PE is all about improving your knowledge, skills and experiences within the course of the game of soccer. It is not about you. Therefore, your PE teacher can’t help you out if he or she cannot measure up to your goals.
The goals are on the practical application of the information that you learn in class. Your PE teacher will measure your ability to solve problems that arise in soccer, but your exam will be a good starting point. You’ll know your limitations, but you’ll also have a small window into your true potential. All too often, test-taking tactics become part of the training routine.
The practical application of what you’ve learned. It doesn’t matter whether you took a PE instructor’s advanced exam or a PE test. The truth is that most of the information you learn is worthless without application. Although your PE teacher can show you techniques, his or her tuition and support are limited to teaching you how to apply the techniques. This is the reason why you should always ask your PE teacher for an evaluation, because that’s a test you’re likely to fail.
Exercise and testing equipment are another factor. Many of these exercises don’t “feel” like real soccer; they seem artificial and even mechanical. Your PE teacher can’t help you overcome this challenge, but your ability to recognize where you fit in the grand scheme of things is crucial.
There is one more important difference between PE and soccer training. When you play, your players are adapting their game to the skill sets and talents of the people around them. But when you coach, you are attempting to fit your players into an ill-fitting world. That makes the playing experience so much more fun!
No matter what type of soccer training you are performing, there will always be people who need evaluation. You can’t hold all the coaching knowledge you need, without creating some kind of confusion.
But even when there are disagreements, it’s not the coach who has to give up something. It’s the players who need to understand the purpose of their coach, and the coach who need to understand the players who are able to find common ground.
So now you know the difference between PE and soccer, and how to be an effective coach. But there’s one more factor that a lot of people do not consider. The differences between soccer and PE go far beyond the number of players involved, the difficulty of the training and the mechanics of training and development.
Most people think of soccer and PE as two completely different sports, yet they actually share many of the same technical principles. Even though many PE sessions are run according to strict rules, you cannot coach without teaching. There is always the possibility of conflict. But you can address that challenge by considering what PE is really about: coaching.
You want to get your players’ attention, and encourage them to think about the game in terms of potential conflict. That’s the fundamental difference between PE and soccer, and it’s the only way you can really teach the basics of soccer coaching to people who really need it.
For example, if you are teaching someone who is taking their PE in high school, you may find that there is a significant lack of understanding of the role of the team in the whole training process. PE is a team sport, and it is the role of the entire team to achieve success together. in the most advanced level of soccer, not of one player.
