Index Cards

I have spent the last 25 years working in the fitness industry. In those years I have met and trained a very diverse group of clients. Because our training sessions were always predicated on each individual’s abilities and goals it was easy to focus on and build a plan for positive change. When I began coaching children in soccer I soon realized that creating a universal plan for the team based solely on winning the game was flawed in respect to the individual players. The vast differences in athletic ability and fundamental coordination of each team member created a situation where the singular objective of winning the game had very limited application. The problem was finding a way to inspire the children to care about winning and losing without making the outcome of the game the measuring stick of success. I struggled with this individual versus team conundrum for quite some time.

One day I mentally stumbled on an idea that I thought might be the solution to the problem. I decided make individual index cards for each player that would diagram their position, the amount of playing time they would have in each game, and the things that I expected them to accomplish during their time on the field. On each card there was a list of three or four game actions or tasks for which they would be held accountable. Each card was based on an individual assessment of the players current skills and ability to focus. With these cards I could literally show each player what was needed for them to be successful regardless of the outcome of the game. 

I met with each player to go over the tasks laid out on their perspective index cards. They were then presented with their card which they were tasked to review the night before each game. At game time I would line up the players and ask each of them if they had reviewed their card and if they were ready to do their job. When we broke the huddle to take the field my last words were, “Do what is on your card and then dare to do something special”. When the game was over, regardless of the final score, each player was able to clearly assess performance based on their index card. Not surprisingly, when most of them came close to accomplishing their prescribed tasks we won the game. The unforeseen advantage of the index cards was that they established a platform of specific dialogue between myself and each player regarding improvement.

A prime example of the power of the index card was a boy named Gabor. He was a player of limited athletic ability who struggled with complexities of the game of soccer. With this reality as a guide I presented him with his index card delineating his position, the amount of playing time he could expect, and very fundamental list of things I wanted from him during the course of the game. First, he would play left wing for half of the game. Second, I expected him to challenge and defend in the offensive end of the field. Third, when we got possession of the ball in our defensive end he was to sprint to the intersection of the half-line and the sideline, turn and face the field and call for the ball. Fourth, upon receiving the ball he was to stop it, turn and then automatically pass the ball down the wing and then sprint to the center top of the eighteen yard box. His index card specifically defined what a successful performance was for him.

For weeks Gabor struggled with the entirety of his index card. He would fail to run to the half-line or mishandle the pass. Other times he would complete the pass but then forget to run to the center of the box. I would demonstratively celebrate his individual successes and then we would discuss his shortcomings at practice. As the season progressed he began too slowly improve. Then the game moment arrived when it all came together. He ran the half line and called for the ball. It came to him and he stopped it, turned and passed it down the line. He immediately sprinted to the center of the box. Then another boy, whose card required him to receive Gabor’s pass and then cross the ball to the center of the field, did just that. The ball came directly to Gabor and he deftly stopped it just as he had just done at the half-line. He turned and passed it into the corner of the goal and scored. His teammates jumped on him as the parents cheered. He had completed his index card and done something special. As he jogged back to the center of the field filled with pride his eyes met mine. I said nothing that referenced the goal itself. I just yelled to him so the all could hear, “Hey Gabor, you’re a soccer player now!” I don’t recall any other specifics of that day. I can’t even remember if we won or lost but I remember the look on Gabor’s face the day he completed his index card and did something special. That was the day Gabor got to feel the joy of personal athletic achievement.

In the search for self-improvement in the many facets of life we could all create index cards. On them we could form lists of skills and actionable items needed to initiate movement toward success. Armed with this accurate assessment of capabilities we could form our own unique baseline from which all personal progress could be measured. As with Gabor, an index card that would define and then acknowledge our “good game”.