the tuesday transition - issue 61
January 30, 2024: Are favorite words a thing? Not sure about anyone else, but I definitely have a few. And all of my favorite words are my favorite because they represent a certain feeling or vibe and make me happy or get me excited about something. Why am I telling you this? Because today I want to talk about one of my favorite soccer words: PLAYMAKER.
I love the word playmaker. To me, it’s a wonderful word that encompasses so much detail inside of such a short space. The quick definition of playmaker is someone who MAKES PLAYS. And then here’s the long definition: a playmaker is an IMPACT player, someone who continually works to open up the game and create opportunities for themselves and their teammates.
Playmakers make a difference in the game, on both sides of the ball. Playmaking INCLUDES scoring yes, but playmakers typically have high assist tallies as well. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES ORGANIZING, TRYING THINGS AND SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES when they arise. This results in more overall ‘creation’ and ‘making’, which typically results in more overall goals. All of that requires extreme awareness of what is happening around you, courageousness to take action, trust in yourself and your decision-making, and on-field leadership to be assertive and direct others based on what you see on the pitch.
Playmaking is more than just skill and situational awareness, PLAYMAKING IS A MENTALITY.
The reason I’m bringing this up is because recently, as we have headed into the new year, many of my players have set goals for the upcoming year. I’ve heard a lot of talk from players in the roles of 9 and 10 about wanting to improve certain technical pieces (shooting, 1v1, first touch, etc.) and while all of this is absolutely fantastic (not to mention very foundational pieces of the game that we need to get good at), I think that when we set goals, we can think broader.
When we set goals, we want to think about the whole player that we want to become. We we want to think about what IDENTITY we want to have on the field.
You see, all of these things (shooting, 1v1, first touch, etc.) are INCLUDED in playmaking. But playmaking is more than that, playmaking is a way of BEING. It’s an identity, a mindset. And goal setting is about picking an identity that you want to have as a player, and then making sure all your actions line up with that. All the little things you work on need to align with that bigger overarching identity you are moving towards.
So what if you switch things up and say that your goal this year is to BECOME A BETTER PLAYMAKER? How would that change how you train, how you play, HOW YOU THINK? And not just in the moments that you are working on specific technical pieces, but in ALL MOMENTS. Specifically the moments you are OFF THE BALL. Time off the ball is one thing that doesn’t typically get included in goal-setting, oddly enough. To me that seems odd because the truth is that the vast majority of the time you spend on that soccer field is going to be time that you DO NOT have the ball. And it’s what you do OFF the ball, that sets you up to have time ON the ball. A playmaker MAKES things happen off the ball. They don’t WAIT for things to happen.
Here’s an example using one of my favorite quotes from George Mumford, “the best way to score is to forget about scoring.” This essentially means that you are more likely to score a goal when you focus on all the small things you can do RIGHT NOW to help get your team into goal scoring position. Instead of just waiting for someone to get you the ball, you get out there and CREATE THE OPPORTUNITY for them to get you the ball. Or you create the opportunity for them to get someone else the ball. Either way, it’s all playmaking.
To me, playWAITING looks like standing around watching the ball and then yelling that you’re open when your team wins possession, thinking it’s your teammates job to get the ball to you so that you can have a take at goal. PlayMAKING looks like being very intentional with your movement when you don’t have the ball. It looks like figuring out what pieces of the game you have full control over, and then doing those things to the best of your ability.
Playmaking is fully understanding that the game of soccer is simply a game of continual puzzles and 'problems' that you are tasked with solving in a live, moving, unpredictable environment.
Another difference between playWAITING and playMAKING: when you are a playWAITER, you are easy for the other team to handle. You are predictable, the opponents know exactly what you are going to do and that makes you easy to shut down. When you are a playMAKER, you understand that there is a LOT you can do to manipulate the space which makes you more difficult to track. When you are difficult to read, the opponent is never quite sure what you are going to do, THIS MAKES YOU EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. If the defenders have to talk to each other and make decisions about how to cover you, it causes miscommunication, confusion and mistakes. And that is EXACTLY what you want.
A lot of playmaking has to do with skill, but a huge portion has to do with mentality. So, what mentality do we need to have to work towards growing our playmaking skills? To expand as a playmaker…
- invite flexibility into your game, let go of being perfect
- decide that you are brave enough to take chances
- get really good at knowing exactly what is going on around you at all points in time
- be really intentional and purposeful with your movement, don’t just run in circles for sake of moving
- loosen the structure of what you believe is the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do things on the soccer field
- come to terms with the fact that a lot of times when you are ‘creating’, things will not go the way you planned and that is OK
- get good at adjusting and regardless of what happens, immediately move into a “what’s next?” mindset
- understand that there is no certainty in the creative process and let go of any expected outcomes – this will lead to freedom in your game and clarity that the pursuit of the opportunity, the problem-solving, is the fun part
If you want to see the best example of playmaking, keep your eyes on the GOAT, Messi, this upcoming MLS season. And don’t just watch what he does on the ball, STUDY what he does OFF the ball. Get curious about how he manipulates the space to open up opportunities, not just for himself, but for all of those around him. Because you see, a big part of being a playmaker is making the players around you better as well. Setting them up for success.
Expanding your identity on the field to being more of a playmaker is difficult yes, but worth it because it’s what can take you from good to GREAT. I’ll leave you with this quote from Amy Poehler’s Yes Please because I feel it fits in here well.
“It’s very hard to have ideas. It’s very hard to put yourself out there, it’s very hard to be vulnerable, but those people who do that are the dreamers, the thinkers and the creators. They are the magic people of the world.”
They are the PLAYMAKERS of the beautiful game.
Till next week,
💎 What I’m digging: The NWSL dropped the 2024 season schedule this week including Challenge Cup dates. Can’t wait for kickoff!
👩🏽💻 What I’m reading: Been waiting for this one from the library for awhile, Ultra-Processed People. If you want your mind blown, and an excuse to revamp your kitchen pantry, definitely read this. Also a good read for all athletes who know that what you put into your body absolutely impacts your game play and your mental health.
🎧 What I’m listening to: Been listening to some stuff from James Silvas lately. He’s a mindset coach and his catch phrase is BE THAT 1%. It’s a reminder to stay true to who you are and what you want your life to be. Love it.
Grow your confidence through preparedness.
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Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!
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