500 Words a Week - Do The Work

At times we can get caught up in the glitz and glamour on social media. People sharing their work and ideas. People sharing their success’. It can be disheartening at times; we might feel we are stuck. Not moving towards our intended direction. It’s during times like these we must do the work.

Football is a sport in which most of the fame goes to the easily recognizable moments on the pitch, the player on the ball using skill to beat an opponent, the player making a big slide tackle to win the ball. As much as football is made of these moments, it is more made of the smaller less recognizable moments that players consistently do that make them good players and lead to greater chances of success for their team.

For example, at a recent tournament I was blown away with a player’s ability to consistently get in front of the opposition, get their head down and prevent them from playing forward. Forcing them to play backwards, giving his team time to re-organize. No matter the size of the opposition, this player was going for them. Although not always winning the ball, he nearly always influenced the run of the play. As with many team sports, football is a game of space and time. This player frequently closed off the oppositions space, while giving his teammates time to re-organize.

Relating this to ourselves. Regardless of what’s going on, who gets the praise on social media, we need to show up and do the work. If a 12-year-old can do it to such a high level, we should be able to also.

This isn’t the work that is always seen, but it’s the consistent work that I believe improves our chances of success down the line.

With the above in mind, it took me awhile to realize in starting out as an S&C coach that we have as much to learn from our players as we feel we can teach them. When dealing with human beings, the only thing we can be certain of is that everything is uncertain. We may have gone through training qualifications or degree programmes where a clear relationship between input and outcome has been established. Upon finishing these qualifications, we believe wholeheartedly in what we were taught. Only to realize the complexity of dealing with human beings, layered in with the chaotic environment of team sport. Watching your athletes, asking them questions and listening to their responses goes a long way in furthering our practice.

This relates to all other members of staff also. For my first year as an intern, and probably into my first year as a full time S&C coach, I was stuck in my box. My thoughts rarely expanded outside of the gym. A trap many beginning S&C coaches can be stuck in. However, to truly have an impact on developing athletes an all-encompassing approach must be taken.