Most Soccer Players Are Procrastinators. Are You One Of Them?
Does anyone know the reason why we procrastinate? Thousands and thousands of soccer players around the world are doing it every day.
A common fear that young players have is that of being judged. Procrastination is used as a refuge because it effectively eliminates fear and any opportunities of being judged.
Not only that, procrastination rewards you. Young players or players that lack confidence will find refuge at the end of the line. They will only participate in training drills when they absolutely have to. Not getting involved, hiding and procrastinating reduces tension and eliminates all pressures by simply not getting involved in something they view as hard, painful or even threatening.
The more painful soccer is for you, the more you will try to seek relief through avoidance. Am I on the right track here? Does this sound familiar? I know it happens because I was exactly the same when I was playing. Read More
Soccer Superstars: No Problem, Sharpen Your Sword
Let’s face it; superstars get what they want because they have unique talents. They command far more respect, admiration and obscene pay packets. Household names like Messi, Ronaldo, Beckham and Torres are just that, superstars.
When you think of the above players you think “money players”, “match winners”, “franchise players’ and even “clutch players”. These are the players that get paid 10 times the amounts of money than their team mates. Are they worth it?
Branding players match winners has its fair share of pressures. Only if we could handle the pressures and still have the ability to perform. We would all be superstars!
I knew a player when I was young that had the makings and the potential to become a great player. He was built like a truck, his skills were silky smooth and he had pace to burn. He had the record for the 12 minute run and had the highest score in the beep test. When training, practicing by himself or even with friends, you could mistake him for Ronaldo, that’s how good he was. When the stakes were low or there was no pressure, this guy was a superstar even flawless.
You might be wondering who this guy is or if you’ve heard of him? I tell you who this guy was; he was the best player to ever sit on the bench week in, week out. Each time this guy would play in an official match the pressure would destroy him.
At training this guy demanded respect and admiration. But on match day this guy was a liability to the team and the word choker wouldn’t give him enough credit. When the chips were down, they were down for good. Read More
Soccer Advice: Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so
Having played the game for over 30 years, yes I know, I’m getting old, something has become alarmingly obvious. Most player behavior is puzzling to the extent where you’re left scratching your head.
Have you ever wondered why some players command respect from their coaches and team mates while others are virtually ignored? Have you ever wondered why some players will consistently carry out instructions of one coach but only grudgingly do what another coach requests?
Next time you’re at training look around you. You’ll observe this kind of behavior and distinction with 100% certainty. If you take it one step further and watch closely, you’ll observe that some players command respect, loyalty and even admiration while others do not.
Upon further investigation, you’ll notice the players that command respect are not necessarily the best in the team. So what’s going on? What’s the difference? Can we explain this phenomenon and have you ever noticed this in the past?
If you’ve played the game long enough, chances are you’ve experienced the admiration or even the neglect. If you have not, then you’ve probably been playing soccer blindly.
Looking back to my playing days, I received a big serving of admiration from loyal fans and certain coaches. But on the same token I received periods of neglect. So how would I explain this? Read More
Soccer: The Magic Word, The Holy Grail And That Elusive Dream
At dinner tables around the world, parents urge their children to train hard, work hard and even study hard. The advice they give their children is solid and is based on grit, hard work and preparation.
This all sounds nice and simple in theory but implementation is hard. Anybody and I mean anybody can talk the talk. Big deal! But it takes a whole set of different balls to walk the walk.
Each player has a different family background, culture and financial status. It makes me laugh when I read certain articles or even books proclaim that everyone has the power to succeed.
What the writers and authors tend to forget is that not all families are the same. Most books, not all, cater for the middle class white suburban family with average income of $50,000 and above. The advice that is given for these families would never satisfy children in black households living in the Bronx. Would it? What about the children living in the slums of South America that search endlessly for food to eat. What about the children of the Zapatista, the indigenous people of Mexico who have been silenced and enslaved by the Mexican Government.
Could these books that preach and teach the “secrets” of soccer help every child in this world? Should books make such generalizations? That every family, situation, race, environment, gender are in fact the same. Any book that doesn’t distinguish these differences loses all credibility in my eyes.
If you’re going to preach or sell your ideas it should be based on important principles that would benefit everyone that reads them regardless of race, gender, circumstance or financial stature. Flick through some of the soccer books that you own, do they make ludicrous assumptions and generalizations? Chances are they do.
If you want to succeed and stay ahead of the game, here is a list I’ve put together. The only assumption I’ve made throughout this list is your involvement in the game. After all you’re reading a soccer site aren’t you? Read More