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

Resources

Traits of a Good Coach

A good coach knows results are not the ultimate measure of success in athletics.

Passion For The Game: Coaches need to love the sport they coach and be able to share their enthusiasm for their sport with the players entrusted to them. Their passion must transcend all aspects of the game - the teaching of technique and tactics, respect for the spirit of the game, opponents, officials and spectators and ensuring a positive environment of encouragement and empowerment.

Love of Players:  A coach needs to love working with the players of the age group he coaches. The relationship between coach and player should energize and motivate both parties. It is a relationship to be celebrated in the context of athletics and in the broader spectrum of life.

Knowledge: A coach must be a student of the game. Continuing education is not an option. The moment you think you know everything there is to know about the game is the point in time you should stop coaching.

The Ability to Teach: This is a companion to knowledge. A coach must have an ability to teach the basics fundamentals and deeper intricacies of the game. In order to do so the coach will need to recognize not all players learn in the same manner and be able to adapt lesson / practice plans to keep everyone on the same page.

Patience: This might be the most important trait a coach needs. On the soccer field the decisions players make can evoke emotions ranging from satisfaction to bewilderment to irritation. And then there are the off-the-field issues that can creep into the equation as well. Being able to maintain an even keel is of vital importance for a coach.

Tolerance: Is the companion of patience. Players bring the entire range of emotions with them to practice and the game. Getting them to be able to focus and concentrate on soccer for the time you have them can be a challenge. The ability to enable players to channel their energies in a focused and positive direction on the task at hand (soccer) is a key characteristic found in good coaches.

Acceptance: The third part of the coaching trinity along with Patience and Tolerance is Acceptance. Each player is an individual and each comes with varied potential, technical and tactical skill levels. Each player has value as an individual and as a member of your team. You must acknowledge and nurture that worth in order to spark passion for the sport and a desire to work on improving within each player.

Respect: Treat players with the respect you wish to be treated with. You may think the title of coach brings you respect, but you would be wrong.  Respect is not given or bestowed upon a coach. As a coach you must earn respect just as you expect players to earn your respect.

Motivation: I include motivation in this listing because we so often hear of its importance in athletics, but if we take care of Patience, Tolerance, Acceptance and Respect you will find little difficulty in motivating players... or people.

Sportsmanship:  I include sportsmanship much as I did motivation for if we are patient, tolerant, accepting and respectful it stands to reason we will also exhibit good sportsmanship.

In summation, coaching is about treating people as you would like to be treated while igniting a passion within them to become the best they can be as a player and teammate in the sport they have chosen to participate in. 

A Soccer Player

A Soccer Player.

Between the innocence of childhood and the indifferent dignity that is the mantel of adulthood, we find a passionate creature alive in spirit and filled with vigor that we call a soccer player. Soccer players come in assorted sizes adorned in various colors and identified by number, with all living by the same creed: "To honor the game by playing every second of every minute of every half of every game as if it were the last time the privilege of playing were to be visited upon them.

Soccer players are found everywhere – in the rural farm fields of our country, in suburban backyards and inner city streets and parks. We find them behind a strong pass, in the air playing a header, making runs, checking back, passing short, shooting long and going shoulder to shoulder with an opponent in pursuit of the ball. Teammates rib them, officials call fouls on them, students cheer them, coaches criticize them, ignorant ones jeer them and mothers worry about them.

A Soccer player is courage in cleats, standing unadorned of armor with a band of brothers whose commitment was won and nurtured during the hottest of dog days, whose resilience has been tested in the heat of competition and whose resolve is found in the cold rain, sleet and snow as autumns leaves fall to the ground and winter sets in around them.

A soccer player likes practice sessions without shin guards, hot showers, amazing goals, spectacular saves, whirlpool baths, bicycle kicks and the quiet satisfaction which comes from being part of a team that has performed well in an atmosphere of continuous fast paced motion often described as controlled chaos.

