Zuriel Lozano
Humility in athletics
For the last several years parents and goalkeepers to include field players have complained about the arrogance & attitudes that youth clubs, their coaches & athletes have displayed ALL OVER THE US. However, NO PARENT dares to challenge these programs because they FEAR clubs will take it out on their kids. Sadly, THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME and we still ignore it as if it never happens!!
Words such as ARROGANCE, EGO and GREED became more evident after the US Men’s soccer team failed to qualify the World Cup 2018 & failed to qualify the last two Olympics. Now MILLIONS of people realized arrogance & EGOS control most all soccer programs in the US. But people also realized that soccer in the US, is a sport for the PRIVILEGED.
It is now very clear that Youth clubs and the US Soccer Federation are all about money. The evidence is in the outrages Youth club fees, tournaments fees, ridiculous COACHING LICENSES and the list goes on….all of this generates money but it does NOT HELP create world class goalkeepers & field players.
Also notice, only those players who go OUTSIDE THE US to play professionally (Goalkeeper Tim Howard, Dempsey, Donovan, Pulisic etc) come back to the US as Elite athletes & an entire higher level.
I currently work with professional goalkeepers such as Jose Calderon, Goalkeeper from the Panama National Team & Panama goalkeeper coach, Didier Munoz; (Panama recently qualified for World Cup Russia 2018 for the very first time in their country history). Panama National team have limited medical equipment to take care of the players, little money to hire more staff, they don’t even have an official training facility, they have to borrow soccer fields to train; but despite all of these obstacle they always seem to have a strong desire to succeed and get the job done for their Flag & Country.
Then you have teams like the US with massive facilities, huge coaching staff, lots of money, big endorsements and all the fame and attention they want, but continue to struggle against small central American soccer teams; some US players even make fun of the conditions outside the US and even complain about other countries field conditions, weather etc. This attitude radiates down to Youth clubs, youth club Directors, coaches, players, colleges & so on.
The biggest missing virtue here is HUMILITY. Here’s how HUMILITY will change your life:
BEING HUMBLE DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE WEAK, INFERIOR OR HELPLESS. BUT IT WILL FORTIFIED YOUR MENTAL ATTITUDE.
Being humble is a virtue that teaches goalkeepers or any athlete the ability to listen, understand, solve problems, see things differently, teaches you to be patient and HELPS YOU TAKE & ACCEPT CRITICISM with NO problems at all.
Being humble allows you to grow intellectually, physically and spiritually. This is a virtue that lets you see the world with a realistic view, and not be BIAS. But the most important part of being humble is that it allows you to stay away from COMPLAINING ABOUT EVERYTHING or blaming others for anything that goes wrong. Humility gives you the chance to ADAPT & OVERCOME any situation
For example, today we have so many local soccer coaches, goalkeepers & field players that will NOT play a game or pick-up game unless they have PROPER FIELD CONDITIONS (good grass, goals, nets, cones, flags etc).
Humility will help you take a STEP BACK and analyze things with open mind and HONESTY:
am I good enough goalkeeper or field player? is my child good enough to play in the top team? is my son REALLY going to play professionally or in college? is my child strong enough? am I scared? Do I need help?….these are sample questions that only those with HUMBLE spirit will be able to see clearly, make a SINCERE decision about what to do next and move forward.
In conclusion:
DO NOT CONFUSE HUMILITY with WEAKNESS.
Being humble is a virtue that will change your entire outlook in life and it will even help you find realistic GOALS, SOLUTIONS or anything you want to accomplish in life. Top athletes in the world who’ve made remarkable things, many came from humble beginnings. However, this does not mean that only those from poor backgrounds will be humble, but it does make you appreciate everything that you have.
HUMILITY makes you realize that in life, you don’t ALWAYS get what you want and you don’t always have to be the winner, you simply keep going with a different attitude, BE HUMBLE!!
More to explorer
Who stresses more during games parents or athletes?
Nervous soccer parents
Understanding Athlete Burnout
Athlete burnout is defined by Sport Psychologists as: physical/emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, reduced athletic performance and accomplishment”. Burnout can occur at a VERY YOUNG AGE. I’ve personally met many 12 yrs old with serious signs of burnout. But sadly there are a number of parents who refuse to believe their kids are too young to burnout, instead they insist that
Goalkeeper coaching styles
There is a BIG difference between TRAINING a goalkeeper and DEVELOPING a goalkeeper. I’m very sure that you have encountered many coaches, who, before they even say their names, they talk about their winning records, championships, their “national rankings” and their tons of certifications they’ve gained over the years. It seems as if their egos and history of winning records