Loving the Grind

I’ve always found that it’s easier to be motivated when you’re responsibility is simply to show up to organized training sessions or you have a ton of games and not much time to think. There’s no choice to be made, and often the team momentum pushes you through any lulls. 

Sometimes it’s helpful to break up this momentum, and I’ve  found that down time or an off-season are what separate players from being average, good, or great. A coach once told me, “If you do the same thing as everybody else, you’ll be like everybody else.” Seems logical, right? But when I actually applied this to my life as an athlete it struck me pretty hard. The things I’ve done over the years—and still do today—that are different than other players are what make me unique. And it’s the same for you. 

What are the things you do on a regular basis that are a bit different? What are the things you could do that are different? Maybe it’s extra work with the ball to sharpen strengths or improve weaknesses. Maybe it’s playing another sport or participating in a different activity that gives you a competitive edge when it comes to soccer. Maybe it’s through watching the game differently than others see it. Or maybe it’s something else that I can’t even fathom, which makes you who you are as a person and an athlete. 

As a youth player, there was a ton going on for me all year ‘round. If it wasn’t outdoor league games and tournaments, we played indoors all winter where I grew up in New Jersey. I’d play small-sided on turf fields indoors, or even on gym floors. At first this always seemed like a disadvantage, when players in warmer parts of the country could play outside all year. But then I started to realize that these environments were allowing me to add nuances to my game that I couldn’t have otherwise. And it all certainly made me appreciate a sunny day and a soft, green grass field!

As a college player and now professional, I’ve learned a lot about a lull in an organized playing schedule. Often we have months on end with no team training sessions or games. This can be very detrimental to continued improvement, but only if I don’t take full advantage of the time. I’ll be honest, it can be really tough to make my own schedule. I have to make sure I’m staying sharp technically, getting to play in game-like situations, keeping fit, and continuing to work on speed/agility/strength in the weight room. When you don’t have a group of teammates around you and there’s no coach to dictate what you do, it really does become a grind. You may know exactly what I mean and have experienced it during these winter months.

I’ve learned to love the grind, though, because how we approach the grind is what makes us unique. For you and your teammates, it may simply be about who continues to put in the work and find places to play and train during off time. On the professional level, most everyone is training but now it becomes about exactly what players are doing and the environments we are all able to create to accomplish our goals. 

I wake up every morning, bundle up, and head out to play small-sided with a group of local guys and girls. Then I often stay at the field to do some extra technical work and/or fitness. Two to three times a week I also work in the weight room with a Performance Coach. Additionally, I’m trying to do yoga as often as possible and also watch as much soccer as I can. Sometimes I’m exhausted and I know I can easily just not show up. After all, no one is forcing me to do this all. But I love this grind. I don’t love it because I enjoy training on a freezing, windy day or because I want to feel so sore it hurts to sit on the toilet. I love it because it’s what defines me as a player and makes me unique. 

Treasure the bits of time you have with no travel or organized games (even if it’s just a week here or there). This is time you can use to consider how you are unique and how you can continue to Fuel Your Fire. I call these times the “grind,” but that word for me holds a positive connotation. I love the grind, because it's what makes us special. 

Peace, love, futbol

Yael

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