Getting Better at Soccer. It's The SAME as Business.
This is going to be what I think is an interesting read. It is introspective into my life as a coach, which few here probably know, but it is a big part of my day-to-day (outside of business).
I certainly was not born to be a coach, and I did not even want to coach when I started out. But it has been a bit of a revelation to me and has offered me a new perspective on many of the smaller nuances in life and how we develop and get better as humans.
In fact, I have learned something big from the sports world, something I wish I had known at an early age. I would not say my parents were not great supporters, because they were very supportive. But I was never taught some basic principles that I feel could have helped me a lot.
(1) Practice more than your competition.
Most kids go to practice, and that is it. Then the parents expect their kid to somehow compete at a higher level. If every single kid in the world practiced the same amount, the natural athletes would rise to the surface.
That is not the reality, though.
A good athlete and more practice will win against any natural athlete who practices the same as everyone else any day of the week. So if you have natural abilities, or you do not, it does not matter if you are willing to practice more than others.
As an aside, I play soccer with my 8‑year‑old every night for 15 minutes; I did this with my now 11‑year‑old as well. I am not a soccer alumnus; I just realized that kids who had a feel for the ball, knew how to pass, and could react quickly to a pass were better.
Through the course of one year, we did probably 200 touches on the soccer ball per night, so 75,000 single touches more than any other 8‑year‑old per year. Simple math, and it seems nominal on a nightly basis, but this adds up. Imagine next year trying to tell a kid that in order to catch up, they need to perform 75,000 single touches.
It's not happening.
Practice outside of practice. That is, practice more than the others around you, and you will see greater results from your skill advancements. The exact same logic goes for business: those who work harder are more skilled and achieve more success.
(2) Practice the right things.
You can practice things that don't work all day, and then you master things that “don't work” well. Sounds comical, and it is.
So practice different things, fail at some, succeed at others. Then, when you find what succeeds, do that a lot. We often spend too much time on things that are not “success oriented.” You have to practice the skills that you need to perfect in order to be successful at the outcome you are after.
For example, if you are running a YouTube channel, you have to focus on the things that matter to your success. Create videos like the ones you have noticed getting the best results, and do not waste your time on videos that are not getting results. But you have to try new things and find out what works and what does not.
Then get better at the things that are leading to successes. That also optimizes your time and productivity.
(3) Practice like you want to play.
If you are lazy when you practice, you will be lazy when it is showtime. You see those goofing around in practice who tend to perform poorly in the game. It is because their practice habits directly transfer.
Do not procrastinate. Do not skip steps just so you can pretend in your brand you have created more efficiency.
If you want to play with the experts and play hard when it matters, you have to take this approach at all times to your game or business. That is what will lead to the big payoff.
A high achiever in sports is not any different than a high achiever in business. It comes down to practice, but not the team practices that everyone else is doing. It comes down to the practices that only you participate in—the extra effort.
These are the things I have learned. I’m not saying they are all perfect, but I think they all offer unique insights into success at absolutely anything.
Recent Comments
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Hi Kyle!
Thanks for the great analogy between success in soccer and success in business!
Indeed, getting better at anything you do in life requires practice and more practice. Those who are willing to go the extra mile will always succeed at whatever they do.
Your post is greatly appreciated. Wishing you the very best!
Kind regards,
Nichola
Absolutely, practice and taking action is a requirement to success. And if you do a bit more than the next person, you are going to improve your chances of success drastically. Through time, it becomes very difficult for your competition to actually catch up. ;)
True words! It becomes extremely difficult for your competition to catch up with you once you practice, drill, rehearse and take action. 😀😍
Hello. wonderful post, awesome stuff DAD. Whatever you think, YOU CAN or weather YOU CAN'T you're right. Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts. Success depends upon previous preparation , and without such preparation there is sure to be failure. Positive mind, Positive vibes, Positive LIFE. Be a warrior, not a worrier. you can do it, everybody can do it, I can do it, you can do what you want to do.. Have a great day people. see you later JON.
The courage to continue, that is exactly it. We all hit walls in our path to get better at something. Some people throw in the towel because it is "too hard", and others keep pushing forward, keep practicing and keep working hard. Who succeeds? The latter, every time.
