Habits

Habits are a very powerful part of our lives. Good and bad, we do certain things without much thought that have a very big impact on our lives. They can be big, or small things, we do every day and they have a lot to do with how successful we are in a lot of aspects of our lives.

For soccer players, habits are key to being successful as well. Technical, tactical, physical, and psychological skills are required to play the game at a high level, but bad habits can sabotage a player who is elite in all of those areas. On the flip side, great habits can make average players in these areas perform at a much higher level than what would be assumed to be possible. Good habits at training and in games will be the reason some players continue to play this game for many years at a high level.

At Training…

There are many things a player can do at training to get the most out of every session.

Arrive Early – Do not arrive as practice starts. Arrive before practice begins. 15 minutes is a good amount of time (for youth players). Get your cleats on, shin guards on, shirt tucked in, and make sure your soccer ball has air. Take the time before practice begins to work with the ball on areas of the game you want to improve. This helps prepare the body and mind to begin training while working on areas of the game that may not be focused on in training that day and is specific to your needs. Yes, all coaches run a warm up that should help with this, but those 15 minutes you can do exactly what you need to be as prepared as possible to practice hard and be at your best.

Equipment – Make sure you have everything you need to train. This includes cleats, shin guards, tennis shoes, and soccer ball. Also, make sure you have rain and cold gear items in case the weather changes during training. Before practice, make sure your cleats are clean of dirt or debris, the surface is clean, and there are no other issues with the cleats before training starts (broken laces, torn shoe, missing stud on bottom of cleat, etc..)

Eyes on Coach – When I coach, I pay close attention to which players are looking at me when I am talking and which ones are looking everywhere else. Engaging the coach with eye contact lets the coach know you are paying attention and focused to the instructions or coaching points being given. It is more likely you will absorb a lot more information throughout a training session than a player that is showing a lack of attention to the coach.

Work Rate – You have to decide you are going to work hard from the start to the finish of a training session. No excuses. Working hard is a habit, the more you do it, the more it will become just the standard way you operate during a training session. You will become comfortable being uncomfortable. From giving a maximum effort in every activity and during games, to being the first one in when the coach calls everyone together, you have to be willing to always be the hardest and smartest working player on the field.

Questions – When a coach asks, “Does that make sense?” what is the common response from all players? All players say yes, even though most probably did not fully understand what the coach said. Players that ask the coach for clarification and ask questions throughout a training session will get more out of the session and have a much better understanding of what the coach wants them to do. Like a student in the classroom, asking questions and engaging the teacher about the material you are learning will provide a deeper understanding of key concepts and ingrain the information deeper into your memory.

Communicate with Teammates – Before and after practice, and at times while the coach is talking, players have no problem talking to one another. When the activity starts, the communication tends to slow down. Sometimes the quickest way to stop players from talking is to make them play. Unfortunately, that should not be the case. As the practice sessions begins, players should communicate with each other consistently during each activity. Providing feedback, information, and motivation to your teammates will help make the most out of each second on the field.

Accountable – My favorite thing to see a player do is hold himself accountable during a training session. When a mistake is made, it is fixed. If the effort is not good enough, they make up for it the next time. It is rare the coach ever needs to make a correction in regards to this type of player’s behavior during training. It is a great thing to hear a player ask the coach, “Can I try that again?” Why? Because the player is not satisfied with the effort or the result of the first try. A player that holds himself accountable rarely needs a coach to do it for him.

Water Breaks – This is an interesting time to watch a player. There is the player who takes a water break and you can watch relax and process what was just done. The player is getting water and thinking about what can be done better when they step back out on to the field. The player walks up to another player to ask a question or get feedback on how they did in the previous activity, or the player asks another player a question about the activity to make sure he or she understands. This is a player who is zoned in on getting better. Even during the water break, the player does not disengage from the training session. It is not a time to sit back and just talk about other things or have water fights. They use it as a time to physically recover from the last activity while mentally preparing for the next.

