My daughter went from being a walk-on novice in a sport to being selected to a US national U23 team. 1) the amount of time and effort she devoted to training was simply astonishing to me as a veteran of Div III and club sports. 2) but along the way she had the benefit of very, very good coaching.

The effort it turns out is only part of the equation. Directing the effort into the most productive avenues is seemingly nearly as important.