How to Teach Writing: A Soccer Coach Handed Me the Key

Ed Newman
5 min readJun 20, 2018

I believe that kids who learn to write well will obtain more career opportunities and find more open doors than those who neglect this vital skill.

Saddleback Mountain 1981, Monterrey, Mexico. Photo credit: Ed Newman

Like many American boys, I grew up playing baseball, football and basketball. We had pickup games throughout the year and intra-murals at school. Many of us even earned our varsity letters in one sport or another.

With the exception of California there were few, if any, varsity soccer teams that I knew of when I was growing up. So it was an intriguing experience to become a soccer coach when my son took an interest in this exhilarating sport at age six or seven. His first attraction was the international character of the soccer cards. Soccer cards not only depict players and their colorful uniforms, they also include the corresponding flags of their various nations.

Though I had only a modest relationship with soccer, I accepted the responsibilities of coaching and determined to excel at it. To do this I did what I usually do: I visited our local library and found books on the game. I studied the drills and exercises to develop my players’ skills. And I learned the rules.

I also attended a clinic for coaches led by Buzz Lagos, head coach of the Minnesota Thunder professional soccer team. It was from Mr. Lagos, or “Coach” as he…

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Ed Newman

An avid reader who writes about arts, culture, literature & other life obsessions. @ennyman3 Look for my books on Amazon https://tinyurl.com/y3l9sfpj