7 Mistakes I Made - Don't Make The Same Ones!

I made mistakes – Don’t make the same ones!

Youth soccer/football is all about learning and teaches you hundreds of treasured skills

necessary for life on- and off-the-field.

Making mistakes is a tremendously valuable component of ‘the process’ as a youth soccer

player, but what is even more valuable are the learning opportunities that come with them.

My goal here is to share mistakes I made as a youth soccer player and ensure you don’t make the same ones, in hopes that you can move forward constructively, well-informed and enlightened, whether as a player or parent!

My favourite is number 7, so make sure to read till the end!

1) Worry Less About Others

Too often players are over worried about what others are thinking or saying, rather than

focusing that attention on themselves.

Teammates, opponents, coaches, parents, fans, friends; people will always have negative things to say to make up for their own insecurities.

One thing you can do for yourself that will take so much weight off your shoulders is to focus on

yourself, your habits, your performances, and your goals.

Playing up an age group? Great, enjoy it, you deserve that opportunity.

Having a tough game? No problem, that’s football, everyone has tough games and it won’t be your last.

Are teammates talking behind your back? Wicked, that means they’re threatened by you and

your skill, take advantage of that.

At the end of the day, all these other individuals come and go, so forget about what they think.

Always remember you’re in this for yourself.

2) Habits Over Goals

As youth soccer players, we are always invested in our long-term goals and ‘what’s next?’ when it comes to our career.

This is a prized habit to have, but can sometimes become overwhelming and threaten to

overtake our day-to-day thinking processes.

We’re so overcome by our long-term goals, that we forget about the daily habits and steps we need to take in order to reach those goals.

You must ensure as a youth soccer player you instill positive habits that support these long-

term goals, because without daily actionable habits, you won’t get to where you want to go.

3) Mental Training

Taking the next steps in your development as a youth soccer player comes down to more than just your skill on the ball, your speed and agility, and scoring or saving goals.

Your mentality, and the strength of your mentality, must grow with you.

Ensure to train your brain as you would train on the ball.

You wouldn’t train on the ball once a month and expect to improve, would you? No, you would train 5-7 times a week at least to expect improvements over the long term.

Take this approach with your mental training and sport psychology; research strategies and

resources you can use on a day-to-day basis and instill them into your training routine.

4) My Coach Yells At Me More Than The Others - What The Heck!?

As a player, I remember always being concerned when a coach was on my butt more than the others around me - I could win 5 1v1 duels, score 2 goals, and play 8 great passes, with that final poor decision being hammered by the coach.

Meanwhile, my teammate has misplaced 6 passes in a row!

I can’t necessarily speak for all coaches, but in my eyes, this is a good thing.

Oftentimes, coaches who hammer you are often the ones who expect great things from you, and see your skills exceeding that of your teammates.

Take it as a compliment - if your coach really didn’t believe in your ability as a footballer, they wouldn’t expel so much effort on you.

Take it as a compliment, and play on.

5) One Day At A Time

As mentioned previously, youth soccer players can become overtaken by their long-term goals and forget about the importance of each individual day, session, exercise, and rep.

Each individual day and practice build on top of each other to create your long-term goals into a reality.

If you neglect the session tomorrow, or the practice game on the weekend, that’s a day lost,

and a step backwards in terms of your development and reaching your ultimate goal.

Approach each training session as a youth soccer player as an opportunity to improve, learn,

and take a step in the positive direction.

6) Uplift Instead Of Drain

Players who are constantly negative and feel sorry for themselves are unbelievably draining for those around them, and can drag down the intensity and vibe of a session for the players

around them.

How do I know this? Because I’ve been both.

I’ve been the drainer and the drainee, and can’t emphasize enough how important it is not to feel sorry for yourself as a youth soccer player during or after a bad training session or game.

Instead, be the player that continues to encourage and support your teammates, even if you’ve had a tough performance on the day.

It will improve not only the team’s morale, but more importantly, your own, which can hopefully transition into improved performance on the pitch.

7) More Fun, Less Pressure

Take a moment to recognize why you started playing soccer in the first place.

Typically, we begin playing soccer because it’s fun, whether it’s in our backyard, on the street,

or with the ‘Timbits’ soccer league as we call it here in Edmonton, Canada.

As we grow older, the pressure to improve and take the next step grows in importance, which is part of the game if you want to make it to the elite level.

That being said, still find the time to enjoy life as a youth soccer player.

Enjoy the banter with your teammates, your grandparents watching you play, and everyone else around you makes it a positive experience.

Have fun playing matches, going to training, and training on your own, and always remember to enjoy having the ball at your feet whenever you have the opportunity.