A Great Soccer Player Is One Who Can Identify His Strengths & Weaknesses

Being a soccer player is one thing which is quite usual because soccer is a global sport which is loved by over four billion people. However, to be an extremely good soccer player is an entirely different thing because excellence is achieved through hard-work only. In the eyes of Avram Grant however a quality soccer player is the one who can identify his strengths and weaknesses and then improve them accordingly.

Identifying The Strengths & Weaknesses

There are several strengths which a soccer player possesses individually which include amongst others mental and physical fitness. Other than that, a soccer player should also be a master in soccer techniques and, most importantly, must know how the art of controlling the ball. For that quality soccer players are required to be fit physically as well as mentally. At the same time, a player’s fitness should be top-notch for having long-lasting endurance. But when it comes to main strength, then definitely mental health overcomes a player’s physical strength.

Then there are weaknesses which every player has and almost all the great players knew about their strengths as well as weaknesses. With the help of rigorous training, they then improved their strengths and overcome their weaknesses by developing skills in the specific areas where they were weak. Yet the most crucial aspect was they were able to identify their strengths and weaknesses which in itself is a virtue much needed in every exceptional soccer player.

Mental Strengths of a Soccer Player

Classic example of excellent mental health can be seen in professional soccer players who are capable of demonstrating the same on the field. They only way they are doing that is because of their huge appetite for success and their love for the sport. Their mental strengths can easily be seen on the fields when there are adversities and they know how to turn adversities into advantages. They are mentally so tough that their mental strengths boost not only them but they can utilize the same towards motivating others.

Apart from enabling them meeting the challenges and circumventing the anomalies, mental fitness also develops in them leadership and teamwork abilities. Soccer by default a team sport and hence the success in a game requires every individual’s efforts in a team collectively. If mental strength is there, then a player is quickly able to grasp the concept that he must, at all times, commit to his team.

Being a player in a team every individual player is responsible to help his teammates improve their skills while improving his own. To be a ‘team-player’ is an extra responsibility which is gladly taken by the player for increasing the strength of his team.

Strengths Could Be Weaknesses

It is quite often to see in soccer that a player’s strengths could become his weaknesses as well. For instance some players are exceptionally good at controlling the ball and can do dribbling better than others. However, in doing so they totally forget that they are playing for the team and need to pass the ball. Instead, they keep the ball to themselves and try to look for the moment to shine. However, most of the times, the attempt fails which opens up the gates for criticism. So a player is individually responsible for identifying if he is not doing this mistake which requires great self-restraint. Passing the ball is the key of success in soccer while keeping the ball to yourself is nothing but a costly mistake.

Eradicating Weaknesses & Improving Strengths

Avram Grant believes that every player knows his weaknesses and strengths and is fully equipped to identify them for the purposes of improvement. For instance, body strength and endurance are two key elements required by a player and both of them are improvable. Similarly, a player’s inability of not being able to use his non-dominant foot is a weakness which can be eradicated by hard-work and practice.

For the purposes of improving the physical strengths, a player must focus on two things i.e. work out and training.

Soccer within itself is an extreme exercise, however, it needs continuous training for somebody to do go through this extreme exercise. A player must ensure sparing significant amount of time on daily work out. The daily work-out must include exercises like running, abdominal work-out, weight lifting, endurance building and recovery training. Advance levels of soccer require more work-out and training and only those excel who love to exercise and training.

The game of soccer is a test of stamina and endurance and hence running 3 to 5 miles on daily basis is recommended for a player to play a 90-mins game. This is why in the overall world sports, soccer players are used to run more than any other sportsman in a game.

Watching soccer is not just a fun and in fact it is one of the effective ways of learning the skills and techniques from others. By looking at a match on a TV gives a wider picture of what is going on the field of soccer. In this manner, a keen learner can understand the strategies the teams are forming which can then be utilized by the observer later on in a game.

As regards the weaknesses such as not being able to play with the non-dominant foot, the same can be eradicated by practice only. Not on the playing field but during training sessions a player must use his other foot so as to use it better at par with the dominant-foot. Professional players are doing it because they know it will give them an advantage over those who are using their non-dominant feet only.

Similarly, through mental fitness weaknesses such as not being able to impose self-restraint can be done away with. A player must know when to pass and when he can do the dribbling.

Conclusion

Disciplined, committed, hardworking, competitive and the will to learn are virtues of an exceptional soccer player. However, if a player is not committed to himself in identifying his weaknesses and strengths then he can never utilize his talents to his fullest abilities. Avram Grant advises that understanding your weaknesses and strengths is must because it will let you cultivate your soccer skills on the field.