Let’s not make it another roadside attraction

A look at soccer life through and avid enthusiast.

I am occasionally reminded that people actually read this column.

My editor thinks I ramble, and it’s true. My attention span is shorter than

my bank account. Last week several readers noted that I have not been in

the paper lately, even though it is soccer season. Maybe it’s a conspiracy

for those of you that like that sort of thing. I know it is soccer season because

it is raining and multiple pairs of mud- encrusted soccer cleats are strewn

all over the house. I like the word “strewn.” It sounds like “prune.”

I have been coaching youth soccer for seven years, and I still feel

like a rookie. Bobby Howe (USSF coaching director) thought so too, but

that’s a column for the dead letter file … more litter on the highway of

life. Nevertheless, I truly enjoy working with youth. Every year seems

better than the last.

I can report that the Moo Chili Llamas (Boys, U-11) won their

first American Cup game, but lost the second. Nevertheless, they will play in

the District II Championship game. Not bad, eh?

The Moo Chili Llamas are a remarkable group of soccer

players. They work hard, play hard, and deliver soccer with the

single-minded intensity that only the young can

muster. Their minds aren’t cluttered like adults’. I am proud to share their

successes and failures.

Earlier this season, Nick Poskitt scored his first goal. I think Nick

will remember the moment for a long time. I can remember my first goal, and

I can tell you that the story gets better every year … I dribbled the

ball through 37 opponents … in the driving rain … turned for the shot

… slammed a reverse double Beckenbauer into the top of the

net with my left foot. See what I mean?

In my first few years in coaching, I probably intruded too much

during games. I have come to believe that over-coaching occurs when

coaches don’t trust their players and have failed to provide them the tools to be

successful. We have all seen (or heard) the coach that sends in the play,

calls the pitch, or directs traffic on the field with a foghorn tone of voice. No

wonder players are insulted.

The time and place to coach is on the practice field when we have

the ability to truly teach players to make good decisions. Of what value is it

to yell at a kid that he is offside? Let the player make the mistake and

learn from the experience. To me, heavy-handed, over-coaching is a pretty

good indicator of when a coach has forgotten the

prime directive: Have fun.

The rewards of coaching come when you see players making

good decisions on the field and in life. If I, as a coach, make those decisions

for them, then I have taken the game away from the players. Soccer is a

player’s game, and a coach’s intrusion into the game turns the beauty of soccer

into just another roadside attraction.

I hope your season is going well, and that your team is above

average. Bless our opponents that we may know humility.