FREEDOM TO RIDE

Coach DeAngelo Wiser

If you’re a parent, you remember the day you taught your child to ride a bike. Running behind, holding it from the back, as you shouted instructions, “Hold on! Keep your feet on the petals! Keep it straight!” finally apprehensively letting go, but still shouting a million dos and don'ts as your child headed down the sidewalk or driveway. As you watched them succeed you were elated. Your experience in that situation was the key, you had been there, riding a bike, hearing about half of what your mom or dad were yelling. You might have even wrecked a time or two before getting it right. I’m sure you probably blamed it on mom or dad because you couldn’t concentrate from so many instructions, and you didn’t want your friends to hear your parents telling you how to ride.

How about your players? Are they inundated with constant instructions yelled from the sideline in every situation? ?Is this the first time they’ve played? Are we helping or adding pressure?

As you teach players the game are you afraid to let go of the bike, running along behind shouting instructions constantly? “Pass the ball, Play it wide, Take it to the line, Get back and defend, Take that player on, Shoot!” Is it necessary? Having coached at different levels, middle school, high school and college it never changes. Listen, you’ll hear it at every game. Coaches simply want to help their players make the right decision, especially in key situations, but should they?

As the seconds ticked down we fought back from a three goal deficit to be only down one with a minute left. I had challenged our team at halftime to prove they were better than their effort, and they had responded wonderfully with two goals. Running out of time, our #8 gained control of the ball and was racing toward the opposing goal. She weaved her way through 3 defenders and only had one player to beat. It proved too much of a task as she recognized her only option was to take the ball wide and to the line. She was so composed as she crossed a back angle ball on the ground to a streaking teammate who put it in the back of the net. We would go on to prevail in Penalty Kick’s. As the game ended, I knew my instructions yelled from the sidelines had made a huge difference in her ability to succeed. ?As I congratulated her, I couldn’t help but ask her if what I had yelled detailing where defenders were and when she should cross the ball, had helped, the biggest grin came on her face as she laughed and said, “Coach I didn’t hear anything anyone was yelling, I just wanted to get to the line.”

It was a wonderful awakening for me and a moment that would change my demeanor on the sideline forever. If they can’t hear me, why am I yelling. Can I trust them to make a quality decision? Yes is the answer if you’ve taught them in practice or in the classroom. Waiting until a key moment in a game may have the opposite impact on your player. If they focus on your words trying to please you, it adds pressure to an already pressure packed situation. Their mind is now racing to do what you’re suggesting, which honestly they may not be able to do. I’ve seen players just blow up a play to escape that pressure.

So where do you begin to educate your players in these situations away from the actual game? Here’s one idea. In a classroom setting, while observing a video of someone else’s game, stop it and ask players at different moments, “What decision would you make here?” As they grow in learning with this format, use their game clips and ask the same questions. “You made a good decision, was there a better or best decision that could have been made?

We spend a lot of time in practice to refine Technical Skill, simulating pressure with Small Sided Games, communication and finding an open teammates in Rondo’s, proper striking of the ball in Finishing, patience and pressure in Defending and different setups in Situational Play such as Corner Kicks and Free Kicks, but do we stop play and ask what may be a better decision in a particular situation or more importantly visually, replay a decision that was the best option, for the whole team to see? Are we training the cerebral ability of our players to react and make those decisions? It takes time and repetition. In the case of a situation that won’t impact the outcome of a game, it may be best to just let it play out, and talk to the player later, rather than yelling instructions. The framework needs to always center on simply asking a player what is or wasFR the good, better or best decision in this case?

?As the game plays out in front of us on the sideline and we’ve taught our players to make the best decision possible, our efforts can be focused on strategy with respect to formations, substitutions, effort, encouraging, defending and attacking.

I’m not totally against yelling instructions from the sideline, it may be necessary with a young team or a player who hasn’t played much. Just keep in mind with some players it adds pressure which may have the opposite impact you wanted.

Letting go of that bike is one of the toughest things you’ll ever do. Just ask your Mom or Dad. It ultimately means by trusting their own decisions, players will have less dependence on you. It’s hard, but in the end, you’ve helped them understand that in life they’ll have to make their own decisions without anyone yelling to help. It also means you’ve done your job and you can sit back and watch them play. Go ahead, let go of the bike and be proud of who they’ve become. I see that smile. ?

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I wish you and your team the best!

Remember you can learn more about us at WiserSportsLeadership.com

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