Sports Mindset: High Performance and Leadership
Sports Mindset: High Performance and Leadership
A conversation with David Soler on the complexity of being a coach
Beyond tactics
Beyond the titles, beyond what people know from the press, from the teams… how would you like to introduce yourself?
They probably don’t know who I am, because truly knowing someone requires closeness and day-to-day interaction. Many times you find yourself shaped by the narrative others want to build around someone who is in the elite.
Today I would define myself as someone who has understood that his job goes beyond preparing training sessions, choosing a system, tactics, or analysing an opponent. At first I thought that was it. But then I realised it was something else entirely.
I had a kid in the youth academy who told me: “When I see you nervous on the touchline, I get nervous on the pitch.” That’s when you start to realise the impact your behaviour has on the players.
Before, 100% of my time was devoted to tactics, methodology, match preparation, analysing opponents. For me, that was everything. But now I’ve realised that was only 20% of what being a head coach really is. The other 80% is essentially about relating to people.
Power, influence, and the club structure
It is important to know who is in charge, and I would add: who influences the person in charge. In Russia, everyone knew who was in charge. The issue was that there were many people around him trying to influence him.
What interests me most, when I go to a country, is understanding its culture and its levels of communication. Talking to someone from Russia is not the same as talking to someone from France, the Arab world, or the Americas. That part, which is invisible to the general public, is very important for a coach.
Upholding your judgement at the elite level
What is the hardest thing to sustain once you’re at the elite level?
The hardest thing to maintain is your own judgement. When all the noise pushes you to change, when criticism is easy and superficial. Not because the person making it is superficial, but because the information they have from the outside can only be that way.
You need support. I have a personal coach, someone who started as a friend, a fellow coaching course colleague. He is a professional who knows the sport, who knows the suffering of a coach because he has been one himself.
The loneliness of a coach is real
