It is winter here in Ohio and although we do not have snow on the ground it is generally to cold and wet to do much soccer related activity outside. Basketball and wrestling dominate the gyms and where I am located we have one turfed indoor facility and field time / leagues are outrageously overpriced. Factor in the sun rises late and sets early... well, this is definitely the off-season for us. We do futsal in a gym on Wednesdays after basketball and on Sunday afternoons when basketball generally does not play or practice.
I also do a lot of review work from our past season. I make notes in journal form on every practice, game and team gathering when in season. Now is the time to review these to glean every bit of information that might be applied going forward. I also watch last seasons practice and game tapes for the same purpose. It can be amazing what a distance of 3 or 4 months allows one to see,
This is also the time of the year when I search out new books and articles to read. I spend too much time on YouTube watching soccer videos. Games, instructional and motivational videos. Anything I can find to learn, to enhance my skills as a coach, to make myself better at what I do.
I also take the time to attend practises conducted by other coaches. I have watched tryouts for club teams this winter. I have watched basketball and wrestling teams practice. I attend as many sporting events as possible to observe how other coaches ply their trade. I am intensely curious to see how other coaches interact with their players, their assistants, the referees and others.
I am now contemplating attending a coaching clinic or two. Weighing the price of doing so against who will be the presenting clinicians. So much is available on the Internet these days, but it is refreshing to attend in person. Being able to ask questions of the presenter and other attendees.
On Saturday we ( my high school and program) are hosting a beginners referee and re-certification class. I will be in attendance all day, From 7:30 am until after 4:00 pm. It is important to build relationships with referees and to understand what they are looking for in-game.
These things will all factor into plans for next season. Our off season preparation will be based on what I am learning and in some cases re-learning now, in the dark of winter. The success of our 2017 fall season will depend largely on my success in learning over these cold winter months.
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Showing posts with label coaching education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coaching education. Show all posts
Friday
Sunday
Coaches' Clinics vs Coaching Courses
When I first turned my coaching attention towards soccer over 20 years ago I knew I needed help to do justice to the young players placed in my charge. Although I had coached various sports for a number of years I possessed a rudimentary knowledge of soccer in general. So, I set about educating myself about soccer.
One of the first things I did was to attend a "clinic" presented by the local high school coach. This clinic was part of a coaches meeting for the local recreational league and lasted all of about 30 minutes. Thus armed, I began my career as a soccer coach. We won the league championship that year with a 6-0-1 record! This had little to do with my coaching acumen and much to do with the fact the biggest, fastest, strongest player in the league played for our team. As a coach, I knew to get the ball to the kid who couldn't be stopped.
What I did not know was how to teach technique. So I went looking for that information. I looked at the local library for books on soccer - there weren't many. So I went to local books stores to look for books only to discover there were none. Not a single book on soccer. I searched out stores that specialized in soccer and found The Soccer House in Ft. Wayne Indiana. It was, at that time, a mom and pop store offering all things soccer. They didn't have many books or videos but what they did have was a gold mine to me! From there I learned some of the large national chain book stores carried soccer books and videos, As the Internet was just becoming a thing, I learned about sites like Reed Swain, Championship Productions and Kwik Goal which all had educational offerings, As I have reported before, today I have an extensive library of soccer books and videos.
I also learned of coaching courses which I was greatly excited about. I thought, what a great way to learn how to (coach) teach soccer! The first caching course I attended was the State Goalkeeping Course offered by the NSCAA. It was to this date the best soccer coaching course I have ever taken. Tony Waiters, Tony DiCicco and John Murphy were the clinicians. Murphy remains my favorite clinician of all time. I learned so much from their presentations. My next venture into the realm of coaching courses was a USSF course which I still view as the greatest waste of money ever spent on soccer education. The USSF course tested what I already knew. I was not a novice coach, so had an understanding of how to coach. What I needed to learn about soccer was what techniques to coach and how to teach the properly. I was almost completely out of luck in this regard with the USSF course.
I understand today's NSCAA and USSF offerings, at least at the entry levels, do a much better job of teaching coaching fundamentals before testing your knowledge. They also do a better job of instructing how to teach the fundamentals of the game. They have listened to complaints and suggestions from the grass roots of the game. Kudos to both organizations.
