Soccer season is over. This year I coached a team of precosious 5 and 6 year-olds – the "Gilpin Cosmos". The team practiced hard, they played hard, and they listened to what I told them to do 25% of the time. I figure that’s pretty good, considering that at home my kids listen to me about 10% of the time and I never listen to what my wife is telling me. Looking back over the seasaon I thought I share some reflections I’ve had about what I’ve learned as a Pee-Wee soccer coach over the past three years.
First of all, showing up is half the job. At this age there’s no reason whatsoever to rank the kids by skill and only play the best lineup until a win is in the bag. Everyone plays, as much as everyone else, as long as they show up for the game. What always surprises me is how the youngest, most inexperienced players rise to the challenge and have outscored the older, more experienced players. Just goes to show you that once you’re on the field anything, including success, can happen. You just have to show up.
If you fall down on the ball some son-of-gun is going to kick you, guaranteed. You’ll probably get kicked more than once. You’ll get kicked In the head, in the legs, anywhere that they think will cause the ball to pop out in front of them. You’ve covered-up the thing they want the most – the soccer ball. My revelation is pretty basic – either don’t fall down on the ball, or if you do, jump up as quick as you can and start kicking the ball again. Lying on the ground waiting for someone to blow a whistle and come to your rescue is like waiting for someone else to solve all your other problems. It isn’t going to happen.
Soccer is a running game. The kids that score the most goals are the ones that run endlessly. They aren’t necessarily the fastest runners, they’re just the ones that keep running all the time. They’re the ones that are running when everyone else has stopped running. Endurance has its place on the soccer field and in life – keep doing the right thing long enough and the rewards will come.
In soccer using your hands is illegal and results in a turnover of the ball to the other team. Use your hands in the penalty box and the opposing team gets a free kick which usually results in a goal. Sometimes your hand may come in contact with the ball accidentally and if nobody sees it happen there’s nothing to worry about. The rules in soccer, much like the rules we all agree to live by, are designed to keep the game simple to understand and fair for all the players. Follow the rules and you can have a lot of fun. Ignore the rules and you’ll be sitting on the sidelines.
There’s always someone yelling at the players during a soccer game. Family, coaches, teammates – everyone wants to tell you what to do, when to do it (“Shoot the ball NOW!”), and how to do it. It can be pretty tough to concentrate with all that noise and distraction. Pay attention to where the ball is, where the other players are on the field, and where the goal is. Don’t worry about who’s eating all the snacks or who’s sitting in “your spot” on the grass. Block out all the distractions and count of your training to guide your actions. Stay focused on your goal and your chances of scoring or making an assist are excellent.
Your coach is there to help you. He yells because he cares. He makes you run around the field or chase the soccer ball over and over because he knows what it takes to reach a level of fitness that makes you run like the wind during the game. Your coach has a vested interest in your success – he (or she!) wants to see you have fun and enjoy playing soccer (or T-ball, or basketball, etc.) Listen carefully to your coach. Do the drills they show you how to do and don’t complain. Never ask “Are we done yet?!” or “Can I go sit down now?” Your coach is there to help you.
Don’t steal the ball from your own teammate. There’s probably nothing more aggravating then setting up a shot on goal and having a teammate step in front of you and kick the ball into the goal or out of bounds. Position yourself to take a pass in case an opponent steps in front to block the shot or find a spot to kick in a rebound in case the ball ricochets off of the goal post. Being a teammate means that you’re there to support each other and play against the other team; you’re not there to compete with each other for who gets more goals. Odds are, if you work together, the team will do great and you’ll both score a lot of goals!
Sappy, I know, but I’m hoping that in about 30+ years when my own son and daughter coach their own team of 5 & 6 year olds they’ll read this article in the family scrapbook and find something more to teach their teams than how to win a game. If not, no worries. At least for now I’m lucky enough to have a great bunch of kids to coach and the presence of mind realize myself that coaching soccer has taught me as much as I hope to teach them.
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