Attitude. Commitment. Culture. What of it?

I suppose I should have included "Patience" in the title as well.

As I enter my third year (second as head coach) in the Lima Senior soccer program I find myself fixated on Attitude, Commitment and Culture as the areas key to the Spartans rising to another level. I am fond of saying "culture can win or lose you games" and am of the belief this was proven true this past season .  Our culture did, in fact, both win and lose us games during the 2016 season. On the surface, that might seem like an odd statement, but just as technical skill and tactical understanding impact the game so too does a teams culture.  Sometimes skill and tactics are enough to win games. Sometimes it is one teams culture that separates it from the opponent.

I want to be clear that the culture was not excessively poor when I took over the program. If we used Jannsen's Commitment Continuum to rate the culture of the program I took over last season we would find it in the compliant range.




That is, the team and individual players largely tried to do what was asked of them. They did enough to get by. Where they were lacking is in the areas of accountability and responsibility to one another, the team and the program as a whole. One year later we have made progress, but are still probably in the compliant range as a team.

As I ask myself why our progress has not been swifter or more dramatic I keep coming back to the three words in the title of this article - Attitude, Commitment and Culture. I think sometimes we use these words interchangeably and that does each a disservice. They are related and interconnected yet different and unique each in its own way.

Attitude alone is not a guarantee of a win or a loss. I have seen teams with great attitudes lose games to teams with lesser attitudes. And there are certainly teams with poor attitudes that manage to overcome them and win games. Still, there can be no doubting the importance good attitudes. This set me to thinking about what attitude can provide ... or deprive a team of.

Attitude is not static - that is, it must be nurtured to grow in a positive direction and if this is not diligently attended to one's attitude will surely regress.

Attitude is not a substitute for technical, tactical or physical competence.

Neither can attitude alone be substituted for experience.

In short, attitude cannot change facts, but attitude can change how we deal with facts.

For example, attitude can make the difference in how we deal with one another - our relationships with each other.

Attitude can also make a difference in how we deal with adversity and challenges.

One positive attitude can be a beacon shining bright that draws others to it. A team with a collective good attitude can become something greater than the sum of its parts.  And that is what I am seeking to create at Lima Senior.

So, what are the obstacles slowing our progress?

Change.

More is being asked of individual players and the team alike. Everyone is being asked to step out of established comfort zones and embrace growth. This can be an intimidating task, especially if one's attitude is not positively energized.

Fear of change leads to indecisiveness, inaction, drains positive energy and generally inhibits potential from being reached. Fear also magnifies adversity, challenges and problems when affecting change. In the absence of a positive attitude discouragement can gain a foothold.

Energy is contagious whether it be of a positive or negative nature.  So, how change is approached is of vital importance. Positive energy will allow for smoother transition than negative energy will. Those who are reluctant to change may have to be eliminated from the program in order to foster an overall positive energy. I faced and dealt with this problem last fall. There were a few stragglers with poor attitudes who refused to buy-in to the changes being made. They were energy drains to our positive attitudes. They have been removed from the program. More may yet decide to leave as they find their energy, their attitude to be in conflict with the growing majority.

The 85% rule.

The 85% rule refers to having 85% of your team members being either Compliant, Committed of Compelled on Jannsen's Commitment Continuum.  This would represent 85% of your team having "good" attitudes. What I have done is to make a list of every player on our roster.  Not as easy of a task as one might think in our situation. I had 57 student / athletes express interest in playing. Of those, we had 46 who actually participated at least one day.  We lost several to academic ineligibility. Others were dismissed from the team due to disciplinary problems. Still others self-selected and just stopped showing up. We finished the season with 33 players. These 33 are the players I have on my list. Beside each of their names I have written their commitment level in my eyes. I have also asked each player how they would rate themselves. There are differences of opinions - some subtle and others quite dramatic.

Resistant: Complainers. They complain about coaching, teammates, program rules. They are generally selfish and against team goals and in favor of their own goals.

Reluctant: Skeptics. They are hesitant, wait and seers. Go through the motions but without much, if any conviction. Have not totally bought-in.

Existent: They are present but not completely engaged. They give little of themselves and expect little from others or the team as a whole.

Compliant: These student / athletes do what is asked of them, but give no extra effort. Generally not self-motivated. Not disruptive, but not fully engaged.  They neither provide energy nor drain energy.

