When I started training my sons in soccer, I instinctively knew that I wanted to give them more autonomy, but at the time I didn’t know exactly why or how.
My journey to give them autonomy heavily influenced the design of Anytime Soccer Training. Now, even a child as young as seven can get better at home with little to no involvement from the parent or trainer.
In this article, I list some of the top reasons autonomy is so important.
Reason #1 Autonomy Enables Healthy Choices
According to research summarized in the blog Good Therapy, when children are autonomous, they feel more capable of making their own healthy choices.
Reason #2 Autonomy Strengthens Intrinsic Motivation
It’s best when players are intrinsically motivated to practice without constantly needing to be coaxed, pushed, or given external rewards. When a player directs their own sessions it promotes intrinsic motivation because they feel ownership of the process.
Reason #3 Autonomy Teaches Important Life Lessons
Ironically, the most important aspect of individual training is not soccer improvement. Our goal as parents is to teach our children life lessons such as hard work, discipline, and self-determination. These values will transfer to anything they decide to do.
I want to cement those life lessons into my son and encourage all parents to do the same.
