Our training camp started 18 days ago and we had quite a few practices, 6 preseason games and spent significant time together as a team. However, there is nothing like the start of the regular season. Tonight ( Aug 31st) at 8.45 pm when our game kicks off, it will signal the start of my 16th season as head coach of the Concordia Stingers. I still remember all the way back to 2002 when I coached my first game. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but it was all new, the league and our own soccer program was no where near the level it is today. With more social media, the coverage, while still not sufficient, is so much more widespread than what it was in Sept 2002. Players tweet, post comments and pictures leading into the games, there are other sources of information all announcing that tonight, our season kicks offs.
A number if 1st year Stinger players will be playing in their first official RSEQ league game tonight, some will start, some will dress. A few will have to wait for another day to get the chance. My first year at Concordia, we didn't have a field with lights that could host evening games so we played off campus. However since 2003, we have been able to play evenings at Loyola and I must say there is always something special about playing under the lights. Young players will be nervous, so will some older coaches. Prior to our final preseason game, I looked over to my assistant coach who played for me for 5 years and is entering her 2nd year as an assistant. She seemed anxious, stressed and I asked her if everything was ok. She replied that just like when she played, she still got anxious and butterflies before games. I laughed and told her it was ok, I still got the same way after 15 years at Concordia and 27 years of coaching. I’d like to say I’m calmer and I don’t get as nervous, but I still get that same feeling. It should start getting easier, but it hasn’t. Besides as a coach, I am responsible for the group and the players might feed off my nerves so besides having to calm himself down, I have to help the players get over their pregame jitters. I’ll explain to them that, of course everyone is nervous to some extent, It’s natural. That’s when they need to trust their experience and fall back on all the preparation we have gone through.Players must be confident that they can handle any situation they might encounter during a game and the coaches try set up practices and scrimmages in a way to cover every scenario that could come up but the reality is we can't. So we try to give the players the tools to be adaptable and problem solve in the field during the course of the game. We give them indicators and cues to take in but once the game starts, its the players on the field that have to play. Everybody is nervous before the opening game, but the great thing is that every year is a brand new year. Last season's results or problems or mistakes, don't have any impact on this season, we are really starting over. So my advice to players … “’Step on the field and play to your strengths. This is the same game you’ve been playing since you were young kids, just the environment is different. Make sure to focus on the things within your control and forgot about those that are not. Most importantly, enjoy the moment, it's still just a game" Throughout training camp, we've identified a style of play that we hope to play and last night in our final training session before starting the season, we ran through a game plan that we believe will put is in a situation to compete for the win. However our opponents have done the same so the team needs to be ready to adapt and compete regardless how things start out. I am sure for me personally the butterflies will intensify as the day progresses and I'll start running through scenarios in my mind, did I pick the right starting 11, what might be changes I make depending on how the game unfolds, what do we do if..... (fill in the blanks with many situations). All I know, in the same way I tell players, I have to trust the preparation, believe in my experience and ability as a coach and manage within the things in my control. I tell myself, if game day still gives me butterflies after all these years, I must still really love coaching.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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