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I invested 30,000 hours into the game of soccer between ages 6 and 22. Another ~5,000 hours from 22-32.
A thought occurred to me recently about what I’d try to communicate to a son or daughter if they were showing interest in organized sports.
A thought occurred to me recently about what I’d try to communicate to a son or daughter if they were showing interest in organized sports.
I played from age 5 - present. I& #39;m 32 today and playing in relatively competitive men’s leagues. Honestly, probably having the most fun with the game that I’ve ever had.
I’d tell him/her about the several ways the game changed for me as I grew up.
Early on, I loved playing. I attribute this joy to my dad, who would let me dribble on a YMCA field after practices & shoot on him. If you’re age 5 or 6 & you get a lot of joy from dribbling/shooting, the game may be for you. If you don’t enjoy, let& #39;s find other games together
From age 6-12, the game was fun. It was travel to other towns, friendships that lasted years, championships, goals, assists, tackles, everything that makes the sport so wonderful.
Age 12-16, the game changed. It turned into a pursuit with all kinds of implications on who I would become… The game informed my social status, my college and professional prospects, and informed my emerging identity.
Soccer got me into high school, then college, and there the game changed again. I wanted to play pro after college, & so the collegiate game was a test to pass. To pass the test, I thought I needed 3 things: ample joy + enough athletic talent + lots of commitment to training.
In college, I learned I needed a 4th thing: be consistently in good favor with the coach.
In my sophomore/junior seasons the game changed again. I became disillusioned with it for the first time. I recognized how massively (for good and bad) coaches could impact the lifelong dreams of young players.
I chose to retain good favor with the coach, but to do so, I had to play a role that made the game less enjoyable and agree to a system I didn’t find inspiring. Over time, I fell out of love with the game and more in love with learning about history, business, and other subjects
After college, I chose not to try to play pro, but did end up playing semi-pro for 5 seasons while also working full-time.
The game started to come back to what it once was — camaraderie, beautiful passing, encouraging community/fans, great competition.
After the semi-pro stint, I joined men& #39;s leagues, and now those weekly games are some of the greatest moments of every week.
After the semi-pro stint, I joined men& #39;s leagues, and now those weekly games are some of the greatest moments of every week.
Lessons I draw from this experience now:
The time I was willing to spend was a function of the joy the game provided
Eventually, the game runs into obstacles and you wonder if you should keep playing — often those obstacles are in the form of people (e.g. coaches and teammates)
Recognizing when those obstacles are worth working around, or walking away from is very difficult
