An old monk was sweeping the yard in a monastery under the scorching sun.
Another monk passed by and asked him, “How old are you?”
The old monk replied, “I’m seventy-seven.”
“You are so old! Why are you still working so hard here?”
“Well, because I’m here.”
“But why are you working under the scorching sun?”
“Because the sun is there.”
—-
My favorite topic to coach is the idea of just play.
Some games it will be raining, some times a referee will make a poor call. Some games you may make the wrong pass or you might miss an empty net. We will win, we will lose, but we just play.
This season I have the privilege of coaching Wits FC a U-9 soccer team at Blue Valley Soccer Club in Kansas City. Last weekend we had our first tournament and the girls made it to the finals, losing 2-0 to the fifth U-9 team (we are the sixth team).
In the last game, every girl on the team just played. They were running at full steam and they gave it their all. They didn’t care about the heat or the fact we down two goals or that the other team had bigger, stronger girls. They just played.
While we have a way to go with technique and tactics, they are learning to play within themselves and not to listen or let outside forces matter.
And for that, I am a very proud coach.
