There is nothing in sports more satisfying to a coach than seeing a team grow before your eyes.

All the long hours spent on the camp circuit are worthwhile when I see a team come together and grow as one. This was the case this past week as I watched the Lima Senior Spartans play summer league games after having had the pleasure of working with them in a camp setting at the end of June.  I had actually watched the Spartans play a summer league game before camp started to get a feel for where the team was. I spoke with head coach Mitch Monfort about what he wanted to work on during camp. From these observations and discussions I put a plan together for camp.  The camp went well and I was eager to see the players in live game situations.

I was not disappointed in what I saw and as the evening wore on became pleasantly surprised at the growth taking place before my very eyes. Disciplined defense complimented by versatility on the attack is what I preach and teach. Over the course of a doubleheader one evening last week this is exactly what I observed.  The first match was against the Lima Central Catholic entry in summer league play. The defense was stout and the attack effective albeit a little too direct at times. However, I really do not have a problem with direct play if this is what the defense is giving us.  The Spartans found an advantage and exploited it to a rather easy victory.  The problem I do have with direct play is when it becomes a teams attacking identity.

Versatility is the key when attacking.

In the second match the Spartans faced a veteran team from Continental that was physically big, deep and fairly well talented. The challenge for Lima Senior in this match would be markedly different than the one Lima Central Catholic presented in the first match of the evening. An added degree of difficulty would be in evidence as the Spartans would play their second match of the evening against a rested opponent. These are the type of challenges that should be embraced during the preseason months as they help prepare a team for obstacles they will encounter when their regular season starts.

About midway through a scoreless first half the Spartans began finding a rhythm with their attack.  It had become evident to them the direct attack that had worked so very well against LCC in the first match was not going to generate the same type of results in the second match against Continental.  What I became very excited about was the collective problem solving ability the team displayed in recognizing the need to change their attacking philosophy to meet the new challenge presented by a different opponent.

In the second half of the match against Continental the Spartans had a 10-12 minute stretch that saw them play in a manner worthy of soccer being called the beautiful game. There was patience and poise on display as the team moved the ball side to side, backward and forward forcing their opponents defense to continually move and shift until seams opened through which to attack. And attack the Spartans did with pace! 

As I sat in the stands watching this display I couldn't help but smile.  The problem solving ability on display coupled with the use of technical, tactical, physical and psychological tools the team is developing were on display. By no means was it a finished product. There is certainly much to work on, but they laid a foundation on which to build.  Over the course of 3 hours on a summer evening a noticeable display of improvement played out before our eyes. A good start.  Definitely a satisfying moment yet that satisfaction can be but a fleeting moment as there is much work to be done if the team is to be satisfied with its performance four months from now at the end of their season.

Defense doesn't break down on the help,

it breaks down on the recovery.

This is so very true.  If you doubt me, watch what happens when the first or pressure defender is beaten. The second or support defender must move to take his place. So far ,so good except the defense is a man down until the beaten defender can recover to either a double team or a supporting role. It's why a defender must not stab or dive in attempting to win or tackle away the ball.  There are cues for when to attempt to tackle the ball.  Do you know what they are?

The answer can be found elsewhere on this site.

Warming up the Goalkeeper II

I utilize a footwork grid to warm the legs up before stretching. Begin at an easy relaxed pace. The final time through should be at approximately 90% of full speed. The goal keeper should have broken a sweat by the time we finish with the last repetition of this exercise.

Defending to Attack

The ideas represented here are from an article originally presented to me by Graham Ramsay that I later edited and adapted for presentation to one of my teams. We played zonal defense so the approach to defending and regaining possession is with that in mind.

DEFENDING TO ATTACK

 

There are two reasons to defend; 1) To prevent the opponent from scoring and 2) to win the ball and begin an attack so that we can score. Making positive decisions when defending is the key to winning R.P.’s that can be a deciding factor in winning a game. What is an R.P.? An R.P. is a REGAINED POSSESSION – or winning the ball back when it has been lost.

 

How do we win R.P.’s?

Discipline is the foundation upon which all


Success is built.

 

 

 

Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.

 

 

 

Build from the Back.

