Football academies and high-level teams are not very friendly when it comes to being flexible with time. Training is at a set time each day. If you’re late, big trouble!

You must plan efficiently if you are to achieve your 10,000 hours of practice. Things don’t just happen spontaneously.

Consistency is key and part of that is simply showing up every day to put in the work.

So, if you’re not currently in a football academy, you have the freedom to decide when and where you want to train. It’s nice to have that freedom of choice.

However, there are many that will source something they like on Youtube and plan for training early the next morning before school. Set the alarm for 6 am. The alarm rings. You put it on snooze “just once” because you need a few minutes. 6:10 am comes along. 2nd alarm. You get down to the field and start trying to remember how to set up cones. By the time you know it, it’s 6:45 am – you haven’t done anything and school starts at 8:30 am.

That’s ineffective.

And it leads to bad results. What you do in your time requires discipline. Discipline is critical to your success on and off the field.

Once you create a training schedule, you must commit to it. It doesn’t matter if you feel tired, lazy or it’s raining or cold outside, you must make the personal choice that you will do it and abide by it. Make that promise to YOURSELF.