Soccer Practice and Coach Dad

My daughter Sarah(beara) starts playing youth soccer tonight. I am proud of her. I have a hard time holding back the tears when I watch my youngins work hard and play.

Last night I fitted Sarah(beara) with her shin gaurds and socks. Of course we had to go test them out. With total enthusiasm Sarah said she was amazed at how much faster they made her, how much harder she could kick the ball, and how her ankles bent easier.

I coached her through some drills of the basics - dribbling, passing, kicking, etc. She is a coaches dream because she is so teachable and follows directions exactly. But because of her precise obedience though I had to undo some coaching.

Toward the end of our drills I showed her how when she got really good she'd be able to dribble the ball without having to look directly down on it all the time. I told her she'd become better at sensing where the ball is, and that will help because she will be able to move faster and see defenders coming at her. I told her I think she had the talent to do that really soon if she practiced hard.

As a side note, I never played soccer, I played hockey and in that sport you better keep your head up because you'll get decked if not. I was one of those players who looked for the head hangers and then I'd make a charge. Most of the time I'd win and flatten the guy.

Anyways, Sarah wanted to show Daddy how she could hold her head up already. She started dribbling. I was impressed because she kicked the ball a few times. She kept going for another ten steps, but without the ball. Then she ran back to kick the ball and totally wiffed. The whole time her eyes were on me! Like I said, I am so proud of her, but I told her for now to ignore what Daddy said about all the "keep your head up" stuff.