Soccer Lovers’ Soccer Book Guide: Stan Baker’s Our Competition is the World
This series reviews and rate books that teach, describe and document the beautiful game. Look for a wide variety of books and helpful insight from players who have been there and done it on the pitch. Here is a book that includes soccer with a broad range of topics.
Our Competition is the World
FIVE STAR RATING
Published September 2012 by LULU By Stan Baker
Our Competition is the World is a Must Read Book for Coaches, Parents and all those in the youth soccer world.
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creativity and knowledge,” Albert Einstein. Who are coaches? Teachers of the beautiful game.
Perhaps Stan Baker wrote Our Competition is the World as a guide for youth soccer coaches – and all levels of coaches – but it is perhaps one of the best, most enlightening and fun reading books for everyone to read.
Youth soccer in America today is a hot topic and a growing revolution. The book is a rare glimpse into coaching and player challenges faced here in the world of U.S. youth soccer. Baker beautifully expresses eye-opening concepts that spring from his experiences around the world.
Our Competition is the World stresses the fun of soccer and provides imaginative suggestions for creating dynamic experiences for all players and even offers guidance for parents and words which inspire players to seek greatness on the field.
This page-turner is filled with inspirational insights into youth soccer and what leads to player success on the field.
Here are some of the great quotes included in Our Competition is the World.
Dr Jay Martin, “We are creating a nation of kids who can win but can not play the game.” Martin is the Winningest Coach in All Divisions of Collegiate Men’s Soccer and is the Head Coach at Ohio Wesleyan.
“If you do what you have always done, you will never get farther than you have always gotten,” Horst Wein – Stan Baker’ mentor.
“The fastest player is not necessarily the one who runs the fastest, he is the one who solves the games problems the fastest,” says Cesar Luis Menotti – Head Coach of World Champions Argentina, 1978
Paul Currie, “ The win at all cost mentality must change. The pressure to win at the youth level is damaging.” Currie is a well known youth coach at San Diego Surf.
“A player can only achieve his maximum when he is enjoying himself,” Johan Cruijff, (Cruijff is considered by many the third best player of all time following Pele and Maradona.)
In the world of opinions in youth soccer, clarity of vision is rare. Baker’s vision is a beacon of light will hopefully attract coaches from coast to coast and will improve the fabric of youth soccer in this generation.
Player development recommendations for age appropriate progression written in clear English allow even newbie parents to gain valuable insights into the realm of youth soccer training. “If we continue on the same oath as we always have the results will be ….” Yes, most likely the same as they have been.
In a world where everyone agrees that we want to train tomorrow’s soccer stars well and prepare them for success, Our Competition is the World gives the reader an easy and motivating blue-print to follow.
From Our Competition is the World: 72% of kids quit youth sports because they are not having a good time. The top four reasons kids quit are: The coach doesn’t understand me, I don’t play enough, practices are not fun and there is too much emphasis on winning.
While there is a ton of information available on the market today for coaches, a lot of the material is immensely hard to get through and not highly useful. This book is different. Baker mingles suggestions with inspiring quotes, real life stories with recommendations and easy (easier) to understand explanations of complex concepts.
Amazon says, “This book provides ideas for implementing the recently unveiled United States Soccer Curriculum by Claudio Reyna and Dr. Javier Perez. The information comes directly from some of the world’s most prominent figures in youth soccer development. It focuses mainly on the 11-14 age groups and touches on topics such as philosophy of coaching, winning now vs long term development, communication with parents, appropriate age level progressions, better understanding our players, maximizing potential, how talent is developed, creativity, the training session, style of play, and training outside the regular practice sessions.
Our Competition is The World is available from Amazon
Stan Baker has his own website Soccer Artistry
Baker holds a United States Soccer (USSF) A and Y, Argentine Coaches Association (ATFA) Pro and Youth
as well as a Brazilian (CBF) Escola Brasileira de Futebol – Level 1 Youth.
Editor’s Note to Publishers: Please submit book review requests by email. Thank you.
