Welcome to the fourth article in my soccer series "There's more to life than just soccer." I was reading an interesting article recently by none other than Alex Ferguson, current manager of Manchester United and a man who has basically won it all north and south of the border. It was about achieving greatness. Fair enough, I thought, the man is qualified to speak to that topic.
It seems that the average Joe sees the "total soccer player" as someone with great technical skills. Now note I said the average Joe, not this Joe. This Joe is among the more serious fan, coach, player, who is well aware of the fact that, in addition to great technical skills, many other qualities combine to make greatness. Let's mention a few such qualities.
- Awareness of what's happening or going to happen on the field
- Communication skills, especially nonverbal ones
- Willingness to take charge and assume responsibility
The greatest players in the world developed technical skills, and some combination of these other attributes mentioned through hard work, discipline and dedication that, believe it or not, begins at home at a young age.
Doing your math homework develops mental agility. Sounds like a good reason to me. Science can teach you why the ball does what it does. Sounds interesting to me. Writing exercises your imagination helps you be a more creative player. Effective communicating involves listening as well as talking. Make yourself understood and understand what others are saying to you. Would you be prepared to buy into the theory that if you are slack in school, you are more likely to slack off during a soccer match. Great players are willing to do their fair share, and then do some more.
Now just a second, Joe. I thought you said there was more to life than just soccer. This sounds like everything is related to soccer. Schoolwork! Come on! Well, if Alex Ferguson thinks there's more to life than soccer, who am I to disagree? But if he thinks that applying yourself to schoolwork enhances your chances of being a good soccer player, I'm not going to argue that one either. Of course, any analogy can be stretched to fit the occasion, but it just goes to show that true greatness in soccer may well require being a "great" person to begin with. Practice and play at 100 per cent. Always give it your best shot. Your attitude determines your altitude. Always liked that line since I stole it from Peter Legge. Don't know whom he stole it from. Be a great friend, brother, sister, student, etc, and maybe some day, you'll be a great player.
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