getting better each day - weaker opponents edition

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring break, and is looking forward to getting back to it on Monday evening. We start out with a bang on Tuesday, against perhaps our toughest opponent of the season - Ralston Valley. I mentioned in an earlier post that I love to schedule very challenging games in our nonconference schedule. I would much prefer to play meaningful, preparatory matches than not. Today's post title obviously does not refer to them!

In the last several years, our conference, Jeffco 4a, has become increasingly bifurcated-  a grouping of highly competitive teams at the top end- Evergreen, Green Mountain, D'Evelyn, Golden, Dakota Ridge, Standley Lake - who vie for the league title and typically make the state playoffs annually. But there is also a group of less competitive teams who have, of late, not made for highly competitive opponents.In fact, it is not uncommon for the sixth place league team to beat the eighth place team by a fairly lopsided margin for instance.

Here is my approach to those games:

1. Since we have so many of these less competitive games, I feel as if it is very important to still get something out of the game. I ask players to focus on defensive pressure, and not allow the other team to complete passes. I ask us in turn to limit our touches on the ball so that we keep up our pace of play. And I ask us to work on our patterns of play and our finishing. We still attempt to play the game the right way and to finish whenever possible, and yes, as often as possible. It is always good to work on your finishing.

2. It is important to respect the teams we’re playing against. It is my opinion that it's better to play at your absolute best, and seek the best possible results, as opposed to worrying about running up the score. I preach to our players that it is honestly more respectful of the other team if we approach the game with purpose and try to play your best. It is important to have outstanding sportsmanship, and that means neither ridiculing, nor playing down to, your opponents.

3. These lower level opponents this year (when our roster is essentially one large roster) also give us the special opportunity for players who will be playing varsity in the near future, to get some meaningful playing time this year and to prepare for that future moment.

During every practice or game, we are either developing good habits or bad ones, and we are either preparing for the next game, or we are not.  You are either getting better, or you are not. I think this approach over the years has helped us to build good habits and stay focused for when we have a tough game down the road in the playoffs.

Coach