i can't take credit for our record though — we just have a good team. the Great Hearts tournament starts on Saturday, and we're on a collision course with Chandler Prep in the championship game (Feb 4th).
we're better, but, they beat us once. our two matches have resulted in 6 goals for us, 5 for them, 4 yellow cards, and 1 parent banned from the sidelines for the rest of the season. it's going to be an intense game.
to this point in the season, i haven't done very much actual coaching. more than half of my players are also on club teams, and are playing for us on the side. some of them probably know more about soccer than i do. it's hard to come up with practice activities that find that middle ground where the good players will be challenged and the inexperienced players can keep up. on the one side, i have an 8th-grader who has tried out with the U.S. under-17 national team, and on the other, a few 6th-graders who are not even half his size/speed/ability. combine that difficulty with only three total hours of practice a week, and no assistant coach, and my solution is to scrimmage as much as possible (we practice with the girls as well). the goal is chemistry.
the way i see it, being a championship-quality team requires several things. you need talent, you need chemistry, and you need a mental edge. possibly luck, in some cases. still, each player has to believe in the team.
the mental edge is the only thing we lack. we can get intimidated by Chandler. my emphasis this week is taking care of that. i'm going to give lectures, inspirational speeches, whatever it takes.
the hardest part of coaching JH boys is getting them to focus. though, one reason why they don't focus well is because i'm not exactly a disciplinarian. my primary objective is to win while having fun and not taking it too seriously, but that approach can backfire when i actually want to be serious.
my weaknesses as a coach are many, but primarily are discipline and skill-building. that sounds like a solid chunk of the job description, right? it's true though. i hate yelling at my players, and i find repetitive drills to be incredibly boring. my strengths are definitely strategy and making in-game adjustments. i'm good at discerning each player's strengths and weaknesses, and i believe that i can put each player in the best position for the team to succeed. i see it as much more than just X's and O's — it's a matter of KNOWING your players, and understanding how they fit into the big picture.
my big picture includes a championship trophy. then, the next season.
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