Each time I assemble a team questions regrading starting assignments and roles arise. My standard reply is "We have a roster full of starters". This is a true statement. I do not keep you on the roster if I do not believe you can play. As the head coach I will strive to determine the 11 who play best together. Not necessarily the 11 best individual players.
That said, I do rank the members of the team 1 - 16 for field players and 1-2 for goalkeepers. Players will move up and down in the individual rankings throughout the season dependent on their performance in training and ultimately their performances playing in matches. I will strive to start as many of the top 10 ranked field players as possible. This is where player versatility becomes important. If starting is the issue, a back up DM might need to be willing to start as a center back, for example.
This ranking of players is for coaching staff use and is never shared with the players individually or collectively. Parents never see it and I will not discuss a players position in the rankings. It is a subjective ranking with little in the way of empirical data to support it.
The only statistic I am mindful of is attendance and promptness - a players commitment to the team.
So, why rank the players?
For me it serves as a reminder for use in late in the game situations. If we are up a goal and need to hold the lead. If we are even or down a goal. I might refer to the rankings to make sure I have best personnel available in the game.
The real value I derive from the rankings stems from the associated notes I make about each player. From the tryout process through the early preseason I will formulate seasonal plans for each player. These seasonal plans will focus on accentuating strengths and improving weaknesses. Players will move up (or down) the rankings based largely on how they address weakness in their games.
I will also use the individual seasonal plans collectively to discern a team seasonal plan. When certain themes repeat themselves amongst a number of players, we will add this to the teams seasonal plan as something we want to address. By the same token, when a strength manifests itself repeatedly in individual seasonal plans, this is an area we will seek to accentuate in our teams system of play.
The preseason rankings are a starting point. It is the final rankings that I have the most interest in. Did the player progress? Sometimes a player may not move up in the ranks but progress will be obvious through the final notes associated with his rankings when compared to those early season notes.
And, yes, there are rare occasions when a player remains stagnant and drops down the list. These players rankings and associated notes are of particular interest to me. Did I fail this player as a coach and if so, why? Sometimes, a player self-selects. That is, he is overwhelmed by the talent that surrounds him. He will realize his passion for the game doesn't measure up to that of his teammates. He will discover that while his teammates have a ball at their foot away from team activities he would rather be playing video games, working or devoting more time to his studies - he has other activities higher on his priority list than soccer is in relation to where soccer falls on his teammates priority lists.
There are times when we as coaches just do not connect with a player though. It might be personalities. It might be a coach teaches in a manner that does not fit how the player best learns. It might be any number of reasons. If we want that player back for another season, we must do all we can to uncover where the disconnect has occurred. The alternatives are to be up front with the player and suggest he move on to another team or simply cut him from your team.
This brings us back to the tryout process where the final rankings from the previous season can come into play. Tryouts are about forming the best team possible. It might be a prospective new player would rank higher on your individual player rankings than the last returning player on your list. At that point, a change in the teams roster might occur.
A ranking such as we are discussing here should never be the "be all end all" in determining a teams roster, starting positions or any other spot on a team. We all know at any given moment a player is capable of "getting hot" or "finding a zone" and we would be foolish to grant this more significance than player who performs consistently over a long period of time.
We have also seen the talented player who is a train wreck of a teammate. While he might rank high in the individual rankings he is not one of the 11 who play best together.
Team chemistry is so very vital to team success that it simply cannot be overlooked. I have had players who were clearly among the top five players of our individual rankings who we simply could not start or play on the field at "crunch time" because they had no clue how to fit their talents cohesively into the team. Chances are pretty good that would have been one of the points of emphasis in that players seasonal plan.
In the end, I use the player rankings and associated notes as part of my personal self-evaluation. I identified strengths and weakness in each players game. Did I place the player into a position and situations on the pitch from where he had reasonable expectations for success? Did I help the player address his weaknesses as I identified them? From the final rankings and my self-evaluation springs the beginnings of a new season.
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Showing posts with label Player development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Player development. Show all posts
Monday
Tuesday
Four Phases of Development. Part II
This is the second installment of a four part series looking at the development phases for youth soccer. I believe one of the priorities in coaching is to prepare those who wish to move on to a higher level to do so. It is with that premise in mind that I write today. I am going to look at a microcosm of the overall developmental process - U6 through U19 or Kindergarten through the end of high school. So, the end game here would be to prepare an athlete to play in college or professionally.
Part II
Passion - strong and barely controllable emotion.
The ages of 10 through 13 years of age are when a passion for the game fires up.
These are the years of rapid growth as players emotionally, mentally and physically begin to transform themselves and mature. These are also transitional years in the development of soccer players that see focus shift from a primary emphasis on skill development towards tactical application of skills in the game environment. Both work loads and work rates increase as the ability to concentrate and focus strengthen and mental toughness begins to develop. Coaching begins to transition from predominantly enthusiastic toward introducing an element of being more demanding.
Receiving - The player's first touch on the ball. Receiving on the move. Playing bouncing balls cleanly. Taking a ball out of the air. Turning with the ball as part of the reception.
Shielding - The ability to maintain the ball under pressure remains critical but should in some ways diminish as other skills become stronger decreasing the need to employ shielding skills as often.
Combining Dribbling and Footwork to maintain possession while defeating an opponent through individual moves or combination passing.
Passing - The ability to accurately convey the ball to a teammate with appropriate pace. Developing knowledge of both how to and when to pass short, intermediate or long and the techniques for doing so. The push pass remains the primary pass but the ability to play a driven ball, a bent ball, a chip using various surfaces of the foot become a stronger focus.
