Growth in one short weekend

Our U9 team finished 3rd place in a tournament. Third place by itself is an achievement, but the growth in the knowledge of the game and in their character is what makes coaches proud. No, it is not easy coaching children. You have to figure out each personality, what motivates them, what discourages them, what kind of communication gets through and how much can they comprehend and act on at one time.

Some players need to work on skills, some character, some positioning and some just need to mature more. When we are lucky we can see a team of players grow before our eyes. Sure, they may take one step forward and two back sometimes, but the realization that they can improve is good for both the player and the coach. Our ultimate goal, as youth coaches, is to understand the key to creating success for each player, which inevitably creates success for the team.

This weekend we were able to see each of our players achieve success. I saw a girl who, at the beginning of the tournament, would stop and pout when beat, turn in to a defensive force and make a number of goal stopping tackles. I observed another player, who had me questioning whether or not  “position” was in the English vocabulary, become aware of where she was on the field and began to make her own adjustments.  I saw a goalie who took so much command when she came after a ball, her “I’ve got it!” stopped the other team because she said it with such assurance.

Soccer is great because it teaches us so many things. This weekend reminded us coaches why it is so wonderful to coach youth players.