Winning isn't always about which team scores more goals.

I am one of the most competitive people you will ever encounter. That said, those who have played for me will attest to my rarely knowing the score during or after a match. As a player, I always knew the score. Not so much as a coach. This is because I am not in competition with the opposing team or the opposing coach. As a coach I compete with myself.

As a player I learned the need to improve each day. With each new sunrise I was driven to be better than the day before. Not blessed with blazing speed of incredible quickness I learned to read the game, to anticipate and to out-think the opponent. These things allowed me to play much faster than my physical speed would allow for.

In coaching I am fond of saying "the game is my test" to determine how well I prepared the team to play. One might consider if my team won, I have passed my test, but this is not always true.  I have had teams play poorly and win. Similarly I have had teams play very well and lose. Passing my coaching test, my self-evaluation of how well my team was prepared to play, is the the key to being successful as a coach.

(Hit the jump for the rest of the article)

Leadership

Vision          Communication         Character          Competence         

Courage          Commitment

First in.....             Last out.

This video was shared with me by friend and coaching colleague Paul Lee. 

S.O.C.C.E.R.

From the Mission Statement page of the coaching manual I wrote for SYSA / SSS. 

Sportsmanship

Opportunity

Competence

Challenge

Enjoyment

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