Contain - The ability to be patient on defense. Stay in front of the ball carrier to slow forward progress of the attack.
Force - The ability to take options away from a ball carrier and make him predictable thereby allowing your teammates to easily provide defensive help.
Tackling - Teach the cues for when it is appropriate to tackle as well as the proper technique for doing so. Do NOT attempt to tackle when the ball is between the ball carriers feet. Stay BIG when tackling. Do not dive in, stab or turn sideways.
Tactics the Passion stage of development should focus on developing pace of play through the ability to make quality decisions under pressure.
Psychological Training - Training and playing should remain FUN! Exploration of the game should be encouraged to foster imaginative and creative problem solving abilities. Mistakes are still okay. Mistakes are still learning opportunities. Discipline increases as demands increase.
The Game - 4 v 4 without goalkeepers or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers remains a staple of training. The game itself moves to 11 v 11 and focuses on developing and sustaining a coordinated effort to establish rhythm when attacking and developing and sustaining a coordinated effort focused on disrupting and destroying the opponents rhythm when defending.
Part II
Passion - strong and barely controllable emotion.
The ages of 10 through 13 years of age are when a passion for the game fires up.
These are the years of rapid growth as players emotionally, mentally and physically begin to transform themselves and mature. These are also transitional years in the development of soccer players that see focus shift from a primary emphasis on skill development towards tactical application of skills in the game environment. Both work loads and work rates increase as the ability to concentrate and focus strengthen and mental toughness begins to develop. Coaching begins to transition from predominantly enthusiastic toward introducing an element of being more demanding.
Receiving - The player's first touch on the ball. Receiving on the move. Playing bouncing balls cleanly. Taking a ball out of the air. Turning with the ball as part of the reception.
Shielding - The ability to maintain the ball under pressure remains critical but should in some ways diminish as other skills become stronger decreasing the need to employ shielding skills as often.
Dribbling - The ability to run with the ball becomes more important as a tactical consideration. Decision making begins to enter the equation on a grander scale. Learning how and when to engage an opposing defender to create numerical advantage becomes a focus.
Footwork - Applying moves to beat an opponent with forethought and intention. It's not enough to simply defeat an opponent. We learn how to set an opponent up to be defeated in a certain manner that is to our best advantage.
Combining Dribbling and Footwork to maintain possession while defeating an opponent through individual moves or combination passing.
Passing - The ability to accurately convey the ball to a teammate with appropriate pace. Developing knowledge of both how to and when to pass short, intermediate or long and the techniques for doing so. The push pass remains the primary pass but the ability to play a driven ball, a bent ball, a chip using various surfaces of the foot become a stronger focus.
Shooting - The ability to score the ball. Combining receiving and passing skills. Developing the ability to score on the move, off runs, on the turn, from crosses and from volleys - half and full. It is important to establish an ability to score from a variety of angles using a variety of skills.
Contain - The ability to be patient on defense. Stay in front of the ball carrier to slow forward progress of the attack.
Force - The ability to take options away from a ball carrier and make him predictable thereby allowing your teammates to easily provide defensive help.
Tackling - Teach the cues for when it is appropriate to tackle as well as the proper technique for doing so. Do NOT attempt to tackle when the ball is between the ball carriers feet. Stay BIG when tackling. Do not dive in, stab or turn sideways.
Tactics the Passion stage of development should focus on developing pace of play through the ability to make quality decisions under pressure.
1 v 1
Attacking - striking a balance between maintaining possession and taking risks predicated on where the ball is on the pitch.
Defending - how to pressure from in front, behind or the side. Channeling attackers to make them predictable. Pursuit angles to where the ball will be.
Small group tactics continue in 2 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 1, 3 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 1, 4 v 2, 4 v 3 and 4 v 4.
Attacking - Maintaining possession through support ad combination play. Introduction of Penetration, Depth, Width and Mobility as elements of the game. Simply set pieces for restarts.
Defending - As a group and with intent. Pressure including the angle of approach, bounce step, channeling and making the ball carrier predictable. Combined with defensive spacing in the former of cover. Difference between and value of intercepting passes as opposed to tackling the ball away.
Team
Attacking - Gain and maintain pressure. Safe Pass as a means to establish rhythm. Play away from pressure. Penetration, Depth, Width and Mobility. Spacing and Balance. Interchanging positions through the run of play.
Defending - Coordinated pressing to regain possession. Recovering behind the ball to establish defensive shape while teammates are pressing. Line of Confrontation is introduced. The difference between containing an attacking and destroying an attack - when each is appropriate.
System of Play - The relationship between attacking, defending and transitioning from one to the other. They must fit together in a cohesive plan with each position and positional unit knowing how they link with other positions and positional units within the system of play.
Positions - Players should continue to be given access to explore all positions. Interchangeability is becoming an ever increasing consideration in modern systems of play that specialization at this age is no longer an option. This is the only way to develop an awareness for the game in its entirety. Emphasis must be on developing an understanding of all principles of play and exposing the player to the total game.
Positions - Players should continue to be given access to explore all positions. Interchangeability is becoming an ever increasing consideration in modern systems of play that specialization at this age is no longer an option. This is the only way to develop an awareness for the game in its entirety. Emphasis must be on developing an understanding of all principles of play and exposing the player to the total game.
Formation - At one time there was a huge emphasis on playing either a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3 formation during the developmental stages of youth soccer. I personally believe with the growing emphasis on playing Total Soccer or having complete interchangeability of players in the game formational considerations are not what they once were. It is true that some formations do provide artificial sub formations of triangles and diamonds conducive to passing or defending and the corresponding support angles. However, todays game increasingly calls for players to recognize, create and utilize these concepts in a disciplined free wheeling environment.
