Work hard. There is
no substitute for HARD WORK. Being a
hard worker doesn’t mean you can run faster or jump higher than your
teammates. Seth Godin in his book Small
is the New Big defines hard work as
Hard work is about risk. It begins when you deal with the
things you would rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out,
fear of rejection. Hard work is about training yourself to leap over this
barrier, tunnel under that barrier, drive through the other barrier and after
you’ve done that, to do it again the next day.
Your only competition in work rate should be yourself. Comparing yourself to others will only slow
your rate of improvement. Once your work
rate matches your passion, IMPROVING can really begin.
Make small shifts. When
you are having difficulty with accuracy of passes, adjust your foot shape or increase
(decrease) your pace. You may need to
make several adjustments until you figure out what works for you. Improve at a rate that is attainable. It is very difficult to make huge
improvements in a day or week. However,
everyone can make little improvements each day.
Small shifts often make a big difference to performance.
Embrace Being An Individual.
Getting better and improving often means standing out from the
others. Improvement is difficult and as
a result many players are not willing to put forth the effort with unknown
results. Take pride and be consistent in
your attitude and the manner which you train and play. Coaches will notice and so will your
teammates. Over time, players will see
the results and will inch closer to your norm.
Write it down. Create
a plan, script, or outline of what you want to focus on for each session and
game. Keep a notebook in your bag. Each day write down 2-3 aspects that you want
to improve and focus on during play.
EXAMPLE (for a STRIKER)
- Constant movement – no lazy moments. Focus on finding seams (space).
- On toes all the time – be in athletic stance
- Take away defenders – use checks away from ball to create space
Grade yourself.
Following each training session/game, take 5-10 minutes to review your
script, and give yourself a grade. Did
you work hard? What small shifts did you
make? Did you stand out or were you
consistent in your attitude? Be honest then
repeat each time.
Improving can be difficult, slow, and often
frustrating. Use these ideas to help
maximize your play and set a course for continual improvement.
