Making A Deposit: Investing in the game

Article reprinted with permission of the author: Coree Reuter

It was raining this morning when I woke up and headed down south to Stafford, VA to watch Virginia’s State ODP training session. Rain is my favorite soccer weather, so I should have known straight away it was going to be a good day.

I was excited when Celia Mosier invited me out to the training a few weeks ago, but disappointed that I couldn’t attend the first weekend. When I mentioned that I didn’t make the training session to Rae Ann Taylor, who coaches the “A” team in my age group at Loudoun, she looked at me with a completely serious face and said, “Do you want to get into coaching?” Of course I do. “Then you need to go to ODP training.”
So this weekend I was bound and determined to go check things out for myself, and I’m really glad I did. Not only did I see some real quality goalkeepers, I saw some amazing coaching. In some ways, it’s seeing the coaching that really makes a difference.

The session focused on the goalkeepers using their feet as well as communication. Celia and her assistants had the girls practicing swinging the ball wide to their outside defenders, receiving a back pass, switching the field to the other outside defender, receiving a back pass again, then looping the ball over the top to the GK on the other side, who mirrored the drill. Phase one started with no pressure, then eventually evolved into a version with pressure, then into a 3v3 +1 game. While the session itself was fantastic, it was the final lecture that game after that really made an impression.

Celia gathered all the girls into the huddle to chat with them about their homework for the week, and encouraged them to ask questions and ask for help. She also stressed the importance of knowing the girls they trained with every week, and utilizing their own peers to improve and grow as goalkeepers and people. I found it interesting, and heartening, to hear a goalkeeper coach pushing these players to band together and support each other, even though many of them compete against each other on a regular basis.

Considering the position can be such a lonely one, the idea of having such a solid support beneath your feet was one I definitely agree with, and will be encouraging the keepers I train to start to develop.
Celia also went on to talk about the idea of investing in the game. She told the girls that the more they invest in the game, the more the game will give back to them.

The more you invest in the game, the more the game will give back to you.
To me, that simple sentence set off fifty light bulbs in my head. While Celia’s advice was directed toward the group of young women who were standing before her, she unintentionally (or maybe intentionally!) gave me the most important advice I’ve received as a coach so far.

As a player, it’s easy to invest in the game. You practice it as much as possible. You live it, you breath it, you watch it, you try to embody the players you admire. The more you do this, the better player you will inevitably become. But how do we as coaches invest in the game? Certainly most of us have already made a significant investment through our own playing careers, but the real question is, will you settle for living off the interest of what you’ve already put into it? Or will you continue to add to your wealth?

There are many opportunities to invest yourself as a coach. The NSCAA and USSF offer numerous coaching courses throughout the year, and there’s plenty of soccer on television these days, and if you’re lucky enough to work in a club that offers coaching education days, there’s that opportunity, too.

But really, in my opinion (and I happily admit that it’s a young and perhaps somewhat naive opinion), the best way to invest in the game as a coach, is to get out there and learn from as many coaches as you can.
Now, I’m not saying you’re going to steal their practice plans or copy their mannerisms, but just like you tried to emulate your favorite players, you can certainly emulate the coaches you respect and admire. And sometimes, even the coaches you might think aren’t worth a teaspoon of salt.

At my Junior Level VI clinic last fall, we were asked what defined a “good coach”. When we finished rattling off our list of requirements, someone said, “You know what a good coach is because you’ve either had a really good one, or a really bad one.”  That just goes to show that regardless of our own experiences, good or bad, right or wrong, there’s something to be learned from every person who is involved in this game. Coach, player, official, parent, or fan.

So how will you invest yourself in the game? I sure feel like I’ve made  a hefty deposit this weekend.