This time of year it is easy to look back on everything I have done since this time last year. I always find myself asking what if I did this or what if I did that, and thinking about whether or not I took advantage of each moment and opportunity I was fortunate to have over the course of the year. I would like to think I did, but I know I left a lot on the table and there was more I could have done. Although it is good to recognize those moments, I think it is more fruitful to see what worked, what went well, and to try to recreate those chances again this coming year and moving forward. On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all the parents who trust me to coach their child and be part of their soccer experience. I am thankful for the opportunity and privilege to teach and learn from aspiring young people who love to play the beautiful game.
When parents bring kids into SuperKick for training, I know they are silently saying to the coaches and myself, “I trust you to help my child learn and love the game.” As a father now, I have a deeper appreciation for the trust instilled in others who interact with kids. All parents want the best for their child, and part of any person’s life are the people who they interact with on a consistent basis who will have an impact on the person they grow up to be. Although I will not know what kind of impact I had on the players I coach until years from now, I hope I had a small role in helping them grow into great people who like to play soccer. I know when a parent brings their child in to train with me that is their expectation, and it should be. So, I am thankful to all the parents who allow me to teach their kids.
During the time I get to spend teaching a player the things they need to know to improve their soccer skills, I know the players are teaching me how to be a better teacher. Coaching courses, articles, and the endless amounts of information found on the internet are all helpful when trying to improve as a coach, but it is the interaction and conversations I have with players over the years that usually alter my coaching philosophy and approach to teaching the game. As an adult, my perspective of what I do is always skewed slightly by the compiling years of my age. How I see my actions and words is completely different from how a child may interpret them. As cliché as it may sound, I know I learn just as much, if not more from the kids I get to coach each week, as they do from me. The players have always been the ones who have helped me aspire to be a better coach. So, I am thankful for all the players have taught me over the years and keep pushing me to do my job better.
It has been almost 11 years I have been coaching at SuperKick. For 11 years, I have been fortunate enough to work with players of all different age groups and ability levels. All with different goals and aspirations, but they all wanted to get better and learn more about the game. Whether individually or in classes, the kids show up and they are ready to work hard to learn. I think about the coach I was 8 years ago and I do not even recognize him. I wish I could go back in time and tell him to do things differently, just as the coach from 8 years from now will want to do. Being in this environment and working with so many different types of players, has given me a unique opportunity to learn and develop as a coach. With each player brought different challenges for me and opportunities to learn and grow. So, I am thankful for the variety of players I get to work with at SuperKick and all the unique experiences that come with that.
I am thankful for the change I am beginning to see at the soccer fields. Watching practices and games, there seems to be a slowly moving shift towards doing things that are in the best interest of the players by the coaches and the parents. Although it is the negative events that get the most attention, I think watching a game or practice now, compared to 5 years ago, there is a stark contrast to the typical coach or parent behavior. For me, this means that the messages from those who are pushing a new approach to the game are starting to get through. I am an avid follower of Changing the Game, Proactive Coaching, and Dr. Alan Goldburg’s Competitive Advantage as they all constantly sharing great ideas and insights into how to best serve the kids. The information has proven invaluable to me as a coach, and it seems that the message is getting across to more. Real change takes time, and is a painful process, but continuing down this path will help establish an incredible playing and developmental environment for current and future aspiring players. So, I am thankful to all of those coaches and parents out there who are choosing what is right over what is popular, and often taking the more difficult path because they know it is better for the kids.
Finally, it is a great time to remember how fortunate we all are to get to watch our kids do the things they love to do. There are many parents out there who lose that chance or never get that chance… for many reasons. They will never get the chance to bring their child to practice or a game. They will never get the chance to sit on the sideline and watch their child play and run around. They will never get the chance to share in their successes or comfort them when they have failed. They will never get the chance to hug them and tell them, “I love to watch you play.”
From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
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