Physical Training - Any and all fitness work at these ages should be done with the ball. Both dynamic (pre-game or pre-training) and static (post game or post training) stretching should become a staple. Core training for strength, explosiveness, balance and agility should begin to be introduced.
Physical Training - Any and all fitness work at these ages should be done with the ball. Both dynamic (pre-game or pre-training) and static (post game or post training) stretching should become a staple. Core training for strength, explosiveness, balance and agility should begin to be introduced.
Psychological Training - Training and playing should remain FUN! Exploration of the game should be encouraged to foster imaginative and creative problem solving abilities. Mistakes are still okay. Mistakes are still learning opportunities. Discipline increases as demands increase.
The Game - 4 v 4 without goalkeepers or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers remains a staple of training. The game itself moves to 11 v 11 and focuses on developing and sustaining a coordinated effort to establish rhythm when attacking and developing and sustaining a coordinated effort focused on disrupting and destroying the opponents rhythm when defending.
Friday
Patience and Attitude
I was talking with a colleague late last night about what it takes to build a program. He commented to me about not knowing if he had the patience to build the program he took over a couple years back. Keith called because he knows I have had some success in building teams and turning around programs. He said he wanted to pick my mind about the course to set for his team.
A couple of things instantly sprang to mind. First, was Keith's mention of patience and secondly that Keith knows the path to follow in building a program. That meant to me that Keith was looking for support more than knowledge. It also meant his patience needed a booster shot. I understand this.
Building or re-building a program is not for everyone. It can be a grind and progress can come painstakingly slow. Instead of winning games your goals might include tasks such as stringing two consecutive passes together with proper technique and intelligent thought. Or perhaps teaching the proper angle of approach for a defender, the bounce step and cues for when to tackle the ball. When you are coaching a high school program, these are the last things you want to be spending a lot of teaching time on, but with the status of youth soccer in many areas of our country this is the stark reality of where the game stands.
In a different conversation last night I referred to having to spend high school practice time teaching basic fundamentals as being boring. This conversation was with Marc, a veteran coach and my partner in crime this past spring. We were blessed with athletes who were skilled and knew the game. Even so, we still did a lot of teaching, but it was with more tactical emphasis than technical emphasis. Marc's current high school program is a small one and co-ed competing against boys teams. It's a challenge and one that will require patience. It is not a new program and the previous coaches have laid some solid groundwork, but there is still work to be done. First and foremost might be with the youth feeder system.
I think it important not to equate patience with making excuses for the status of a teams play. There is a difference. Patience implies that time is a factor. With time, addressing the fundamentals of technical and tactical play will pay off. Success is not measured in wins and losses, per se, but by progress made in developing players. Progress is a positive measuring stick.
Making excuses is a negative and one cannot build positively on negatives. There is an immediate need to break the chain of negativity. This is where attitude comes in, a point I reiterated with Keith last night. It is so important to celebrate success. It does not matter if that success is trivial in comparison to other teams or other programs. The important thing to remember, to strive for, is daily improvement. When the team and its individual members walk off the pitch at the end of training or the end of a game, have they improved from when they stepped onto the pitch that day?
The coach must maintain a positive attitude. This includes an air of confidence that he can give or share with the members of the team. It is important that the effort of the players is recognized and critical that intelligent effort is acknowledged. This is the heart of coaching. If a coach does not feel good about the progress of his team, he will be hard pressed to convey a believable positive attitude to his team. This is the lesson of intelligent effort from the coaching perspective.
Earlier I referenced having to work on basic fundamentals with high school players as being boring. As a high school coach there is some measure of truth in this. We would much rather spend time more time on tactics than fundamental techniques that should have been learned before they come to the high school team. In truth, teaching fundamentals is only boring in the context of having to do so with older age groups when there should be a greater emphasis on tactics for winning soccer. Even then, teaching technique can be a very rewarding experience.
The last two camps I conducted this summer were spent teaching basic fundamentals to older age groups. Sequence of touches, breaking lines, the two line game - these were all necessities for these camps before we could move into tactical aspects of play. It is actually quite fun to see players improve their games right before your eyes. In a camp setting where there is no pressure to win this is easy to accomplish. Once the need to win is factored in, an urgency becomes attached to teaching fundamentals causing the process to become both stressful and, yes, boring. At least in the sense that this is something we would rather not have to devote precious training time to. How the coach handles having to spend an inordinate amount of time on fundamentals, his attitude towards it, will impact the process.
Now, if we examine the last paragraph a little closer there is a lesson to be learned. It is such a fundamental lesson, but one the US soccer culture has failed to learn. The consequences of this failure can be seen in our national teams level of play in comparison to those of the international community. We emphasize winning over development in our training.
Let's repeat that - We emphasize winning over development in our training.
I propose that if we train to develop, winning will take care of itself. This is the attitude I bring both to the camps I conduct and to the teams I coach. I do not talking about winning... or losing ... games with my teams. I do address improving and improvement on a constant basis. I design training sessions around taking another step forward in improving our play. I take the same approach to conducting camp. I want to be able to identify noticeable and tangible improvement each day from the time we step onto the field to the time we step off the field. As long as this is occurring, then being patient and maintaining a positive attitude with the process is easy. It's only when we prioritize winning over development that we become impatient and our attitudes suffer.
