Being Coached Part V: It Takes All Types of Characters

What makes up a great team? A solid goalie, smothering defenders, ferocious midfielders, and savage strikers?
Not entirely.  You need a cast of characters that carry you through the highs, lows, and twists and turns of a season.  You want players to take the game seriously, but also those who can make themselves laugh.  

When leagues choose their teams they look at how to make the them competitive and fun.  Sometimes you can't have one without the other.  I've been fortunate to have teams that have finished the whole range of 0-8 to 7-0-1 records. 

• Winning is fun
• Losing is not typically fun - but you can make it fun
• Never being competitive (winning or losing) is ALWAYS awful, and awkward at times

Whether you can choose your players or not, find the chemistry of your crew and learn where they can build synergies with their "like" players and those that aren't.  This will make your team fun to be on and ultimately stick in their memories of whether or not they enjoy playing the game.

• Let the players express themselves in practice - you'll see where they excel and what they enjoy.  Roll with their perceived insanity and guide in within the rules of the game.
• Move players around even if they're excelling in a position - they'll be a balanced player and see the game from new angles. You can always move players back as needed.
• Encourage players to "switch" during the games temporarily as situations develop - few games are won when all players occupy only their own square meters of grass the whole game
• Create a lingo with your team that signals formations, a "switch", a "drop", an "cross", etc. - opponents understand the standard lingo and react.  Just make it respectful, but fun.
• Take the one-on-one chances to talk to a player as they are waiting to enter a game - this is where you can see what they see and ask some silly questions to lighten their mood.
• Most importantly, don't prejudge your team at any point.  You can take these characters and improve their team play if they are enjoying themselves.  Miserable players don't learn much and lose more often.

Coaches can make or break how they remember their experience as a player.

At the conclusion of the "Being Coached" series, I'll share some characteristics of the players who typically enjoy and excel at the various positions (goalie, defenders, midfielders, strikers, and coaches).  These won't be the "perfect size" or the "perfect pedigree"...as I've said this is less relevant than the right character.