What is so Important About Commitment?Commitment makes The Soccer Sidelines "Important Stuff" list across all categories: parents, players, coaches, and volunteers. Commitment is a basic building block of the foundation for every youth athlete and is something that each member of a community - from parents and coaches, to organization leadership and volunteers - all have a responsibility to model and promote. If you're wondering - how can a volunteer influence a player's understanding of commitment, just consider the volunteer who fails to show up for an important job like washing team pinnies. Every player will literally be clothed in the stench of a failed commitment. Don't think they won't notice that some adult didn't follow through on their commitment to wash those pinnies. Commitment is something that is so ubiquitous in the youth sports environment, that we often fail to recognize it as an important actor in the shaping of our player's character. Commitment as a PlayerFor many players, youth sports may not be their first exposure to the concept of commitment, but it may be the most profoundly personal experience with it. The first time a youth athlete experiences lactic acid buildup in their muscles usually comes with being physically and mentally tired, they may be surprised when coach tells them to get some exercise to help them feel better. Players get a chance to practice commitment every day in youth sports - in both big and small ways. From getting out of bed on time to feeding and hydrating themselves, to supporting team mates, players start to understand the meaning of being "all in." They stand a much better chance of absorbing this message if we are intentional about communicating it - both at home and on the pitch. Youth sports may be the first environment where players get to exercise their commitment to something bigger than themselves. Committing to a team, to fellow players, to their own development as a way to support their team as opposed to as a way to make themselves look better, or to the game of soccer in general are all examples of this extra level of commitment in action. I recently had an opportunity to ask a few of my high school aged players about commitment and what they are committed to. A small group of my players did not register in time to get placed on my team. In one case, the player said he registered, but didn't. The second case, Dad wrote me a note asking for his son to be placed back on my team. In the third case, the player wrote me a note explaining why he missed registration and why he wanted to play. In all three cases, I was looking for clues as to what the player was committed to and how committed they are. The first player just faded away. It seems that the registration process was too hard, so he gave up trying. The second player was absent as well. His dad was doing all the talking so I got no sense of what the player is committed to. The third player wrote me several paragraphs about why he was late and why we was trying to get back on the team after registration had closed. To paraphrase his comments, they were about being committed to himself and his own fun. I was looking for evidence of commitment to his team mates, to his coach, or to the game of soccer - I only found commitment to himself and the fun he thought he would or would not have. I can tell you as a coach and as the President of a Club, if a player shows up with a commitment to his team, the sport, his team mates - in short - something bigger than him or herself, I would move mountains to support that player. When all I see or hear in terms of commitment are proxy commitments from parents (who may want their kid to play more than the kid does) - when I see a half effort and then a fold, or if I see the main commitment is selfish, I'm not terribly motivated to go above and beyond. Now, I might still help, but it's the kids who show that they have commitment to something greater than themselves who really grab attention. Player Commitment Examples (ways to practice Commitment): It takes commitment to get to practice It takes commitment to get to practice on time Playing well takes commitment to others on your team - in good times and in bad check It takes commitment when our bodies are tired and worn out to get back up and keep goingcheck It takes commitment to ourselves and our team mates to improve ourselves at homecheck It takes commitment to stay on top of homework and other extra-curricular activities and participate in youth sportscheck It takes commitment to give our team mates the best of ourselves during games and practicescheck It takes commitment to our team mates to show what it means to you for them to commit to uscheck It takes commitment to show up to games on time and in good shapecheck It takes commitment to proper diet and staying hydrated so that we can honor the commitments we made to our team matescheck It takes commitment to our principles to conduct ourselves in a sportsmanlike manner - even when emotions run highcheck As players get older (high school), it takes commitment to get registered on time, get uniform and kit items on time, and get ourselves into shape before the season startscheck Players get to learn how to juggle multiple commitments as they grow - hopefully with a little help from Mom, Dad, and coachCommitment as a ParentPlayers might not be interested in going back to practice at all after a hard workout, but mom and dad remind them of their commitment to be there with their team - to train as a unit, and how important it is to get out there when we made the commitment to do so. More importantly than the things mom and dad's say are the things that moms and dads do. Parents show by example their level of commitment to each other, to their kids, to other people and projects in their lives. A kid that knows when mom or dad commits to being in a certain place or taking on a task - that's it's as good as done. When a kid sees that when mom or dad make a commitment to a project and don't just do the bare minimum, but make sure that the job got done right, the lessons of commitment rub off. Parents are committing right alongside every youth athlete to support them on and off the field: driving duties, buys gear, helping them to manage their time between homework, other life obligations, and practicing on and off the pitch. Parents who support a player who wants to go out and put some more touches on the ball, who help kids balance multiple commitments, and who make sure player's honor their commitments to their team SHOW, in what amounts to a powerful lesson, the importance of commitment in life. One great way to be obvious about commitment is to volunteer to help out in some way with the Club, school, or other sports organization. Players are volunteering, right? So are Mom and Dad. When Mom or Dad volunteers, it sends a clear positive message to kids: what you're doing matters, we're in this together, and I am committing right alongside you. Volunteering provides ample opportunity to demonstrate commitment in real ways. Parent Commitment Examples (ways to show Commitment): It takes commitment to get to practice It takes commitment to get to practice on time Working with others in good times and in badcheck It takes commitment when our bodies are tired and worn out to get back up and keep goingcheck It takes commitment to ourselves and our family to improve ourselves at homecheck It takes commitment to stay on top of projectscheck It takes commitment to give our community the best of ourselves during the season and between seasonscheck It takes commitment to our team mates to show what it means to you for them to commit to uscheck It takes commitment to keep in good shapecheck It takes commitment to eat a proper diet and stay hydrated check It takes commitment to our principles to conduct ourselves in a sportsmanlike manner - even when emotions run highcheck It takes commitment to get players registered on time, and get uniform and kit items on timecheck Kids learn how to juggle multiple commitments as they watch Mom and Dad juggle their many commitmentsCommitment as a CoachAll of the items above make for great pre and post practice discussion topics during the season. If players are old enough to participate in an adult supervised (two adults) text chat group, then these topics can (and often do) come up in the off season as well. Coaches, in my opinion,I once had a player show up at one of my practices. Practice as already in session, and I was surprised to see him. This young man is athletic, dedicated both on and off the pitch, and one of many players I truly enjoy coaching. But I wasn't happy to see him that day. He was playing for another team, and his other team had a game that day. It turns out that he left his team to come to my practice. He explained that his coach wasn't coaching, that the team wasn't doing well, and that he wasn't treated the way he felt he should be by the other coach or his team mates. I was personally flattered that he had chosen my team over the other team. My boys had frequently talked about how the coaching they got on my team was much better than the coaching they were getting on their other team. I guess I could have praised him for making a great decision and getting a good workout in instead of playing a kind of soccer I personally find unappealing. However, he knew he had done something wrong when he saw my face. "Did you make a commitment to that other team?" I asked him. "Yes." he said."Are your team mates out there playing right now without your support?" I asked him. "Yes." he said. "I should have stayed?" he asked "Yes.
