NBC SOCCER CAMPS

“Leave it all on the field …with a Great Attitude”
by Matt Leonard

"The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is to play on the one string we have and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes."Charles Swindoll

Attitude plays a huge role in how we compete as athletes and soccer players. I’m reminded of this every time I read those words by Chuck Swindoll. Every time we lace up the boots and cross the white lines, we also have an opportunity as soccer players to make a choice on how we will react, how we respond to difficulties in the game, and what we leave the field thinking.

The following are a few examples and tips on how we can positively impact the game through our choice of a ‘Positive Mental Attitude’ every time we play!

• Players should not say "I can't" or give excuses. "I'll try and do me best" is acceptable.
  
  
• Respond positively to the coach. Never talk back or argue. Their job is to help you become a better player. Do your best to listen and learn from them.
  
  
• Instead of criticizing a teammate, help them learn the technique or tactical skill by showing them in the game or practice how to do the correct skill.
  
  
• Do not say anything to a referee. Sometimes they will make mistakes, just as we do. If all of your players made as few mistakes as the referees in a game, the team would be undefeated every season. Do your part to remain positive!
  
  
• Regardless of whether you win, lose, or tie, if you have given your best effort, played fair, and respected your opponent when you walk off the field, you should have no regrets and should be able to hold your head high!

The challenge before you is to leave your best performance on the field everyday! It is a difficult but rewarding task! Best of luck in your spring season and we look forward to seeing you at camp this summer!  

NBC Camps: The Total Camp for the Total Athlete


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