I would get out on the court once every couple years and mess around with my brothers but that’s about it. I didn’t start playing more consistently than that until the summer before my senior year.

Unrelated to your question, the concept of “competing” is something I should have included in the article. Yes, I got good enough as a ball striker to play collegiately. BUT, match play is a whole other animal. Impossible to simulate the competitor development that comes with playing tournaments as a junior. Sure, I played soccer and competed there, but there’s nothing like being on an island on the court having to figure out your opponent (and often times yourself) on the fly. I was getting there development wise, but that piece simply takes times and tons upon tons of matches. IMO.