Writing from the clear-eyed perspective of 20 years of coaching college soccer, I offer a few truths discovered over the years.

As the sunny eagerness of coaching begins to fade and the chimes of time begin to toll, I've stepped softly back to enjoy the vanishing treasure
of quiet observation. (Sometimes I think only paranoids notice things anymore.) Like an aging lion too slow and too old to catch the wildebeest, I am content to watch more from the periphery while still enjoying the spoils.

Perfumed prose this is not. Maybe, though, a few young coaches could grab a tidbit of relevance or a fresh idea as they peruse these observations sniffed out over my career.

Thus, the following are the 25 truths it took me too long to learn:

1. Remind your players before each match to enjoy their experience.

2. A crisp, 90-minute training session beats a dragged-out, two-and-a-half-hour session every time.

3. On match day, step back, quiet down and enjoy watching the fruition of your labor (when the whistle blows, it's very much your players' show).

4. Real power comes from serving your people well.

6. Find a kind way to tell your players the blunt truth.

7. Athletics participation is important, but it is just a temporary, wonderful phase to pass through on the way to real life.

8. Don't second guess yourself -- make the best decision you can and move on.

10. Balance praise and criticism -- too much of either can be harmful.

11. Set your standards early and don't compromise them.

12. Speak freshly, avoiding the gaggingly inane clichés, such as "stepping up," "moving to the next level" or "giving 110 percent."

13. In these sullen, win-at-all-cost times, enjoy the occasional belly laugh. Delight is the wage of living.

14. It's unnecessary to raise your voice to be heard if your players believe you have something important to say. Your impact is greater with a whisper than a roar.

16. Winning is overrated, and the singular quest for it leads to unhappiness.

17. Keep things simple -- everything added is something lost.

18. Greeting each player personally at the beginning of training every day and saying something sincerely positive publicly about each player during the training session pays dividends.

19. Letting your players know that you care for them, and that they can trust you, is critical.

20. Cervantes was right: "The journey is more important than the arrival."

21. Teach your players that peace of mind is a result of giving all that they have.

22. Let your actions coincide with your beliefs.

23. Convey to your players your love of the game.

24. Don't posture -- a confident person need not convince anybody of anything.

25. Don't allow one or two players to ruin things for the rest of the players.

26. The joy of winning fades immediately and precipitously.

27. Have the courage to say "no" when the answer is "no."

28. Don't script your training sessions down to the minute -- allow room for spontaneity.

29. Convey to your players the intrinsic honor that comes from training and playing hard.

30. It's as important to have your players work on their strengths as well as their weaknesses.

31. Show some passion on occasion. They have to know you care.

32. Don't over-analyze. Sometimes, as Freud told us, "A cigar is just a cigar."

33. Run an absolute meritocracy. The better they play and the harder they work, the more they play.

34. If you don't know, say so.

35. Learning through self discovery is ego enhancing and more likely to last.

36. Introduce a service component to your program -- it's good for everybody.

37. Even in these politically correct times, don't neglect the spiritual aspects of coaching.

There.

OK, so I couldn't narrow it down to 25.

Rick Burns is the soccer coach at Gordon College.