COACHING & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT 

Should we place more emphasis on scoring goals and finishing activities, the answer is yes !! READ MORE >>

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Training Twin Strikers - article by Greg Mass, Director of coaching -Utah

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Dear Coaches ,

 

A colleague reminded me of  these coaching insights by Bob Bigelow.

Although Bob  primarily uses the sport of Basketball when  explaining his coaching philosophy  to Coaches and Parents it is all applicable to soccer.

 

If you have not seen these clips before it will stop and make you think . There are many  thought provoking insights which apply to all levels of coaching .

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtuzXj8nY5g&feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMJy-N3mfjc

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0g6--WYYvQ&NR=1

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjmYekwLH7I

 

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Parents and the Team Concept   READ MORE >>

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Dear Coaches,

Our Parents here in AZ for the most part appear to be improving their side line demeanor. However, it can get better!

As Coaches we must continue to accept the responsibility and challenge of educating the parents as much as possible especially with regard to their side demeanor. This probably will have to include a few more additional meetings with them after practice, just so they understand the bigger picture.

In addition, sadly this past weekend I saw a lot of coaches testing and challenging, especially the young referees, during games, plus we had a few Coaches simply abusing referees and Assistant Referees. Almost blaming the officials for their team’s poor performance!

Some of the calls in several of the games were a bit inconsistent which led to out bursts of frustration on the side line being demonstrated by a coach, which in turn effected the discipline and code of conduct of the players, which then triggered off the parents and then games quickly got ugly !

I also saw many coaches not disciplining players during the game, for example a player talks back at the referee and gets a yellow, in my opinion he should be substituted.( U 11- 14 maybe even older depending on the circumstance.) If a player commits a serious foul and it appears to antagonize the opponents, maybe that a good time to make a quick substitution, so things do not get out of hand. (Reading the Game)

I am not going to tell you guys how to coach but I am ultimately baffled by so many loud audible comments directed towards referees and in many cases their own players by very experienced and knowledgeable coaches plus by coaches who are just desperate to get that win !

I don't have to tell you as coaches that being a coach does not just include being a role model for the players but at times more so to the parents, especially during the game itself. Your behavior and comments on the sideline are often replicated and repeated by "wanna be parent coaches" who pace up and down the side line.

I know the feeling because I have been in your shoes and yes I have at times acted in an equally embarrassing fashion towards my own players and officials during games.

We must all do a better job in keeping winning in perspective especially at the younger age groups and focus more on how we play rather than just simply the end result.
Also handshakes at the end of the game are all part of the game regardless of who wins!!

Below are is an article that probably crystallizes my thoughts and hopefully is thought provoking enough to help us all to continue improve the side line demeanor of parents and coaches as we continue to try to develop the game at all levels in AZ.

