In the pursuit of excellence, whether in sport, academics, music, or business, there is one constant: time invested with purpose.

Most youth soccer players in the traditional club model train three to four times per week for 90 minutes. In a best-case scenario, that’s about 6 hours per week. Out of a 168-hour week, that equals roughly 3–4% of their weekly time devoted to the craft they say they want to master.

At that level of investment, the outcome is predictable. You can become a solid player. Competitive. Capable. But not elite.

If we want to be honest about development, the math has to match the ambition.

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What It Actually Takes

Across every high-performance field, time and mastery correlate strongly.

• 5–6 hours/week (3–4%) → solid intermediate

• ≈10 hours/week (6%) → advanced / high amateur

• 15–20 hours/week (9–12%) → professional-level expertise

• 25–35 hours/week (15–21%) → elite, world-class trajectory

That last category doesn’t guarantee a professional career. But it creates the environment where true mastery becomes possible.

Elite performers don’t just work harder. They allocate their time differently.

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The DME Academy, Sarasota Model

At DME Academy, Sarasota, our academic and daytime training program is built around this reality. Our student-athletes train approximately three hours per day within the school environment. That equates to roughly 15 additional hours per week of structured, high-quality training. When combined with club programming (typically another 4.5–6 hours per week), our athletes are investing: 19.5 to 21+ hours per week into their development.

That places them firmly within the 15–21% weekly investment range associated with an elite trajectory over time. This is intentional.

Our goal isn’t to promise every athlete a professional contract. That’s not realistic and not responsible. Our goal is to put every athlete on a world-class development trajectory — one that builds:

• Deep technical skill

• Professional habits

• Mental resilience

• Physical capacity

• Discipline and time management

• An understanding of what mastery requires

Because once a young person learns how to become elite at one thing, they gain the tools to become elite at many things. That mindset travels with them for life.

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Why the Traditional Club Model Falls Short

Traditional club soccer alone simply does not provide enough time on task. Training three/four times a week for short sessions may be enough to:

• Stay involved

• Enjoy the game

• Be a solid local player

But it is not enough volume to create true expertise in any field. This alone is why I started DME in the first place, “just good enough soccer” is simply that, just good enough and thats what we were getting at our club. If families are investing significant time and money into youth sports with long-term goals in mind, it’s important to ask: Is the schedule aligned with the ambition?

You cannot expect elite outcomes from recreational time allocation. That doesn’t mean every athlete must train 30 hours per week, but it does mean that serious development requires more than the traditional model offers.

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Bridging the Gap

We also recognize that not every athlete can be a full-time student-athlete at DME Academy, Sarasota. That’s why at DME Academy Sarasota we provide additional development pathways, including:

• DME Fit performance training

• Online webinar education for athletes and families

• Nutrition programming

• Video analysis and feedback

• Supplemental technical and performance sessions

These accelerators help athletes increase their weekly investment and improve training quality,  even if they aren’t in the full-time school model.

Because the truth is simple:

Practicing a few times a week  isn’t a development plan. It’s participation, and you know how we feel about participation trophies at DME! And said differently, there’s nothing wrong with participation, but we should be clear about what it produces.

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The Bigger Picture

At DME Academy Sarasota, we believe in building environments that challenge athletes to think bigger about their time, their habits, and their potential.

We are not chasing shortcuts. We are building trajectories.

If a young athlete spends their formative years investing 15–20% of their life into disciplined, intentional development, they don’t just become a better player.
They become someone who understands what it takes to pursue excellence.

And that is a skill set that lasts far beyond the field.

For those interested in Shadow Day at DME on March 10th, get your name on the list here! 

— Jared Antista
DME Academy Sarasota