If you are reading this article to learn how to build an attack from the back, I'm sorry to disappoint you. There are several articles on the site that do cover that topic. However, today's writing is about filling out your formation beginning with the back line.

I have made mention on numerous occasions that I allow the players to run our halftime discussions. One reason I do this is because there are only two basic themes to talk over; 1) who is dangerous to us and 2) who is their weak link?   It is the latter of these that takes the forefront when I fill out a line up for my teams.  That is, I want a stout back line with no weak links.

As Sun Tzu stated,

Invincibility lies in the defense;

 

the possibility of victory in the attack.

Opposing Principles of Play

I have published these and similar thoughts before. They are extremely important for both coaches and players to understand.  Consider this a short guide to transition from playing AT soccer to actually playing soccer.

Attacking Principles of Play                                  Defending Principles of Play

1) Penetration to score                                            1) Delay the Attack

2) Depth to stretch the defense vertically                2) Support behind 1st Defender

3) Width to stretch the defense laterally                  3) Compactness

4) Movement of Players & Ball                                4) Maintain Balance

5) Creativity & Unpredictability                                5) Discipline & Patience

 

Dreams do come True

Love never fails;

 

Character never quits;

 

And with patience & persistence;

 

Dreams do come true.

 

"Pistol" Pete Maravich

 

 

Be Positive

 

 

Be Patient

 

 

Be Persistent 

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. 

Denying Negative Space

I learned about negative space and early retreats at a coaching clinic in Florida conducted by our USMNT staff a few years back.  I want to share some of the things gleaned from those sessions.

What is negative space?

Negative space is the area located behind the backs and in front of the goalkeeper.

This is the area that teams attacking a zonal defense want to play in. 

The preferred method for attacking negative space is through balls or dump and runs. When done successfully, breakaways occur with defenders in a foot race with opposing forwards to see who can get to the ball first.

Naturally zonal defenses have a strategy to defend against balls being played through or in behind their backs. This strategy is known as Early Retreat.  There is a very simple cue to be read for when to begin an early retreat:  When an opposing ball carrier is not being pressured, the backs must begin an immediate retreat.

By giving ground the backs are shrinking the amount of open space behind them and in front of the goalkeeper.

They are also providimg themselves time to solidify their spacing and support angles amongst themselves.

Executing an early retreat also provides midfield and forward teammates time to gain proper position behind the ball and bring pressure to the ball carrier.

So, how far back should the backs retreat before making a stand?

The backs Hold! once pressure on the ball has been re-established in front of them.

OR

The backs retreat until they reach a position approximately 25 yards from their own goal. At this point the 4 backs and goalkeeper should normally be able to defend until help arrives in the form of midfielders and / or forward teammates.

Key Consideration for backs playing near the center line:  Normal spacing when defending in the defensive third is approximately 10 yards between backs. They can fairly easily cover the width of the penalty area (44 yards) and a bit more.  However, when the ball is in the middle or attacking thirds of the field the spacing of the backs is often much greater. Typical horizontal spacing between backs near the center line can be as great as 20 yards.  It is much more difficult to support one another at that spacing than it is at 10 yard intervals.  The spacing is greater near the center line or in the attacking third because the backs are in support of the attack more so than in support of one another.

Another Key Consideration for backs playing near the center line is when one or more of them push forward into the attack.  The vertical spacing between backs can go from relatively flat to the normal 7 - 10 yard support drops all the way to one or more backs being pushed 25-30 yards forward in support of the attack.  Early retreats allow the backs to consolidate their shape and regain the necessary angles for properly supporting one another before fully engaging the attack.

The strategy behind early retreats is to slow the opponents attack thereby providing time for the team to regain its shape.

Teams that allow their backs to step to pressure the ball in the middle third of the field before their spacing is consolidated open themselves to being attacked via through balls. It can lead to a lot of unnecessary running towards your own goal and having your team strung out over 40-60 yards of play from which it is nearly impossible to support on defense or on attack. It's a recipe for disaster.