Teaching parents how to stay on-side  By Jim White Anybody involved in junior sport will have seen them in action. Disinclined to accept authority, shrieking, fighting, moaning, complaining. Plus shouting, forever shouting. This is not the young participants. In my experience, the next generation are eager, enthusiastic and sportsmanlike. No, it is their parents who are the problem. In eight years as a coach at my son's football club, I have seen the lot, from the coven of screeching mothers, whose spume-flecked fury drove a referee to seek the safety of his car, to the father who stepped on to the field of play, grabbed hold of his son by the shirt front and, lifting him off his feet, spat into his face the threat that, unless he pulled his finger out, he would be getting it when he got home. The lad was eight. In many a match, the touchline has become a battlefield, a no-go area for the sane and sensible, the parental supporters sucking all available oxygen out of the atmosphere, poisoning it with a desperation to see their children triumph. Indeed, the behavior of the touchline parent has become a comedy staple of our time. In the film The Football Factory, the two leaders of rival hooligan gangs happen across each other when their young sons are playing in a Sunday league game. Read more from Jim White Touchline dads are bad for boys and the game By Jim White Child's play: demanding parents can lead to youngsters finding their kicks away from the football fields The 10-year-old boy is one of the natural world's most competitive beasts. Put him in any environment at any time and he will turn it into a contest. Eating, drinking, staying up late, for him everything is ripe with potential competition. There is only one known creature more competitive than the 10-year-old boy: his father. Especially when he is watching his son play football. A recent experiment using heart monitors discovered that the average man gets far more excited watching his lad in action than he does when following his favorite professional team. Red-faced and shouty, overwrought and overexcited, the touchline dad has become one of the comedy staples. In Nick Love's movie The Football Factory, just about the only laugh is when two of the protagonists come to blows as they watch their sons in a Saturday-morning game. "Right," says the referee, picking up the ball as the two men wrestle in the centre circle, "if they're not going to behave like adults, we're off." Actually, in my experience of youth football that is wishful thinking: it is much more likely both teams and the referee would have joined in the bundle. Right now, however, in the midst of the inquiry into England's inability to qualify for Euro 2008, the touchline dad has become more than a joke. He is being cited as one of the reasons for our failure to develop good young players. His overbearing presence, it is claimed, is sucking the joy out of the game, producing a generation of leather-lunged hackers, unable to express themselves through skill, brought up to believe the most important thing in football is to "get stuck in". And, indeed, in eight years managing my son's team I have witnessed some terrible things. The father who stepped on to the pitch, grabbed his under-performing son by the shirt front, lifted him off his feet and, spitting with rage, told him, nose-to-nose, that he would be getting it when he got home, was but one. I have seen boys, buckling under parental pressure, run off the pitch in tears and hide. I have seen referees physically assaulted after matches involving eight-year-olds. I have heard mothers, when their sons are substituted, direct at the coach torrents of abuse so foul-mouthed they would embarrass Jonathan Ross. Interestingly, as the boys in my team have got older, the incidents have diminished. Now they are 15, it is unusual to encounter such things. Sure there can be grumbles about dodgy line-calls, but it is rarely more than that. There is a simple reason for this: the boys whose dads raged when they were little have generally given up. Why should they carry on with something that brought them nothing but grief and embarrassment? They have drifted away from the game and their dads have followed. When my son was 12, in our part of town there were seven 11-a-side teams in his age group. Now he is nearly 16, there are only two. Which means more than 50 boys are no longer engaged in football. That is the irony of the aggressive touchline dad's contribution: as often as not he scares his child away from doing the very thing at which he is so desperate for them to succeed. Yet the influence of such people at the top level, the place where it matters, is minimal. Go along to watch a game or training session at an enlightened youth academy such as Manchester United, Liverpool or Middlesbrough and it is like entering another world, a world less angst-ridden, less claustrophobic, less fraught. At United, parents sign a commitment to remain silent when they watch their children in action. Breach it and they are jeopardizing their boy's chances of progressing. The coaches, too, keep quiet. The result is the only voices that can be heard are from the kids, having the time of their lives as they play their small-sided games, their skills flourishing with every back-heel and lollipop. Nobody raises their voice, nobody rants, everybody just has fun. And this is at a club presided over by Sir Alex Ferguson, the world's most competitive manager. Not that the parents are entirely sidelined. According to Brian McClair, who runs the United academy, no player can succeed in the modern game without parental support. It is crucial they are behind him, driving him to practice, encouraging him when he is injured. Look at the superstars of British sport: Lewis Hamilton, Amir Khan and David Beckham all have fathers who have dedicated their life to their son's career. Those dads did not need to shout at their boys. Theirs is an example we could all follow. You'll Win Nothing With Kids, Jim White's account of coaching his son's team, is published by Little, Brown at £12.99. Mum, the football hooligan Brawl control: Violence from spectators watching their children play football is causing concern They want their child to be the next David Beckham or Wayne Rooney… and they're willing to fight for it. David Harrison reports on the parents who are turning the beautiful game ugly It's 1-1 with less than 10 minutes to go and, on a small-sized football pitch in Surrey, two teams of nine-year-old boys are playing their muddy socks off. About 20 parents, split into two separate camps, are cheering them on from the touchline. It's an open game and it could go either way. A fair-haired youngster in a red strip dribbles the ball down the right wing and heads towards the goal. But his charge for glory is halted abruptly when a burly opponent in royal blue rushes over and sends him crashing to the ground with a heavy tackle. The referee signals a foul. An argument breaks out and, less than a minute later, the playing field echoes to the sickening sound of human head on human nose. The head-butt was delivered not by one of the young footballers but by an adult: the strapping, thirty something father of the bigger boy who took offence when the fouled player's father complained about the tackle. The attacker, still hurling abuse at his target, is pulled away by other parents. The victim, the father of the fouled player, looks stunned and is led off, blood streaming from his nose, to be cleaned up. The referee abandons the match and the children trudge off disconsolately, their game ruined, their minds confused. This assault took place last month just outside London. But similarly shocking incidents are happening all over the country every week - and causing serious alarm among football authorities. The num ber of assaults during junior football matches is reaching record levels in many areas, and the attacks are becoming more violent, according to officials. In almost all cases it is the spectators - invariably the players' parents - who are to blame. "It's madness out there," says one youth league official in the North-west. "We have parents fighting with each other and punching referees and linesmen. Coaches get involved, too. Sometimes it's the mothers who start the fights - and they can be worse than the men. It's ruining the game and it's terrible that this is happening in front of the children." In Surrey, not renowned as a hotspot in which football passions run high, 12 youth matches have been abandoned this season - the worst figure for at least five years - because of violence or abuse from parents. An exasperated Ray Ward, the Surrey County Football Association secretary, has written a letter to all clubs warning them that such behavior cannot be tolerated. "It is beyond my comprehension why some adults devote so much time during the week to providing children with the opportunity to play football and then lose all self-control and ruin the day for those same children," he wrote. As one disillusioned youth coach put it: "The game kicks off and then the parents kick off." The worst parental brutality is not confined to the traditional big-city football hotbeds, such as Liverpool, Manchester and east London. In Huddersfield, recently, a linesman at an under-13s game was beaten unconscious by a 40-year-old woman and a 16-year-old youth. In rural Somerset, fights have broken out after opposition parents have tripped up seven-year-old players as they ran down the wing. In sleepy Wiltshire, a father, opting for a crude but non-violent protest, drove a 4x4 vehicle onto the pitch and refused to move until the referee changed a decision. The referee refused and the game was abandoned. The biggest problems occur at games involving children aged between six and 11. These games, often "mini-socc er" matches involving smaller teams playing on smaller pitches, attract more parent spectators because they bring their children and stay to watch. But, for some of the parents, it is more than a game, more than a chance for their child to improve his soccer skills and have fun with other children. Those mothers and fathers are convinced that their child will be the next Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard or David Beckham. "They are living their dreams through their children," says Ian Tonkinson, the child welfare officer for the Stourbridge Youth League, near Birmingham. "They think their kid could be the next superstar. They want little Johnny to win at all costs. It means they are totally wound up during the games and they can just lose it when they get frustrated if Johnny makes a mistake, someone kicks him, or the ref gives what they consider to be a bad decision." The effect on the children is profound. Being bawled at by parents or coaches affects their social confidence and development. It also hampers their progress as footballers, making them too scared to try a new skill or trick, content instead to just "lump" the ball up the pitch. This, many within the professional game believe, helps to explain why the English national side has failed to win a major trophy since 1966. "We have to educate the parents," says Kelly Simmons, the FA's head of football development, who is responsible for grassroots football. "They don't seem to realize how much damage they are doing to their children." John Tuppin, the company secretary at Durham County FA, echoes that concern. "It's a huge problem," he says. "If we don't look after players when they are very young, then that is bound to have an effect on the England teams of the future." The FA is also concerned that parents' touchline threats and violence are driving young referees to quit. Last year, 7,000 referees threw away their whistles and the FA admits that there is a serious shortage. The result is that unqualified parents referee matches - and bec ome easy targets for abuse from parents of the opposing team. Young referees, some just 15 or 16 - and a growing number of them teenage girls - are particularly vulnerable to bullying parents and many last no longer than their first game. "Quite apart from the threat of physical violence, they have to put up with shocking language and abuse," says Mr Tuppin. "I've seen a lot of young refs walk off the pitch in tears. Finding young referees and training them is not a problem; keeping them is. "They think that refereeing games of seven- to 10-year-olds will be a fun thing to do on a Sunday morning. And it should be. But then they find themselves being screamed at by some loudmouthed parent on the touchline. It's no wonder they ask themselves, 'Is it worth the hassle?'?" Referees' assistants are often the bullies' first targets because they run along the line close to where parents stand. "Sometimes, the abuse goes on all game long," says one London referee's assistant, who gave up last year after he was punched by a spectator following a controversial offside decision. In Surrey, Mr Ward says that he has recently received yet another report of an attack by a parent on a referee's assistant during an under-15s match. A similar case last season led to a parent being fined £1,000 for assault, with £150 costs, and ordered to pay £300 to the official. So what can be done to stop parental abuse and thuggery? Some local leagues have introduced plastic "fencing" to keep parents away from the players, coaches and officials. In Stourbridge and in Wigan, Greater Manchester, parents have to stand behind a plastic mesh or rope barrier along one side of the pitch, four or five feet behind the touchline, throughout the game. The coaches are on the opposite side of the pitch and some leagues insist that opposing parents stand on different sides. No one is allowed near the goals. The fences are working, says Keith Harris, the chairman of the Wigan Youth League, which has seen the number of games abandone d fall from up to 15 a season to just one so far this season, and that was because of bad behavior by the players rather than the supporters. The FA has taken note - and its own research shows that touchline violence and intimidation are clubs' biggest concerns. Next month, it will introduce barriers at games in eight counties as part of a large-scale pilot project. The new "Respect" campaign will also include a code of conduct for spectators, with punishments for breaches, and it will follow the example of rugby and allow only the team captain to talk to the referee. Some in the game would like to see more radical measures, including the scrapping of league tables, points, trophies - and even referees - for football involving children under the age of 11. "Children don't need all that," says Paul Cooper, a football coach and the founder of Give Us Back Our Game, who has organized successful tournaments stripped of the "adult" elements. "We have to end the adult-driven 'win at all costs' philosophy. Children just want to play, and they can organize themselves and enjoy themselves." Dr Misia Gervis, a senior lecturer at Brunel University and sports psychology consultant to the FA, says: "Top of the list for children is having a good time but many parents miss that point. Before they even think about winning, they have to love what they are doing." At junior and youth matches in Wigan and Stourbridge yesterday, the perimeter "fences" seemed to be helping to keep the parents' emotions under control, but some are not convinced they will provide a permanent solution to the problem of thuggish parents. "There is a long way to go," says Mr Cooper. "We need a change of culture. Adults have taken over the children's game and use it for their own purposes. We have to give it back to the children." "I would give wings to the children, but I would leave the child alone so that he flies on his own" Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Good morning Coaches, Just some more observation notes from the weekend . I wrote this up last night and thought it might be helpful information.

