Precision and Flow

It occurred to me that I'd never even seen the game of futsal.

I've heard a lot about it, read a lot about it, and this week thought a lot about it.

But I've never actually seen the game played.

I didn't even think about that until I searched for an image to add to this writing piece.

Is that even a picture of a futsal ball and goal?

Well, after a quick google image search, it appears to be the right kind of ball and goal.

I know very little about soccer and futsal, but I love the study of talent.

I love what the game of futsal represents to the game of soccer.

What I appreciate most about these two games is what they represent metaphorically.

It takes an activity and modifies it in a way that increases focus and repetitions.

Creating a compressed version of the original that accelerates the learning process.

This week, I've been thinking about talent.

I'm re-reading Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code: greatness isn't born, it's grown.

It's a book I read a dozen years ago that has revolutionized how I teach and coach.

These past several years, I've focused on the precision developed through deep practice.

I've paid close attention to how this leads to automaticity and flow in performances.

Daniel tells stories of talent hot-beds where exceptional performers come from isolated areas.

He studied these areas and found commonalities that led to mastery across many fields.

My interest in reading this book was as a tennis coach.

There is a great story of the Spartak Tennis Academy in Russia, but it was this game from Brazil that captured my imagination.

Futsal is a game that compressed the soccer field and demands focus and intense focus from players.

It creates an environment where these micro-skills of footwork and ball handling/passing develop naturally.

This game creates flow in a way that countless hours on the pitch could never do.

This concept has transformed the way I view coaching and has shaped my daily and long-term approach to coaching.

As I read through this book a second time, I am reminded of the simplicity and genius of this mindset.

I'm a dozen years into this new philosophy and approach and have seen great success in our program.

We have been transformed as a tennis community, and I credit the application of this book's wisdom as a major factor.

So as I think of futsal, I think of my own writing practice.

I'm on this journey to become a "master writer."

For years, I've enjoyed writing, but until recently, I've never thought of myself as a writer.

It had never really occurred to me that writing is simply a skill I could develop over time if I chose to do so.

About five years ago, I chose to do so.

I finally began my daily writing practice.

I finally began posting blogs.

I finally started following my heart's desire to embrace this identity.

And I did so in a way that reminds me of this game of futsal.

This idea of "being a writer" is compressed to the small, focused task of showing up, journaling a page, writing short blogs, and working on book projects.

Daily journaling allows me to feel the flow of writing.

Weekly blogs allow me to work on the precision of writing.

The futsal and the soccer of writing.

The precision and the flow I'm building each day.

The joy of embracing the process over the outcome.

I am fully aware that I have much to learn.

And that is what this is, the learning phase and the talent-building stage of my journey.

So here I am, another day, playing another game of futsal.

I'm nowhere near where I wish to be, but I am so far ahead of where I used to be.

And for today, that is more than enough.

The ball, the goal, the pen, and the paper.

This is a fun game.

I'm glad I got to play today.

Photo by Pascal Swier on Unsplash