A soccer player is a wonderful human being. You can criticize him, but you cannot discourage him. You can defeat his team, but you cannot make him quit. You can take him out of a game, but you cannot take the game out of him. He is judged not for his race or his religion, not for his social standing or his finances, but by how well he dribbles, passes, shoots and defends while sacrificing individual glory for the success of the team seeking only recognition from his teammates of a job well done. A soccer player is a hard working, dedicated, determined kid with a passion for the game doing the best he can to honor the sport he loves - soccer.

Every year, we must say goodbye to a special group of soccer players – the Senior Class. It is sad to see them leave the program and we will surely miss these young people. We will miss watching them run onto the field to take on an opponent. We will miss the celebrations after goals scored and the sober faces after a goal allowed. We will miss the emotional highs after a hard fought win, the lows after a heartbreaking loss and the admiration we found each time they picked themselves up and got back into the action.

Charged with carrying on the tradition the seniors have built we find the young soccer player working hard in the weight room throughout the winter, shivering as he works on skills in the cold rain of spring and wiping the sweat of dedicated preparation from his brows during the sizzling summer months. As the next season approaches we find him determined not to fail those that have gone before him.

And it is with great joy that we welcome back the graduates each summer. Their presence on the practice fields bridges the gap between old and new as they nurture and instruct those in charge of upholding tradition with the expectation that new and loftier heights will be achieved by this next generation. The young players find comfort in the knowledge that someone has gone before them and recognize that they are expected to go even further still. The small successes won when facing the graduates builds the confidence needed to face the coming competition with determination of mind, strength of soul and fiery spirit.

And so it is that the soccer player is reborn each season better than he was before and with a sense of urgency stemming from the knowledge that the game is fleeting and his time with the band of brothers known as teammates is short. The game is honored, bonds are formed and in the end our lives are a little richer for having traveled the path with those that shared our passion and whom we have grown to respect and love.

Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage

It was a Blessing to see so many old familiar faces at the Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage and a confirmation that the goal for your program should be to have both a tradition and a future that enables the present to able to look with pride and confidence in both directions.  I counted 37 former players at the contest and I likely missed a couple. What an incredible turnout!

For the match, the 2014 Varsity came out strong and established control of the match early.  Sharp, crisp passing with a purpose. Patience while working to create a seam to attack through and great change of pace when they decided to go forward. Solid shape defensively and beyond that was a much improved recognition for and ability to pick up their marks in the forward passing lanes. The Varsity scored first and looked to be in mid-season form in some regards.

Eventually the huge numbers advantage for the alums began to take its toil on the 2014 Varsity as Coach pro tem Doc LaGrande shuttled players in and out en masse.  The alumni eventually won the match and on reflection this is perhaps how it should have been. So much talent on the field - former all-state, all-district, district POY, all-league and league POY's  - for the alumni team yesterday.

Some of the former players in attendance:  Joe Bianco, Dave Goodin, Jeff Decker, Jared Link, Brandon Morse, Trent Quatman, Colin McDermott, Nick Pratt, Brian Bell, Evan Bell, Joe Vogelgesang, Christian Vogelgesang, Joel Reddick, Joe Keller, Joe Goodman, Austin Howard, Troy Brinkman, Jared Dupes, Nick Guidera, Ryan Quatman, Pete LaGrande, Adam Khalaf, Kirt Moritz, Cody Fullenkamp, Patrick Bonifas, Adam Knott, Cogan Shimizu, Garret Gross, Austin Braychok, Andrew Ritchie, Matt High, Justin Thomas, Josh Thomas, Brennan Gaffer, Tyler Anderson, Cory Wilder, Tim Taviano and probably a couple of more.

It was wonderful to see the "old guys" interact with this years varsity.  I saw several instances of the old guys schooling the new and then taking time to coach them up afterward. The sportsmanship was heart warming.  Words of encouragement, pats on the back, handshakes and hugs shared by players old and new. This is what tradition is all about - honoring those who have gone before, supporting those in the moment and building for the future. 

