Still learning after all these years.

I have a stated goal to learn something new every day.  In pursuit of this I often try to look at things from different perspectives. That's never been more true than this off-season.  Immediately after the conclusion of the season I wrote a self-evaluation / status of the program review.  I have often debated if taking on this endeavor so close to the conclusion of the season is wise or whether waiting on the passage of time to reflect more objectively might be a better course of action. Of course, I wind up doing both.

I firmly believe in preparation being the key to succeeding on and off the pitch. I spent from November 2016 through early June 2017 preparing for the Lima Senior soccer season. Due to real world job considerations I ended up changing coaching jobs and found myself being introduced as Fairlawn's new soccer coach in mid June 2017. I balanced my need to work with my desire to coach. In retrospect, I am unsure how wise a decision this was.

We laid a great foundation for a successful 2017 season at Lima Senior,  I followed the Spartans from afar this fall and was surprised they struggled.  And at Fairlawn our struggles were just as mighty.  Both programs struggled with having adequate time under new direction to prepare for their respective 2017 seasons. 

I suffered an on-the-job knee injury in May of 2017 that greatly limited my mobility throughout the summer. I bring this to light because it impacted my ability to properly prepare for the season. Hindsight tells me I should not have coached this fall. I just wasn't physically prepared to do so. 

There were an inordinate amount of obstacles to overcome in pursuit of a successful soccer season.  

The knee injury suffered in May.

Being hired in mid-June.

The person I contracted with for summer camps backing out at the last minute.

The person the previous coach had contracted with for summer camp backing out.

Low attendance at the summer activities we held.

My wife's hospitalization which drew my attention and energies away from soccer.

It was a recipe for the disaster the 2017 Fairlawn soccer season came to be.  My self-confidence convinced me I could overcome these obstacles. I was wrong.  I was wrong in part because many of these obstacles were beyond my control. 

Even as I have reviewed the recently concluded season I have begun preparations for the 2018 soccer season. Very much on my mind have been distinguishing between the things I can and cannot control.  The most concerning to me has been attendance at necessary off-season workouts, weight training, conditioning and small group work. And attendance during the 10 days of contact I will have with the team during June and July of 2018. Player attendance at these activities is in the purview of the players. I can exert some modicum of outside influence on their decision making process, but ultimately it is their decision whether to attend, to prepare, or not. 

This is where my personal decision making process is as it concerns returning to Fairlawn as head soccer coach.  Player attendance. Player willingness to prepare for the 2018 season.  Their decisions on attendance will directly impact my decision on coaching.

To be perfectly honest, we got out of the 2017 season exactly what we put into it. Due to time constraints and my knee injury I was able to put into the 2017 off-season but a small portion of the time and energy I typically devote to preparing for an up-coming season.  A majority of players put in less effort and time than I was able to. We got what we earned.  Meritocracy in action. 

I am determined to prepare for the 2018 season with the best effort I have. I am already champing at the bit to get started. I have an unquenchable thirst to be better at what I do. I need to be better for the players who will be the 2018 soccer team at Fairlawn. I must be better before I can expect them to become better. This is what motivates me. Drives me. I am determined to build a proper foundation through preparation and execution of the season-long plan I am working on. 

The perspective of time, both backwards and forwards in contemplation, has sharpened my focus. I have used reflection of the past to glean useful insight to the present and future. I will control those things I can in preparation for the 2018 season. I will exert what influence I can over the players to prolifically prepare for their 2018 season. A meritocracy simple means we will get out of the 2018 season exactly what we are willing to invest into the 2018 season. I am hopeful our investment will be significant.  

Attitude. Work Ethic. Productivity

I've been pondering what makes one team more efficient and effective than another team. By no means is this a scientific undertaking, It is very much my musings on observations I have made about teams I have been a part of in one capacity or another.

Mission. Goals. Standards.

Teams with a clearly defined mission tend to be successful. The mission statement defines who we are and what we are about. Separate from a mission statement are a team's goals. These can and should range from short term goals to long range goals. The goals can be viewed as stepping stones toward fulfilling the mission. Standards are how we are going to go about achieving our goals. What behaviors are acceptable and which are unacceptable.

