I have contemplated on this either ways. I always was of the opinion that one doesn't need a coach to make it far in any field. What you need is willingness from within yourself. And a desire to win at all costs. I think more of it is in this desire, and most people lack this. And coaching is more about bringing out this best in you. But if you can manage it yourself, I think you don’t need someone tutoring you.

Why then are coaches in demand? Why do we as humans always need an eye on us to keep us motivated? Why can’t we just realize what is good for us, and build on that? Why do we need a third person telling us everything?

I was so very against taking help, getting coached in anything, that I believed that if someone else can do it, I should be able to do so too. And I did my efforts to reach there. Maybe the efforts were totally focused, but whatever I gave, I gave more than a hundred percent to everything I was in. And as it turns, I fared fairly well. I say fairly, for a reason. My opposition to getting coached stunted some nuances which would make my effort totally worth the input.

As we grow older, some of our inhibitions change, (while some new ones crop up, but that isn't the point here). We realize what we missed out, and how taking up certain things would have helped. But well, it is never late is it?

When you start helping someone else in something they consider you are good at, is the time you realize that well, maybe you could have had your model to learn from too. And you wonder why did you not think about it earlier? Sitting outside is by all means no easy, and as a teacher, you often have to put yourself in that seat. You have to sit outside, see others make mistakes, and fight with yourself to let it go. Mistakes are meant to happen, and while you are in it, it is hard to not commit them. Be it a result of lack of time to think, or just something you had no idea of.

But somehow, when you start putting yourself in the same seat, you start realizing how and where are mistakes committed.

Let us fast forward now, since I am taking the above conversation to no end. As most of the bright amongst you must have realized, I am talking about football (soccer for the more westernized among you).

Just a week back, I started my stint at coaching young kids some football. It has been a long standing dream for me, and as things stand, this is the best time to make good of that dream. I always wanted to go out there, form a league of enthusiastic teams, and play some good regulated football. I wanted to go out there, and revive that fighting spirit we have in each of us. Many of us go and do something for the sake of it, but there has to be that beacon lit up within us, that if we are doing a certain thing, we have to be the best at it. And somehow, as a coach, you can challenge yourself to achieve that within the players out there. Ultimately it is not always the quality which stands out, but it’s more of this spirit which we see reflected in the final result.

At every moment, you want to excel at what you do. If you can do that, then yes, you are a winner no matter what the outcome is.

Coaching is a lot like watching a game on the television. Remember how you always sit in front of the box and yell out when someone commits a mistake. It’s like you want to go out there, and tell them a thing or two of your own, cause you have seen the mistake happening and you know why it happened. It’s not like the person who committed it doesn’t know. It’s just that when you go out there, you make mistakes inspite of knowing everything. And you as a coach are just expected to reduce these mistakes in your team.

Is it necessary that you have to know the game really well to be a good coach? Well not necessarily. Atleast I don’t think that is a very important factor (although yes, you do need some basic knowledge). I think the most important characteristic I would like to see in any mentor is a way to reach out to you. Often we meet people all around us who are always giving advice, no matter you ask for it or not. But there are a few whom we hold close, and whom we revere and listen to no matter what. We don’t tell them so, but yes, we do try to emulate and take the advice for good. If you can get a coach to reach out to all his players or pupils, you have a very good mentor at hand.

That was all about coaches in general. What do I like about it? Well yes, I love working with kids. I think the reason why I took up this act is more so cause I want to go out there and make a change. It was my dream (And is still is) to buy a nice plot for a good 7 on 7 game of football, and grow a nice turf on it, and have a competitive league played there through the year. And the best people to work with is small kids. For the one very big reason, that they bring the best out in you. You laugh over their silly behavior, and maybe get exasperated over their antics, but you love them no matter what. They are innocent, they are untarnished, and they never play any sort of fake game with you. Things like honor, respect, mind games have still not penetrated into these minds, and you get the response of what it would be in a world full of honesty. All this apart from the fact that they are the cutest and the most adorable beings in the world.

Understanding a kid is very important. And you always feel that you are the one teaching them to grow up. I often think of it the other way round. I think they are teaching us how to be young. I think that is one of the best feelings in the world. You have to go young and innocent and carefree to get their approval. And once in that mode, you start enjoying a lot since it feels good to be that person. It’s what you always wanted to be, but couldn’t thanks to the horrible things going around in the world. A kid will never stop himself/ herself from doing a thing, just because it won’t get approved. And he/ she will never do it just over some earthly material thing. They can’t always give you the reason, but they are very innocent in their approach and very bold in their stance.

Another thing is they like you for what you are. They have no expectations, expect for the fact that they should have fun. If they are not having fun, they let you know that as well. I think you yourself start improving as soon as you come in contact with these kids. They teach you how humans are meant to be, how beautiful a world it is when there is no guile or treachery and how you can mix up and match up with any other person, barring all the hurdles of language, religion, color. All you need is fun people around you, and you shall be good to go.

Often I like to quote the phrase “Football is a religion”. I talk about football, cause it has helped me know people I would never have ventured out to know in the first place. It has always given me the best. My friends, my job, my success and for many, a way to know and link me with. I want this network to grow a lot, since it is one I can build on very easily. I like how easy it is to walk up to a stranger and just ask his/her name when you go out there to play. It becomes so easy. You forget your inhibitions, your weird ideas and thoughts, for the sole reason that you just want to be a part of the game they are in. I think this is what I have learnt from playing football for so many years. And this is what I would like to teach to those young kids. That no matter where you are, however lonely you are, if you walk out there on a small stretch of land, with a football in your hand, 10 people will join in in less than 5 minutes to start a game off. You needn't know their names, their backgrounds or where they come from. You don’t need to meet them again. You can just have the best hour of your life and you won’t ever regret it.

To me, my best achievement will be to go out, and bring people together over some reason. And if its football, it would be even better! :)