[Becoming a Player Who Gets Called by Name in a 150-Member High School Soccer Club ①] The First Reality I Learned Was That I Was Not Special
When I joined the prestigious high school soccer club, the first thing I felt was not excitement, but a sense of being overwhelmed.
In any case, there were so many people.
There were about 70 people in my grade alone at the start. When you combine all three grades, there were about 150 members.
Even looking back now, I wonder how we managed to play soccer every day with that many people.
During junior high, I was on the district select team.
So, before entering high school, I think there was a part of me that thought, "I'll be able to do okay to some extent." Of course, I knew it wouldn't be easy since I was joining a strong high school.
Even so, I didn't think I would be completely unable to compete.
But soon after joining, I realized that way of thinking was naive.
There were many players who had been recruited. It was not rare to find players who had experience on select teams.
There were dozens of players in the same grade who had been reasonably well-regarded during junior high.
Being on the district select team was not a special title there.
Rather, I was in a very ordinary position.
Table of Contents
The sense of being overwhelmed I first felt in the high school soccer club
Being on the district select team was not a special title
In a 150-member club, it is difficult just to get noticed
There were players who were good but couldn't get into games
The frustration of seeing four classmates called up to the A-team
Because I was buried, I started to think
Next time
1. The sense of being overwhelmed I first felt in the high school soccer club
My position was forward.
In a sense, being a forward is easy to understand. If you score, you stand out. If you produce results, you are easily evaluated.
However, because of that, comparisons are also clear.
There are players who are fast.
There are players who are physically strong.
There are players who can hold the ball.
There were naturally players who I thought were better than me.
And it wasn't just one or two.
"This is going to be tough."
The first reason I thought that was not because of the intensity of the practice, but because of the sheer number of people.
There are many good players.
Among them, I had to get myself noticed.
Before standing out with my play, I first needed to be recognized as existing.
That was the reality of a club with 150 members.
2. Being on the district select team was not a special title
After joining, the number of people decreased.
There was unlimited running where we weren't told the time or distance in advance, and first-years were forced to shave their heads.
In that environment, the roughly 70 people in my grade eventually became about 50.
Still, that's a lot.
Just in my grade alone, there were still more people than could fit on one team.
In junior high, I was on the district select team.
But when I entered high school, there were many players with similar backgrounds.
Being on a select team.
Being a central player in junior high.
Those past evaluations meant almost nothing on the high school pitch.
What matters is what you can do here and now.
What you show in today's practice.
You are evaluated not by past titles, but by the play right in front of you.
I was made to realize that reality immediately after joining.
3. In a 150-member club, it is difficult just to get noticed
In practice, not everyone could use the pitch in the same way.
Except before tournaments, practice was basically by grade level.
As tournaments approached, the players known as "members" would practice separately.
The other players continued to practice by grade.
First-years had a large number of people, and sometimes we couldn't use the pitch enough.
We would run outside.
We would do independent practice outside the pitch.
When the pitch cleared up at night, we would stay behind to practice.
Thinking back, it was difficult to move up in that environment with the mindset of "just doing the practice I was given."
There was one head coach. At the time, there were about two assistant coaches.
They couldn't watch all 150 of us in detail every day.
That is precisely why I think they were watching the small details: every single play during practice, practice matches on weekends, how we called out, our running posture, and our reactions after losing the ball.
Even if it wasn't the A-team, there were practice matches.
How much could I appeal there?
What could I show in the limited time?
Just because things didn't go well didn't mean someone would carefully pick you up.
If you didn't show your presence yourself, you would easily be buried.
4. There were players who were good but couldn't get into gamesAnd in fact, there were many players who were good but couldn't get into games.
They had technique.
Watching them, I would think, "This guy is amazing."
Even so, there were players who couldn't make the roster.
When I saw that reality, I began to feel it little by little.
In high school soccer, being good is not enough.
Of course, technique is necessary.
But to be chosen out of 150 people, things other than technique are also being watched.
What can you do within the team?
Can you respond to what the coach is looking for?
Those kinds of things gradually lead to evaluation.
However, when I first joined, I hadn't sorted that out yet.
I also felt impatient.
I also had an inferiority complex.
I knew there were players better than me.
But I still couldn't see how to bridge that gap.
5. The frustration of seeing four classmates called up to the A-teamWhat was particularly intense was when four players from the first-year class were promoted to the A-team.
If no first-years were in the A-team, I might have been able to accept it.
"It's not our generation yet."
I might have been able to think that way.
But players from my own grade were called up.
At that moment, I felt like I was confronted with reality.
Even among the same first-years, there were players who were already being watched.
There were players who were being chosen.
I was not among them.
It was frustrating.
I was quite impatient.
Being on the district select team in junior high was no guarantee in high school.
Past evaluations mean almost nothing on the pitch.
What do you show there?
How do you play today?
How seriously are you facing the competition right now?
That was all there was.
6. Because I was buried, I started to thinkWhen I joined the 150-member soccer club, the first thing I learned was that "I am not special."
But thinking about it now, it was significant that I learned that reality at an early stage.
If I had remained convinced that I had talent, I wouldn't have changed.
If I had clung to my evaluations from junior high, I probably would have been left behind along the way.
Because I was buried, I started to think.
How can I get noticed?
What do I need to change to move up?
The competition in high school soccer was not pretty.
It was a time of grit, frustration, impatience, and being confronted with my own inadequacies almost every day.
But in that process, my way of thinking gradually changed.
What is needed to become a regular is not just to work hard.
It is not about forcing the play you want to do.
To be chosen, you first need to know yourself correctly as you are now.
Where am I, what am I lacking, and what can I compete with?
I was not a player who was called by name from the start among the 150.
Rather, I was buried.
But from there, I had no choice but to show my existence little by little.
7. Next timeSo, what did I change to be chosen among the 150?
Next time, I would like to write about what I first discarded in the battle for a regular spot, the weapons I polished, and the points the coach was watching.
Thank you for reading until the end.
In this series, while looking back on the "path to becoming a regular in a 150-member soccer club" that I experienced during my high school days, I will also think about being evaluated and trusted not only in soccer but also in work and organizations.
To players playing soccer, parents, and coaches.
And to those who have ever worried about "how can I get my existence recognized" in the workplace or a team, I would be happy if this reaches you even a little.
In this note, I write about the growth of people and organizations based on my experience in soccer, futsal, and as a university staff member.
If you'd like, please take a look at my self-introduction article as well.
