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| CYSA coach does it his way |
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| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Friday, 23 May 2008 | |
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For Otto Garza, leading youth soccer teams is an art form In the same way a mathematician does not necessarily make a good math teacher, a skilled soccer player might not always make a good coach. The science of coaching can be learned, through courses, clinics, books and playing experience. The art of coaching — the ability to teach and motivate a team — is the hard part. “A good coach must understand his players,” said Patterson’s Otto Garza. “I coach teenagers between the ages of 10 and 17 years old. Sometimes, at that older age, players start to think that they know everything that there is to know about the sport of soccer. “One of my jobs is to help them to understand that this is definitely not the case.”  Teacher: Coach Otto Garza (right) watches his California Youth Soccer Association team play during a game Wednesday at Sacred Heart School. The Guatemalan native is a lifelong student of the game and takes pride in teaching his players life lessons along with strategies for the pitch. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Garza has played and studied the “beautiful game” since his childhood in Guatemala. It was there that he first learned to appreciate not only the game, but the coaching techniques required to build a skilled team from the ground up. “I never played professional soccer,” Garza said. “But my first coach was a former professional coach. He taught me a lot of things back then that I still use in my coaching methods today.” While Garza’s CYSA team is chock full of gifted athletes, his goals for the teenagers transcend the playing field. “My hope is that each of my players has the opportunity to go on to college,” he said. “I know that a lot of colleges give athletes the chance to earn scholarships. Playing soccer and doing well in the classroom can maybe open up a door for these players.” Garza works hard to schedule games and tournaments that will showcase his teams’ individual talents. Many times, his teams’ CYSA events correspond with dates when college recruiters are rumored to attend. “I’m not coaching to try to make professional soccer players,” Garza said. “I know that the chances of that happening are a lot less than the chances of these players going off to college. I tell my players to continue to learn and to be themselves and to take things step by step.” With two of his proteges — Patterson High seniors Eduardo Cardoza and Carolina Ruiz — on their way to prestigious universities next fall, it’s tough to argue with the coach’s techniques. Another past player, Tomas Ayala, was approached by University of Minnesota at a Las Vegas tournament a year ago. “I was so happy at the end of that tournament,” Garza said. “Sure, we only went 2-2, but the fact that (Ayala) was approached with a scholarship made the trip a success.” Garza is committed to the success of each one of his athletes. He motivates his team to seek paths toward scholastic enlightenment, while continuing to challenge them outside of the classroom, too. “Until we beat the toughest team out there, I don’t want to hear any of my players saying that we are the best that there is,” Garza said. “We need to stay focused on playing soccer and doing well in school and not on being superstars. “Here, we may be the best. But when we go to big tournaments, the competition gets tougher. I want to teach them that it’s like that everywhere in life.” Garza doesn’t claim to have any particular traits that define his coaching. Instead, he has extracted strategies over the years from some of the sport’s greatest minds. “I try to do my best to learn from other coaches,” Garza said. “My style involves learning a lot of different systems. At the same time, I guess that I am also just trying to be myself. My style really is to just be me.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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