The best advice I ever got "PERL"

      Although I am not sure this is the best advice I have ever gotten it's definitely in the top 5. “Position early run less” a soccer coach said to my team and I once, PERL. It meant that strategically when you are on the field if you think about where you need to be and get there before the last moment you will have less running. This really spoke to me as I hate running. For example, to apply this in a game I need to do a couple things as a defender. One thing I need to do is be capable of my marks, although I may not need to be constantly marking them I have to know where they are so as soon as they start coming my way I can easily get to them.

     Another thing I need to do is keep in mind what the attacking team has done thus far when trying to score a goal, is it playing it out wide or doing long balls over the defense. I also need to communicate with my fellow defenders as where we are in relation to each other is vital in terms of offside calls and recovery. Defending tends to have the least amount of running aside from the goalie, however, there is still a lot of sprints. Often times once the other team has hit their attacking third every defender should be sprinting back to help, however there are ways to minimize these gross sprints. By using the aforementioned tactics you are in a better position to not be beat by the attacker which in turn means not having to sprint back.

     So, this advice is great on the field but what about off the field? I didn’t realize how applicable this advice was for regular life. The general idea behind ‘Position early run less’ is that you are planning (Position) ahead (early) which leads to less work and stress for you (run less). Whether it's a small event, a big test, or a trip planning ahead can help so much. For example, traveling is always stressful, but if you plan ahead it isn't necessarily as stressful. I think if you already have a good idea of where you are going and what you are going to do while you are there as well as where your staying that's a lot less stress than just arriving and having to figure everything out. Also planning what you might be packing ahead of time helps you make sure you remember everything you need and not be freaking out right as you are about to leave for a trip. I think a similar sentiment can be applied to schoolwork. Although it could be debated, english papers written the night they are do aren’t always of the best quality. Planning ahead by doing prewrites, outlines, and various drafts helps a lot.

     I do believe that there is value and fun in the idea of spontaneity and seeing where the day takes you, however, we have all been in positions where planning ahead would have helped with stress and more. I got told this a long time ago and in the moment I never would have thought I would have remembered it but I still do and I think it will stay with me as it reminds me to think ahead to help myself distress. :)