Committed: Self-motivated.  They will do what is expected of them and then some. Take initiative to improve self and team.

Compelled: The Standard Bearers. No matter the adversity or challenge they are 100% engaged. They prepare, train and compete at the highest level. They are driven to achieve team goals and achieve team success.

In general, the 85% rule states a successful team needs 85% of its members in the Compliant, Committed and Compelled ranges in order to be successful. Obviously all of those falling in the Compliant range would not be satisfactory. There must be some in the Committed range and at least a few in the Compelled range. A balance among these three ranges is necessary with the more towards the top of the range the better. But I would submit there is value to each of the ranges being represented. Can you imagine the disconnect between 11 players in the Compelled range and a couple in the Compliant or lower ranges with no one representing the in between?

Culture.

Some combination of Attitude and Commitment define the culture of the program, team and its individual players. Where program rules meet team goals success if found.  So it is moving forward we will continue to work on our attitudes and foster commitment in search of a winning team culture. That is a key consideration to take from this writing - attitude and commitment, culture, must be worked on. All coaches work on technique and tactics, physical conditioning. We must also give conscious effort to the psychological aspects of the game We must train attitude, commitment and culture until these things become second nature in the same manner as technical ability, tactical understanding and physical conditioning.  This is our platform for success,

Continuing Education

Here in Ohio it is a frigid -7 degrees Fahrenheit  this morning.  What better backdrop to continue learning about the game?  The truth is I have over 200 DVD's and 100 books on the game of soccer.  I often accumulate more of these "in-season" stock piling them for the winter months when active coaching opportunities are limited.

I have just concluded reading an outstandingly good book titled Soccer for Thinkers by Malcolm Allison.  As has been previously mentioned on this site, I participate in a couple of email groups comprised of coaches from around the world. While these groups are small (12 - 20) people a wide range of age and competitive levels are represented. Everything from U16 through college and the professional ranks.  The participating individuals are themselves a ridiculously good source of information on the game.  The recommendation of Soccer for Thinkers is a prime example of this.

Obtaining a copy of the book proved to be a bit of an adventure.  It has been out of publication for 35+ years and as far as I can tell was never published here in the United States.  I searched the Internet daily for over a month before I found a copy to purchase.  Oh, there are copies available, if you wish to pay the price.  They are quite expensive.  A recent search found the cheapest price being $312 dollars plus shipping from England.  It's a great book, but not worth that price.  I found mine here in the states for $50 plus $20 for shipping, but it took diligent effort over the course of a month to locate a copy at this price.

If not for the coaches email list, I would not have ever known about Soccer for Thinkers.  In discussing this book with good friend Graham Ramsay he seemed a bit amazed I had not only heard of the book but had obtained a copy of it.  Graham is a great resource person for me.  The conversation immediately turned to other out of publication soccer books and it turns out Graham has a few stockpiled in various storage locations.  AND, he contacted someone in the England who also has a stockpile of similar books.  I am in the process of procuring these now.

The thing about Soccer for Thinkers is that it validates many of the approaches I have adhered to in recent years.  I understood I was not inventing a new system but I struggled to find a template for how I envisioned the game should be played.  I found it, albeit belatedly so in the process, in Soccer for Thinkers. 

My coaching philosophy and style has evolved over the years. With all the DVDs and books in my soccer library I have obviously become a student of the game. A primary reason I began accumulating DVDs and books was being left unsatisfied by the NSCAA and especially the USSF coaching courses.  For me, the NSCAA courses present good information on a limited basis.  They point you in the right direction, but its up to you to follow through.  The USSF tests what you already know and reverse engineering of their courses is the best way to learn new things from them, in my opinion.  In addition to DVDs and books, people like Graham, Ken White, Steve Burns and the members of the coaching lists I participate in have been extremely valuable resources of information and sounding boards for me.

One theme or focus for this winters learning is the Commitment Continuum made popular by Jeff Janssen.   This concept has been around for a very long time. Janssen has simply brought it to the fore in recent years through his work with various college programs and an ever growing list of books on leadership in general. His works are very good and if you have not already, have a look at it. 

Two well known disciples of the commitment continuum are Anson Dorrance of UNC women's soccer and Jim Harbaugh of the University of Michigan football.   They have made a science of including competition as part of, perhaps the driving part of, the commitment continuum.  They chart everything.  They make everything in every aspect of training a competition between teammates. They "publish" the results on the locker room walls.  It is an approach that has served both men extremely well.  Motivation is plainly a driving force behind this approach but if we are completely honest about it, they are identifying the winners on their rosters. These are the people they want to go into battle with.