A couple of things instantly sprang to mind. First, was Keith's mention of patience and secondly that Keith knows the path to follow in building a program. That meant to me that Keith was looking for support more than knowledge. It also meant his patience needed a booster shot. I understand this.
Building or re-building a program is not for everyone. It can be a grind and progress can come painstakingly slow. Instead of winning games your goals might include tasks such as stringing two consecutive passes together with proper technique and intelligent thought. Or perhaps teaching the proper angle of approach for a defender, the bounce step and cues for when to tackle the ball. When you are coaching a high school program, these are the last things you want to be spending a lot of teaching time on, but with the status of youth soccer in many areas of our country this is the stark reality of where the game stands.
In a different conversation last night I referred to having to spend high school practice time teaching basic fundamentals as being boring. This conversation was with Marc, a veteran coach and my partner in crime this past spring. We were blessed with athletes who were skilled and knew the game. Even so, we still did a lot of teaching, but it was with more tactical emphasis than technical emphasis. Marc's current high school program is a small one and co-ed competing against boys teams. It's a challenge and one that will require patience. It is not a new program and the previous coaches have laid some solid groundwork, but there is still work to be done. First and foremost might be with the youth feeder system.
I think it important not to equate patience with making excuses for the status of a teams play. There is a difference. Patience implies that time is a factor. With time, addressing the fundamentals of technical and tactical play will pay off. Success is not measured in wins and losses, per se, but by progress made in developing players. Progress is a positive measuring stick.
Making excuses is a negative and one cannot build positively on negatives. There is an immediate need to break the chain of negativity. This is where attitude comes in, a point I reiterated with Keith last night. It is so important to celebrate success. It does not matter if that success is trivial in comparison to other teams or other programs. The important thing to remember, to strive for, is daily improvement. When the team and its individual members walk off the pitch at the end of training or the end of a game, have they improved from when they stepped onto the pitch that day?
The coach must maintain a positive attitude. This includes an air of confidence that he can give or share with the members of the team. It is important that the effort of the players is recognized and critical that intelligent effort is acknowledged. This is the heart of coaching. If a coach does not feel good about the progress of his team, he will be hard pressed to convey a believable positive attitude to his team. This is the lesson of intelligent effort from the coaching perspective.
Earlier I referenced having to work on basic fundamentals with high school players as being boring. As a high school coach there is some measure of truth in this. We would much rather spend time more time on tactics than fundamental techniques that should have been learned before they come to the high school team. In truth, teaching fundamentals is only boring in the context of having to do so with older age groups when there should be a greater emphasis on tactics for winning soccer. Even then, teaching technique can be a very rewarding experience.
The last two camps I conducted this summer were spent teaching basic fundamentals to older age groups. Sequence of touches, breaking lines, the two line game - these were all necessities for these camps before we could move into tactical aspects of play. It is actually quite fun to see players improve their games right before your eyes. In a camp setting where there is no pressure to win this is easy to accomplish. Once the need to win is factored in, an urgency becomes attached to teaching fundamentals causing the process to become both stressful and, yes, boring. At least in the sense that this is something we would rather not have to devote precious training time to. How the coach handles having to spend an inordinate amount of time on fundamentals, his attitude towards it, will impact the process.
Now, if we examine the last paragraph a little closer there is a lesson to be learned. It is such a fundamental lesson, but one the US soccer culture has failed to learn. The consequences of this failure can be seen in our national teams level of play in comparison to those of the international community. We emphasize winning over development in our training.
Let's repeat that - We emphasize winning over development in our training.
I propose that if we train to develop, winning will take care of itself. This is the attitude I bring both to the camps I conduct and to the teams I coach. I do not talking about winning... or losing ... games with my teams. I do address improving and improvement on a constant basis. I design training sessions around taking another step forward in improving our play. I take the same approach to conducting camp. I want to be able to identify noticeable and tangible improvement each day from the time we step onto the field to the time we step off the field. As long as this is occurring, then being patient and maintaining a positive attitude with the process is easy. It's only when we prioritize winning over development that we become impatient and our attitudes suffer.
Wednesday
Four Phases of Development. Part I
This will be a four part series looking at the development phases for youth soccer. I believe one of the priorities in coaching is to prepare those who wish to move on to a higher level to do so. It is with that premise in mind that I write today. I am going to look at a microcosm of the overall developmental process - U6 through U19 or Kindergarten through the end of high school. So, the end game here would be to prepare an athlete to play in college or professionally.
Romance - a feeling of excitement and mystery that results in one wanting to explore further.
The ages of 5 through 9 years of age are when the game is introduced and the love affair begins.
These are the technical or foundational years. It is important for young players to enjoy this phase of development. There should be an abundance of opportunities for everyone to experience scoring a goal and making a great save. Rotating players through all positions is not an option, it is an absolute necessity. This is the best way to develop individual skills under the pressure of space, time and an opponent with the aim of not only teaching and developing technique but also increasing the speed and comfort level at which the technique can be proficiently performed.
Receiving - The player's first touch on the ball. Inside, outside, sole and top of the foot. Thigh, chest head. Begin stationary but as soon as possible make it practical. Receive by checking to the ball, by being sideways on.
Shielding - The ability to maintain possession while under pressure by lowering the center of gravity and utilizing short share movements such as spins, change of direction and change of pace to gain separation from an opponent.
Dribbling - The ability to run with the ball.
Footwork - Moves to beat an opponent.
Combining Dribbling and Footwork to maintain possession while defeating an opponent.
Passing - The ability to accurately convey the ball to a teammate with appropriate pace. Inside of the foot push pass, outside of the foot flick, laces drive, heading the ball.