Functional training by position using a small sided game.

Observing several State league games at the weekend at Reach 11 and Rose Mofford with the older age groups it was more noticeable that teams definitely had more players playing in fixed positions than the younger age groups. I thought I would pass on this training /practice idea I have been using over the past   5 or 6 years working with competitive players  , I am sure you already use  your own variations , but if not it might be  something to think about.

5 v 5 plus GK

Area – Half field

Objectives –To get players functioning both individually and collectively (technically and tactically) within a small sided game 

When I was coaching at the University of Louisville I always found pre-season was a time that I needed to work with the players as much as possible forming tactical relationships using small sided games. In other words get  the players to understand  how they need to play together .For example using this method  I would develop   in a  5 v 5 game  both the outside back and wide midfielder working together  in a small sided game , both in their own defending  third , middle third and attacking third. (I use this method coaching youth teams also 13-18)

I knew the positions where I wanted to the play the players in the formation (4-4-2) but I needed to design practices where we could get the most technical and tactical repetition in a game environment, plus it had to be relevant to the areas of the field where the players would realistically perform their roles both in attack and defense.

I placed the emphasis on both attacking and defending responsibilities in the practice.  (economical training) I allow the players the opportunity to engage themselves in a competitive game situation which hopefully they can translate back to the full sided field 11 v 11, plus more importantly how it might apply to the upcoming game.

For   higher level players this could be a critical aspect of your coaching method as players tend to lose their focus and intensity if the practice contains too much stopping and starting .This practice organization   allows me to coach in the flow of the activity.

Below is how I organized the practice. Diagram 1

The Red team is the Defending team and tries to regain possession and score in the 2 counter attack goals.

The players perform the functional roles of a  Gk , center back, right back, central midfielder , wide fielder , and  a forward .( 6 players )

Technical: Receiving techniques under pressure, shielding the ball, turning with the ball with back to the opponent and playing a forward pass.

Tactical: Organize Defensive pressure on the ball, second defender covering, plus work on tactical communication.

Regain possession of the ball and try to play to the target player, push out and support the transition to attack.

