Two young fish were swimming along one day on their favorite morning route when they approached an older, wiser fish – the older, wiser fish nodded at the youngins and said “Mornin’, how’s the water?”

The youngins nodded, swam further, and soon one of the young fish turned to the other young fish and said, “What the heck is water?”.

The point of this story is that many times in life the most obvious realities are the ones hardest to see, especially if you’re totally engulfed in this reality.

As a Coach & observer, it’s easy to identify the disappointing Chaos that so many soccer parents face day to day, week to week, season after season.

The club politics, playing time, misleading coaches, the “passionate” screaming parents, the whispers, the gossip about who’s playing where, for how many minutes, etc. etc.

This is the Chaos.

You’re either in it and unaware of it, or you’re in it and aware of it.

Your level of awareness may very well dictate how your player develops and the success of their career.

The truth is, when it comes to your player’s development, all of this “noise” can be a negative burden that will slowly chip away at their growth as a player, and become a hindrance to their future success.

Players shouldn’t have to be faced with all of this BS. They should be able to just play the game, learn, compete the way they love, and have the courage to fail without worrying about all of the drama or implications of their mistakes.

But this is not their reality.

Most players are either consciously or subconsciously influenced by this drama.

You and your player have 2 options.

Option 1

You continue to be engulfed in the water around you, contributing to the Chaos, and adding unnecessary weight to your player’s growth & development.

Or

Option 2

You and your player chose a different path – an alternative path, that will lead to your player’s ability to overcome any environment, and acquire the skills, knowledge, resources, & support to take on this Chaos with love, passion, courage, and grace.

The best players can rise above.

Today, I’d like to show you how my players, my parents, and my team have been secretly rising above the Chaos.

When you have a different level of awareness, and you have the tools, strategies, & understandings to rise above… you will see a leader emerge in your player.

Despite the challenges they may be currently facing, whether it’s lingering self-doubt, lack of confidence, or feelings of anxiousness… or even if they’re beginning to lose that fire, that spark, or that love for the game that you once saw – these new understandings will bring their true competitive instincts back to life.

No need to boast about your player’s new soccer trainer, or the new elite camp they went to… you can let your player’s game do the talking.

Parents ask me all the time, “Coach, how do I know when my player is making this transformation?”

The fact is this, when your player learns these tools and applies them the right way, your player's Coach, and the other parents on your team will ask you, “What are you doing with your Child!?”

That’s when you’ll know.

You or your player won’t have to say a word.

Your player can continue to thrive and dominate, and the others will be left scratching their head.

___

Lucas Zeiler
MSM Performance Academy
Coach & Co-CEO