Contain - The ability to be patient on defense. Stay in front of the ball carrier to slow forward progress of the attack.
Force - The ability to take options away from a ball carrier and make him predictable thereby allowing your teammates to easily provide defensive help.
Tackling - Teach the cues for when it is appropriate to tackle as well as the proper technique for doing so. Do NOT attempt to tackle when the ball is between the ball carriers feet. Stay BIG when tackling. Do not dive in, stab or turn sideways.
Tactics in this developmental phase should have a heavy emphasis on 1 v 1 situations with appropriate attacking and defending emphasis.
Small group tactics should be limited to 2 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 1, 3 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 1, 4 v 2, 4 v 3 and 4 v 4. Remember when working on attacking in small groups the attackers should begin numbers up and work towards competing at even numbers. The same holds true when working on defending in small groups. Defenders should defend with numbers up and work towards defending with even numbers.
* This is extremely important. As playesr advance in age and development they will learn to look for, create and utilize numerical advantages in games. It is best to begin playing in those conditions ASAP.
Positions - Players in this initial development phase must play a variety of positions This is the only way to develop an awareness for the game in its entirety. Emphasis must be on developing an understanding of all principles of play and exposing the player to the total game.
Physical Training - Any and all fitness work at these ages should be done with the ball. It should also be done with partners or in small groups whenever possible. Playing the game is enough, but make sure the practice activities or games have a large emphasis on FUN! Lot's of competition, scoring and blocking of shots.
Psychological Training - Keep it FUN! Encourage players to explore the game to their fullest ability. Allow and encourage players to make their own decisions on and off the ball. Praise effort. Mistakes are okay. Mistakes are learning opportunities. Kids are expert game players. They learn from mistakes. They go back to the start and work their way through the process until they advance to the next level. Trust them to learn from the mistakes they make on the pitch and praise them like crazy when they do.
The Game - If we are truly focused on developing players and not winning games, these age groups should play 4 v 4 without goalkeepers or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers included. There are 4 basic elements to the game of soccer - Penetration, depth, width and mobility. 4 v 4 covers all of these without duplication. There is no clutter to the 4 v 4 game. The problems encountered will be in their simplest form and the decisions to be made will not be complicated by excess.
For a number of reasons local leagues will play games at 6 v 6, 7 v 7, 8 v 8. These are recognized as acceptable if not optimum numbers for play for the 5 - 9 years of age groups. Anything more than 8 v 8 is frowned upon as unacceptable and even a disservice to the youth.
Romance - a feeling of excitement and mystery that results in one wanting to explore further.
The ages of 5 through 9 years of age are when the game is introduced and the love affair begins.
These are the technical or foundational years. It is important for young players to enjoy this phase of development. There should be an abundance of opportunities for everyone to experience scoring a goal and making a great save. Rotating players through all positions is not an option, it is an absolute necessity. This is the best way to develop individual skills under the pressure of space, time and an opponent with the aim of not only teaching and developing technique but also increasing the speed and comfort level at which the technique can be proficiently performed.
Receiving - The player's first touch on the ball. Inside, outside, sole and top of the foot. Thigh, chest head. Begin stationary but as soon as possible make it practical. Receive by checking to the ball, by being sideways on.
Shielding - The ability to maintain possession while under pressure by lowering the center of gravity and utilizing short share movements such as spins, change of direction and change of pace to gain separation from an opponent.
Dribbling - The ability to run with the ball.
Footwork - Moves to beat an opponent.
Combining Dribbling and Footwork to maintain possession while defeating an opponent.
Passing - The ability to accurately convey the ball to a teammate with appropriate pace. Inside of the foot push pass, outside of the foot flick, laces drive, heading the ball.
Contain - The ability to be patient on defense. Stay in front of the ball carrier to slow forward progress of the attack.
Force - The ability to take options away from a ball carrier and make him predictable thereby allowing your teammates to easily provide defensive help.
Tackling - Teach the cues for when it is appropriate to tackle as well as the proper technique for doing so. Do NOT attempt to tackle when the ball is between the ball carriers feet. Stay BIG when tackling. Do not dive in, stab or turn sideways.
Tactics in this developmental phase should have a heavy emphasis on 1 v 1 situations with appropriate attacking and defending emphasis.
Small group tactics should be limited to 2 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 1, 3 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 1, 4 v 2, 4 v 3 and 4 v 4. Remember when working on attacking in small groups the attackers should begin numbers up and work towards competing at even numbers. The same holds true when working on defending in small groups. Defenders should defend with numbers up and work towards defending with even numbers.
* This is extremely important. As playesr advance in age and development they will learn to look for, create and utilize numerical advantages in games. It is best to begin playing in those conditions ASAP.
Positions - Players in this initial development phase must play a variety of positions This is the only way to develop an awareness for the game in its entirety. Emphasis must be on developing an understanding of all principles of play and exposing the player to the total game.
Physical Training - Any and all fitness work at these ages should be done with the ball. It should also be done with partners or in small groups whenever possible. Playing the game is enough, but make sure the practice activities or games have a large emphasis on FUN! Lot's of competition, scoring and blocking of shots.
Psychological Training - Keep it FUN! Encourage players to explore the game to their fullest ability. Allow and encourage players to make their own decisions on and off the ball. Praise effort. Mistakes are okay. Mistakes are learning opportunities. Kids are expert game players. They learn from mistakes. They go back to the start and work their way through the process until they advance to the next level. Trust them to learn from the mistakes they make on the pitch and praise them like crazy when they do.