Knowing what I do now, I wish I had availed myself of the coaching clinics that were available to me. Quite frankly, I confused the pursuit of knowledge with the pursuit of Diplomas and Licenses. I have numerous of both and ... well, so what?
I have not attended a coaching course in five years. The last being the NSCAA High School Diploma Course in Georgia which was quite good. Probably second only to the State Goal Keeping course referenced earlier in this article. I did help host an NSCAA Level III coaching course last summer as the DOC for a local club. Our coaches needed diplomas / licenses to meet league coaching requirements so it had to be done. It was a decent course focused more on how to prepare a practice plan and what to present in that practice plan. Good information for the level of coach targeted.
I have continued to attend (and conduct) coaching clinics. Yesterday I attend a small and short but sweet clinic at Ohio Northern University. It was a one day clinic consisting of 3 sessions. I came away with perhaps a dozen different things I will be trying out in the camps I conduct and with the team I will coach next fall. There is some different nomenclature that I believe will benefit the players I work with to better understand the input I am providing them. Despite specializing inn goalkeeping instruction for two decades I saw a different exercise I think is practical and functional that I will give a try. And I rediscovered a tactical consideration that I believe the teams I work with might benefit form. It was a productive use of 4.5 hours on a wintry day.
Today, I view the NSCAA and USSF as necessary evils in the sense most leagues are demanding coaches be "licensed" before they are permitted to coach. Real education in the game remains in the purview of coaching clinics.
At coaching clinics many coaches become engrossed in the drill or exercise being presented. Excitement builds and they want to rush right out to try out the new drill on their own teams. I do not have a problem with this as long as the coach understands the reasons for having the team perform the exercise - the coaching points involved. The good clinicians explain these things before, during and after their presentations. It is important to grasp these things otherwise we turn it into an effort to train monkeys, so to speak.
The elite clinics, in my opinion, will follow a day's practice plan. The warm up, individual, small group and eventual full-team or game phase of practice will be presented by a variety of clinicians. There is a flow and structure based around the theme of the sessions. A picture is painted for the coaches in attendance of what a well thought out and organized training session should look like. The exercises and accompanying coaching points are icing on the cake. The different ways of organizing a team and the nomenclature used are bonuses.
At yesterday's clinic they provided us with a nicely done written synopsis of the what was to be presented, I still ended up with 7 pages of my own notes. Most of my notes are of ideas the clinicians and or the exercises they presented prompted in my own mind. I diagrammed some variations of the exercises they present that popped into my mind while watching theirs presentations. I jotted down terms and phrases I think may convey my own ideas to teams better than what I have been using. And as noted above, I will be borrowing an exercise or two to use with my teams, if not in there entirety then certainly in there general intent. Hey, it's what coaches do!
So, my message to you is to know he difference between a coaching course and a coaching clinic. My personal experience has been coaching clinics are far more valuable learning experiences. They have met and continue to meet my needs better that coaching courses that award diplomas or licenses based on what you already know.
One of the first things I did was to attend a "clinic" presented by the local high school coach. This clinic was part of a coaches meeting for the local recreational league and lasted all of about 30 minutes. Thus armed, I began my career as a soccer coach. We won the league championship that year with a 6-0-1 record! This had little to do with my coaching acumen and much to do with the fact the biggest, fastest, strongest player in the league played for our team. As a coach, I knew to get the ball to the kid who couldn't be stopped.
What I did not know was how to teach technique. So I went looking for that information. I looked at the local library for books on soccer - there weren't many. So I went to local books stores to look for books only to discover there were none. Not a single book on soccer. I searched out stores that specialized in soccer and found The Soccer House in Ft. Wayne Indiana. It was, at that time, a mom and pop store offering all things soccer. They didn't have many books or videos but what they did have was a gold mine to me! From there I learned some of the large national chain book stores carried soccer books and videos, As the Internet was just becoming a thing, I learned about sites like Reed Swain, Championship Productions and Kwik Goal which all had educational offerings, As I have reported before, today I have an extensive library of soccer books and videos.
I also learned of coaching courses which I was greatly excited about. I thought, what a great way to learn how to (coach) teach soccer! The first caching course I attended was the State Goalkeeping Course offered by the NSCAA. It was to this date the best soccer coaching course I have ever taken. Tony Waiters, Tony DiCicco and John Murphy were the clinicians. Murphy remains my favorite clinician of all time. I learned so much from their presentations. My next venture into the realm of coaching courses was a USSF course which I still view as the greatest waste of money ever spent on soccer education. The USSF course tested what I already knew. I was not a novice coach, so had an understanding of how to coach. What I needed to learn about soccer was what techniques to coach and how to teach the properly. I was almost completely out of luck in this regard with the USSF course.
