When I was preparing to be a head coach , I thought often of what my teams would look like . How we taught our principles of possession , implemented defensive rotations , and organized our teams on set pieces was dominant in my preparation . I wasn ’ t at all ready for the communication , scheduling and day-today maintenance of the entirety of the program .”
training programs like Techne Futbol and working with US Youth Futsal , to investments in data analytics and film like Hudl Assist and Veo , and we made the jump into wearable technology this year with Beyond Pulse .
At these ages , I had ( and have ) a strong belief that no less than one-third of our time each day should be spent on technical development . On average , over 80 % of our program was made up of multisport athletes , so providing them with a strong technical foundation was critically important to their growth . Competing against players and teams who spend their “ off-season ” in high-level club matches made for some less-than-favorable results , but our program ’ s focus remained on the consistent search for the best version of ourselves .
When I was preparing to be a head coach , I thought often of what my teams would look like . How we taught our principles of possession , implemented defensive rotations , and organized our teams on set pieces was dominant in my preparation . I wasn ’ t at all ready for the communication , scheduling and day-today maintenance of the entirety of the program .”
When I reflect on these past 12 seasons , there ’ s a part of me that wishes I could go back and give some subtle advice to the 21-year-old who accepted the job . Coming from a school like Cardinal Newman ( nine state championships since 2011 ), I was very results-driven early on as a head coach . While I invested a lot of time and resources into the program ’ s youngest players , I wish I had enjoyed being the coach of those first few teams , and particularly those young men . My first team had eight seniors who , at the end of their journey , were greeted by an ambitious young coach who was focused on the start of his own . They were great soccer players , but better kids , and while we were close , I wish I had been more present while it was going on .
When I was preparing to be a head coach , I thought often of what my teams would look like . How we taught our principles of possession , implemented defensive rotations , and organized our teams on set pieces was dominant in my preparation . I wasn ’ t at all ready for the communication , scheduling and day-to-day maintenance of the entirety of the program . Coaching club provided a basic overview of communication with parents , but it wasn ’ t close to what I would encounter . Parents , teachers , counselors , administrators , opposing schools , referees , bus drivers , maintenance staff … if there was someone who impacted us , I needed to be ready to connect with them . Building real relationships with all parties provided so much relief in the years that were to come .
One of the most important details is something I certainly learned the hard way . I look back on the young coach patrolling the sidelines for the first time , and I clearly see someone who overcoached . Every pass , every mark — I didn ’ t give players the ability to solve problems on their own and , ultimately , I missed far more than I noticed . The way they were trained , I didn ’ t give them the tools they needed to own their development either . However , the year after our team lost a tough championship final , I found myself in my office on campus and saw a lone player out on our practice field . This player had a ball , two cones and a rebounder , and he put himself through a grueling workout . He didn ’ t need direction and wasn ’ t told
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