An amazing thing often occurs when a team executes early retreat properly. Players are taught that when they have open space in front of them they should take it via the dribble.  Is it faster to advance the ball via the dribble or by passing the ball forward?  Yep, inviting the opposing ball carrier to dribble at a retreating back line is all part of the strategy of slowing the attack while actively denying negative space thereby allowing teammates time to recover and pressure the ball.

Backs in a zonal defense also need to realize it is not a ball tackling defense.  It is a defense based on support and designed to intercept passes to start counter attacks from.  Therefore it is helpful to know another set of cues that provide a guideline for when to attempt to tackle the ball away from a ball carrier.

1) Establish containment of the attack.  Slow forward progress by giving ground while staying in front of the attacker.

2) Make the attacker predictable. Force the attacker to move laterally in one direction towards support provided by a teammate.

3) The time to attempt a tackle is when the ball is outside of the attackers footprints or has been mis-touched too far away from him to maintain control.  When the ball is between the attackers feet, the defender can be defeated to either side - the attacker has the advantage. WAIT, be patient until you have the advantage.

What about backs stepping to win 50 / 50 balls?

I will answer that question with one of my own:  Do you have teammates in support of your attempt to win a 50 / 50 ball?  If not, you must be 100% confident that you will win the 50 / 50 ball. Otherwise, organize as a back line unit and  prepare to play the second ball by getting into the anticipation area. In this case the anticipaton area can serve dual purpose by also being the start of an early retreat giving the backs options for play.

Okay, that is a brief overview of negative space and the strategy behind early retreats. Watch the USWNT and USMNT as they both practice early retreats. Especially the women's side.  It is a terrifically sound strategy once it is understood and executed properly. Hope this has been helpful to you.

 

Our style of play is entrenched around responsibility.

 

We want you to experience and enjoy freedom in your play

 

In order to achieve this, an understanding must be developed

 

that with freedom comes incredible responsibility.

 

You simply cannot have one without accepting the other.

Opposing Principles of Play

Attacking Principles of Play                                                 Defending Principles of Play

1) Penetration to score                                                             1) Delay the Attack

2) Depth to stretch the defense vertically                                 2) Support behind 1st Defender

3) Width to stretch the defense laterally                                   3) Compactness

4) Movement of Players & Ball                                                 4) Maintain Balance

5) Creativity & Unpredictability                                                 5) Discipline & Patience

Patience and Attitude

I was talking with a colleague late last night about what it takes to build a program. He commented to me about not knowing if he had the patience to build the program he took over a couple years back. Keith called because he knows I have had some success in building teams and turning around programs. He said he wanted to pick my mind about the course to set for his team.

A couple of things instantly sprang to mind. First, was Keith's mention of patience and secondly that Keith knows the path to follow in building a program.  That meant to me that Keith was looking for support more than knowledge. It also meant his patience needed a booster shot.  I understand this.

Building or re-building a program is not for everyone.  It can be a grind and progress can come painstakingly slow. Instead of winning games your goals might include tasks such as stringing two consecutive passes together with proper technique and intelligent thought. Or perhaps teaching the proper angle of approach for a defender, the bounce step and cues for when to tackle the ball. When you are coaching a high school program, these are the last things you want to be spending a lot of teaching time on, but with the status of youth soccer in many areas of our country this is the stark reality of where the game stands.

In a different conversation last night I referred to having to spend high school practice time teaching basic fundamentals as being boring.  This conversation was with Marc, a veteran coach and my partner in crime this past spring.  We were blessed with athletes who were skilled and knew the game. Even so, we still did a lot of teaching, but it was with more tactical emphasis than technical emphasis. Marc's current high school program is a small one and co-ed competing against boys teams.  It's a challenge and one that will require patience.  It is not a new program and the previous coaches have laid some solid groundwork, but there is still work to be done. First and foremost might be with the youth feeder system.

I think it important not to equate patience with making excuses for the status of a teams play. There is a difference. Patience implies that time is a factor. With time, addressing the fundamentals of technical and tactical play will pay off. Success is not measured in wins and losses, per se, but by progress made in developing players. Progress is a positive measuring stick.