The Game - If we are truly focused on developing players and not winning games, these age groups should play 4 v 4 without goalkeepers or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers included. There are 4 basic elements to the game of soccer - Penetration, depth, width and mobility. 4 v 4 covers all of these without duplication. There is no clutter to the 4 v 4 game. The problems encountered will be in their simplest form and the decisions to be made will not be complicated by excess.
For a number of reasons local leagues will play games at 6 v 6, 7 v 7, 8 v 8. These are recognized as acceptable if not optimum numbers for play for the 5 - 9 years of age groups. Anything more than 8 v 8 is frowned upon as unacceptable and even a disservice to the youth.
Thursday
Fighting Yourself.
Anyone that sticks with the game of soccer throughout their youth and as they enter adulthood certainly has a passion for the game. As coaches, especially those working with the young, we are charged with helping to develop a love for the game. Love for the game can often be sparked by success. Therefore how we achieve and handle success becomes very important.
I am currently coaching a couple of young men whose early success was apparently defined by an ability to score goals. The ability to score goals is a very fine thing, indeed! While it is certainly true that Defense wins Championships it is also true that a team must score to win games. The means to the end is what concerns me with these two players and is what today's writing is about.
I do not find it a coincidence that both players are sometimes referred to by teammates as "the great black hole". This goes directly to the fact neither is very keen on passing. Once they obtain possession of the ball their first thought is to shoot and if not in range they will attempt to take on all comers to advance the ball into shooting range. Passing the ball is a secondary thought even if by doing so their ultimate goal of scoring a goal might be made easier. In essence, they have become their own worst enemy in pursuit of what they desire.
The one gentleman plays on the wing and at some point early in his career must have enjoyed success (scored a goal or two) by making an inside run from the weak side. This undoubtedly occurred at an age when crosses from teammates were not strong enough to carry to the back post. There is evidently an indelible memory of making inside runs to goal scoring opportunities in his mind.
Now as a young adult he continues to make inside runs from the weak side flank without consideration that his teammates have little difficulty in driving the ball to and beyond the back post area. We have instructed and reiterated ad nauseam the approach for a wing on the weak side should be from the corner of the 18 through the corner of the 6 to the back post. This approach allows the wing to adjust their path to the crossed ball whereas a path inside these parameters all but eliminates an ability to do so. The inside run is so ingrained, the bad habit so firmly established, this player seems unable to stop himself from making it. He is addicted to the inside run because at one point in his early development it was successful for him. There is no cognizant recognition that since the game has changed as he has grown older that his recipe for success (scoring goals) needed to change as well.
The second player is of a similar single mindedness. He plays forward and regardless of field position or situation his first instinct with the ball is to take on any and all defenders while attempting to get to goal. He is quite obviously a product of kick and run youth soccer that featured "big, strong and fast" as the primary tactical considerations. The only problem is at this point in his life he is undersized and below average in speed although physical strength does remain. His role in youth leagues was to stand with the opposing backs waiting to be fed the ball by teammates and then take the ball to goal. He really struggles with any deviation from this pattern.
With both players their primary focus remains on scoring the ball. With both players they have become their own worst enemy in pursuit of their scoring goals. Both players are stubbornly insistent on sticking with what once worked well for them while missing the fact the game is passing, or even has passed them, by. They stubbornly refuse help from coaches and teammates alike in pursuit of scoring goals. They become frustrated because the help offered deviates from what has previously been successful for them. In short, both of these athletes seem to have fallen in love with soccer at a young age based on an ability to score goals, but have failed to nurture and develop that love since then.
This may well be the fault of their youth coaches who might have viewed these young men as budding stars. The coaching attitude may have been, "why fix what isn't broken" as they watched these individuals and probably by extension their teams have success. In actuality we as coaches must fix what isn't broken as a proactive or even preventative maintenance program. We need to help flame the spark of passion in players by expanding their game beyond initial success. As coaches we need to continually ask players to move from their comfort zones and expand their games. It is obvious that these two players have been in an arrested state of development for some time before they came to us.
Our mission with them has been to break down the established and ingrained habits allowed to take hold when they were young youth players and provide them with the means to branch out of their comfort zones, to explore and expand their games in order to become unpredictable and more dangerous in pursuit of scoring goals.
It's tough love at this point.
The first player refuses to stay wide and make his weak side run corner, corner, post run. Last night his stubbornness cost him 3 splendid opportunities to score goals. Instead of learning, he offers excuses. The second player refuses to utilize drop passes when playing as a target with defenders draped all over him. He continues attempting to turn and take on defenders in these situations with the result being lost possession and growing reluctance on the part of his teammates to feed him the ball. He blames his teammates for not passing to him or providing him opportunities.
In both cases, it is the player himself who must recognize that what they have always done no longer works. They must seek, ask for and willingly accept help to expand their game that their strengths might be accentuated instead of being minimized as is the current trend. In short, it is their decision to make. The quality of their soccer will be directly impacted by the quality of their decision making.
My fear is the frustration both are displaying will continue to grow instead of their passion being nurtured. They will never again be goal scoring machines on the scale they were in youth leagues, but they both have the potential to be solid goal scorers at their present level of play provided they recognize the need to expand, to nurture and grow, their individual games within the game itself. The game at their age is about freedom of play and both seem ready to embrace this yet remain reluctant to accept the responsibility that comes with freedom. I'm not sure we will ever get to that point with either of these young men. It certainly has been a struggle to date. I do know this, it is their decision to make. They hold the key to success in the palm of their own hand. Whether they decide to keep the door locked or open it to new possibilities is entirely up to them. It is a battle they fight with themselves.
