The Reality Check: Skill, Performance & Standards
The Pro Footballer’s Blueprint
Insights from Coach Joe’s Training & Mentorship with Zac
The Training Ground: Building Blocks of Skill
The session began with a series of structured technical drills, meticulously designed by Coach Joe to enhance Zac’s ball control, juggling, and passing. Each exercise had specific objectives and time constraints, forming the foundation for skill development.
Key Technical Drills Overview
- Juggling within a defined square (timed).
- Alternating foot juggling sequences (e.g., 1, then 1-2, then 1-2-3).
- Max juggles on each foot individually.
- Side juggling & catching (counted if caught).
- Flick-up to alternating knee/foot juggles.
- Flick-up, 2 juggles, cross-body kick & control.
- Ground passing: 1-touch control, 2nd touch pass.
- Receiving various passes & 1-touch return.
- Receive, touches around cone, pass back (touch limit).
- Defensive drill: React to pass, dribble through gate under pressure.
The Reality Check: Skill, Performance & Standards
Coach Joe closely observed Zac’s performance, noting areas of strength and difficulty, like flicking the ball up with his left foot. The post-drill discussion provided a crucial assessment against broader, more demanding benchmarks.
Session Difficulty Assessment
Zac rated his own performance a “5 or 6,” while Coach Joe assessed the drills as “medium to easy” for Zac’s age group compared to European standards.
Benchmarking Against the Elite
“Below Average”
Zac’s Current Level vs. Top European Peers
“I’m comparing you to the top kids in the world in your age group and then they probably do it five times better… you are below average when we look at to the standard.”
Defining the Dream: “I Want To Be Professional”
The conversation shifted to Zac’s aspirations. When presented with options, Zac clearly stated his goal. However, Coach Joe emphasized that a goal must be clearly defined to be achieved.
Zac’s Stated Goal:
“TO BE PROFESSIONAL”
“The tricky part is this is if you want to reach a goal that you can’t define, you were never going to reach it… if you don’t actually know what the goal is… You can never like work towards it.”
The Unseen Hours: Commitment to Training
A significant theme was the sheer volume of training required. Coach Joe contrasted the dedication of “wonder kids” like Erdigard with typical youth training hours, highlighting a major shift in early professionalism.
Training Volume: Elite vs. Current
Erdigard trained a minimum of 24 hrs/week at age 13, vastly different from Zac’s ~2.5 hrs/week. Not all at max intensity, but the commitment is key.
The New Norm: Early Professionalism
“Nowadays, the last 5 to 10 years, nothing changes. You’re already being… a professional, but you’re not getting paid for it since you’re like 16 years old. That’s what happens when you’re in an academy.”
– Coach Joe
This means the demanding workload and professional mindset must be adopted much earlier than in previous generations.
The Professional’s Mindset: Beyond Talent
Arguably the most crucial element: the mindset. Coach Joe detailed the relentless drive for improvement, the embrace of “suffering” on limits, and the proactive response to failure that defines top professionals.
Core Attributes of a Pro Mindset
Embracing the Grind
“They want to improve and get better every single day.”
“Suffering means is you’re not doing well but you still continue and you are getting tired and you’re on your limit… next day you recover and you keep going again.”
Coach Joe challenged Zac’s comfort of being “top three” locally, urging comparison with the “best player in the world in my age group.” A professional actively works on weaknesses, rather than moving on from challenges.