Player development

From playing for fun on the streets as children most soccer players develop a natural inclination to attack with no sense of positioning or tactical awareness. It was during these times when the game was most fun and exciting. Little to no consideration for the opposition or tactical adjustments and what have, it was just go out there an have fun. Its during this stage of a players development though where you start to look at what type of player they may become in the future.

In most cases a players development in soccer follows a path determined by his/her physique. WHat I mean by this is that a persons development as a player will be directly influenced by how athletic the players is. Athletic players usually are the more dominant players at a younger age group simply because the less athletic kids arent skillful enough to cope with the physical advantage that an athletic player has, leaving them at an unlevel playing field. This same athletic supremacy during youth though is what will come to be detriment to the athletic players development.

While the athletic player is left to dominate his peers using his physical advantage and mediocre skills, the smaller less physically developed players are forced to cope by developing their skills. Through skill development these smaller players set themselves on the path to understanding the tactical side of the game as their skillset will eventually allow them to play freely with their head up to see the field and everything that is around them. A tactical awareness as it is called. As they continue to grow and develop physically they begin to combine their technical skills with the tactical knowledge of the game to make them the more superior player.

In contrast the physically dominant youngster develops along a less fruitful path. Due to his dominance at a young age, he didnt feel the need to develop his skillset as meticulously as his lesser peers. This in turn would be a detriment to his development as that same skillset he neglected is what will take his game to the next level through the introduction of tactics. Tactical instructions become a massive part of the game as you develop. In and around the 15-16 year old age range, players begin to develop an understanding for the game and usually it is the ones who have a more advances skillset who develop this understanding. The physical player can no longer compete the added element of tactical knowledge now renders his physical superiority useless as players starts to understand passing plays, movement patterns, opening and closing space, positional awareness and such.

You can see the two contrasting development methods in the English game and the Spanish game. Both are among the top teams and leagues in the world but Spain is more dominant simply because their players are far more advanced technically and tactically than their English counterparts who are incredible athletes. The physical side of the game can only take you so far before skill and intelligence renders it useless

A wise man once said, developing as a soccer player is much like building a house. The foundation of that player is their technical skills ie how well much ability do they have with the ball in areas such as passing, dribbling shooting, tackling, crossing. This is usually decided by the age of 15, if a player has no technical skill by 15 then they should forget about ever  playing competitive soccer. A players technical quality is the be all end all for player development. From there you go on the build the first level of the house, which is their physical development in which you see if this person can cope with the physical demands of playing competitive soccer. Then you go and build the 2nd floor of the house which is the tactical side of the game where you see if this player understands the game, whether he can link up with his team mates and see what is going on around him. The last part of the development is the roof, which is one of the most critical as it determines a persons level of commitment and motivation to succeed in the game. Without a roof over the house, when it rains the house gets flooded and ruined. Many young potentially incredible players failed because they didnt have a roof if you know what I mean.

The Element of Competition

As a kid growing up, you play sports simply for fun. Hours on end, day after day, my friends and I  would go out and play soccer the entire day all because we loved to do it. Why did we like it so much? I couldnt tell you, it was just fun. As you you grow though, that fun turns into something else. That same fun I was having also provided me with the tools to develop my skills and self confidence to the point I became a very good player capable of playing with the best young kids in the province. It was at this point where competition starts to enter the mix and friendly games of soccer turned into intense games where heated altercations were common. Winning became the name of the game and at all costs, even if it meant fighting with a friend or injuring an opponent.

That inner child in everyone still wants to go out on the field and have fun, not taking score, having a laugh and generally just enjoy yourself, but when you go out onto the field you know that is the exact opposite of what you will find. Competition changes peoples, I know it does for me and for many people who I have played with and against. I go from being a laid back, light hearted person off the field to very serious, aggressive, and at times malicious when I go on it. It is the persona that I had to cultivate in order to compete at any competitive level in soccer. Through years of coaching its been hammered into me, my friends and team mates that having fun isnt going to win you games, you have to fight and do whatever it takes to win.

One of the most contrasting on to off field personas I have ever met is that of a former team mate of mine in my teens whose name was Charles. He was literally the nicest guy, very caring, wouldnt hurt a fly, had never been in a fight, and was just your perfect kid off the field. As soon as he stepped onto the field though he becomes one of the fiercest competitors I have ever seen. He never really got angry on the field, but he was constantly in fights with the opposition because of the aggression and determination he played with. He would run through a brick wall to win the ball back, hurting anyone and everyone in his way and this attitude would see him get into many fights which he never backed down from. The coach always used him as an example to follow because he played with courage and fearlessness and wanted to win at any cost. Off the field where nothing was stake, Charles was one of the softest kids you would meet. The type who would cry when he got into a fight with his girlfriend, but throw in the element of competition and he becomes someone else, a mean person.

This is the cost of winning, decency goes out the window and ferocity is rewarded. They say you learn a lot of things from sports that can take you far in life. For me what I have learned is that the world like the soccer field is cut throat. Competition and those who are down for the fight and the struggle are the ones who will be rewarded. You cant be a nice guy and expect to get the results you want because there are people out there who will take advantage of kindness at the first opportunity.
The element of competition is what makes people the way they are. In an ideal world I bet we would all sing and dance around a campfire, but throw in a competition of some sorts and you will see what people are really about.