When playing football against tough opponents the key to winning is to maintain composure by sticking to the game plan outlined by the coach.
Experienced coaches know that sound strategy combined with disciplined and persistent effort will achieve team objectives.
Too often in season 2019 one of the football sides I followed became undisciplined with players losing their tempers and penalising the team.
Aristotle the philosopher said its okay to get angry about events so long as it’s with the right person or thing, at the right time, for the right reason, to the right degree for the right purpose. He was arguing that there is a place for emotion – even anger – but it ought to have utility, purpose or meaning. The great danger in strong emotions like love, anger, hatred and so on, is the ability they have to derail reason.
The old saying is: ‘Anger makes you stupid.’ Players are not at their rational best when high emotions are playing on thoughts and distracting them.
A players focus should be on calm cool detachment in a zone of ‘optimal concentration’. Managing his overall emotional state will be central to optimum performance.
‘Whatever you have on your mind, ignore it, just concentrate on 
cutting.’
Musashi Miyamoto, Japanese sword- master (1584 – 1645). Master of martial arts and strategy, his feats with a sword were matched by his skills in strategic warfare.
The capacity to be patient and persistent is essential in the armory of coaches and players alike. Persistence is tied up with the will and determination to keep going this ignites our internal engine to keep us working to achieve our goals.
Patience will be the quality of mind to see our plans through to their conclusion.
Along the way, assimilating new knowledge and new skills, techniques and ideas can be time consuming, but impatience can easily create anxiety and tension that can militate against ideal learning.
It is a necessity to be vigilant about making progress. Patience is not incompatible with this vigilance.
It just reminds us that seeing something through to its conclusion, sometimes we will stumble. As Mick Malthouse quoted; ‘The ox is slow but the earth is patient.’
This page is dedicated to Sue and Pete Haynes of Midland Hiab & Haulage 227 Patterson Road, Pickering Brook WA 6076 who proudly sponsor the Pickering Brook Football Club. sue@midlandhiabandhaulage.com.au