Making excuses is a negative and one cannot build positively on negatives.  There is an immediate need to break the chain of negativity. This is where attitude comes in, a point I reiterated with Keith last night. It is so important to celebrate success.  It does not matter if that success is trivial in comparison to other teams or other programs. The important thing to remember, to strive for, is daily improvement. When the team and its individual members walk off the pitch at the end of training or the end of a game, have they improved from when they stepped onto the pitch that day?

The coach must maintain a positive attitude.  This includes an air of confidence that he can give or share with the members of the team. It is  important that the effort of the players is recognized and critical that intelligent effort is acknowledged. This is the heart of coaching.  If a coach does not feel good about the progress of his team, he will be hard pressed to convey a believable positive attitude to his team. This is the lesson of intelligent effort from the coaching perspective.

Earlier I referenced having to work on basic fundamentals with high school players as being boring.  As a high school coach there is some measure of truth in this. We would much rather spend time more time on tactics than fundamental techniques that should have been learned before they come to the high school team.   In truth, teaching fundamentals is only boring in the context of having to do so with older age groups when there should be a greater emphasis on tactics for winning soccer.  Even then, teaching technique can be a very rewarding experience.

The last two camps I conducted this summer were spent teaching basic fundamentals to older age groups.  Sequence of touches, breaking lines, the two line game - these were all necessities for these camps before we could move into tactical aspects of play.  It is actually quite fun to see players improve their games right before your eyes. In a camp setting where there is no pressure to win this is easy to accomplish. Once the need to win is factored in, an urgency becomes attached to teaching fundamentals causing the process to become both stressful and, yes, boring. At least in the sense that this is something we would rather not have to devote precious training time to. How the coach handles having to spend an inordinate amount of time on fundamentals, his attitude towards it, will impact the process.

Now, if we examine the last paragraph a little closer there is a lesson to be learned. It is such a fundamental lesson, but one the US soccer culture has failed to learn. The consequences of this failure can be seen in our national teams level of play in comparison to those of the international community. We emphasize winning over development in our training.

Let's repeat that - We emphasize winning over development in our training.

I propose that if we train to develop, winning will take care of itself. This is the attitude I bring both to the camps I conduct and to the teams I coach. I do not talking about winning... or losing ... games with my teams. I do address improving and improvement on a constant basis. I design training sessions around taking another step forward in improving our play. I take the same approach to conducting camp.  I want to be able to identify noticeable and tangible improvement each day from the time we step onto the field to the time we step off the field.  As long as this is occurring, then being patient and maintaining a positive attitude with the process is easy. It's only when we prioritize winning over development that we become impatient and our attitudes suffer.

"You haven't taught it until they've learned."

John Wooden

 

 

As I reminisce about this summer's camp season the above quote of legendary basketball coach John Wooden has often been on my mind. In a team environment one will find not all players learn in the manner. Something I have discovered over the years is that not all teams learn in the same manner either.

 

 

I am a student of the game. My soccer library consists of over 100 books, hundreds of magazines, over 250 videos and mountains of notes I have taken while attending camps, clinics, symposiums and even from my own practices and games.  My wife is very tolerant of my studies.  LOL. When I find something that I really like I latch onto to it and use it over and over be it a coaching phrase, terminology, a warm up, small sided game or game related activity. A recent example of this is the phrase "making offers" that refers to players making purposeful off the ball movement in order to receive a pass.  I truly am an old dog learning new tricks!

 

At a team camp a couple of weeks ago I was going through my standard coaching methodology using tried exercises in an effort to improve a tams speed of play.  First day went well as did the morning session of day two. The afternoon session of day two we hit a brick wall and hit it hard.  I had utilized a type of non-directional transition game to reinforce the concept of organizing early and taking advantage of an opponent before they got set up.  It was working beautifully, in part because we were playing in a large area with adequate time / space available.  When I attempted to use the same theme of transition in a directional, smaller and therefore faster paced environment is when we hit the wall.  Everything we had worked on, strove for and had begun to have success with was abandoned as the players reverted to old habits.  An exercise that had worked well with my own teams and for other team camps just wasn't going to get 'r dun this time. I knew I was going to have to change things up for the next days sessions.