The Grey team is the attacking team going to goal. The players perform the functional roles of 2 central midfielders, left back, left sided midfielder and a forward. (5 players)

Technical: Dribbling techniques, running at the man or gaps, receiving techniques under pressure. Techniques for crossing to the near post area, finishing and long range finishing.

Tactical: Attack - Combination play, wide play .Defense- High pressure.

Rules:

If the ball goes out at the coned half way line, restart with a kick in (quick free kick)

From throw ins try to maintain possession.

Play corner kicks, practice short corners.

Coaching  Philosophy.

 This could also be a good way to begin to introduce young players to the various positions and roles played within the game. I am not saying or promoting that we should play players just in one position. However, I do feel we need to seek ways to create the right learning and game situation environments where our players can continue to develop their understanding of the game.

Diagram 1 5 v 5 plus GK for functional positional training in a small sided game.

Variations – move the game to be played at the half way line. Players play their roles technically and tactically in the middle third of the field.

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Hello  Coaches,

Below are  just some thoughts from observations from the weekend .

 I had the opportunity to watch several  state league under  12 games for both Boys and Girls.

As you know last year this group of players were playing  at under 11  8 v 8 on a field that measured 70 - 75 yards long and 50 yards wide .

 

Most of you as coaches are 100% behind the players  playing 8 v 8 at  the under 11 age group  and supported this concept in terms of enhancing player development .

Of course we all knew about the pros and cons when we decided to make this move to put less players on the field , playing on smaller field  and  with a smaller goal.

 

For the most part  I have found  Coaches putting emphasis on Developing the players Technically during practice at  under 11.  (8 v 8) However it is unfortunate that many  coaches still  find themselves  caught up in the end  result  (competing and winning) rather than the process of how they their players are performing individually or  how they combine both in attack and in defense with other players.(process of playing)

 

One observation that stands out , is the number of players who play the ball first time,  (kick/clear the ball  ) to avoid being challenged or  get out of pressure.

 

During many of the  under 11  games I   observed  I   noticed how  very few players /teams understood  how  to play in 3's , plus only a  very few players/teams  appear  to  understand  the  concepts of playing in 2's , i.e. combination play .

At this age this has to be a big part of the technical and tactical concepts that we should be emphasizing.

We should not necessarily be concerned with complex team  tactics in attack or defense  in an 8 v 8 game   but rather  simple  playing shapes , spatial awareness , and focus as much as possible on  Individual techniques both in attack and in defense.

 

It is very interesting to note that the under 9 and 10 games I observed in the  Maricopa  Open League were for the most part  very difficult for the players  technically and tactically ,.With 16   players on the field it is still  an environment where very young players are involved in a game with a lot of  players on the field  which  indirectly becomes tactical instead of technical , hence the cries every two seconds" spread out" !

 

We might be able to get away with playing 8 v 8  at under 10s but it is a stretch for our under 9s.

The individual tendency  of our players was once again was to  get rid of the ball as quickly as possible , out of pressure with  a  "big kick" which immediately was followed by applause and praise  from the parents !

 

I also think that we often  get caught up in trying to speed up the process Tactically  ( I know I did ) even though we know our players might  struggle technically with the skill of  dribbling ,  passing  and receiving  the ball on the move and under pressure, we still try to get our young players to do  things tactically  on the field that might  appear to be straight forward  for us as Coaches but  for very young players  Tactics are a very abstract way of playing soccer .

 

Another observation at the under 11 and under 12s is that the majority of the  GK distribution is  from a punt .(This philosophy  appears to continue into the under 13s  & 14s  and  unfortunately  beyond into the older age groups)

 

I feel for the under 11 & 12  age group Coaches  because they are all working  hard to retain players within their club by trying to create the right environment for their your players , but yet it is  often  the result of a game (win v loss) that  parents  relate to when it comes to the development of their son or daughter.

 

As noted with several games  (under 11 & under 12s ) it was  not necessarily the more skilful teams that won at the weekend as many games were decided in the end  by athletic ability , rather than technical ability (under 11, 12, 13,)

 

On another note , some food for thought . When I grew up in England  playing at under 12  & 13 we did not play on the same field played on by the under 17 or 18 age group.

 

I am beginning to feel we should consider making the fields more age appropriate .

 

One  State League game that I  observed between San Tan and Sereno  Girls under 12's was  played on a Field at Reach 11 which measured approximately 115 yards long  by 75 yards wide.

We might be wiser to look at this from a "Player Development "perspective  when trying to  transition the  players from  8 v 8 (75yds x 50yds ) to 11 v 11  by using a smaller field ,which would be more age appropriate in its measurements,  approximately 100 yards long and 60 yards wide.

 

Under 12's

Observations during the games -on a full size field.(115 X 75)

 Players were fatigued after 20 -25 min's ,too much space to cover .

 Lack of  pressure on the ball, too much time and space,  players need to be challenged immediately  when in possession  of the ball , it would  help  promote speed of play.(decision making-tactical awareness) Speed of play tended to be very slow.

Too many players not involved in the game , many players standing.

 Players not equipped technically to play longer accurate passes therefore  game was played between the width of the penalty areas.

The more athletic players tended to stand out  and overall the team  with the most athletes generally were more dominant .

Smaller Technical players (dribblers) could rarely be successful  off the dribble , beat first defender and then caught up by  more athletic players. 

A smaller field would  allow for more immediate and quicker transition to attack without giving the opponent time to recover .

Lack of shots  , smaller field would promote  more shots  and goal scoring opportunities

Very few  successful  crosses , most crosses were cleared . A narrow field would allow for  more crossing opportunities , the GK and field players would now have to deal with balls in the air and well as on the ground.(heading, volleying)

Gks were inactive for long periods of the game ,  a smaller field would help keep the GKs  be more  connected to the game , deal with more thru balls , back passes etc.

