Storyline: Here’s the outcome of my interview with Jamie Clark, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer Team, University of Washington, Seattle
Coaches, they say, are the hope in the valleys of despondency. And coaching? The art of nurturing and nourishing the talent. They are unseen but heard, felt but untouched. Only a countable few manage effectively, the upholding levels of professionalism, standards and ethics.
Kirk Mango once said, “Greatness, whether athletic or otherwise, doesn’t come from those content on just being but from those who seek being the difference.”
Honesty, Intuition, Ability to inspire, Confidence, Commitment. These are what I, to the fullest degree, believe coaches and managers should possess. Here at The Sports Column, we have found to speak to Jamie Clark, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer Team, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, regarding coaching. Below are his excerpts.
Does your staff prepare for practice with the same mentality that they prepare for games? Do your players prepare as well? Do you prepare the same way if you are playing the worst team on your schedule as you do for the best?
We prepare for each practice so there is a direct objective we hope to accomplish at the end of session. As such, it’s the same with each game. We try and make sure our team is prepared, knows what is expected of them and then trains/plays properly. We, both the players and staff, do out best to give the best possible effort regardless of the situation, but it’s clear that there is more attention to detail from the players in big games.
As a coach, is it necessary for you to have a standard for the management of your players and support staff before a game, during a game, at a practice, on a road trip?
We try to have our players know our routine and schedule for the day, week and month ahead. That way they know what to expect and also what we expect from them. At home or one the road we always meet before our session to explain what we will do and what we expect. It is also at this time that we do video etc.
What are the major characteristics of a playing system, aka, format? What do you do if a system breaks down during a game? What is your feeling about players playing more than one position?
The idea of pressing and squeezing is central to our team. We want to funnel play to areas where we can dictate the game without the ball. If teams are good enough to break down the initial pressure then we have to find a way to reorganize. Soccer is such a fluid game with so many options that the game is always breaking down/changing. The key to have teams react and repressure or react and take care of the first pass is central. With all these movements/changes of possession it’s important that your team can continually make the right team decisions in the context of any game situation.
What type of practice preparation would you do to ensure that you receive optimum performance from your players in readiness for game play?
There are two different thoughts. One is to prepare for the other team and the other is just to make sure your own team is doing everything right. We are somewhere in the middle where we know doing our own piece right is the most important, but we also try to point some things out /show some things through some shadow play or a drill or two that will help us expose a weakness or two of the other team.
Lastly, what is your opinion on a ration of domestic circuit, games, exhibition games, tournaments, practices and off field activities this year? In other words on what you would place the major emphasis, come future?
In the game of soccer at our level, team need to continually get better with the ball. Ball retention is very difficult while also trying to be an up tempo team, so this is our emphasis in the off season.