I understand today's NSCAA and USSF offerings, at least at the entry levels, do a much better job of teaching coaching fundamentals before testing your knowledge. They also do a better job of instructing how to teach the fundamentals of the game. They have listened to complaints and suggestions from the grass roots of the game. Kudos to both organizations.
Knowing what I do now, I wish I had availed myself of the coaching clinics that were available to me. Quite frankly, I confused the pursuit of knowledge with the pursuit of Diplomas and Licenses. I have numerous of both and ... well, so what?
I have not attended a coaching course in five years. The last being the NSCAA High School Diploma Course in Georgia which was quite good. Probably second only to the State Goal Keeping course referenced earlier in this article. I did help host an NSCAA Level III coaching course last summer as the DOC for a local club. Our coaches needed diplomas / licenses to meet league coaching requirements so it had to be done. It was a decent course focused more on how to prepare a practice plan and what to present in that practice plan. Good information for the level of coach targeted.
I have continued to attend (and conduct) coaching clinics. Yesterday I attend a small and short but sweet clinic at Ohio Northern University. It was a one day clinic consisting of 3 sessions. I came away with perhaps a dozen different things I will be trying out in the camps I conduct and with the team I will coach next fall. There is some different nomenclature that I believe will benefit the players I work with to better understand the input I am providing them. Despite specializing inn goalkeeping instruction for two decades I saw a different exercise I think is practical and functional that I will give a try. And I rediscovered a tactical consideration that I believe the teams I work with might benefit form. It was a productive use of 4.5 hours on a wintry day.
Today, I view the NSCAA and USSF as necessary evils in the sense most leagues are demanding coaches be "licensed" before they are permitted to coach. Real education in the game remains in the purview of coaching clinics.
At coaching clinics many coaches become engrossed in the drill or exercise being presented. Excitement builds and they want to rush right out to try out the new drill on their own teams. I do not have a problem with this as long as the coach understands the reasons for having the team perform the exercise - the coaching points involved. The good clinicians explain these things before, during and after their presentations. It is important to grasp these things otherwise we turn it into an effort to train monkeys, so to speak.
The elite clinics, in my opinion, will follow a day's practice plan. The warm up, individual, small group and eventual full-team or game phase of practice will be presented by a variety of clinicians. There is a flow and structure based around the theme of the sessions. A picture is painted for the coaches in attendance of what a well thought out and organized training session should look like. The exercises and accompanying coaching points are icing on the cake. The different ways of organizing a team and the nomenclature used are bonuses.
At yesterday's clinic they provided us with a nicely done written synopsis of the what was to be presented, I still ended up with 7 pages of my own notes. Most of my notes are of ideas the clinicians and or the exercises they presented prompted in my own mind. I diagrammed some variations of the exercises they present that popped into my mind while watching theirs presentations. I jotted down terms and phrases I think may convey my own ideas to teams better than what I have been using. And as noted above, I will be borrowing an exercise or two to use with my teams, if not in there entirety then certainly in there general intent. Hey, it's what coaches do!
So, my message to you is to know he difference between a coaching course and a coaching clinic. My personal experience has been coaching clinics are far more valuable learning experiences. They have met and continue to meet my needs better that coaching courses that award diplomas or licenses based on what you already know.
Tuesday
Help!
One of my pet peeve's is the person who needs help, but will not ask for nor accept help. I think this stems from a time in my life when having lost my father I needed help in the form of a male role model, but so many turned away from helping me. No big brother. No other family or family friend. No one from the congregation. It was a lonely time in my life and I admittedly struggled to find my way. I knew I was struggling. When I married I held hope the new father-in-law might fill some of the void, but part of me knew before I ever said "I do" that was not going to happen either. Quite literally I Thank God and his Holy Word for helping through that time in my life.
At some point in time I made a conscious decision to offer help anytime I saw someone in need. This was noble but misguided as well. Some people just don't want the help. They might be confident in their own ability or they might view "help" as a threat to themselves or their position - for whatever reason they simply are not ready or willing to ask for or accept help.
