Malcolm Gladwell calls it the 10,000-Hour Rule. What does that mean? Well, if you put in the work, as in after 10,000 hours, which is 20 hours a week for 10 years, you'll find success, if not perfection.
It's not that simple of course. And dedication like that isn't of course that simple. It's the rare person who is dedicated enough to work at something day in and day out.
What's more, you have to love what you're doing to spend 10,000 hours working at it. That's probably the most important factor. If you want to play professional soccer then you must love playing the game and trying to get better - learning constantly is what you're after if you want to be the best.
The idea of 10,000 hours rings true though. If you put the work in, playing soccer day in and day out, then you'll get better and reach a lot of the goals you set for yourself.
However, you need some luck and some help, too. Otherwise you won't get those chances to succeed. You'll also need a good coach, to teach you the right technique and to get you that tryout with that better team. And you'll need parents who believe in you and to take you to all those games and get you the shoes you need. Then it would help to have a mentor, a player who's better than you and will help teach you the game. Perhaps that's an older brother or a player near where you leave you takes you under their wing. But, if you love playing, and love training on your own, then it's more than likely you'll find success.
Sure, not everyone is going to end up playing professional soccer, and not everyone is going to end up playing in the English Premier League. But if you are dedicated and put in 10,000 hours, you just might get that chance.
If you don't put in the work though, you do you have to blame but yourself.
What's key though is the passion for the game. If you don't love it then you're not going to put in the 10,000 hours. And that's where it get tough sometimes. Since, things aren't always going to go exactly as planned.
What if you don't make that team you really want to play on? Are you going to give up? Do you love the game so much that you'll take it in stride and keep working so you make it next year?
This is where good coaches, mentors and your parents come into the picture. During tough times is when you need support and some encouragement, telling you that you can do it, that you'll get another chance to prove yourself. It's those players, who perhaps dont' make the elite squad right away, but work at the game until they do are the ones that make it in the game.
What type of player are you? Are you putting in the hours juggling the ball, dribbling, shooting, smacking the ball againt the wall, going to camps, learning from better players, watching the game on TV?
Here Malcolm Gladwell talks about 10,000 hour rule on CNN:
The World's No. 1 Soccer Skills DVD Learn the skills and gain the confidence to succeed in the game with Coerver Coaching’s Make Your Move DVD system! Built around our unique and highly effective Pyramid of Player Development. Buy Yours Here
