Valuing Healthy Competition: Why It’s Good To Not Be The Best

How many times have you eagerly anticipated your coach’s starting lineup announcement only to be disappointed when your teammate’s name was called instead of yours? The truth in the matter is, throughout your soccer career, there will most likely be a point when you aren’t consistently in the starting eleven. Here’s how to use the situation to your advantage by learning to see healthy competition as a tool for growth and a way to level up your game. 

Rising to the Challenge

When you have a teammate who keeps edging you out at your position, you have two choices to deal with the situation. You can feel angry and resentful toward your teammate (or coach) and fill your head with self-defeating thoughts that are not good, useful, or constructive (and further hurt your play on the field). Or you can respond by reframing the situation as an opportunity for improvement and choose to overcome the obstacle through healthy competition. 

Having a strong teammate to compete with is one of the best things that can ever happen to you BECAUSE IT CALLS YOU TO STEP UP. It calls you to step up to the challenge of having to improve, grow, and work really, really hard to keep up with her. And even harder if you want to outplay her. 

Taking Responsibility for Your Development 

So why is this a good thing? Why should you value healthy competition with a teammate? It might mean you don’t get as much playing time as you would if they weren’t around, true. But you’ll grow more and become a stronger player IF you can embrace the situation and see the value in it. 

You’ll grow because you’ll be in a situation where you have to put in the time, energy, and effort to keep up. You’ll have to reflect, ask for feedback, and add new skills to your game in the areas you are weakest. In other words, you’ll have to be accountable and take responsibility for your development because no one else will do it for you. 

Increased Motivation 

Having something to work towards keeps you on your toes and keeps you from becoming complacent. When you are in an environment where you are always the best and are no longer challenged, it can be hard to maintain high levels of self-regulation and motivation. But when you are working to keep up with another player and have an attainable goal in front of you (such as securing that starting role), it can be easier to put in the extra work needed to move you towards what you want. 

Healthy competition with teammates can also motivate interest in learning more about the game. Growth as a soccer player does not just come in the form of technical work and fitness. It also means increasing your tactical knowledge, gaining a deep understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each position, and increasing your situational awareness and decision-making on the pitch. 

Expansion of Leadership Skills

Valuing, respecting, and being grateful for your teammates is a very important part of this. Yes, it is possible to be competitive with other players while still being a great teammate and friend. When you have genuine compassion and truly care about your teammates, not just as soccer players but as people, you help the collective group thrive both on and off the field. And when you help the collective thrive, you are leading, regardless of whether you are on the bench or in the starting lineup. 

Leveling Up, Together 

Growth-minded soccer players want their teammates to play hard, have success, and keep improving. Even the people they are competing with for starting positions. Why? Because the better your teammate does on the field, the harder you will have to push yourself to keep up with her. 

The ultimate goal with healthy competition is this: as you each keep pushing each other, you’ll each continue to improve until you are both at the top of your game. You helped each other get there by continually out-competing each other and motivating each other.

You never want to be the best player on your team because there isn’t anyone to chase. If you ever do become the best player on your team, it’s then time for you to move onto a higher level team or to a new club where you can surround yourself with better players and start this whole process over again. 

When having to work to secure a starting spot, you find yourself in a situation that is calling you to become a better version of yourself. And if you decide to reframe it and be grateful for the healthy competition, then there’s no way but to grow and expand your game. 

Featured image via Adobe Stock

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