The Three Pillars of Soccer Program Success

An overview of talent, character, and culture as the three essential pillars of sustainable athletic program success.

By Scott K. Wilder · For Coaches

GAME READY MINDSET® | GAME READY MINDSET® INDUSTRY INSIGHTS | FOR COACHES | High School and College Soccer

THE THREE PILLARS OF SOCCER PROGRAM SUCCESS

Why Talent Alone Is Never Enough — and What Game Ready Mindset Builds Into Your Program

High School and College Baseball

Game Ready Mindset® is a sports mental performance company that provides consulting, coaching and products for high school and college baseball athletes and teams. Our approach combines the mental, physical and emotional sides of performance — built on decades of experience working with elite athletes, teams and some of the world’s largest companies.

History is littered with talented players and teams that failed to perform. The reason is that the other two ingredients — the other two pillars — are often ignored or neglected.

— Gordon, Furlong & Pendleton (2018) — The Sports Playbook, Routledge, p. 26. DOI: 10.4324/9780203733271-2

THE THREE PILLARS — WHAT THEY ARE AND WHY ALL THREE MATTER

Gordon, Furlong and Pendleton (2018) identify three foundational elements that every successful sports program must develop. The first pillar — Talent — is what every program focuses on: technical skill, conditioning, tactics. It is necessary, but not enough. The second pillar is Character — the individual disposition of each player: work ethic, coachability, intrinsic motivation and emotional control. The third pillar is Culture — the shared behavioral framework of the team, which the authors define as “the way we do things around here.” Most programs invest heavily in only the first pillar. The teams that consistently outperform invest in all three.

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WHAT IT REQUIRES AND HOW GAME READY MINDSET ADDRESSES IT

1

TALENT — Skill & Ability

Physical and technical abilities combined with tactical understanding. Both are necessary. Neither is sufficient alone. The mental side of talent — decision-making under pressure, focus, composure — receives the least training time at the high school and club level despite being the most differentiating factor in matches.

2

CHARACTER — Individual Disposition

The intrinsic motivation, work ethic, coachability and emotional control of each individual player. Character is individual and must be understood at the individual level before it can be integrated into the team. The Hook Exercise is the tool that makes individual character visible.

3

CULTURE — The Way We Do Things Here

The shared behavioral standard of the team. Culture does not happen automatically. Even when 22 players show up for pre-season training with the same apparent goal — to win — they arrive with completely different motivations, expectations and standards. Assuming shared culture is one of the most common and costly mistakes in soccer programs. The Game Ready Mindset shared language is a cultural system.

COMPLIANCE VS. COMMITMENT — WHY IT MATTERS IN SOCCER

Gordon et al. (2018) make a distinction that is fundamental to every coaching decision: the difference between players who comply with the team’s culture and players who are genuinely committed to it. Compliance produces performance when the coach is watching. Commitment produces performance in the 85th minute of a tight match when the coach’s voice cannot reach the pitch.

The Game Ready Mindset system is built for commitment, not compliance. Players who own their reset routine, who call their own Weather Check, who hold teammates accountable to body language standards — these players are committed to the culture. That commitment is the difference between a team that performs in training and a team that performs when the season is on the line.

Game Ready Mindset™ | Scott K. Wilder | Text/Call: 415-205-6060

Scott@Coachwilder.com | gamereadymindset.co

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