The challenge for each of us in the sport is to give our players the best possible environment for development. This requires a balance between training and competition, but there is a third component: empowering players to train themselves. The luxury of training camps and matches needs to be supplemented by what players do when they are not with us. This is true at any level.
Training efforts and matches are great competitive, learning arenas. Yet, to my philosophy as a player and coach over the past thirty years this represents only the foundation. It must be supplemented by the player's commitment to his/ her own development. As coaches we must take on the responsibility of empowering our players to be able to train themselves when they are not with us.
This is what I call "self coaching". When I asked my U-18 players in the past what they thought this means, a few responses I like were: " Self coaching is having the heart, desire and work ethic to push yourself when nobody is around to push you, organize you or look over your shoulder so you won't skip the last one. " Self drive, willing to improve on your own. " To work on my weaknesses as well as my strengths".
Part of my role with these athletes is to help them organize their training. The main dimensions we profess to be the pillars of a player are the technical, tactical,physical and psychological. My job is imparting to my players ways they can develop in these areas on their own. Without question one of the parameters of our success is from the beginning our players have embraced their responsibility toward improvement. They are not merely coach driven.
The fifth pillar I would like to add to both coaching and /or a players development is "being a student of the game." Let the game teach you. Many of my players have a sense of this and expressed it in their definitions of self coaching. For example, with regard to their own game one said, "Self Coaching means assessing what parts of my game need improvement and finding ways to train that will make me better, and taking responsibility for my performance." We typically review most matches with our players for what they did well and what needs improvement. Each players needs to be capable of evulating their own play, and not merely their own games but also the games of others. It is important to be able to analyze systems of play, attacking and defending tendencies and personalities of your opponents, as well as identifying the aspects of the player's games to emulate.
Henry Fusco
DOC Kirkwood Soccer Club
"The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win"
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