Jaramillo and Gyasi Hall for bringing such relevant sports content.

Hope the readers enjoy the book!

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The above column is written by Vijay Krishnamurthy, a Sports Research Scholar (Ph.D.) at the University of Mysore.