In our locale there is a political rift between the mayor and the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. Their feuding has boiled over into the local social media in a purely negative manner. I find the whole thing terribly embarrassing and can only wonder what others must think of our community.
As I pondered this situation it occurred to me the quality of leadership can be found to be lacking. Believe it or not, that is not a condemnation of either of the primary individuals involved in this on-going dispute. Rather, it's simply an acknowledgment that leadership has many levels and a certain diligence must be put into the process of leading if we are to have the best possible leadership.
What in the world does this have to do with soccer?
(Hit the jump for the rest of the article)
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Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Friday
Thursday
Everyday is a Tryout
Everyday is a tryout is a mantra I repeat to my teams on an almost daily basis. My teams are a strange combination of dictatorship and meritocracy. I strive to give as much ownership of the team as possible to the players while retaining final say on certain matters to preserve order for the common good. Sometimes I wonder if the message being sent is the same as the message being received.
Everyday is a tryout. Four words that can define a process, a life even. They go to the very heart of what has become known as the daily grind. What you earned yesterday should be but a platform for what you will earn today. What you earn today is the starting point for tomorrow's growth. This is what a meritocracy is. This is what life is.
I have begun meeting with potential leaders of next years team. These are the players who have expressed interest in being captains. What I am seeking to determine is which of this group understand everyday is a tryout. Who among them understand that leadership is an action word, a verb, long before it becomes a noun?
(Hit the jump for the rest of the article)
Everyday is a tryout. Four words that can define a process, a life even. They go to the very heart of what has become known as the daily grind. What you earned yesterday should be but a platform for what you will earn today. What you earn today is the starting point for tomorrow's growth. This is what a meritocracy is. This is what life is.
I have begun meeting with potential leaders of next years team. These are the players who have expressed interest in being captains. What I am seeking to determine is which of this group understand everyday is a tryout. Who among them understand that leadership is an action word, a verb, long before it becomes a noun?
(Hit the jump for the rest of the article)
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The coach's foremost responsibility to the TEAM is...
In a world where professional and high profile sports dominate one might think guiding a team to wins is a coach's first priority. In a bottom line economic sense this is probably true. However, I challenge this assumption in the context of the wider world of sports. Here it is the coach's responsibility to properly prepare the team to put its collective best foot forward.
Putting your best foot forward is not about winning every game. It is not about playing mistake free soccer. It is all about placing your team in position to give their best effort possible on a given day. Putting your best foot forward should be a steady march of improvement from day to day with recognition adversity will be encountered along the way. Positioning your team to put its best foot forward very much depends on how you teach them to react to adversity. Do you allow for excuses thereby empowering the adversity to determine your teams effort? Or do you embrace adversity as an opportunity?
Properly identifying adversity is also an important aspect of allowing your team to put its best foot forward. If your team will be facing a far superior opponent and you set the goal as upsetting them it will be difficult for your team to its best foot forward that day. If you identify obtainable in-game goals that could lead to an upset of a superior opponent chances of your team putting it's best foot forward increases against even the best of opponents.
In a sense, putting your best foot forward is about persevering along the road to success. Continuous Progress Improvement is a term that was used in schools when my sons were of that age. As coaches we are charged with preparing and positioning our team to constantly put their best foot forward and in doing so grow the program, the team and its individuals.
Another way to look at this is to say we should never be satisfied. Complacency is destructive to progress and greatly hinders the ability to put our best foot forward. Keeping a team hungry and focused can be a challenge and is a primary reason coaches work so hard to limit distractions, utilize team bonding exercises and preach "The TEAM!"
Putting our best foot forward requires having a season-long plan for how to advance the team from it's starting point to a vision you have for them. A firm hand on the rudder following a well charted course is paramount to helping your team put its best foot forward on a consistent basis. If you do not have a season-long plan but jump around from one topic to another attempting to fill each new leak in the dam your team is likely never to achieve full potential in any one area. To put it another way, you are unlikely to establish a foundation strong enough to sustain real growth.
