Playing Big Time
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
Playing in “The Big Time” and being a “Big Time Player” in soccer breaks done to “time”. The “time” is by way of “character building or decision making”. Sounds unrelated kinda, but the way to becoming an elite soccer player is if you can get a hold of your decision making when on the field.
This is why!
Are you a small cheap player or a big quality player? Even if you are four feet tall, you can be a big quality player, because you are looking to make good decisions constantly on the soccer field. It could be about making a pass or a defensive run, but you are trying to maximize your situation to achieve your team’s goals. You are trying to do your best to meet your team’s goals, which is normally to score!
You say, “Kamal, all you are really saying is work to make good decisions when you are trying to score a goal,” Correct, but I am also saying that it takes you making those good decisions every time you set foot on the field. Every time means games, team practice, guest playing, individual training, anytime you are booting up to ball. You should ball to a level where you are helping yourself out.
If you show up on the field and don’t do anything, the result ends in you deciding to do something else with your time. Sometimes that means just hanging on the block or your suburb and deciding to be an accountant or a gun runner. That is the potential player pool that soccer has now. So you can see how decisions are important. Regardless of those decisions, your not playing soccer anymore. For some very small reason, you’ve decided not to play. Yes, it is possible for you to say you don’t want to play anymore. I’ve seen many up and coming players decide to stop playing for the smallest of reasons, so yes, it could happen to you.
But this reason, really dealt with you didn’t improve enough to make it any higher. You stood around. You didn’t put in the time in making good decisions on the field and bam you aint on the field no more. At least not at the level you had picked out for yourself.
If you dreamed of playing in the Olympics or some pro team anywhere in the world. Hey, anywhere in the world you are playing soccer where flow and speed decrees who is the best.
So, what does it take to make good decisions?
It takes one simple thing, “Honest Actions.” Honesty in every choice you make. Decisions as small as telling the truth if the ball went out on you to as big as not cutting corners on a run. Sounds big? They are.
All of this honesty ads up to your character being that of a champion. Just think about it. A champion doesn’t need to lie about a ball going out or need to cheat a run. Champions don’t do that. They stay honest and positive and those traits create the winning character.
This is the character of a big time player, every great in the game somehow fits this description. I guarantee every professional and some amateurs have stories of a lot of work underneath their accomplishments.
All that hard work equals time spent with the ball actively doing something. Think about it, if you are on the field practicing good decision making the ball will be with you and you will learn from it. Once you put in the time, control and speed occur faster towards the end.
This kind of control builds character and the kind of speed generated assures players of your ability.
You work on it when you feel like it, which to someone who really wants to be good in soccer is normally everyday. Your touch will appreciate and your character will unify with one of a champion’s, no matter who you are.
So to be Big Time, you have to play Big Time, even when you are alone, which is a lot.
Good Luck and I will see you at the top of the Mountain. Maybe this will reinforce your climbing boots a bit.
Soccer Luminary
Kamal de Gregory
Playing in “The Big Time” and being a “Big Time Player” in soccer breaks done to “time”. The “time” is by way of “character building or decision making”. Sounds unrelated kinda, but the way to becoming an elite soccer player is if you can get a hold of your decision making when on the field.
This is why!
Are you a small cheap player or a big quality player? Even if you are four feet tall, you can be a big quality player, because you are looking to make good decisions constantly on the soccer field. It could be about making a pass or a defensive run, but you are trying to maximize your situation to achieve your team’s goals. You are trying to do your best to meet your team’s goals, which is normally to score!
You say, “Kamal, all you are really saying is work to make good decisions when you are trying to score a goal,” Correct, but I am also saying that it takes you making those good decisions every time you set foot on the field. Every time means games, team practice, guest playing, individual training, anytime you are booting up to ball. You should ball to a level where you are helping yourself out.
If you show up on the field and don’t do anything, the result ends in you deciding to do something else with your time. Sometimes that means just hanging on the block or your suburb and deciding to be an accountant or a gun runner. That is the potential player pool that soccer has now. So you can see how decisions are important. Regardless of those decisions, your not playing soccer anymore. For some very small reason, you’ve decided not to play. Yes, it is possible for you to say you don’t want to play anymore. I’ve seen many up and coming players decide to stop playing for the smallest of reasons, so yes, it could happen to you.
But this reason, really dealt with you didn’t improve enough to make it any higher. You stood around. You didn’t put in the time in making good decisions on the field and bam you aint on the field no more. At least not at the level you had picked out for yourself.
If you dreamed of playing in the Olympics or some pro team anywhere in the world. Hey, anywhere in the world you are playing soccer where flow and speed decrees who is the best.
So, what does it take to make good decisions?
It takes one simple thing, “Honest Actions.” Honesty in every choice you make. Decisions as small as telling the truth if the ball went out on you to as big as not cutting corners on a run. Sounds big? They are.
All of this honesty ads up to your character being that of a champion. Just think about it. A champion doesn’t need to lie about a ball going out or need to cheat a run. Champions don’t do that. They stay honest and positive and those traits create the winning character.
This is the character of a big time player, every great in the game somehow fits this description. I guarantee every professional and some amateurs have stories of a lot of work underneath their accomplishments.
All that hard work equals time spent with the ball actively doing something. Think about it, if you are on the field practicing good decision making the ball will be with you and you will learn from it. Once you put in the time, control and speed occur faster towards the end.
This kind of control builds character and the kind of speed generated assures players of your ability.
You work on it when you feel like it, which to someone who really wants to be good in soccer is normally everyday. Your touch will appreciate and your character will unify with one of a champion’s, no matter who you are.
So to be Big Time, you have to play Big Time, even when you are alone, which is a lot.
Good Luck and I will see you at the top of the Mountain. Maybe this will reinforce your climbing boots a bit.
Soccer Luminary
Kamal de Gregory