Competing Forces Or Aligning Forces
Some consider strength, skill, attitude and heart are competing forces in sports. Or that an athlete might only need one or two of these forces to be successful Personally, I believe you need all four forces to truly be successful in soccer.
Strength vs Skill
Strength is very important. It helps us to have the power to get through 90 minutes of a soccer game. But strength alone will not achieve the positive results required. Strength has to be matched with key skills such as ball control, touches, dribbling etc. Skill and technique are enhanced by an athlete’s strength. We can out muscle our opponents in our early years but as athletes get older, the harder it is to out power one’s opponent. Strong skills are vital but cannot walk alone. Must match speed and aggressiveness with your skill training.
To build skills at an early age, an athlete has to be consistent with practice and build skills and appropriate muscle memory. I’m often asked if an athlete can develop the skills later? Yes, but this will require overcoming significant hurdles. An athlete must then work to correct and adjust his/her skills based on bad habits learned earlier in life. It is only after you’ve corrected one's skills that an athlete can add the skills missing and invest the appropriate time developing good good muscle memory.
Bringing strength and skills together requires consistency and frequent practice.
Attitude vs Heart
There is also a thin line between being confident (even a little chip on my shoulder) or being arrogant. Soccer requires confidence and determination. Confidence in an athlete enables go be a risk taker, a visionary, and a leader. Without confident players, soccer won’t be soccer. Just a game played by an automatic pilot. It is the secret sauce for this beautiful game. However, being arrogant or having a negative attitude can quickly derail a team. It can quickly create a bad vibe within a soccer team. The damage is almost irreversible.
An athlete also must have the heart and passion for the game. An athlete’s heart provides the desire to win the game before the game even starts. The heart of an athlete can take a team very far! It can help an athlete achieve his/her goals. The heart makes dreams come true. It is our hearts that inspire an athlete to do more, stay motivated and hungry for success!
Can the heart win over skill, strength, and attitude? Well I will leave this up to you to answer. Can the heart do all of the above or does it need allies to be successful?
Final Thoughts:
Soccer is a magical sport! So make sure you put some sauce on it!
Is there anything better than this in the world :)))?
Cheers,
Tibi