My question is, will it work in high school soccer? 

It will.

In fact, it has been working in high school soccer for years.

I used to relate to people how the training sessions at the high school program I began my coaching career with were "wars".   Intense, competitive daily sessions.  Those practice sessions were often more competitive than the matches those teams played against opponents.  This is a theme often espoused in athletics.  "Practices were so hard that games were easy" is a well known sentiment made famous by coaches like Lombardi, Wooden, Schembechler, Bryant, et al.  I don't think I ever fully understood or was able to succinctly communicate just what this meant until recent years.  This past spring I had nearly 50 players interested in play U18.  This is an unprecedented number for our rural area.  Some self-selected in the face of competition for positions on the "A" team. As decisions had to be made for the final roster spots on that "A" team I found myself cutting some very good players.   The determining factors were found in their performance on the commitment continuum.  

I did not have the luxury of filming every practice or even every game so I could not chart as many things as I might have liked to.  I suppose one could say I was left to take a more subjective approach since my decisions were not supported by charted and documented statistics.  Still, my decisions were driven by a commitment continuum - I observed the approach, attitude, effort, deportment and comportment of players.  Those who were immature, inconsistent and incapable of focusing for the length of an hour and a half training session were relegated to the "B" team or self-selected themselves off the team and out of the program.  The result was a stunningly successful club season. 

So, much of my time this winter is being spent of refining my approach to the commitment continuum with hidden gems like Soccer for Thinkers thrown in for variety and spice.  If you have suggestions on books or other materials for me to review, I am always open to suggestions.  And if you yourself would like further suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Coaching is a brotherhood. I often hear of football coaching staffs going to another teams staff to learn how they do things. It happens in basketball all the time.  No so much in soccer, I think.  This is something that probably needs to change if we really want the sport of soccer to reach its full potential in this country.

The Commitment Continuum.

I have read several of Jeff Janssen's books and one of the concepts that has really stuck with me is the Commitment Continuum seen above. I have thought back and applied this to teams I played on and to teams I have coached. Janssen has gotten it basically right.  A successful team needs players in the Compelled and Committed ranges.

One train of thought I have followed is the value of the Commitment Continuum in high school sports. In the coaching groups I communicate with via emails this is a fairly constant topic of discussion. In general these discussions center on the value of athletes who come to the first day of practice well conditioned or where soccer falls on an athletes priority list.

Through the course of these discussions my mind has traveled back to the countless hours I spent working on fundamental skills on my own.  At a rather early age I recognized the value of having similarly motivated players on my teams.  I carried these ideas with me when I began my coaching career. One of my first priorities with any team is to identify the self-motivated player.  If a selection process is involved I want as many of these players as possible on my team.

When coaching high school we are often called upon to work with whomever shows up to play. There will be compelled and committed players but also a lot, perhaps a majority, of players who fall lower on the Commitment Continuum. I have found for best results it is prudent to rely on the compelled or committed player over pure athletes who are compliant or existent on the commitment continuum. I will build my teams around the compelled and committed players and fill in the holes as necessary with the remaining players.

For high school teams I tend to give preference for starting positions to the players who also play club soccer.  I choose to build my teams around the soccer players instead of the athletes. It's great when the soccer players are also great athletes, but this is soccer and so we should want those whose priority sport is soccer playing the game. I look at this as valuing game intelligence over athleticism. An athlete may play harder, but the soccer player plays smarter. The soccer player understands the game and need not rely on frenetic play to accomplish what needs to be done. The soccer player is more likely to play in calm and poised manner.

I once had a player on club whose high school coaches openly called him lazy. They complained that he did not often enough run hard nor exert the same amounts of energy as his teammates did. The fact of the matter is, he didn't need to work as hard as his high school teammates because he was always 3 or 4 steps ahead of them in his thinking of the game, his game intelligence. While his soccer teammates were off playing basketball and baseball or running track, this young man was playing an additional 40-50 games of soccer each winter and spring.  Over the course of a high school career that equates to playing an additional 12 high school seasons.  Yeah, I want that experience front and center on my high school teams.

There is no substitution for experience in the game and it is the compelled or committed players who will have the most experience and who will have accumulated the most game intelligence. These are the players who should be the foundation of your team.