Soccer is a wonderful game. I absolutely love to play every chance that I get. When I’m out on the field, I’m at my happiest. However, there is another part of the game that drives me crazy sometimes.
The thing about soccer is that it’s a team sport. To truly be successful, a team needs 11 players working in harmony towards a single goal. One player that isn’t giving 100% can shatter this harmony and turn victory into defeat. Lots of players simply aren’t willing to make the sacrifice and give their best. They want to be out on the field, but when they really need to play hard, they back off. They just don’t quite have the drive and dedication to give their full 100%.
The problem with this mentality is that when one player isn’t giving their best in a soccer game, it hurts the other 10 players on the field. One weak link hurts the rest of the team that is out there giving their hardest.
I’m not writing this post to recommend that you point fingers. Instead, I’m writing this to recommend that you look at yourself. Ask yourself – “Am I really giving 100% when I play? Do I have more that I can give?” See, all of us as players need to be constantly asking ourselves if we are playing our hardest. We need to make sure that we aren’t letting the players around us down with our work ethic.
This isn’t about blame or finger pointing. Instead, it’s about making sure that we value the players around us to be at our best. I’m not talking about performance. Every player has bad games. I’m talking about effort.
Your goal for every game should not be about winning and losing. Obviously, as soccer players, we want to win. Instead, you should make your goal more personal. Play the game with the goal of leaving the field knowing you gave everything you had to give. Try to play “No regrets soccer.” If you do this, and play the game with this kind of effort, then you’ll know that not only did you not let your team down, you didn’t let yourself down either.
Let this be your mindset every time you walk on the field –
GO HARD OR GO HOME
– Justin
Make sure you visit our soccer training guides section! There are some great resources in there to help you get started, including a couple free soccer training plans and a 30 day getting ready for tryouts ebook!
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Our soccer drills section contains free individuals soccer drills designed to help you develop your soccer skills and abilities.