 Not many restarts in the game , smaller field would likely have more  corner kicks and Throw ins.

 Corner kicks difficult to technically execute on the bigger field  ,players  could  not serve the ball in the box.

 The game for long periods was played in the  middle third of the field , smaller field would promote more  attacking soccer which equals more defending duals.

 

Overall  using a smaller field for 12s  would create a  more fun soccer game for the kids.

 

Just food for thought as we try to find ways to improve the overall level of the game youth game in Arizona

It was interesting to observe many of the goals that were scored this past weekend at Reach 11 during the State Cup.

The players were aged 14 thru 18 so everything was evaluated on a full size field with full size goals.What  stood out for me was the number of goals that were scored due to attacking players reacting first in the box.

In other words there were lots of scrappy goals !!!

It is important to try to recreate this environment  or these type of situations during practice if you want your team to score more goals! 

As Coaches we must be careful when selecting shooting practices that we do not ignore how  goals that are scored  as the majority of goals are  simply not pretty , but often  down to the  player who reacts and  anticipates the fastest.
 In addition I noticed  few goal attempts were made from players receiving the ball in the penalty with their back to goal and turning and shooting. 

We still had our fair share of goals scored from breakaways and a handful of goals scored from long range.However, I felt overall the technique for  long range shooting was generally unsuccessful due to players  not assessing the right technique to use . Many players would  strike  the ball with their laces but did not always select  the right technique /surface in the given  situation ,  very few attempts were made where players guided the ball towards goal  using a different surface besides the laces. 

Many shots were blocked due to the predictability of the shot, (obvious back lift before shooting) A fake or feint just before shooting would have created more of a  shooting window  plus tends to freeze the defender.

As coaches we  talk about using the Laces to shoot but as we all know as  the players mature and the game develops a little more sophistication, our  players  need to be  encouraged  to attempt  bending the ball   past the keeper using more of the instep and joint of the big toe as I call it. (Top flight players tend to use this technique in and around the penalty area)
 There was one Goal that did catch my eye in the Sereno verses Cisco 93 Boys game which demonstrated a lot of skill and included a finish with the outside of the foot. 

The ball was switched from right to left to a player just outside the penalty area. The attacker quickly brought the ball down under control, dribbled with his right foot (3 or 4 touches) and used the outside of his right foot to strike the ball as he was running in stride, he placed the ball into the far corner (far post) There was very little back lift , the technique was executed at speed with confidence  and beat the goal keeper with more disguise than power. 
 

Just some thoughts as you plan shooting practices for your players.

The US Youth Soccer Show Kicks Off on Friday, April 10
US Youth Soccer's monthly program, The US Youth Soccer Show, brings viewers in depth with US Youth Soccer events, players, coaches and more. The 30-minute show airs only on Fox Soccer Channel. The April show includes stories from:

Highlights from the US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop and Awards Gala.
Action from the Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh and Vegas US Youth Soccer National League events. See who will be going to the 2009 US Youth Soccer National Championships this summer.
See the highlights from the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) Championships and the annual ODP Trick Off.
Feature on Whitney Jaynes of the North Texas US Youth Soccer ODP Girls who experienced a traumatic event that refocused her priorities.
Feature on the U.S. Power Soccer Association where players in power wheelchairs test their skills.
Don't miss The US Youth Soccer Show, now in its fourth season on Fox Soccer Channel and running each month through December! For more information and to download full shows from iTunes, go to usyouthsoccer.org/podcasts.


April Show Times*
Friday, April 10 @ 6 p.m. ET (Premier)
Monday, April 13 @ 5 p.m. ET
Friday, April 24 @ 6 p.m. ET
Monday, April 27 @ 5 p.m. ET
*Subject to change. Check your local listings

SC del Sol President's Day Tournament Champions Wednesday, Feb 25, 2009 8:00 AM ET
Arizona club Sereno was the big winner at the 30th annual SC del Sol President's Day Tournament, taking four of the 10 upper age division championships.BOYS FINALS:
U19: Classic FC Red Star (N.M.) 2 Marin FC (Calif.) 0
U17: San Juan SC Lightning (Calif.) 1 Cisco SC Black (Ariz.) 0
U16: Sereno SC White (Ariz.) 3 AZFC Hammers (Ariz.) 0
U15: Sereno SC White(Ariz.) 5 San Juan SC Lightning (Calif.) 0
U14: SC del Sol White(Ariz.) 3 Sockers FC Chicago (Ill.) 1GIRLS FINALS:
U19: Minnesota Thunder Academy 1 Mesa SC United (Ariz.) 0
U17: Sereno SC White (Ariz.) 5 Laurel SC Lightning (Md.) 1
U16: Windy City Pride 1 Placer United SC Prestige (Calif.) 0
U15: La Roca FC TC (Utah) 2 SC del Sol White (Ariz.) 0
U14: Sereno SC White (Ariz.) 1 Sockers FC Chicago (Ill.) 0

One of the most frequent questions I get asked by players and Coaches is, "who is or was your favorite player"? It is a tough question to answer especially as I have been a fan since I can remember! Although I grew up in England, I remember watching not only the professional players in England but also I can recall watching every World cup since 1966, watching hundreds of great games and hundreds of inspirational players. I would have to say that the best player I have ever seen play "live" without question would have to be Diego Maradona. My favorite modern day player is Ryan Giggs. Players today are far more advanced technically, far more athletic, the tactics are far more involved and the players must have the ability to be psychologically more prepared than ever. However, it is hard to find a modern player who has the right combination of all these components, Ryan Giggs comes very close! Ryan Giggs is a very versatile player who plays in many different positions for Manchester United. He is simply a great role model for young soccer players from around the world. Interesting to note Ryan was originally with Man City as a 14 year old player and United saw that something special that City did not!! The rest is history if you are a soccer fan. Wikipedia bio