At Games…

In the game of soccer, there is only one ball for a lot of players. In a 90 minute game, the average player will have the ball for around 90 seconds. Well, what does the player do the rest of the time? Here are some good habits that help a player standout when they do not have the ball.

Body Language – There is a certain type of body language that says a lot. As the game is going on around them, is the player constantly moving and active off the ball, OR does the player seem to be just walking around the field and is only active when the ball comes into their area of the field? It looks like two very different players. One player looks engaged in the game the entire time, while the other player looks like they are engaged only when there is a chance they could get the ball. A high level GK is a great example of this. Next time you are at a professional match, watch what the GK is doing who is on the opposite side of the field from the ball.

Awareness – You can be a player who watches the ball, or you can be a player who watches everything. This is very easy to notice when a player is doing it or not doing it. As the player moves around the field are they only looking in the direction of the ball, or is the player constantly looking over their shoulders and scanning the field? This is a BIG part of being an effective player at a high level of competition. You need to always be aware of where ALL the “pieces” of the game are at ALL the time. Although soccer is a very low scoring game, it is a very fast game. Decisions need to be made instantly, and the more information you have the easier it is to make those good decisions with limited time. Players who look after they receive the ball or only when they are about to receive it are many steps behind those who see everything.

Communication & Organization – It is fun to watch a player on the field organize the players around them. Either communicating with the players in their line (midfield for example) or talking with the players in the lines in front or behind them (forwards or defenders if you are a midfielder) throughout the game, allows the entire team to constantly be on the same page with one another throughout the match. Soccer is a player-centered game and it requires players to make most of the decisions during the game, in real time, without help from the coach. Normally the player who is constantly scanning the field is the same player who is constantly organizing and communicating with the players around him. The information and direction provided is required for a team of 11 players to work as a single unit when attacking and defending.

Problem Solve & Make Adjustments – We have all seen a team or player struggle with another player or how another team is playing. They are under tremendous pressure and nothing seems to be working. What needs to happen? Well, the coach should make a tactical or personnel adjustment, right? Maybe, but what can the players on the field do to solve the problem? Players who really understand the game can recognize issues on the field and begin to make adjustments to help their team. It may be something as simple as asking a forward to sit deeper to help defend or a forward to stay higher to stretch the other team (just as an example) that can help alleviate pressure or struggles a team is having on the field. When players recognize those problems on the field and address them A) the coach is doing his or her job at practice, and B) it shows the players are engaged in the game and are tactically sharp.

Reaction to Mistakes – This is a very important habit to instill at a very young age. Soccer is a very negative sport. Lots of mistakes take place on the field. Many things have to go right for a goal to be scored, but only one thing has to go wrong to get scored on. Players need to be able to move on quickly from mistakes and cannot dwell on an error. The immediate response needs to be to keep playing when an error is made, and try to fix it right away when possible. For example, when a shot is missed, does the forward hang his head for five minutes, or immediately jog back to be ready to play again? When a player plays a bad pass, does he immediately recover to defend or try to win the ball back? Too often, you see a prolonged display of frustration, followed by a prolonged poor performance.

Willingness to Run – This is one of my favorite habits in players. Does a player have the willingness to run during a game? Seems silly to think about since soccer is a sport that requires a lot of running, but there are many players who are not willing to run as much as others. I do not mean running for no reason or just sprinting around the field wasting energy. What I am referring to are the players who will make runs, knowing they will not get the ball, but do it so another teammate has an opportunity to receive the ball. I am referring to the player who sprints back to a recover for a teammate who is caught out of position. This type of activity off the ball is key to the success of a team. Often, many teams full of talented players fall short because they are just not willing to run for one another.

There are many other habits which can help players be successful in games, but this is a good list to start with. Look over this list, and ask yourself, “How many of these habits do I have?” It is important that these are habits for players as they need to just happen automatically and all of the time. There is too much to think about during a game and in training to be mentally contemplating these actions as well. These need to be just something you do when you step on the field.