The very act of asking if someone needs your help can be intimidating to the person your offering help to. This is especially true when the person being offered help does not realize (or agree) that help might be needed.
Let's be honest, those of us who are parents have had to deal with children who think they are prepared to go it alone. It is often a case of not wanting help even when they recognize they need help. The struggle to be independent and accountable. It's what we want for our children, but we want to "help" them get there as seamlessly as possible. Again, a noble, but misguided idea.
What does this have to do with soccer and coaching?
I am sure we have all had encounters with players who we deemed "damn near uncoachable," as I phrase it. Strong willed, strong minded individuals who were convinced their way was the right way even in the face of mountains of evidence their way was detrimental to the team effort to achieve a common goal. We cut the player just to be rid of their disruptive influence or if the player is especially gifted we keep them on believing we can be the person to finally channel their attitude and ability in a positive and productive direction. Sometimes the player comes around and sometimes you end up wondering what the hell you were thinking in keeping them and praying for the last day you will have to deal with them.
It's not all about players though.
There is a young coach I have been mentoring for a few years now. I made the initial offer of help to John in the form of sharing resources I have with him. After several months passing, John accepted the offer. We have developed a great relationship over time. I was initially in a role of mentor to John, but as time has progressed we find ourselves friends and peers. This is a success story that goes far beyond the coaching relationship John and I enjoy for it's impact has been and continues to be felt by the players passing through John's program which itself has grown throughout the years.
Another example shows mixed results thus far. Several years ago I took on a former player as an assistant coach. There was a general consensus of opinion that Ryan had the makings of a very good coach. This had been discussed since Ryan was a captain for his high school team and in some corners it was hoped that he would eventually come back to lead the program. Maybe it was the expectations being heaped upon Ryan that gave him pause about coaching. To say he was reticent to the idea of coaching is somewhat an understatement. As time passed Ryan did become involved as an assistant with the high school program and was eventually named to succeed the long time head coach. All seems to be going according to long ago hopeful plans.
When I started coaching soccer I knew nothing about the game. Soccer wasn't even a school sport during my childhood. I had to become a student of the game. I bought books and videos to study, but the single best thing I did was to ask questions of established coaches. The local high school coach, Dick Hagen, was a starting point, but to be perfectly honest he did not know much about the game either having never played himself. He was simply more advanced on the same path I was beginning to travel. A good resource for sure, but not the be all / end all of a coaching mentor.
Graham Ramsay, a former professional player, coach and administrator who conducted camp for that high school team became a mentor to me. As did Ken White (University of Louisville / BGSU / NSCAA national staff). There were certainly others along the way - some I learned the "do's" of coaching from and some I learned the "don'ts" of coaching from. All have helped in one regard or another... because I was receptive to being helped. I knew I needed help and went looking for it from the most qualified individuals who could offer it to me including a couple of email lists of coaching peers who have been wonderful resources ... and critics when necessary.
Ryan's first year as a head coach was pretty much a disaster. It was the worst season in terms of won/lost/tied record in decades at the school. Coaching mistakes cost the team several victories. Because I had endorsed Ryan for the head coach position and even campaigned to the athletic director on his behalf it was difficult to see him struggle so. To make matters worse, Ryan chose assistants who themselves had zero coaching experience at the high school level. The learning curve was huge and to my knowledge they went it pretty much alone. I had offered to help in any way I could, but was never taken up on that offer.
One of my pet peeves is the person who needs help, but will not ask for nor accept help. Ryan needed help and you might think my offer was about mentoring Ryan but it goes far beyond that narrow scope or view of things. You see, another lesson I learned long ago was that when one person struggles there is a ripple effect. One person's struggles affect many other people. The young players on the high school team did not deserve the season they ended up having. They were too talented to be a sub .500 team. In fact, the pre-season consensus amongst experienced coaches in the area was the team had a chance at the league and district titles.
Help was offered to Ryan, but he was unwilling or unable to accept it. The program, this past falls team and individual players suffered for it. Help was offered to John and he eventually accepted it. John's program, this past falls team and the individual players that comprised the team are an improving lot. They continue to become stronger. While a tale of two programs, both can have bright futures. I know John's will because he constantly seeks help... and not just from me. He's open to help from wherever and whomever he can find it. Hopefully Ryan will grow into that mindset as well. There are plenty of people who are willing and more than capable of helping him - the question is, will Ryan be receptive to their offers?