I am currently coaching a couple of young men whose early success was apparently defined by an ability to score goals. The ability to score goals is a very fine thing, indeed! While it is certainly true that Defense wins Championships it is also true that a team must score to win games. The means to the end is what concerns me with these two players and is what today's writing is about.
I do not find it a coincidence that both players are sometimes referred to by teammates as "the great black hole". This goes directly to the fact neither is very keen on passing. Once they obtain possession of the ball their first thought is to shoot and if not in range they will attempt to take on all comers to advance the ball into shooting range. Passing the ball is a secondary thought even if by doing so their ultimate goal of scoring a goal might be made easier. In essence, they have become their own worst enemy in pursuit of what they desire.
The one gentleman plays on the wing and at some point early in his career must have enjoyed success (scored a goal or two) by making an inside run from the weak side. This undoubtedly occurred at an age when crosses from teammates were not strong enough to carry to the back post. There is evidently an indelible memory of making inside runs to goal scoring opportunities in his mind.
Now as a young adult he continues to make inside runs from the weak side flank without consideration that his teammates have little difficulty in driving the ball to and beyond the back post area. We have instructed and reiterated ad nauseam the approach for a wing on the weak side should be from the corner of the 18 through the corner of the 6 to the back post. This approach allows the wing to adjust their path to the crossed ball whereas a path inside these parameters all but eliminates an ability to do so. The inside run is so ingrained, the bad habit so firmly established, this player seems unable to stop himself from making it. He is addicted to the inside run because at one point in his early development it was successful for him. There is no cognizant recognition that since the game has changed as he has grown older that his recipe for success (scoring goals) needed to change as well.
The second player is of a similar single mindedness. He plays forward and regardless of field position or situation his first instinct with the ball is to take on any and all defenders while attempting to get to goal. He is quite obviously a product of kick and run youth soccer that featured "big, strong and fast" as the primary tactical considerations. The only problem is at this point in his life he is undersized and below average in speed although physical strength does remain. His role in youth leagues was to stand with the opposing backs waiting to be fed the ball by teammates and then take the ball to goal. He really struggles with any deviation from this pattern.
With both players their primary focus remains on scoring the ball. With both players they have become their own worst enemy in pursuit of their scoring goals. Both players are stubbornly insistent on sticking with what once worked well for them while missing the fact the game is passing, or even has passed them, by. They stubbornly refuse help from coaches and teammates alike in pursuit of scoring goals. They become frustrated because the help offered deviates from what has previously been successful for them. In short, both of these athletes seem to have fallen in love with soccer at a young age based on an ability to score goals, but have failed to nurture and develop that love since then.
This may well be the fault of their youth coaches who might have viewed these young men as budding stars. The coaching attitude may have been, "why fix what isn't broken" as they watched these individuals and probably by extension their teams have success. In actuality we as coaches must fix what isn't broken as a proactive or even preventative maintenance program. We need to help flame the spark of passion in players by expanding their game beyond initial success. As coaches we need to continually ask players to move from their comfort zones and expand their games. It is obvious that these two players have been in an arrested state of development for some time before they came to us.
Our mission with them has been to break down the established and ingrained habits allowed to take hold when they were young youth players and provide them with the means to branch out of their comfort zones, to explore and expand their games in order to become unpredictable and more dangerous in pursuit of scoring goals.
It's tough love at this point.
The first player refuses to stay wide and make his weak side run corner, corner, post run. Last night his stubbornness cost him 3 splendid opportunities to score goals. Instead of learning, he offers excuses. The second player refuses to utilize drop passes when playing as a target with defenders draped all over him. He continues attempting to turn and take on defenders in these situations with the result being lost possession and growing reluctance on the part of his teammates to feed him the ball. He blames his teammates for not passing to him or providing him opportunities.
In both cases, it is the player himself who must recognize that what they have always done no longer works. They must seek, ask for and willingly accept help to expand their game that their strengths might be accentuated instead of being minimized as is the current trend. In short, it is their decision to make. The quality of their soccer will be directly impacted by the quality of their decision making.
My fear is the frustration both are displaying will continue to grow instead of their passion being nurtured. They will never again be goal scoring machines on the scale they were in youth leagues, but they both have the potential to be solid goal scorers at their present level of play provided they recognize the need to expand, to nurture and grow, their individual games within the game itself. The game at their age is about freedom of play and both seem ready to embrace this yet remain reluctant to accept the responsibility that comes with freedom. I'm not sure we will ever get to that point with either of these young men. It certainly has been a struggle to date. I do know this, it is their decision to make. They hold the key to success in the palm of their own hand. Whether they decide to keep the door locked or open it to new possibilities is entirely up to them. It is a battle they fight with themselves.
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Monday
One of the tougher aspects of coaching.
Coaches in general often think they can "coach up" anyone and make them a contributing member of a team. In most cases the object of their attention is the would be star with a horrible attitude. This is not always the case though. I myself am in the midst of trying to figure out how to coach up a young man who is good kid and loyal to our team. Yet over the last 3 springs he has fallen behind his teammates in his development.
Players all develop at different rates but rarely does the disparity grow to this extent. "Mark" is basically the same player he was three seasons ago. Individual player rankings of our team from years ago would have found Mark middle of the pack. Now, Mark is the last player on a 19 man roster.
I have the power to cut Mark from the team, but have been reluctant to do so for a number of reasons. Family friend, attends the same high school as my son, he's very athletic and in a way he needs soccer and perhaps more specifically, this team. This is one I am loath to give up on and so I continue to try.