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center: Subject:   Courageous Call Date:     February 13, 2009 On February 11, 2009, in a World Cup qualifier match between the United States and Mexico (played in Columbus, Ohio) a courageous call was made by the referee under circumstances which, while clearly requiring a red card, might well have been handled less correctly by many referees. In the 65th minute, Mexico captain Rafael Marquez tackled US goalkeeper Tim Howard and, as a result, Marquez was sent off with no hesitation by the referee.  The photograph included in the attachment captures the moment: Note the nature of the tackle: studs up, delivered in the knee area, while the victim was entirely up in the air. Given that the match up to this point had been calm, generally friendly, and virtually devoid of misconduct, referees must decide whether they would have the presence of mind and courage to take the necessary action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6_qFGiiTGg      Feb. 11, 2009: Highlights: MNT 2, MEX 0

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Ajax Den Haag Fair Play - TO READ BEFORE Watching the VIDEO attached
Situations in life exist that make us to believe that it is always possible to be better then what we are!We have a good example here:During a soccer game, in Holland, a player of the Team red - the Ajax - suffered an injury and was hurt in the ground.One of the players of the Team adversary - equipped in yellow - as it is habit, send the ball out so that the hurt player was taken care of.When the player was recovered the launching belonged to the Ajax (red) e, as it orders the sportsmanship, the player of the Ajax tried to return the ball to the field of the adversary. Only that he did it in a very disfigured way, without wanting, he end up making goal!All, including the player who, without wanting, made the goal, got confused. But the referee considered the goal valid!The ball came back to the center of game to be retaken with that unjust score.It was at this moment that the players of the Ajax, with Great Spirit they had quickly taken a resolution: To be all stand without moving to allow the adversary - yellow ? to also make they goal to restitute justice in the scoreboard and that’s What happened!The direction of justice is impressive from the Team Ajax - red - and the good agreement between all them so no one move and let the other team score was fantastic. They wanted to win, but the victory would have to be

“Clean” and fair!!!

Winning proves everything we are told. It identifies perfection and the highest ideals of sport, so we are led to believe and yet we have all these awards and winners but far fewer real players and coaches. The problem is compounded by the Al Davis’s of this world who trumpet out, “win baby, win” everyday in the media. Statistics back up the claims and the vast army of youth coaches and parents suddenly see the Holy Grail of success staring directly at them. Winning solves and proves all. Or does it?

At professional level, a win is a win is a win. You have yet to see a pro coach reject an ugly win. On the other hand four or five losses, its haste la vista” and on your bike! These coaches know most of a player’s development is done by their late teens and competition is the next phrase of heightening that talent. They know their athletes have matured both physically and mentally to deal with the many ups and downs of pro sports. Mr. Davis is totally correct about the importance of a win in the pro arena but down on the sandlot he would probably rephrase his quote to, “learn, baby learn.”

Unfortunately the youth scene takes these images of the only thing in life are to win without thinking about the environment and youngsters. It looks the same – the ball, the field, the game, the uniforms, etc. So they mimic the picture that is on the screen and learn to talk the talk. It’s official with all these mini-pros and Buddy Ryan look-a-likes pacing the touchlines. They have, however, forgotten two things- the children and their development needs. To blindly imitate means short term winning and long term losing. It looks good at the beginning, winning the U.5’s Post-Natal Cup, pounding opponents into the ground with an incredible winning record. “This is what it’s all about!” PuttPutt here we come!” Suddenly, parents who up to that point used to get a nose bleed competing at checkers are talking contracts and scholarships for their youngsters. Luckily sanity is slightly restored when children turn round and say “we’ve had enough. Skateboards and the open road, here we come.” Off they go, never to be seen on a competitive sports field again.

A word for the very competitive coach; COACH ADULTS and not children. Any egocentric adult can bully youngsters to some degree but try the same techniques on adults. Now if they enjoy the screaming and bullying methods, then you have found a mutual home for your talents. The ground is even and you can trade insults freely, but youngsters deserve better. They are looking for leadership and a role model, not the second coming of Adolph and other sporting tyrants. Rumor has it, Mel Brooks got his inspiration for his movie “Springtime for Hitler” from studying this species “coaching” at an Easter tournament. You can’t win them all!

This so call ”winning mentality” often puts youngsters in the losing column as they opt out of sport to calmer pastures, where they can make their own decisions without the constant baying of adult “expertise”. Who can blame them? If those same parents were on the receiving end of the same verbal assault, they would probably join the rest of the drop-outs looking for tranquility.

Is too much winning bad for a child’s sports health? I feel it can be if it is held as the be all and end all of playing a game. The pressure to win inflicted upon a child or a team above all else is closing the door on their development. The fun of playing goes out of the window and is substituted by a bottom line mentality of fun can only be derived from winning. Young players need the freedom to experiment, to fail, and fail again and again without the constant heat of competition scalding their errors. Think of how many times Michael Jordan must have failed in learning various moves? Luckily he was allowed the freedom to try, try again until the ugly duckling of a move became a thing of soaring beauty. Skill takes years of nurturing as it is like planting seed, needing caring attention before it blooms for all to see. You can’t cheat or cheapen the process as the muse is too demanding and won’t be short changed by the promise of a trophy or a winning record. It demands a deeper commitment from the player to develop the self motivation to practice over and over again, to chase the rainbow, to find perfection.

A coach cannot do it for a player, but they can help them by drip-feeding encouragement and being a good role model.

