Can the pleasure of soccer be taught?
By Coach Gianni Mininni
Can the pleasure of playing soccer and being passionate about it be taught to kids and adults? Yes, of course! Like everything else.
How?
By making them see the right things, listen to the right things and by being an example to them!
Kids are like sponges, particularly in their first years. Did you know that the majority of information stored in our brains in a lifetime is acquired in the first 3 years of our lives, even if we live to be 100?
So, be careful about what you say or do with your children during their first 3 years, because every word and every action will be there FOREVER and will determine their choices, tastes, passions and aspirations for the rest of their lives!
My Early Years
When I was a kid, both of my parents worked so, being an only child, I grew up basically by myself, with someone who was taking care of me, and wasn't really there to educate me! Unfortunately, she was just there and not always. Often I was home alone for many hours when I was only 4.
So, I started early to organize my life doing what I liked most. And that was, from what I remember, listening to music, drawing and playing soccer.
Why? Because these were the 3 things that my father did in his free time!
Musical Foundations
When I was home by myself, I remember as if it were yesterday, through the years growing up, I played the few records that we had over and over again. I can't forget the titles of the pieces, and please consider that I grew up in Milano, Italy. They were:
- "Only You" and "My Prayer" by the Platters
- The musical "West Side Story"
- "Rock Around The Clock"
- "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin
As you can see, a mix of modern classic, musical, easy listening and Rock & Roll. That mix created my 360-degree music taste. Today I can hear rock, country, opera, folk, jazz, classical or chorus, with the same pleasure. That simple selection of pieces gave me a complete musical formation.
Learning Through Observation
I remember when I was 5, my father gave private lessons at night to Architecture students, teaching them how to correctly draw blueprints. Just listening and looking, I was able to put orthogonal projections on paper and learned the rules of perspective drawing, before going to school!
Often my father asked me to show the students how to solve a perspective problem and I can't forget when, around 10 years old, I corrected a teacher who was drawing something wrong on the board. No one taught me directly - I just looked and listened when I was 5, probably 4!
Soccer Education
Coming to soccer, my father, being a professional soccer player before the war, obviously began to teach me soccer when I was little. Unfortunately, a little too hard for my age. More than 50 years ago, the modern technique to teach soccer to kids wasn't invented yet so, he coached me like his professional coach coached him! But, I learned anyway, even if the hard way.
But the passion for soccer, even though I had played for hours every day, came another way. And that is by seeing the greatest players play. LIVE not on TV! (which anyway, is already something.)
It was going to the soccer stadiums that started the real 'addiction'!
Creating Passion
If you'd like your sons and daughters to get passionate about soccer, besides playing it (which is the first ingredient), to really understand and get the right feeling about it:
- Bring them to stadiums to see the 'big guys' play
- When teams from Europe or South America come for exhibition games (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, A.C. Milan, Boca Junior or River Plate), drive hundreds of miles or take a plane to see them
- Just one time in a stadium full of 50-60 thousand people supporting their teams, and the 'magic' will start. And it will be there forever!
When they go back to play, they will try to imitate the champions' moves and style. This will push them to get better, more than all the instructions we try to transfer to them, because they saw directly what it means to be great!
If you are lucky enough to have good soccer skills and play during the weekend, even better. Just looking at you, your kids will dream of one day being on the field like mom and dad and scoring goals.
The Power of Example
Emulation is the greatest motivator. So, just do the right things and say the right words, not necessarily directly to them. They will copy you from the beginning, particularly when they are not talking yet.
The fact that they don't talk yet doesn't mean that they don't listen or see!
As I said at the beginning, through these two senses, they will acquire almost all the information that will accompany them through their life journey. Give them good companions to travel with.
Soccer could be one of them, even if, of course, there are hundreds of other good companions like:
- Books
- Brushes and canvas
- Musical instruments
- Pets
- Traveling
- Sunsets and dawns
- Fires
- Songs
- Movies
- Paintings and sculptures
- Oceans and skies
- Grass and sand
- Blue eyes
- Old t-shirts
And the best companion ever... parents. Real ones. Possibly two!
Thank you for reading!
If you enjoyed this content, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.