Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Taking the time to look up

I'm coaching soccer for Sam's age group this year. It is a fun time where the kids can be set free to be as creative as possible while limited coaching occurs (basically tell them to go in the right direction and get the ball). Sam is an interesting player. To date in 3 games he has two goals, but this last game he did things that most 12 year old players don't do.

The concept is called looking up. In the game Sam would get the ball and stop to look around and see where the other kids were and which way he needed to go. He is the only player on the team to do this. His goal this week came after he dribbled the ball down the field and stopped to look where the goalie was and shoot the ball where the goalie wasn't. Of course having played soccer for so many years I am well familiar with looking up and finding the right course. It's a concept all of us should take note of.

What if we took a moment in our day to look up? What if when we looked up we were able to see what direction we should go. I know in my personal life I do NOT look up enough. I don't take the time to ensure that the course I'm on is correct. This is a critical time for all of us and I believe that we need to look up more and take notice of what is happening around us. It is also critical for us to chart a course that will lead us to safety and happiness.

I'm glad that Sam looked up in his soccer game this last week as it has inspired me to do so in my life.

1 comment:

The Coach said...

Helping young kids at soccer has been a passion of mine since my two boys started to play. Not only has it helped them, but as you rightly point out, it has helped me focus on what is important in life, for them and for me.
I have used a lot of these free soccer drills during my 8 years coaching with great success.
Good luck with the soccer