Growing up in Africa where soccer is the most dominant sport, meant I was most likely destined to fall in love with the sport myself. To this day I still remember the very first time my parents bought me a "Pele" brazilian replica Jersey which I wore religiously everyday until it couldn't fit anymore.
My love for the sport goes back to before I can even remember. I was born and raised in Uganda and played the sport all through my middle school and high school before I moved to the United States for College. In all honesty I never thought I would have love for coaching the game as much I do for playing it. I have been coaching for about 5 years now and I love every minute of it. Every game presents new challenges for the coach and player and its the ability to pull together that makes it exciting, while at times failure to accomplish what you set out to do that makes you realize how unpredictable the sport can be.
I believe the game belongs to the players and its our responsibility as coaches to provide the players with the right tools that enable them to play the game the right way. Before a player can make a good pass or score from an impossible angle, they must have the right Technique. Without it, its close to impossible for a player to be successful on the field. Technique is the foundation of developing a successful soccer player and at CariSamba Soccer Academy we emphasize on teaching all players the right technique before anything else. Another important aspect of the game, is one's ability to think and make decisions during the game. Everyday during games you see players making bad decisions and for a while I didn't understand why even the best players on the field make decisions that are obviously harmful to the team in the coach's eyes. In all honesty I believe it is partly our fault as coaches because we expect the players to simply know what the right decision is without teaching them how to think and make decisions during games. We spend so much time on drills without ever explaining what we hope to accomplish at the end. My goal is to help players understand the different aspects of the game and to help them enjoy the game in the process. I know every player has different goals and aspirations for the sport, my job is to make sure they learn and play soccer the right way no matter where their path takes them.