For youth coaches, it is vital to maintain the priority of learning the basics well, both in soccer and life skills. It is all about development of a child within a great game, form getting clever with a ball to becoming a brilliant teammate. That’s real winning. Fortunately, the muse refuses to give fake rewards like cups as it chooses to challenge the intellect and heart. It rewards effort, skill and self motivational attitudes. Those are the real prizes. How do you measure those qualities? In return, a player wins a priceless passion for a sport and a never-say-die mentality to learning.

When does competition become important? From the late teens or when our youngsters possess the skills and a composure to play under pressure. By then they have awareness and an understanding of the game and are ready to be tested. Now the steel of real competition will hone their skills to new levels. Some countries have nurtured players in this fashion for decades and the results speak for themselves. Look at Germany, Denmark and Holland, especially the latter two nations, both small in population and yet produce top class players on a consistent basis. They care about educating players first and winning second. They know when to win and when to learn. These countries rarely win any tournament up and past the mid-teens but when they come of age, around 18; they are ready to vote and ready to compete. This long term learning attitude is the foundation stone that crates a playing excellence of the highest standard. They then go on to win real trophies- EURO ’92 and “96, European Champions League and a few World Cups here and there.One of our problems in youth sports is that winning and losing gets twisted to the point where they acquire a strange status. Winning is equated as a form of excellence and losing is treated like a social disease. I feel players need to lose about 20 to 25% of their games in order to learn. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with losing if you have given of your best. With a positive approach, the loss can become a “learning win” as players know what to do to improve, plus they can learn from their opponent’s play. You can only learn to fight when things go wrong. Remember the purpose is to educate and that involves dealing with setbacks. They need to learn to put a game right and to deal with reversals, bad days, rotten pitches and other obstacles that lurk to test a player’s spirit and tenacity. Too often parents want “pain free learning experiences” to quote Alice Ann Wilber of William Smith College. Being dropped or losing is treated as someone else’s fault, often the coach is first in line to be credited with the failure. Because of these isolated, protective reactions from parents, they block the opportunity of their teenager dealing with a setback and so learning to rebound, making that child a stronger, more independent person. If they are real players, they will firth their way back into the line-up and prove everyone wrong. What’s wrong with a youngster learning to face up to such adversity? Often it is short term pain followed by personal growth whereas in later life it maybe another matter on a far more important issue. It did not stop Michael Jordan after he was dropped from his high school team. He had thi s unconquerable spirit to never give up the good fight. If that is the result of being dropped, I think more players should try it!We live in a “quick fix society” and this is very evident in youth sports as trophies are dished out to nearly anyone and for any reason. I think the winners are the ones who were lucky enough not to win an award as they are the minority, therefore special! The trophies are as cheap as their extrinsic value as they tend to follow the journey of mantel-piece, bedroom, closet, and basement to trash can. This because even more noticeable after attending a youth soccer banquet some years ago. A youngster was asked, “How many trophies have you won?” The boy looked at his fingers to count and turned to his dad, the parent being his personal computer, “dad, how many?” “I, don’t know, maybe 7, maybe 9” replied the dad. “Tell me about your 5th Trophy? Came the next question and again the boy looked for parental advice and again no real answer. “Why win a cup if it doesn’t mean anything to you?” Back came a silent replay the boy shrugged his shoulders stating “I don’t know” His non answer probably speaks the truth of the vast majority of young so-called winners. They have won a trophy but lost an experience. Experience is collecting knowledge and memory, both are vital learning blocks and yet we devalue them wholesale straight to the trash can. Sadly a cup as some lineage before it finds its rightful resting place.Too often parents, coaches and uneducated youth groups want to win the wrong things. They prize a $5.00 trophy over the education of youngsters through a sport. Learning takes time and intellect whereas buying cups and medals takes a phone call and a cup of coffee.

What do we want to win? Simply, the real prizes are fun, getting savvy and skillful in a sport and learning life skills of working hard at helping their team be the best they can be. To make this happen, all adults involved in youth sports should help to create a positive, learning environment. As one child wrote about their ideal school:” It’s a place where you are encouraged to be yourself’. They expect the best of you and you feel at home there. It is a place you can always return to in your mind”. Teams are no different as you are caring about tomorrow’s generation. GOOD LUCK AND GOOD SOCCER,

Graham Ramsay
Graham Ramsay© 2002
ramsaysoccer@yahoo.com
Soccer Sphere Marketing and Consulting

