While a deviation from my normal post content and themes, I accepted a challenge from a friend of mine that I write a positive post. Now, I refuse to concede that many of my posts end on anything but a positive note. She is right in that I need to try nailing positivity from start to finish at least once. I have an easy topic: U14 Soccer. I have been an assistant coach for 2 seasons (and a rabid fanDad for about 10 before that) but this season I was asked to take on the head coach role. Um….GAAAHHHHHH!
I hid my abject terror behind a confident face and a clipboard. Fortunately, the incredible head coach under whom I worked these last 2 seasons (Coach Harry) has stayed on as an assistant lest I should trip and fall on my face. This first week however has just been me. All three assistant coaches had other obligations. No biggie, right? Just me and 17 (yes we are 11 v 11 this season and we have a big team) kids ages 12-14. I’ve got this…I think…I hope.
So out I walked onto the pitch on night 1. I had my coach’s bag. I had my spreadsheet (by which I live and die). I had my clipboard (dry erase no less). I had my ballcap and sunglasses. I had my slide-in polymer condensable shin guards. I had my new Copa Mundial futbol boots (the Kangaroo really feels amazing). I had everything but confidence in that moment. But I promise you no one knew it. And I remembered something from my favorite show…
I called the group together. I took roll. It had been raining most of the previous 2 days so the smell of the grass on the pitch was almost overwhelming but just shy enough to be perfect. The temp was still high 60s yet almost called for a light jacket. I had outlined 5 session drills for the night. First single-touch paired shots. Second double-touch paired shots. Third came reception dead-legs. Fourth was throwing practice. Fifth was side-to-sides with rollover on the 4th. I had a chance to start seeing each player’s individual strengths and areas where there exist opportunities. Everyone including the coaches have places where learning is possible. And they were responding! More than half these kids are new to me and we were getting things done!
The end of night 1 arrives and off the pitch we go. My son tells me, ” dad, you nailed it.” I’m pretty sure I floated the last 20 paces to the car. Time to plan practice 2 (next night).
Walking out on the field on night two I felt myself walking a few inches taller. We set up the cones and Puggs. Time to practice slalom dribbling. I find the issues I expected to: comfort with one foot meaning the other isn’t used at all, dribbles too far out to defend, and overpassing. All easy things to fix. Next we do dead-legs and bounce-kills. It took a while but once they realized they had to do it until I saw committed effort we started getting somewhere. Letting those that showed the most commitment take a few minutes of R&R encouraged the others to fall in. Then another scrimmage. We were short on players so it was 5 v 5 with one sub. Everyone was rotated. If you were amazing at a position you were rotated into another one so we can put the cards on the table. If you love it, it comes easy, and don’t do anything else am I doing my job? In my opinion, no. I’m here to push them to challenge themselves and grow while having fun. We did just that. Several of the kids said they were sore from the drills the night before (not in a painful way but just noting). We’re on the right track.
I have been fortunate to have some pretty great mentors along the way. The past 2 seasons especially taught me more than I can begin to explain. On my way home a parent of a new player texted me to tell me how much her son enjoyed the first two practices. She lauded how much I paid attention to her son’s concerns (he has a dangerous left foot shot) and discussed planned skills development. She said he was excited! I can say I haven’t felt the personal pride felt in that moment in a while and after this summer this was beyond welcome.
Tonight I still have the smell of the turf in my nose. It is a volunteer coaching gig but I would pay them to let me do it. I don’t know who benefits more, them or me. But I am pretty sure it is the latter. Next (this weekend) I have to work on split-group practice plans as 2 assistant coaches are joining next week and another a few weeks later.
This place is where I’m supposed to be.
Tonight’s post playlist contained: 1) Breaking Benjamin, 2) Shinedown, 3) The Violent, 4) Blink. I call this playlist “Testosteremo for the Masses.”
Next up:
I think I handled positivity well. I will try to work on more elements of this in future posts. Well…at least after the next one. I definitely feel more comfortable diving into the DSM-5, Milton, Narc/Socio, and the many fallibilities of humankind. So…trying to write positively when I have a sweet dark post on trust violation, insecurities, exploitation, and stealthy gaslighting on deck…it’s…well…
Up next look for something on those 4 topics but written with excessive visual aids from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Full disclosure, I’m just looking for an excuse to post pics of Ricardo Montelban’s glorious pecs.
Beta Testing Adulthood 