Short Memory

I was waiting in line at a coffee shop when a man approached and asked if I was a football coach.  I said yes, and he said he thought he'd seen me on the sideline.  His son is on the team.  He thanked me for my time, and said his son was enjoying himself.  He said it was his son's first experience with 'organized sports' because he'd spent his childhood practicing alternative, individual endeavors like skateboarding, and surfing.  Now, in early adolescence, he wants to know where he stands.                            

The kid we're talking about is a physical specimen.  He's bigger than most of the other boys, and his musculature is solid, and formed.  His lack of experience, however, has put him behind those accustomed to competing against more diverse opponents than the Self.  Skating taught him how to achieve a goal through preparation, and commitment.  It didn't teach him how to confront an opponent with unknown skills, and objectives.

The father identified a caution in his son he hadn't seen before.  The coaching staff had noted it too, so I told him to be patient.  Most of the other boys have 'football IQ' from playing in flag leagues, or pick-up games.  They know the anatomy of a developing play, and how to react to it.  They anticipate angles, and adjust to the fluctuations in speed.  The new boy doesn't.          

The new boy is still trying to play the game the way it's diagramed, or explained.  He sees it as a literal equation that has a logical response.  Those simply provide understanding of the game.  They explain the objectives of the offense and defense.

When you know them, you stop thinking about them.  When you stop thinking, you start playing.

Each play in football is a burst of orchestrated actions that provide a catalyst for improvised, fluid reaction.  The speed of a developing play removes the thought process, and replaces it with a need to react.  To be successful, your  reaction must be a combination of split-second decisions, and informed, accurate anticipation, of how the field will change.

Each boy learning to play the game needs to see the games facets:

• He needs to understand the role his position plays in the overall scheme of the offense or defense.  Each of the 11 players on the field has a specific job on each play.  If one fails to be executed the whole thing collapses.
• He needs to understand the specific skill set his position requires.  Footwork, blocking, pursuing, etc. are different for each position.  You can't transfer what you do at linebacker to what you do at safety.
• He needs to understand that the Team goal is met when each Individual responsibility is fulfilled.
• He needs to understand that caution and self-criticism cannot enter his mind, or the team concept.  Mistakes are part of the game.  When you make one, make it with full force.  If you block the wrong guy, put him on his back. If you run the wrong route find an open space.  If you miss a tackle, miss like an errant cannonball.  And when it's over, forget it.  Move on to the next play.  One play, good or bad, isn't enough to determine your pedigree as a player.
• And he needs to understand his lack of experience doesn't matter any more, or less, than the five-years of pop-warner his team mate has.  If you're willing to collide with your opponent, and get up when you're knocked down, your equal.

Try this everyday at practice:

1. Think about the effort you expect of yourself, and give it.                            
           
2. Decide the depth of your focus, and bring it.
3. Don't settle for less than your best on every play you run.
4. Challenge yourself to ignore fears and doubts that are obstacles.
5. Reflect on how you did, and prepare for tomorrow.

If you can learn to practice with the same intensity, and purpose, you bring to a game, it will become your status quo.  

"The secret to life is getting knocked down seven times, and getting up eight."