Communication and Respect.

Among the standards successful teams share are effective communication and respect.  All opinions are welcomed and valued. Beginning in the 1980's a cottage industry came to the fore that focuses on team bonding activities. Both the corporate world and the sports world has taken advantage of such activities to promote effective communication, conflict resolution, the organizational structure and decision making process. The underlying premise is every team member is acknowledged and valued for the contributions they make towards the team's goals and fulfilling the team's mission,

Cooperation and Teamwork

Together Everyone Achieves More. Effective teams have a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. All voices are heard in the decision making process. Team members who trust the decision-making process tend to cooperate even the when a decision is not entirely to their liking. When teamwork extends beyond the field and into every facet of the team buy-in to team philosophy, mission and goals comes much easier.

Appearance and Character

A former coach of mine was fond of saying, "If you want to be a champion, you need to look the part." At first I thought this meant we had to tuck in our shirts and pull up our socks.  I came to realize the dress code was only a very small part of it. How our team was perceived and how the team perceived itself was the lesson being imparted to us. Team rules and standards of conduct.  Conduct detrimental to the team mission, goals and standards cannot be tolerated. In short, the personal decision making process begins with, if your behavior or conduct would reflect negatively on the team, don't do it.

Attendance

My high school coaching mentor addressed attendance in one brief sentence, Attendance is mandatory and will be punctual. One unexcused absence or tardiness resulted in suspension. A repeat offence resulted in dismissal from the team. This might sound strict, but Coach understood that disruptions to the team caused by unexcused absences and tardiness reduced productivity. Unexcused absences affect and impact the entire team in a negative sense. Being recognized as a dependable teammate is a prerequisite to earning trust. Dealing consistently with misconduct in a manner positive to the team's mission, goals and standards directly impacts trust, respect and productivity.

Organization

In many ways it is how a team structure is organized that determines its Attitude, Work Ethic and Productivity. If the organization is sub par, then productivity will likely be less efficient than it should be. Ownership is a shared responsibility.  If the team is set up as a dictatorship with the coach in the lead role it will be difficult for team members to fully buy-in to his process because they will not view it as their process.  It's difficult to fully enjoy an experience when it's not yours to enjoy. Ownership or lack thereof also impacts ones motivation.  If you feel ownership of the team, you are much more likely to be self-motivated as team performance will reflect directly on you as a member of that team.

To end I will tell the story of Alex.  I was coaching a club team comprised of the very best players in the area. I hand selected this team not only on talent, but on attitude, character and maturity.  Still, early on the team was not performing at peak level. Then we faced a disciplinary issue involving a member of the team. We discussed the situation with the team captains. When an agreement was reached as to what the discipline would be our lead captain, Alex, took charge.  The captains, led by Alex, met with the individual. They described the conduct detrimental to the team and informed the offender of his discipline.  I thought we might lose the player, but we did not. He was not happy, but it came to be a turning point for both the player and the team as a whole. The team rose to new heights and went on to a tremendously successful season. The player who had committed the violation of team conduct became a very productive team member who contributed significantly to our success.

The team captains took responsibility and addressed the situation and individual on their own, but with full support of the coaching staff.  I spoke with the individual in question after the captains had addressed him, but this was only necessary so that he understood I supported the captains decision. I had their backs on this.

If we had not upheld the teams mission and standards at that point in time our season might well have been lost. Thankfully we had an organizational structure in place that allowed us to address the issue with positivity and within the framework of expectations and the standards of how we wanted our team to be viewed and remembered.

Why Soccer Struggles as a Spectator Sport in the U.S.

It is amazing the amount of stuff I have accumulated over the years. In search through files, computer and conventional, I often come across notes, articles, outlines of practices / drills / small sided games from many years ago. Sometimes I wonder out loud why I ever saved something.  Other times it's a bit like Christmas morning when opening up old files.  This morning I found this article from 8 years ago in note form about why high school soccer is not a bigger draw than it is.  I briefly considered updating it, but then decided to publish as is. I may edited / rewrite or update it sometime in the next few days, but I think it interesting to look at where soccer was nearly a decade ago compared to today and consider what, if anything has changed.