There is an old Chinese saying: "A master can lead you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual."
The meaning is simple: everything comes down to both the way and the technique.
The way refers to principles and theory, while technique refers to the skills and methods for putting those principles and theories into practice.
What a master can teach is all principles and theory. But to truly put them into practice, one has to rely on skills and methods. That can only come from each person's own understanding; no one else can teach it.
It was just like on a soccer field. Everyone knew that the best areas for shooting were the center of the goal and the sectors on either side of the penalty area.
Everyone also knew that shooting technique meant using different ways of striking the ball in different situations.
The principle seemed simple enough, but truly mastering it and applying it with ease was extremely difficult.
As players developed through a formal youth system, every young Ajax player had an extremely solid foundation. Whether it was basic technique or tactical awareness, they were already no different from senior players.
Then why was there such a huge gap between the performances of young and senior players on the field?
The difference lay in technique!
The way was basically the same, but differences in technique caused the players to perform far worse on the field than senior players.
And technique could not be developed overnight. It could only be built up over time.
Things changed in an instant on the field, and all kinds of complicated situations could arise. How to respond to such sudden changes was something coaches simply could not teach. The players had to slowly explore and accumulate experience for themselves.
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