When kids play, but don't necessarily compete, how can they maximize their developmental potential. Every time a player trains or plays a game, they have the opportunity to compete. At all times they can compete internally to become better. Complacency and entitlement has replaced competition. The end result is that players struggle to achieve when the resistance's increase. What do they have to draw from? Having come through a youth system that provides a team for every wanting player, it becomes: write a check, show up and play me. When things don't go their way, they quickly and easily find another team to make it right. This lateral slide is what drains the competitiveness out of the player. Instead of staying and working harder, or playing better, or playing the way the coach wants, it's just too easy to leave, usually on bad terms, and ply your trade elsewhere. Why is it that the emphasis worldwide has been to explore the under-developed countries for talent? Is it that these potential players have more of a desire to improve themselves, raise their standard of living, to get out of their surroundings? Obviously they are more driven to compete for the opportunity to improve themselves and to have a better life. No one can argue those points. It seems to be a concern throughout the soccer world that the young players of today and tomorrow are not as driven as players in past times. Opportunities today afford more luxuries and sometimes that can become a deterrent to hard work. To be perfectly honest, it seems to me that players today just want to be like everyone else. No one seems to want to be better. Seldom do players take the initiative to stand out, to be the difference maker. Maybe we have brainwashed the team concept into them so much that we have taken the individual drive to stand out from them. The social aspect comes into play whereby the very good players don't want to leave their friends behind, or for their friends to realize that they are not as good, that they have fallen behind. Today, seldom do you see players play up in age. We do not place players by ability level, but by birth date. The very good players need to be challenged constantly; they need to be in competitive environments where they are not the best and must work very hard to keep up. We must continue to raise the bar, not lower it. When we accommodate the very good player into a team to help the team win, we shortcut that kid's potential to improve. Actually, we shortcut every player in that team and their collective ability to improve when we compromise the development of the player for the good of the team. Many a team is carried by the strength and talents of that one very good player. We need to realize that the very good player needs to be challenged by those who are better than he is. In Europe, and I am very familiar with the Ajax Youth System, the determination is ability, not age. Player’s play where they will best develop, and develop more quickly and consistently. The competition within the team for places demands that everyone be at their best all of the time. If players were evaluated regularly and moved up or down based on that evaluation, I think we would see more interest and effort by everyone. Complacency sets in when there is no repercussion for lack of progress. If everything is the same for everyone, why try harder. If the rewards are equal for all, where is the incentive, the motivation to excel? When we reward mediocrity, we fail to challenge and push the higher end. The top comes back to the pack and everybody is basically the same. When you combine good coaching with a high level of competition and integrate that into a well-organized training plan, then you have a chance to get the best results. Regular evaluations serve as a motivational tool whereby the players know that they must be accountable and must continually work and maintain their position in the team. We must reward performance and achievement over effort. Too often we all hear the cries of “good effort” when the reality is that it went miserably wrong. We cannot continue to neglect when it goes wrong and we must reward it when it goes right. The reward of doing it right must become the ‘carrot' to push the high level of consistency that is lacking in our top players. A top player must be ‘on his game' as often as is possible. He must compete within himself to achieve a high standard and not settle for the on- again, off-again type of performance. In reading some early history of Wayne Rooney of Manchester United, it seems that he dominated every team he played for – always playing up in age. He wanted to be the best – all the time – every time he played. The greater the challenge, the higher he raised his level. Competitors never want to lose and they take losing very hard. They are winners and they pay the price to be winners. Whether it's being in the middle of 5 vs. 2 or the biggest Cup Final, the true competitor will find a way to win, to the best of his ability. It won't be for lack of effort; he will leave everything he has on that field and play with all his pride to come out on top. To wrap this up, I don't know the answer to this because our soccer culture has created this situation over time. First, I think we need to recognize the concern and start addressing it in the best ways possible. The Soccer Journal article opened with a college game between 2 highly ranked teams. One team was obviously very skillful, loaded with talent and the other team was also very good, but not quite at the same level. At the end of the game, the skilled team played a good game, but the other team won 3-0. They competed better throughout the game and during the course of the game, there are many, many moments where the rewards go to the one who competes the best. It's always the little things that, make the biggest differences - a hard, timely tackle, the right pass at the right time, the full length slide to tap the ball in at the back post, staying with your mark and shutting him down. The mind set of the competitor is that he will give everything that he has to have a chance to win – no ifs, ands or buts! I do think we need to look closely at what we reward and our team and player selection. The concept of Showcase events is a good example. Showcase events can very much be a “look at me” time – I can dribble or pass or juggle - but at what expense to the overall development of the player, the team and ultimately, to the game. Pay more attention to the players in Competitions where the reward is for the team – State Cups – Challenge Cups – where everyone has a vested interest in the team doing well. Reward those who find a way to win when everyone is focused on the same prize. Players know how to impress in tryouts as well. They know what looks good and gets the coaches' attention. If we had the players compete versus ‘show off', maybe we could have more teams that compete. Certainly we all want skillful players, but how many times do we get beat because ‘we just came up a bit short'. What might be the difference in being ‘a bit short'? Maybe that little extra effort at the right time, or the unrelenting desire not to lose, or the burning desire to win – does it come down to competitor vs. player? We want players, but what we need are players who compete.

Terry Michler
CBC High School

BYLINE: By Warren Manger and Amy Harris AGGRESSIVE and foul-mouthed parents in Coventry and Warwickshire are forcing referees to abandon children's football matches. Six matches in the Coventry Minor Football League have been stopped already this season because of abuse and threats aimed at officials. One 15-year-old player was even charged with assaulting a referee following a Sunday morning youth match earlier this year. The shocking problem also extends into adult football where five referees have allegedly been attacked by angry players and spectators at matches in Coventry, Nuneaton and Stratford since October. Derrick May, secretary of the Coventry Minor Football League, said: "Our record this season is a complete disgrace - we have had more games abandoned than any other youth league in the region. "The sport I love is being ruined. People have got to show more respect towards the person dressed in black." Mr May said: "It appears to me that some parents think they can store up all the frustration from their jobs and homes during the week and take it out on the referee at the weekend. "I was watching a game in the park the other week and the man next to me told me he had taken his son out of the local football team and started him playing rugby instead because they teach more discipline and respect towards referees."

The problem of players and spectators making verbal and physical threats to referees is even more serious at adult matches. This season three footballers have been charged with assaulting a referee at Coventry and District League matches, one of whom has now been banned for five years. A player from the Nuneaton and District League was also proved to have assaulted a referee and there was another alleged attack in the Stratford League. John Morris, recruiting officer for the Coventry Referees' Association, said: "The referee often gets lambasted because they are an easy target. "But not all the shouting is directed at the referee. There is also a lot of built-in aggression in the way parents shout at the children too, like frustrated former footballers who can't play the game anymore." Mr May said physical threats to referees at youth matches had decreased but the ongoing abuse was part of a wider problem of hostility towards referees at all levels. "Very few teams welcome referees when they arrive - they are just left waiting on their own until the match starts," he said. "We are trying encourage teams in our league to welcome the referee and not to leave them hanging around waiting to be paid afterwards because that is when any aggrieved parents are likely to come and have a go at them."