Intelligent Effort

I've watched a lot of soccer this month. I always marvel at how hard high school athletes compete.  Rare are the occasions when I witness a lack of effort from individual players or a team. That said, I don't always see intelligent effort and that is often the difference between winning and losing a match.

I recently caught up with a couple of our camp teams each of which demonstrated they were in different places of the process.  The first team came out and played a very solid opening 10 minutes of intelligent team soccer. As the opponents began to settle into their own game our camp team began to unravel. It wasn't long before intelligent team effort gave way to strong individual effort or what we call "hero ball."  The result was predictable and it did not end well for our camp team.

A second camp team entered a match in which they were likely considered underdogs if only because they lacked the same quality depth as their opponents.  This camp team came out and gave great intelligent effort for 80 minutes against a quality side and came away with a good result. They did not dominate the match but they held their own in a battle of styles and wills.

The difference between the two camp teams at this stage of the respective processes? 

I've been giving that a lot of thought these past few days. One obvious factor is the 2nd team referenced has been camping with us for a number of years whereas this was the first year we have camped with the first team referenced. I don't think that fully explains the differences though. Both teams started out well but while one team continued their strong intelligent play the other faltered mightily. I suspect the difference is trust.

Trust in the process. Some will call this buy-in. And buy-in itself can be a process. There has to be a taste of success to whet the appetite. Once the hunger is there the process can thrive and confidence grows.

Trust in each other.  The second team played with a spirit of camaraderie that carried them through the rough patches in the match. They bent but never broke. They were resilient in the face of adversity. The first team panicked in the face of adversity. They were good until the opponents counter-punched at which time they retreated from intelligent team effort to a previous comfort zone of great individual effort. They did not trust the process nor did they trust one another as teammates. They went from possessing the ball to whacking the ball and the rout was on.

I really believe in both of these teams. The talent is present on both squads to have very good seasons. Each team is at its own point in similar processes.  Where each goes from here will be extremely interesting to observe. I am expecting good, possibly great things from the second team.  If they build upon their recent performance good things will follow.

In regards to the first team, I believe good is an obtainable goal this season if, and only if, they can build upon and sustain the level of intelligent play I witnessed them give in those first 10 minutes of of a recent match. It's a start. Can they build 10 minutes into 15 minutes and progress from there?

Next week I am off to check on another of our camp teams.  This particular team just completed their third year of summer camp with us. I was amazed by the improvement witnessed last month and early results are indicating something good may be happening with them.  Where once technique was a weakness they have developed a strong understanding not only of how to execute skills but are now able to apply these skills in a cohesive intelligent manner. They are not a finished product, but from what they demonstrated in camp I am excited for them.