Success is not a mystery, there is a formula and it simply is usually working a bit harder than the person that is next to you. ;)
Good morning Kyle,
Thank you for your post, Kyle, it's appreciated.
I think most of us, we have to work at things, I guess in sports and business, there may be a low percentage of people were it just comes really naturally to them. However, in normal terms, we have to grow in knowledge or fitness, whatever the case may be.
Unfortunately, it appears with online businesses, some people expect almost overnight success, but we know that in reality it's not like this. I don't know any successful business people, who haven't worked hard and probably had lots of failures, but kept going forward.
It's interesting that when I was at school I really disliked learning. However, learning about Internet marketing, playing a musical instrument, learning Greek, etc, is great fun, when it's something that we really have a passion for! Incidentally, these were all things that I never saw myself doing! I guess it's also important to find a niche that we have a passion for, or I believe it is, it certainly makes it much easier to write blog posts.
Thanks for the inspiration, Kyle.
Have a great day.
Roy
The reality is we can learn anything we want, and be great at those very things. Adding a little passion will make it much easier to achieve a higher level of success simply because when you are interested in something, you are willing to dedicated much more time to it and thus you will naturally get better.
And it isn't just business that people think they can get better simply by showing up at the same time as everyone else. It is everything, and I have seen this play out in sports for kids. 99% wont' practice outside of practice, and those that do will have a real competitive advantage and it actually only takes a few minutes per day to achieve. ;)
That's very true, Kyle! I must admit that if I haven't got a passion for something, it's much harder to become motivated. However, it's a joy to do something that we have a passion for.
Your last paragraph is an interesting fact, Kyle. I guess the extra few minutes each day adds up to a lot of extra time over a month or year. When I was playing guitar regularly, I would literally practice at least twice a day, sometimes it may only have been only for five or ten minutes, but it did make a huge difference.
Have a fantastic day.
Roy
I can definitely confirm this from a swimming perspective.
My daughter used to swim for Oxford City swimming club when she was a child. Most children just went to evening training twice a week, but as they progressed, they were expected to also go to early morning training (starting at 6 am) 5 days a week with a swimming gala on the Saturday. Watching those children 'plough' up and down the pool doing 20 lengths of each stroke just as warm-up before training proper even started made you realize why only the most determined would ever make it to the top. They had to be organized, with their school things packed, breakfast packed, to get to school on time. (School in England starts just before 9 am.) In those days we didn't have a car and I would cycle with her (in winter in the dark and freezing cold) to the swimming pool and back. She had already done 90 minutes training before her classmates had even got out of bed. This is a sport where a hundredth of a second can be the difference between winning a medal or not.
I am sure you are right that the same applies in business. Those who are excited about what they are creating, will use every spare minute to practise the skills they need,
Isabella
Great story here Isabella and thanks for sharing. The same thing applies to every sport, and if you read about any of the famous athletes and their work ethic, they were always in the "gym" before anyone else, and stayed after everyone left....or in your case, in the pool.
Apply that same thing business. Most will show up for an hour, read a few things, maybe try something, and then expect results. Those that push forward, persevere and go above and beyond that the normal expectations are, are those that really succeed.
Practice makes perfect, but also gives you a stark competitive advantage...and fast.
For sure!
For anyone who has not, go read James Clear "The Power of Habit". There are other books such as "Peak" and "Breadth" that are interesting as well.
The "practice like you want to play" is really important. Slow down and get the motion down first. Then do it faster and faster - over and over - building speed into your skill.
This is how we build success!
Nice one, @Kyle!
... and there's SCIENCE behind it!
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I am with you totally on the practice more, but I am not with you on the work hard part. I know what you meant Kyle, but intentionally want to take that word somewhere else.
If one feels that they are working hard, then there is something not right. It is either they are working in the wrong time, in the wrong industry, with the wrong tools.
I always believed that work is fun, it is a fun place to be at. Why does a person stay 100s of hours on a PlayStation. If it was hard, they will go to sleep.
I was going to comment with a simple "I agree," because i totally agree with you. Those who practice more, have a much greater advantage than anybody else ( - Luck).
But then the philosophical discussion started running in my head, so thought I would share it.