Becoming a father has certainly made me a better coach

My Coaching Philosophy

There are two words in youth soccer, one is soccer and the other is youth. Understanding youth, their needs, learning styles and capabilities by age is arguably more important than knowing the technical or tactical components of the game. Having gone through the US coaching education program I believe that the coaching courses focus mainly on the "what" of coaching (principles of attack, midfield movement, overloads, advantages of the formations, deliberately building out from the back, making play predictable), however rarely discuss the importance and the different techniques related to the "how" of coaching. Its the "how" of coaching, the delivery, the execution, the personality, the enthusiasm, the tone of voice, asking questions, understanding the varying learning styles, that I believe is most important and separates the average coach from the best ones. The most important role of a youth coach is finding a way to share the information they clearly have in an appropriate manner that can be received by the players under their guidance.

I am entering my 6th year coaching at De Anza Force Soccer Club

My coaching philosophy is centered around lifting each individual youth athlete above and beyond their own vision of capability. l believe that a prosperous and enjoyable youth sport experience can have a positive effect in many other aspects of a child's physical and social development. As a coach I foster a balanced attitude towards player and team performance rarely demonstrating excessive excitement or disappointed towards a specific situation, this is because I believe that a balanced, consistent environment is the optimal environment for creating a culture and atmosphere for learning, experimenting, developing creativity and confidence

I am a personable coach and highly prioritize each of my coach-player relationships. I have over many years met and worked with coaches that try and motivate through intimidation, who deliberately create a barrier between themselves and their players, in order to keep players "on their toes". I couldn't disagree with this style more, and believe firmly that best results are obtained when a player feels valued and is confident that the coach cares about him or her as a person. Once a player has the unwavering support of their coach you can expect braver and more adventurous behaviors from them on the field as they are able to accept feedback as a criticism of their performance knowing its attached to them as a player, not of them as a person.

New Years Day 2017. Soccer with former Players from West Valley Elite '91 and Burlingame Ajax '95

This does not mean I am just a happy positive coach, quite the opposite, I am firm and fair giving praise only when earned and am not afraid to step in when I believe standards drop. My background in Sports psychology and my work with Sir Clive Woodward, Dr Gary Russell, Neil and Paul Castle and the Gallup organization has given me an understanding of individual learning styles, personality traits, signature themes and player profiles. Understanding that every player has a unique psychological profile enables me to engage and motivate my players more effectively, I deal with each player-coach interaction differently according to the Individual player involved. I first prioritize the outcome I want from the interaction and then manipulate my coaching style to ensure my message is received in the most productive manner by the player. The exact same message can motivate one player, but crush the feelings of another. The delivery has to be altered. I also use my understanding of sports psychology and environmental confidence to determine which players will more suited to specific situations, manipulating increased chances of development and success whilst limiting chances of unproductive failure.

Deliberate and purposeful learning is a key component to my teaching methodology. Soccer players here in the US do not play soccer nearly enough compared to their piers worldwide, and often the organized practice with the club team is a players onlysoccer in a given week. Its important therefore that every minute of practice is maximized. My behaviors and enthusiasm coupled with the types of activities I select for my practices ensure that not only is the intensity of practice meaningful but practices are intellectually challenging ensuring the mental engagement of the player. I encourage all my players to adopt a growth mindset where effort and learning are rewarded over outcomes or results. We heavily encourage productive mistakes as this means we are pushing ourselves to be better, we set short and long term targets and goals and then we set new ones, we never arrive at our target as the bar is always being raised. Players are continually told that the hardest working players will rise to the top in a hope of portraying self motivationand a dedication to learning.