One of the tougher aspects of coaching is recognizing when to let go of a favorite player. I know Mark cannot compete with his current teammates. He lacks game vision to an extraordinary degree. This is undoubtedly related to the fact he learns differently than most. I feel I have failed Mark as I have not discovered a way to properly teach him. It is not that Mark is incapable of learning - he is a bright intelligent young man. He's just not catching on as his teammates have and continue to do.
Keeping him with this team would be a disservice to his teammates especially if there is an expectation on Mark's part that he would receive playing time commensurate with that of his teammates. Mark is the weak link on the pitch when he's in the game.
Now, in fairness, Mark is playing up an age group with this team. When that decision was first made 4 years ago, this was appropriate for Mark. As time has passed and his teammates have left him behind, this team is no longer appropriate for Mark to be on. His teammates have been patient, understanding and helpful. Many have tried to mentor him and help him develop his game further with the same frustrating results I have had. Mark's teammates appreciate he does not belong with this team and it's beginning to show as Mark continues to struggle with his play.
As coaches we know there is always that one player who, because their level of play is lacking, breakdown every exercise. They are the one who always loses possession of the ball for their team often by self-inflicting pressure. They are the one that opponents always seek to isolate and take advantage of because they lack self-discipline and will repeatedly stab or dive in effectively eliminating themselves from play. Mark has become that player on this team.
Thankfully, there is another option for Mark. We will field a "B" team this next season. Previous attempts to move Mark down to his own age group have been met with emotional responses. This is not unexpected, but the degree to which it manifested itself was. Mark and his family essentially gave me an ultimatum that he either plays with our team or he won't be playing at all. I am hopeful the idea of still playing up but doing so on the "B" team will be palatable to Mark and his family. He needs to play and will not get that chance with the "A" team. With the "B" team he should play the majority of each match.
If Mark and his family are not agreeable to this, I will have to accept the challenge of their ultimatum and cut him from the team. Even if that means he will not play soccer at all. What it comes down to is the necessity of doing what is best for the team with an understanding that no one person is more important than the collective team.
I am making one last attempt to bring Mark up to speed with this team. If it is unsuccessful, I will move him to the "B" team and continue working with him in that setting. I will need to take a step back from where that group from where the "A" team is now. I am hopeful "re-taking" a season of soccer lessons will be enough to help Mark develop his game further. As a coach, this is my "Hail Mary" attempt to reach Mark. I pray that it works.
Players all develop at different rates but rarely does the disparity grow to this extent. "Mark" is basically the same player he was three seasons ago. Individual player rankings of our team from years ago would have found Mark middle of the pack. Now, Mark is the last player on a 19 man roster.
I have the power to cut Mark from the team, but have been reluctant to do so for a number of reasons. Family friend, attends the same high school as my son, he's very athletic and in a way he needs soccer and perhaps more specifically, this team. This is one I am loath to give up on and so I continue to try.
One of the tougher aspects of coaching is recognizing when to let go of a favorite player. I know Mark cannot compete with his current teammates. He lacks game vision to an extraordinary degree. This is undoubtedly related to the fact he learns differently than most. I feel I have failed Mark as I have not discovered a way to properly teach him. It is not that Mark is incapable of learning - he is a bright intelligent young man. He's just not catching on as his teammates have and continue to do.
Keeping him with this team would be a disservice to his teammates especially if there is an expectation on Mark's part that he would receive playing time commensurate with that of his teammates. Mark is the weak link on the pitch when he's in the game.
Now, in fairness, Mark is playing up an age group with this team. When that decision was first made 4 years ago, this was appropriate for Mark. As time has passed and his teammates have left him behind, this team is no longer appropriate for Mark to be on. His teammates have been patient, understanding and helpful. Many have tried to mentor him and help him develop his game further with the same frustrating results I have had. Mark's teammates appreciate he does not belong with this team and it's beginning to show as Mark continues to struggle with his play.
As coaches we know there is always that one player who, because their level of play is lacking, breakdown every exercise. They are the one who always loses possession of the ball for their team often by self-inflicting pressure. They are the one that opponents always seek to isolate and take advantage of because they lack self-discipline and will repeatedly stab or dive in effectively eliminating themselves from play. Mark has become that player on this team.
Thankfully, there is another option for Mark. We will field a "B" team this next season. Previous attempts to move Mark down to his own age group have been met with emotional responses. This is not unexpected, but the degree to which it manifested itself was. Mark and his family essentially gave me an ultimatum that he either plays with our team or he won't be playing at all. I am hopeful the idea of still playing up but doing so on the "B" team will be palatable to Mark and his family. He needs to play and will not get that chance with the "A" team. With the "B" team he should play the majority of each match.
If Mark and his family are not agreeable to this, I will have to accept the challenge of their ultimatum and cut him from the team. Even if that means he will not play soccer at all. What it comes down to is the necessity of doing what is best for the team with an understanding that no one person is more important than the collective team.
I am making one last attempt to bring Mark up to speed with this team. If it is unsuccessful, I will move him to the "B" team and continue working with him in that setting. I will need to take a step back from where that group from where the "A" team is now. I am hopeful "re-taking" a season of soccer lessons will be enough to help Mark develop his game further. As a coach, this is my "Hail Mary" attempt to reach Mark. I pray that it works.
Tuesday
Player Development: What it does and doesn't look like.
Here are a couple of videos that demonstrate what player development should and should not look like.
Kick and run may generate wins at first,but development is needed to play good soccer and sustain results.
There is no real development without the ability to possess the ball.
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