 

On the way home that afternoon I thought about the wonderful success we had had the first 3 sessions of the week and pondered why things fell apart during that 4th session. I had made a comment to their head coach that I would have to approach things differently in the next session and would think on that before returning the next day.  I defined the problem as how to move the team from success with non-positional, non-directional play towards playing in a more game like environment.  Lucky for me, I am a member of an email group of coaches from around the country that exchanges ideas on all things soccer. On of the members had the perfect exercise to segue from non-directional play to directional play with purpose. He calls it Possession with Positions.  It is brilliant variation on some standard attacking exercises I had previously used but never fully embraced... likely because I never fully appreciated how they might be employed. Here was my colleague teaching me a new approach to an old coach tool. 

 

The next day I returned to the foundational work we had previously done with the team before quickly progressing to Possession with Positions. Voila!  It all came together in rather quick order. A different approach for a different team. It was that simple.

 

As I traveled home afterwards the question I asked of myself is how to recognize the need to adjust my teaching approach before hitting the wall as we had in this camp?  I found myself admitting there were red flags in the early sessions to indicated the exercise I employed that eventually broke things down would not work with this group.  Primarily, one of the better players and dominant personalities was never going to "buy in" or play the practice game as it was intended to be played.  My mind was drawn back to helping one of my sons solve a math homework problem. We got the right answer and I'm feeling pretty good about things only to have my son return from school the next day and informing me we did it wrong. What?  The answer wasn't correct?  Oh, the answer was correct, but we had solved it wrong. ????  Evidently they were teaching "new math" and I helped him solve it the old school way.  That was the case with the transition game in question here. They were solving the problem, just not as I had intended or wished for them to. Thus the need for a different approach.

 

A few days later I watched the team compete in a pre-season tournament. To my delight, and I think that of the team and their coaches, much of what we worked on was in evidence in their play. They looked quite good in their play and went on the  championship game.  John Wooden's quote came to mind as it was apparent I had some success in teaching them because they were enjoying success with what they had learned! 

 



Coach, what is your vision for your team?

I have been conducting camps and clinics for close to a decade. I love "teaching" and interacting with young players on the pitch. I much prefer this to "coaching" on game day although I do enjoy that as well. I view matches as the test for what we have done during training. The two must go hand in hand but if I had to choose one, it would be to train. This is undoubtedly why I enjoy conducting camps and clinics.

During one of my recent weeks of camp I could not help but wonder why the team and its program had struggled so in recent years.  The turn out for camp was outstanding, nearly 40 participants.  There were enough talented players to field a quality varsity team. The kids generally seemed to like one another although in a group that size perfect harmony is difficult to achieve. When I looked at this group I saw potential. I saw a team capable of winning 10+ games of a 16 game schedule.  Of course, it matters little what my vision was for the team. What counts is their coach's vision for the team.

In this regard, the camps I conduct often involve training coaches as well as training players. It is not my intention to place myself on a pedestal or define myself as some type of coaching guru for coaches. Not at all. It's more a fresh set of eyes to an existing situation. I don't have all that answers and quite frankly I sometimes don't even know the questions. However, one of the advantages of bringing someone in to conduct team camp for you is the different perspective the clinician will bring.

I must admit,when I see a program struggle on the pitch yet have 40 players attend camp it makes me curious as to why they have not had a winning season in years. Forty players is more than enough to field a Varsity and JV team with a few left over.  Something seemed amiss and, of course, I wanted to know how to put it right.

What I quickly learned was this group lacked a team identity. The players knew little of the programs past and had given little thought as to their own legacy to the program.  Very good coaching staff who were as befuddled as I was about what they perceived to be a lack of motivation or drive to succeed. An assistant coach had heard me address another team on the process of building a winning program.  My mantra of first learning how to work, then how to compete and finally how to win had struck a chord with him so he lobbied to bring me in.

The topic for the week was to be learning to move / play as a team, but it quickly came to include learning how to work smarter. Working smart includes defining and knowing roles, sharing the load and trusting your teammates - the building blocks of moving and playing as a team.

