The 1% Edge: How Small Gains Drive Big Player Development at NFC

Success in soccer isn’t about one big moment — it’s built on the small ones. Discover how Nashville FC’s “1% Better” approach is transforming player development, one habit at a time.

Written by: Jason Roufs, NFC DOC

When people ask how athletes reach the top, they often imagine one magic secret; a perfect drill, a natural talent, or a sudden breakthrough. The truth is far less glamorous, but far more powerful.

I think often of Sir Dave Brailsford and the British Cycling program. In the early 2000s, British cyclists were irrelevant on the world stage. They hadn’t won the Tour de France, they weren’t competing for Olympic medals, and their program was mocked. Then Brailsford came in with a simple idea: the aggregation of marginal gains. If they could improve every detail by just 1% — bike seat comfort, hand-washing to prevent colds, pillow choice for better sleep, training recovery, nutrition habits, then those tiny gains would stack up.

Within a decade, Britain dominated cycling. They won 16 Olympic gold medals between 2008 and 2012, and riders like Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, and Geraint Thomas went on to win the Tour de France multiple times. As Brailsford said:

“The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by 1%, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together.”

That lesson applies directly to soccer — especially in youth development.

What 1% Looks Like in Soccer

As a player who’s competed at high levels, I know the difference between an average player and a great one is rarely a giant leap. It’s usually dozens of small habits, repeated daily.

At NFC, we talk often about Player Development First – Shaping Players, Not Scorelines. The 1% philosophy is what this looks like in practice:

• Technical skills: 5 extra minutes a day juggling the ball adds up to 30 hours of touches over a year. That’s not 1% — that’s transformational.

• Weak foot training: Passing 20 balls a day with your weaker foot equals over 7,000 passes in a year.

• Conditioning: Choosing to hydrate well instead of soda means you recover faster and lower injury risk.

• Tactical awareness: Watching 10 minutes of a professional match, focused on off-ball movement, builds soccer IQ far faster than simply playing more games.

• Character habits: Writing down one goal each week creates accountability, something studies show increases follow-through by over 40%.

None of these feel big in the moment. But compounded? They change a player.

Why It Matters More Than Results

Too many people measure growth by the weekend scoreboard. I’ve been around this game long enough to know the truth: wins and losses fade. What lasts is how much a player develops.

That’s why NFC is focused on benchmarks that reflect growth — first touch, passing consistency, movement off the ball, decision-making, resilience. These can all be improved in small, steady ways.

Research backs this up. In James Clear’s Atomic Habits, he writes:

“If you get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.”

Imagine if every NFC player embraced that. Imagine a 12-year-old who simply got 1% better every day in juggling, receiving, passing, and character. By the time they’re 18, they’re not just a better player — they’re a better leader, teammate, and person.

Practical 1% Gains for NFC Player Development

Here’s how you can apply this philosophy starting today:

• Arrive 5 minutes earlier to every practice and get in touches before warm-up.

• After training, pick one skill you struggled with and repeat it 20 more times before leaving.

• At home, set aside just 10 minutes for juggling, dribbling in the yard, or wall passes.

• Keep a water bottle with you and build the habit of hydrating daily.

• Write down one goal each week — whether it’s “10 juggles with my weak foot” or “encourage a teammate every session.”

Bringing It All Together

As a player, I know what it takes to reach higher levels and it’s not magic. It’s the 1%. As a coach, I see every day how those who commit to the little things separate themselves from those who only show up for the games.

At NFC, we’re not just building teams. Teams come and go. Players graduate. But if each player leaves us 37 times better than when they arrived, then we’ve done our job.

So my challenge to every NFC player and family is this: stop asking, “Did we win this weekend?” Start asking, “Where did I grow 1% this week?”

If we keep that perspective, we’ll not only develop better soccer players we’ll develop stronger young men and women prepared for life.