ISSUE #11
September 23, 2010
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Welcome back Soccer Genius!
A few unexpected weeks off for The Planet. I'm quickly on the mend following some minor work related surgery. Also in the market for a new vehicle after a young drunk driver decided to play pinball with my car outside my home while I slept at three in the morning. Fortunately, no one was injured.
This week's feature article addresses a specific incident at the recent World Cup in South Africa that's been bugging me ever since I first watched it on TV. It's the "goal-no goal" that happened during the England-Germany match. I have a surprisingly different take on the event than what has been discussed at length in media around the globe.
The BOTI video comes from the SoccerGeniusTraining.com website this week. It gives a great overview of the long-term development approach unique to the Soccer Genius System.
Calgary readers will want to know that registration for current programs will be held on September 30 @ 6:30pm at the Subway Soccer Centre. See you there!
From My Soccer Genius to Yours!
Charles Cotton
charles@enlightenedsoccer.com
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Quote of the Week
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“Learn to lose victoriously - be unafraid of defeat." d
Charles Cotton
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 Featured Article
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World Cup 'Hero' Fails Kids -
Cheating Rewarded at Expense of Important Life Lesson
The recent World Cup in South Africa was watched by billions of people around the globe. It was a spectacle to behold and to hear. Of the many beautiful (Florian), bizarre (France?) and controversial (Saurez) players and events of the competition one in particular has troubled me more than any other: the goal/no-goal scored by England's Lampard against Germany keeper Manuel Neuer. Lampard chipped a ball that ricocheted off the top bar, landed inside the goal and spun back toward the beaten keeper who watched the events taking place and scrambled to cover up the ball.
Here's a great image and a good video of the goal.
 
The focus by media, players and officials in the aftermath
has been on implementing video replay, goal-line technology and/or
end-line officials. All of which emphasize policing and more rules. Really, this speaks more to the
inability of players and team officials to fulfill the spirit of the game and the commitment to fair play.
What is missing in all the
dialogue is the impact such an event has on the long-term development of
players growing up in the game.
Some troubling questions have been stirring around in my mind:
- When did 'the game' (the larger global community related to the highest level of play) start to find this behaviour acceptable?
- At what point did Neuer learn and decide for himself that cheating in order to preserve a win was more important than honesty and integrity?
- What message does this send to a young player aspiring to future World Cup play?
- What role does a governing body have in ensuring this type of deception is prevented moving forward?
- How do we educate young players to ensure this unethical behaviour is kept out of the game?
While these questions are challenging to answer, they are necessary to address moving forward. Especially for those of us tasked with nurturing the next generations of players.
Clearly, an important life lesson - for Neuer, the teams, the officials, the fans and 'the game' - was lost in this moment; the lesson of learning to stand up and do the right thing in the face of certain adversity, regardless of outcome.
Let's play a bit of the 'what-if' game to explore this lesson.
What if Neuer had held the ball, stopped the game and signaled to the referee that a goal had been scored?
And then, what if the call had been reversed, England rightly being awarded a goal, and the game continuing with Germany's restart tied 2-2?
Sure, Neuer would likely have been temporarily condemned by teammates, managers and German fans alike. I believe, however, that the longer term affect for Neuer would have been his elevation to true 'hero' status (as opposed to the current commercially fabricated version of heroism). This would have been, quite likely, the story of the tournament.
Just think, someone who actually puts the 'good of the game' above their own immediate interests. The game would have found a rare positive example to build on for future growth and world-wide promotion. What a wonderful remedy to the unhealthy cynicism that pollutes the game at nearly all levels of play.
This is, admittedly, wishful thinking...with a heavy dose of 'what if' hindsight!
The proactive solution is to teach - from the very first touch of the ball - and reward the fair play skills that lay behind the fair play principles promoted by officials and soccer administrators. By rewarding fair play (instead of only focusing on punishing unfair play) we can teach young players the values of honesty, integrity, leadership, personal responsibility and compassion. These are the 'life lessons' that all youth sport seek to champion.
So, let's not add to a host of reactive approaches to cheating by increasing technology, rules and policing. This tends to only increase deception and encourage 'creative' ways of finding loopholes in the rules.
It's too bad for Neuer that he didn't have the courage (and developmental modeling) to choose to do the right thing. He will forever have to live with the knowledge that he cheated and chose the easy path to a hollow victory.
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Better Out Than In!
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A weekly video by Charles about something that he's just gotta share with you!
Discover Soccer Genius Training - Charles gives the straight goods!
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Charles' Recommended Media
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An instant classic. Watch it with your young teenage kids. Highly recommended!
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Charles' Tech Tip
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Each week in this section I include a
detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This
information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through
perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as
well do it perfectly!
Collapsing Save with 3 Hand Trap |
You will need a ball and a safe flat 3m x 3m area (10x10ft). For added comfort try doing the exercise on a large exercise mat.
- Place a ball on the ground 2 full steps to the side and 1 step forward.
- Get into Genius Keeper Ready Stance with knees bent, arms to the side and palms facing forward
- Balanced breathing and senses alert
- Eyes focused on the back center of the ball
- Collapse your body in line to the back side of the ball: fall slowly onto your outer thigh - then hip - then side of your chest - then outer shoulder - and finally the outstretched arm
- Place your bottom hand behind the ball - fingers open, thumb facing up and palm facing forward...while at the same time...
- Place your other hand directly on top of the ball - fingers open, palm facing down
- The thumbs of both hands will be close to or touching each other. This will complete the 3 Hand Trap of the ball - with the
ground acting as the third 'hand'.
- Complete the save by pulling the ball to treasure chest
position.
- Give a Genius Smile
Repeat 6 times – perfectly.
Switch sides and repeat 6 times.
Challenge yourself to do it 3 more times each side with your eyes closed!
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This Week's Genius Success Habit
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adsf
| Develop Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is the ability to understand the ways in which many parts influence and relate to one another within a whole. This is an alternative approach to the traditional method of understanding that breaks things down into separate pieces. Both have their place in how we look at the world.
Systems thinking, however, has the capacity to expand our perceptions exponentially as we are constantly challenged to discover relationships and connections well 'outside the box'.
Examples of systems thinking include:
- viewing nature as complex ecosystems of air, water, animals, plants, climate, etc.,
- viewing soccer player development as a long-term dynamic involving nutrition, growth factors, practice time, competition ratios, enjoyment, opportunity, physical and emotional skills, etc.,
- seeing a work place as a living community of people, processes, buildings, and economies all impacting the healthy (or unhealthy) operation of the organization
So, the next time you seek to understand a problem, situation or event (either on or off the field), give the systems thinking approach a go. You may find that you'll never look at life the same way again.
It's a genius success habit worth discovering.
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About the author - Charles Cotton
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 The Soccer Genius Coach, Charles Cotton, is an internationally licensed expert specializing in teaching kids 7-17 how to unleash their own Soccer Genius - for on and off field success. He has over 30 years experience playing, coaching, and leading soccer communities. His accelerated training methods and unique soccer "Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit" approach help players and coaches achieve their highest levels of play and personal development. Charles lives in Calgary, Canada with his 3 beautiful daughters and shares time in Chicago with his "Dancing Genius" life partner. |
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