Putting your best foot forward is not about winning every game. It is not about playing mistake free soccer. It is all about placing your team in position to give their best effort possible on a given day. Putting your best foot forward should be a steady march of improvement from day to day with recognition adversity will be encountered along the way. Positioning your team to put its best foot forward very much depends on how you teach them to react to adversity. Do you allow for excuses thereby empowering the adversity to determine your teams effort? Or do you embrace adversity as an opportunity?
Properly identifying adversity is also an important aspect of allowing your team to put its best foot forward. If your team will be facing a far superior opponent and you set the goal as upsetting them it will be difficult for your team to its best foot forward that day. If you identify obtainable in-game goals that could lead to an upset of a superior opponent chances of your team putting it's best foot forward increases against even the best of opponents.
In a sense, putting your best foot forward is about persevering along the road to success. Continuous Progress Improvement is a term that was used in schools when my sons were of that age. As coaches we are charged with preparing and positioning our team to constantly put their best foot forward and in doing so grow the program, the team and its individuals.
Another way to look at this is to say we should never be satisfied. Complacency is destructive to progress and greatly hinders the ability to put our best foot forward. Keeping a team hungry and focused can be a challenge and is a primary reason coaches work so hard to limit distractions, utilize team bonding exercises and preach "The TEAM!"
Putting our best foot forward requires having a season-long plan for how to advance the team from it's starting point to a vision you have for them. A firm hand on the rudder following a well charted course is paramount to helping your team put its best foot forward on a consistent basis. If you do not have a season-long plan but jump around from one topic to another attempting to fill each new leak in the dam your team is likely never to achieve full potential in any one area. To put it another way, you are unlikely to establish a foundation strong enough to sustain real growth.
Friday
Monday
One of the tougher aspects of coaching.
Coaches in general often think they can "coach up" anyone and make them a contributing member of a team. In most cases the object of their attention is the would be star with a horrible attitude. This is not always the case though. I myself am in the midst of trying to figure out how to coach up a young man who is good kid and loyal to our team. Yet over the last 3 springs he has fallen behind his teammates in his development.
Players all develop at different rates but rarely does the disparity grow to this extent. "Mark" is basically the same player he was three seasons ago. Individual player rankings of our team from years ago would have found Mark middle of the pack. Now, Mark is the last player on a 19 man roster.
I have the power to cut Mark from the team, but have been reluctant to do so for a number of reasons. Family friend, attends the same high school as my son, he's very athletic and in a way he needs soccer and perhaps more specifically, this team. This is one I am loath to give up on and so I continue to try.
One of the tougher aspects of coaching is recognizing when to let go of a favorite player. I know Mark cannot compete with his current teammates. He lacks game vision to an extraordinary degree. This is undoubtedly related to the fact he learns differently than most. I feel I have failed Mark as I have not discovered a way to properly teach him. It is not that Mark is incapable of learning - he is a bright intelligent young man. He's just not catching on as his teammates have and continue to do.
Keeping him with this team would be a disservice to his teammates especially if there is an expectation on Mark's part that he would receive playing time commensurate with that of his teammates. Mark is the weak link on the pitch when he's in the game.
Now, in fairness, Mark is playing up an age group with this team. When that decision was first made 4 years ago, this was appropriate for Mark. As time has passed and his teammates have left him behind, this team is no longer appropriate for Mark to be on. His teammates have been patient, understanding and helpful. Many have tried to mentor him and help him develop his game further with the same frustrating results I have had. Mark's teammates appreciate he does not belong with this team and it's beginning to show as Mark continues to struggle with his play.
As coaches we know there is always that one player who, because their level of play is lacking, breakdown every exercise. They are the one who always loses possession of the ball for their team often by self-inflicting pressure. They are the one that opponents always seek to isolate and take advantage of because they lack self-discipline and will repeatedly stab or dive in effectively eliminating themselves from play. Mark has become that player on this team.
