7th January 2025 – Number 3
By Andy Leckie
This one is not for the faint hearted.
I remember match days as a youngster having that feeling of adrenaline, excitement, and fear curdling inside me. Many (many) years on, now as a coach, that feeling never leaves you! And now I recognise it in the young players eyes, in their body language, in their voice, in the way they move, even in the way they approach a ball.
Will I score today? Will I start today? Will I get scouted today? Will I miss a pen today? Will I save my team with a last-ditch tackle today? Will I score an own goal today? Ahh the anxiety today!
“I have butterflies in my stomach”, what does this mean?
It comes from our Automatic Nervous System (ANS), the science behind it is this…
[not my words, official reference from Dr Google]
This feeling occurs when there is a reduction in blood flow in certain organs, including the stomach, due to excitement or anxiety. The stomachs own sensory nerves sense this shortage of blood and oxygen, and let us know it’s not happy with the situation.
It’s the feeling of the unknown, like starting a new school or bracing yourself before an interview, or delivering what your passionate about and the fear of failure. It’s a gut-wrenching vulnerability that often beats us because we care. We care about the outcome, how we’ll fit in, how I’ll perform, how they’ll respond to me. Physically, it can cramp you. Socially, it can introvert you. Psychologically, it can worry you. And technically, it can embarrass you. Remember, it’s all about those 4 corners!
Some might say, “it’s all in your head”, “just ignore it”, “get a grip”, “pull yourself together.”
What a bunch of nonsense!
It’s easier said than done.
It’s a natural instinct to feel this vulnerability so embrace it. You do you. Do what you need to do to use that vulnerability to propel you.
The other day a young player asked me what they could improve on. I had a flashback to when I was their age asking the exact same thing to a coach. The advice I received back in the day: “You need to be bigger”.….errrr ok great, let me just digest that for a second and see what I can do. Perhaps there was good meaning behind that and my young head missed the point? But I’m still fairly confident that was perhaps not the best constructive criticism I could have received to develop my game.
The player who asked me predominantly plays in centre midfield, a no.4, maybe a 6, often an 8. Thus, as a fellow box to box centre mid (essentially just a decent runner), I understood what was needed. If you’ve got a large pair of lungs and long legs, these are certainly advantageous in this position. However, these physical attributes are nothing without the strongest part of your body…your noggin. And not just for winning first balls in the air and dominating the middle of the park. I’m talking about what’s inside your head. I’m a big believer in mental fitness, trust in your ability and use your vulnerabilities to fuel you. Start with winning individual battles, compete in your position, and if all fails just get underneath the ball! If you focus on: always getting underneath the ball; giving yourself that objective in a game to make sure you’re behind the ball going forward; and be determined to get back behind the ball for your defensive duties. Then you’ll suddenly be in the right positions, experience more opportunities to get stuck in, and get more time on the ball to create.
Look how big they are. He looks fast. Check out their smart kit. Wow they can shoot!
As a grassroots coach it is your responsibility to get the team ready, focus their minds, unite them:
A pre-match plan should include a checklist for all the squad. Followed by a thorough briefing on team expectations, with all the players fully kitted out and straight into an intense warm up with all the dynamics, shuttle runs and even a mini game to really prepare them for competition.
However, we all remember our amateur days of rocking up and firing shots at the goal, blasting balls over the bar, barely netting anything decent and calling it time before we bagsy what position we’re playing in.
Forgive me I have a confession to make… I encouraged exactly this!
I arrived at our home game, punctual and prepared. I entered what I like to call ‘the cage’ (with a 10-foot UFC-esque fence engulfing the pitch and parents clawing to the outside cheering on their mini-McGregor). As I trip on some loose turf, fumble the bag of footballs across the pitch, and scatter all the player cards all over the Astro… I’m greeted by the prompt opposition coaching crew. Like army generals, immaculate in their matching trackies, full Forza package laid out like an obstacle course for their platoons’ initiation test, and a secretary prepared for battle with their personal organiser, thimble on thumb, flicking through their alphabetically arranged player profiles. The competition looked fierce.
I compared myself to them. Look how many there are. They look the part. Check out their smart kit. They have all the gear!
If I could have wiped mud on my face like a true warrior I would have, instead I just emptied clumps of those little black rubber pellets out of my pockets. I’m just thankful I didn’t endure an Italia 90 Lineker mishap!
Back to the game prep, obviously I gave a little more structure to the squad than just allowing a free for all in positions. And as always designated decent time to discuss a game plan with the team. However, recognising their timid entrances as they suss out their opposition inside ‘the cage’, just like I did, I knew I needed to embrace this.
Inevitably, as I fumbled the bag of footballs across the pitch, the eager players pound on them like a pack of wolves. Meanwhile the more polite players hold back and observe their teammates attempt to “whip it, top bins.” The oppo are of course analysing us and cashing in the 3 points before we’ve even kicked off.
However, the youngster I used to be seizes the opportunity, there’s one ball left in the bag, the one that’s still got half a pump needle jammed in it.
I place it like Beckham’s iconic Greek kick. Do I bend it? Do I lace it? Do I do it?…
I bow out!
I’ve already made a fool of myself on my entrance in, I’m not risking that again. Instead, I challenge the players where they’re going to put it. Top corners? Cross bar? Low? Power? As they set up their turn, they move differently, not so wide eyed anymore, they look focused, they don’t want to let themselves down, they really want this. Hunger for a goal has set in, their competitive edge has arrived. They ignite their vulnerability from when they entered the cage and they’re keen to kick off.
They each have 1 turn only, the pressure is on as they place the ball down, and they’re lapping it up! They’re desperate to better one another but they’re also egging each other on.
Now the squad has united, we can get started:
Suddenly the tables have turned. The oppo want a piece of this. We’ve got in their heads.
The psychological corner: the way we think, feel, and behave. Each corner intertwines, thus if you want physical robustness and resilience, you’re not going to have that without mental robustness and resilience. Can we coach our young players to turn up with the right frame of mind? Are we as coaches always in the right frame of mind? How’s your decision making today? What’s your gut feeling?
It takes guts to turn up. It takes guts to compete. It takes guts to coach.
(P.S The result: a 2 – 0 win…in our home cage).
