University Times

Pitt’s men’s soccer coach is not only a veteran soccer player, but along the way has become a veteran writer as well. Joseph A. Luxbacher’s third edition of “Soccer Steps to Success” updates earlier editions of the book, which focuses on building soccer skills in youth and intermediate-level players.

The old adage “write what you know” has worked out well for Luxbacher, who has 16 books on soccer and fitness to his credit. The soccer books he’s authored for health and fitness publisher Human Kinetics have sold a total of more than 200,000 copies, he said, and some have been translated into Chinese and Japanese for overseas markets. And, there is no doubt Luxbacher knows about what he writes.

A former Panther soccer player, he set school records for most goals and most points in a game, and for most career goals and points before moving on to a pro soccer career, then turning to coaching. He is in his 22nd year as head coach of Pitt’s men’s soccer team, and a two-time Big East Conference coach of the year.

His high skill level hasn’t hampered his ability to relate to beginners; his Shoot to Score Soccer Academy, which runs summer soccer camp programs for kids ages 7 and up throughout the Pittsburgh area, gives plenty of opportunity to remain in tune with newcomers to the world’s most popular team sport.

Luxbacher’s updated “Soccer Steps” book offers a 12-point approach to improving skills, moving from basic skills such as dribbling, passing and tackling to more complicated concepts involving decision-making, wrapping up with team concepts including various systems of play and the role of individual players in team formations. The book can be a resource for coaches, but with its clear, simple language, many illustrations and detailed pointers on common mistakes and how to correct them, it’s also a good self-help guide for aspiring soccer stars to use alone and progress at their own pace.

“It’s a book that a player can use to take himself or herself through the steps,” Luxbacher said.

The bulk of the book focuses on skill building, a concept that Luxbacher says often isn’t given enough attention in youth soccer. Gaining confidence with the ball is the foundation for the rest of the game. “Soccer’s not just kickball,” he said. “Often youth coaches too soon think their players are ready for tactics when they haven’t yet mastered the skills,” Luxbacher said. “With the correct instruction and repetition, you become comfortable and then gain confidence,” he said.

The same kind of regular practice that a soccer player might use to improve his or her skills has helped Luxbacher be a better writer. “I wasn’t an English major,” said Luxbacher, who studied environmental biology at Pitt before going on to earn a master’s of education in health, physical education and recreation and a Ph.D. in administration of physical education and athletics, also at Pitt. His initial foray into writing sprang from his love of outdoor activities such as hiking and canoeing. He moved on to writing his first full-length book, and later began writing a health and fitness Q & A column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

He finds writing requires discipline — if he doesn’t set aside time each day to write, other distractions and responsibilities creep in and make deadlines difficult to meet. “You have to be creative, but you have to be disciplined,” Luxbacher said. When he’s writing, he sets aside time first thing each morning.

The concept of habit is playing a role in his idea for the next book he hopes to write — a fitness book that will focus on developing healthier habits as an alternative to diet and exercise plans that don’t work. “Habits determine what you become,” he maintains, emphasizing that eliminating habits isn’t as effective as replacing bad habits with better ones.

It’s hard to make time to write while juggling coaching responsibilities, soccer camps and a family that includes a son and daughter, but he enjoys seeing his ideas on paper.

“If I have an idea that I think is good, that spurs me on,” he said. “I like to see the final product.”

—Kimberly K. Barlow