I used the first days sessions to evaluate the program, its current team and individual players.  At the end of the day I asked the head coach for his vision for his team. He threw out some generic ideas about playing together in pursuit of a common goal, establishing a winning tradition and making a run in the tournament. I prompted him to tell me how he envisioned his team accomplishing these goals. It took awhile to elicit the type of information I was seeking, but it eventually came forth.

One of the first red flags to emerge occurred early on the first day as I asked the players about the formation and systems of play they used.  From what I could make out the team changed formations and how they sought to play nearly on a game to game basis.  4-4-2 with a diamond back line one game and a 3-5-3 with a flat back in the next game. Apparently they even changed at halftime of games going from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3. There was mention of a 4-1-3-2, a 4-2-3-1, a 4-5-1 and a 4-6.  You name the formation and system of play and they seemingly had tried it.

As I discussed what the coaches vision for the team was with the coaching staff it seemed what they wanted to do was play a 4-4-2 with a zonal defense or a 4-3-3 with a zonal defense.  When asked why they changed formation and system of play so frequently the answer was very much result oriented. Apparently whatever they tried didn't seem to work (or work for long) and so they kept experimenting hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.  As we continued to talk the head coach made the comment, "We need to pick a formation and system and just stick with it."  B-I-N-G-O !

The head coach and his staff knew the answer, but were so vested in results and so close to the situation they lost sight of the process.  That first evening, they reached a quick consensus to go with the 4-4-2 zonal approach. When attacking they wanted to fast counter and when that wasn't available, be able to possess and probe.  Pretty much my vision for my own teams.  The next morning we sold it to the team and asked them to buy in.  We explained that there would be rough spots and lots of mistakes as  they explored and learned the system of play. The focus had to be on where they would be
a week from then, at the start of the season, at mid season and finally where they were at the end of the season.... that would be their legacy to the program.

This is the point where I borrowed from University of Michigan football coach Brady Hoke. Coach Hoke starts every practice, classroom session and game day with what has become the Wolverines mantra.

Good morning!  With the team responding Good morning!
Team?    134!
National Champions?  11!
Big Ten Titles?  42!

And so on through Heisman winners, All-Americans and so forth.  He once explained the importance of knowing that you not only represent yourselves, but everyone who wore the colors before you and will wear the colors after you. My modification to this greeting and response is as follows:

Good morning!   Good morning!
Team!   Whatever year of the program we are in.
Train like.... Champions!
Play like......Champions!
Become ......Champions!
School name ....  Mascots Name!

I chose this format because many of the high school teams I work with are newer teams and or teams that do not have a list of championships, all-state players to call upon. They are striving to establish a foundation so they can win championships, place players on all-League and all-state teams.

On the first day of a camp the responses are self-conscious and on the quiet side.  By the end of camp the responses are clear, loud and done with conviction. Their confidence with this cheer grows in direct proportion to the growth of their confidence on the pitch. The two go hand in hand.  The cheer addresses mental and emotional aspects that transfer to the field of play. In many cases it serves to unite a team that otherwise seems to lack togetherness. It serves to provide a commonality that becomes the cornerstone to build a team culture upon.  Some teams discard it as soon as camp is over and that is fine as I intend it to be a starting point.  Other teams carry it with them out of camp and make it a part of their regular routine.  I have heard that one team has even had t-shirts made with this cheer on them.  Pretty cool!

There is a motivation that stems from this cheer that serves as a link between the coaches vision and the players dedication to the work required to bring that vision to life.  It is a gimmick to bring a different mental and emotional approach to the team. The cheer is different from there normal routine and therefore signifies change just as much of the work we do on the pitch with them is different than what they are accustomed to.  I stress if all they ever do is all they have ever done, how can they expect to change the culture and results they have always had?

A coaches vision for how his team should play is kind of like that as well. If your vision is out of focus or constantly changing, doesn't it stand to reason that your team will struggle to play as you want them to?  Define your vision. Determine where your team is in the process so you have a starting point. Outline steps your team and program can strive to take towards your vision.  Stay focused n the vision and the process required to achieve your vision. Do not allow yourself or your team to become impatient or bored with the process. It will take time, but it will be worth it!