Well done Shawnee!

Three ideas about mistakes

1) Own up to making them

2) Learn from them

3) Do not repeat them



A Tale of Two Teams

I have been struggling for some hours with how to write this post.  As usual, a straight forward approach seems best. So, here we go.

Approximately a month ago our U17 team played against a league rival. During the course of action the opponent’s goalkeeper suffered a shoulder injury as a result of contact with one of our players. The play was clean as our player was clearly first to the ball. The contact that caused inury was made by the ball and most unfortunate. I have taught my team that when an injury occurs to an opponent our player involved will shake hands with the injured player, apologize, inquire that they are okay and wish them luck.  This is exactly what happened on this occasion. I also met the injured opponent as he came off the field and offered words of regret over his injury and of encouragement that he would be okay.

Yesterday afternoon we faced this same league rival in the championship match of a tournament. On a clear goal scoring opportunity an opposing player took down our player going in on goal.  A foul was called but no card yellow or red issued by the Center Referee despite protestations from his Assistant Referee and me, of course.

Shortly after the first incident the same opposing player again took down one of our players as he was in behind the defense. This time the foul was violent, reckless and resulted in a serious injury to our player.  Once again, over the protestations, request and demand of the Assistant Referee the Center Referee declined to issue either a yellow or red card to the player.

Just to be absolutely clear, there were two obvious straight red card infractions by the same player without any penalty to the offending player.  The referee did not so much as verbally address the offending player. The second foul resulted in serious injury to our player.

Aside from horrible officiating what has bothered me most is the opposing coach, someone whom I respected, did not address the situation by removing the player from the match. Furthermore, there was no remorse shown for the blatant actions resulting in serious injury to our player. The offending player never approached to apologize or check on our players’ condition. The opposing coach did not ask of his condition or really even acknowledge the incident in any manner.

Shortly thereafter we lost another player to injury when he was undercut while in the air. Once again, no remorse, no apology, no inquiry as to the condition of the player. I would hate to think the opponents were intentionally targeting our players, but the lack of remorse and concern for their well being certainly leaves the situation open to interpretation.

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it."
John Wooden (1910-2010

There are 6 pillars of character; Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship.  While our team is certainly not perfect I feel these pillars were largely absent from our opponents during this championship match.  Perhaps it was because we went up 3-0 early and won the match handily. Maybe it was the adversity of losing that revealed our opponents character or lack thereof. The incidents all occurred in the second half of the match when our lead had been established. I cannot be sure.  The (in)actions of the opposing coach certainly exasperated the situation as his intimidation of the referee went above and beyond simple gamesmanship to seemingly condone and encourage the thuggery being committed by members of his team. 

At the end of the day, amidst the jubilation of winning a championship mingled the sad realization that a once friendly rivalry based on mutual respect had taken a very serious turn for the worse.

Truths about parents and youth sports.

After 3 decades of coaching youth sports I have learned a few basic truths about parents.

1) Parents over value the talent of their child, sometimes ridiculously so.

2) Parents live vicariously through their children.

3) Parents believe if they pay for their childs playing experience they are also purchasing the right to interject their opinions and suggestions into the process.

4) Parents seriously restrict, hinder and otherwise impede their childs passion and progress for the sport they play.

In short, well intentioned parents can turn youth sporting experiences into nightmares for their children ...and by extension for everyone they come in  contact with as well. I remember one particular mother whom we shall call "Mary".  She cheered wildy for her son. The team? Not so much and especially not for any teammate perceived to be competition for her son's playing time or accolades. Her son was one of the unhappiest players I have ever encountered. He practiced angry. He played angry. Horrible teammate. Refused to help with equipment or take any other responsibility for himself or his play. Mommy had his back. In her eyes he could do no wrong. He played because his mother expected him to. He played to make mommy happy. Everyone else was an obstacle to the success Mary wanted for her son.