Thankfully, there is another option for Mark. We will field a "B" team this next season. Previous attempts to move Mark down to his own age group have been met with emotional responses. This is not unexpected, but the degree to which it manifested itself was. Mark and his family essentially gave me an ultimatum that he either plays with our team or he won't be playing at all. I am hopeful the idea of still playing up but doing so on the "B" team will be palatable to Mark and his family. He needs to play and will not get that chance with the "A" team. With the "B" team he should play the majority of each match.
If Mark and his family are not agreeable to this, I will have to accept the challenge of their ultimatum and cut him from the team. Even if that means he will not play soccer at all. What it comes down to is the necessity of doing what is best for the team with an understanding that no one person is more important than the collective team.
I am making one last attempt to bring Mark up to speed with this team. If it is unsuccessful, I will move him to the "B" team and continue working with him in that setting. I will need to take a step back from where that group from where the "A" team is now. I am hopeful "re-taking" a season of soccer lessons will be enough to help Mark develop his game further. As a coach, this is my "Hail Mary" attempt to reach Mark. I pray that it works.
Players all develop at different rates but rarely does the disparity grow to this extent. "Mark" is basically the same player he was three seasons ago. Individual player rankings of our team from years ago would have found Mark middle of the pack. Now, Mark is the last player on a 19 man roster.
I have the power to cut Mark from the team, but have been reluctant to do so for a number of reasons. Family friend, attends the same high school as my son, he's very athletic and in a way he needs soccer and perhaps more specifically, this team. This is one I am loath to give up on and so I continue to try.
One of the tougher aspects of coaching is recognizing when to let go of a favorite player. I know Mark cannot compete with his current teammates. He lacks game vision to an extraordinary degree. This is undoubtedly related to the fact he learns differently than most. I feel I have failed Mark as I have not discovered a way to properly teach him. It is not that Mark is incapable of learning - he is a bright intelligent young man. He's just not catching on as his teammates have and continue to do.
Keeping him with this team would be a disservice to his teammates especially if there is an expectation on Mark's part that he would receive playing time commensurate with that of his teammates. Mark is the weak link on the pitch when he's in the game.
Now, in fairness, Mark is playing up an age group with this team. When that decision was first made 4 years ago, this was appropriate for Mark. As time has passed and his teammates have left him behind, this team is no longer appropriate for Mark to be on. His teammates have been patient, understanding and helpful. Many have tried to mentor him and help him develop his game further with the same frustrating results I have had. Mark's teammates appreciate he does not belong with this team and it's beginning to show as Mark continues to struggle with his play.
As coaches we know there is always that one player who, because their level of play is lacking, breakdown every exercise. They are the one who always loses possession of the ball for their team often by self-inflicting pressure. They are the one that opponents always seek to isolate and take advantage of because they lack self-discipline and will repeatedly stab or dive in effectively eliminating themselves from play. Mark has become that player on this team.
Thankfully, there is another option for Mark. We will field a "B" team this next season. Previous attempts to move Mark down to his own age group have been met with emotional responses. This is not unexpected, but the degree to which it manifested itself was. Mark and his family essentially gave me an ultimatum that he either plays with our team or he won't be playing at all. I am hopeful the idea of still playing up but doing so on the "B" team will be palatable to Mark and his family. He needs to play and will not get that chance with the "A" team. With the "B" team he should play the majority of each match.
If Mark and his family are not agreeable to this, I will have to accept the challenge of their ultimatum and cut him from the team. Even if that means he will not play soccer at all. What it comes down to is the necessity of doing what is best for the team with an understanding that no one person is more important than the collective team.
I am making one last attempt to bring Mark up to speed with this team. If it is unsuccessful, I will move him to the "B" team and continue working with him in that setting. I will need to take a step back from where that group from where the "A" team is now. I am hopeful "re-taking" a season of soccer lessons will be enough to help Mark develop his game further. As a coach, this is my "Hail Mary" attempt to reach Mark. I pray that it works.
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