Have you had a good coach before? Not just one that motivated you, but that made you want to be your very best?
We have had a coach like that and it made all the difference.
With four of my five kids in soccer for several years, I got the chance to meet and work with various coaches. In a recreational league, volunteer coaches can run the gamut of ability and commitment. There’s the coach that barely makes it to practice and still has to take business calls while there, and a few parents end up running the drills with the kids. There are coaches who are so intense that their consistent yelling can steal the fun from the game. There are as many coaches as there are people loaded with their own talents and foibles that create a decent learning experience for kids.
Let me tell you about our favorite coach. My older son was randomly assigned to him one season. His name is Fadi Barakat. He showed up early to practice and set up cones and was ready to go with drills that didn’t just keep the kids busy, but taught them ball handling skills. My son who was motivated grew tremendously under his mentoring. But it wasn’t just my son, it was all the boys on the team.
I knew Fadi was terrific because he was so positive around the boys. He expected them to be on time and ready to go, and no one wanted to disappoint the coach. He varied up the drills and made sure the kids understood the game. He knew the boys by name and soon learned their strengths and weaknesses and worked with them on both. Fadi coached three soccer teams, one for each of his three sons. Pretty soon, I requested Coach Fadi for my younger son as well. I wanted this amazing experience for all my kids!
I definitely didn’t study Fadi’s ways closely until I was asked to coach my daughter’s soccer team. I really had no clue what I was doing! I went to a High School for the Arts, there were no sports there. So while I had carpooled, cheered and brought plenty of snacks for my kids over the years, I didn’t know how to coach soccer.
My mother in law sweetly mailed me a book to help me get prepared for this team of young ladies. I really was a dummy as the title indicates, I was trying to understand the positions, strategy and seemingly random rules like offsides. After reading through everything and watching YouTube videos on different drills, I ended up going to my son’s soccer practice led by Coach Fadi and taking notes on what he taught and then modeling my practice after his practice! Both of my boys improved under Coach Fadi’s tutelage. They were both prospering as athletes and in sportsmanship. I learned a lot from Coach Fadi! We all did.
Here’s what Fadi did:
- He encouraged everyone!
- He was on time.
- He gave the boys opportunities to play different positions.
- He rotated all of the players.
- He explained clearly his expectations.
- He warmed his players up every time before they went in to play. No one went in cold.
He and his team won game after game! Truly undefeated.
Here’s what Fadi did not do:
- He didn’t raise his voice. (Not even when they were playing!) The kids had to listen hard!
- He never spoke down to the boys.
- He was never rude to a referee or another coach.
- I never heard him swear, not once during years of games or practices. He was a constant role model.
I just googled Coach Fadi and he is still coaching! He has volunteer coached for 18 years so far. How amazing is that? I wasn’t surprised to see his team just won the state championship. There are still boys receiving great training in sports and in life from a terrific role model.
We have had dozens of volunteer and professional coaches work with our kids in different sports since Coach Fadi and I can solidly say none were as good. Many have been wonderful, but none were as prepared and as encouraging.
So is this post intended for would be volunteer soccer coaches? It could be. However, I would like to think that Coach Fadi’s ways represent not just an outstanding coach, but a great human. A human who knows how to treat other with respect and not talk down to them. Under his positive, prepared and uplifting ways, all the boys on his team improved.
Aren’t we all a little bit like coaches in our own lives? We interact with others everyday and do our interactions leave the people around us better off? Are we encouraging, prepared and positive in person and on line? One good coach can make a huge difference, but if all of us chose not to raise our voices and treated everyone in our sphere of influence with respect…Imagine the amazing difference that could make.
Thanks Coach Fadi! It has been a few years and yet your good influence remains. We are grateful.
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