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.