The fall season is almost here. We leave next weekend for our first tournament, and this will be our first look at how well we have come together and how well we execute under pressure. It will be a good opportunity for us to take stock and continue mapping out how we proceed with our season.
As with any new group of people coming together for a common goal, there have been things that we have had to sort out and I have been very impressed with how this group goes about it. They certainly make my work more enjoyable and it is rewarding to see them put the pieces together each session.
The team has set goals for themselves this season and as we go about the process of achieving those goals, it remains to be seen if the old adage of “nothing of merit ever comes easy” will be realized.
I ask the girls to push themselves, to hold themselves accountable for their actions (both on and off the pitch) and to make sure that they never have to look in the mirror and feel that they failed to give their best effort to themselves and to their team. We are constantly trying to help them connect with what they are doing right now so that the next thing is a natural extension of they just completed correctly. I know it is contrary to what most of them have been coached but we are asking them to reduce their sense of having to play fast and replace it with a sense of purpose- it is in the manner that we will be able to play quickly. That is not to say that we don’t want them to have a sense of urgency, but their play needs to have a reason for that urgency.
We had a good session last night where we able to give this a go and while the players were getting a bit frustrated at first because we would not just let them go all out, once they began to see the fruits of their labor so to speak, the tempo picked up, the ball found its purpose and the players slotted into their groove. At the end, they remarked about how challenging it was but yet fun. That’s what the game should be- always.
As a character on an old TV series used to say ” I love it when a plan comes together”.
till I see you on the pitch
j
soccerlifecoach 