Your child will only go as far as his love for the game carries him.

Make sure your child is playing soccer because it is what he or she wants to do.  Make sure they have a passion for the game and are not playing because of your passion for the game.  There are better ways to seek your approval than by allowing you to live vicariously through their youth sport experience. Support your son's or daughter's interests and passions and accept that their's might not be yours.

Unless you played professionally, you really weren't all that good when you played either.  Don't build your own youth sports exploits into larger than life tall tales. Your child doesn't need the pressure of living up to the blown out of proportion mythical memories of your youth

Our local youth soccer league has what they call "Silent Saturday" that calls for complete silence while their child competes that day. I love it!   Don't insert yourself into your child's game.  It is your child out there competing, not you. You don't have a joystick to control your child's action on the pitch. Screaming instructions at your child only serves to add pressure to the situation. Your child wants to please you so imagine how he feels when he fails to execute as you are telling him to. Don't complicate his on-field decision making process by inserting what you want him to do into the equation. Your perspective is not his in the first place. Your "helpful insights" will be recieved as confrontational emotionally driven intrusions and you know how kids respond to those, don't you?

If you want to coach, sign up to coach otherwise keep your mouth shut and allow the coaches to do their job. Most youth sport coaches donate their time - planning time, practice time, game time and the time spent away from other activities.  You don't and therefore you do not have a say in coaching decisions and particularly not as it concerns lineup, playing time or general direction of the team. You don't have to remain with the team, but you better ask for your child's opinion before yanking him off the team.  If you want input on coaching decisions, sign up to coach otherwise keep your thoughts to yourself.

Remember always that this is about the child, allow him to enjoy the experience.  Youth sports are a learning experience for children and not just about fundamental techniques and tactics of the sport, but socially as well. The skills, be they athletic or social skills are his to learn, practice and develop. Be supportive. Provide a guiding influence but not an overly intrusive one. Just allow your child to enjoy the process.

My personal story of involvement with my son's sporting adventures?  Yes, I made some of the mistakes discussed above. Others I was witness to from the coaching sidelines.  My love was basketball. None of my sons have developed the same level of passion for basketball that I possess. I have supported their passion for soccer.  They play soccer. They referee soccer. They coach soccer.  Athletically speaking soccer is their passion. Through my support of them I have developed a passion for the game as well. I think that is how it should be. 

Our family has been fortunate to have many wonderful experiences centered around soccer. We have made countless new and lasting friendships through our participation. Occasionally we have rubbed shoulders with truly "great" athletes, coaches, referees and administrators of the game. Our lives have been blessed and enriched through our soccer experiences mainly because we have understood that soccer is something we do and enjoy doing together, but it does not define who we are.  The friendships I speak of having made? Those were made possible through our children's participation in soccer. That's the value of the game to us as parents.  The championships?  The trophies? The individual awards and accolades?  All fleeting at best.  The friendships are lasting.  The memories and bonds built with our children are lasting.  Allow your child to enjoy his youth sport experience and you will all benefit from it.

 

Great People, Great Things

Something new today.  I am providing a link to an article writen by someone else. It gives a glimpse into one of the finest college basketball programs in the country. Written by former player, David Merritt whose own story is well worth reading, he titles the article Great People, Great Things. The blog is known as Goodness Determined. Enjoy the read!

http://goodnessdetermined.com/great-people-great-things/

Yes, you will be seeing quotes from this article on this site!  

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Finals

It has become something of a tradition for my family to attend the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Soccer Championships at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Today's writing will be observations from yesterday and state tournament experiences in general.

One of the the first things to strike me each year is how very different officiating is at the state tournament than what we see throughout the year. Yesterday this was particularly true during the Division III Boys Final between Cincinnati Summit Country Day and Gates Mills Hawken.  The referee crew for this game "let them play".  It became an extremely physical game and credit goes to both teams for maintaining composure and a proper spirit.