James is a third coaching associate. I have known him for over a decade. His program is bottom tier in the league they play in. Has been the entire time I have known him. He could use some help. It's been offered repeatedly, but James continues to do what he has always done and unsurprisingly continues to have the same type of results he has always had. He continues as the head coach because ... well, I'm not real sure. Soccer is evidently not a real high priority at his school. Losing seasons are the accepted norm. It's a terrible rut to find one's self in.
Which bring me back to Graham Ramsay and the building of the Shawnee soccer program. There was a time when long-time coach Dick Hagen knew he needed help. He hooked up with Graham Ramsay who was key in helping to build and develop the program over the course of more than a decade. This culminated in a state semi-final appearance during Ryan's senior season. Shortly after that season Coach Hagen began to become disenchanted with Graham conducting summer camp for Shawnee. This eventually led to Shawnee looking elsewhere for help. Not coincidently this coincided with the Shawnee program beginning to decline. A decline that picked up speed in succeeding years and eventually culminated with Ryan's first year as head coach being the worst in recent program history. In a manner of speaking, Ryan now finds himself in a position similar to where Dick Hagen found himself in the late 1980's - the coach of an underachieving program in need of ... help.
What I encourage you as coaches (and players) to do is to actively seek help. Be open minded and receptive to the help offered. Take from each helpful person the bits and pieces of information that resonate with you. Continue to educate yourself and explore both the game and the coaching profession to its fullest. The minute you stop growing your trade, is the moment you should get out of coaching. There is always more to learn and more coaches and players to learn from. Be aggressive in seeking help and in accepting help when offered. Approach each day with enthusiasm to learn previously unknown to man-kind.
And for those of you offering help, remember to be patient. While watching someone needlessly struggle as they muddle through gaining experience is difficult it remains the responsibility of the person struggling to seek help, ask for help and accept help. No one can do it for them. It is much like alcoholism or drug addiction in that the addict must seek, ask for and be receptive to help before help can do them any good. That time may never come. Sad, but true.
At some point in time I made a conscious decision to offer help anytime I saw someone in need. This was noble but misguided as well. Some people just don't want the help. They might be confident in their own ability or they might view "help" as a threat to themselves or their position - for whatever reason they simply are not ready or willing to ask for or accept help.
The very act of asking if someone needs your help can be intimidating to the person your offering help to. This is especially true when the person being offered help does not realize (or agree) that help might be needed.
Let's be honest, those of us who are parents have had to deal with children who think they are prepared to go it alone. It is often a case of not wanting help even when they recognize they need help. The struggle to be independent and accountable. It's what we want for our children, but we want to "help" them get there as seamlessly as possible. Again, a noble, but misguided idea.
What does this have to do with soccer and coaching?
I am sure we have all had encounters with players who we deemed "damn near uncoachable," as I phrase it. Strong willed, strong minded individuals who were convinced their way was the right way even in the face of mountains of evidence their way was detrimental to the team effort to achieve a common goal. We cut the player just to be rid of their disruptive influence or if the player is especially gifted we keep them on believing we can be the person to finally channel their attitude and ability in a positive and productive direction. Sometimes the player comes around and sometimes you end up wondering what the hell you were thinking in keeping them and praying for the last day you will have to deal with them.
It's not all about players though.
There is a young coach I have been mentoring for a few years now. I made the initial offer of help to John in the form of sharing resources I have with him. After several months passing, John accepted the offer. We have developed a great relationship over time. I was initially in a role of mentor to John, but as time has progressed we find ourselves friends and peers. This is a success story that goes far beyond the coaching relationship John and I enjoy for it's impact has been and continues to be felt by the players passing through John's program which itself has grown throughout the years.
Another example shows mixed results thus far. Several years ago I took on a former player as an assistant coach. There was a general consensus of opinion that Ryan had the makings of a very good coach. This had been discussed since Ryan was a captain for his high school team and in some corners it was hoped that he would eventually come back to lead the program. Maybe it was the expectations being heaped upon Ryan that gave him pause about coaching. To say he was reticent to the idea of coaching is somewhat an understatement. As time passed Ryan did become involved as an assistant with the high school program and was eventually named to succeed the long time head coach. All seems to be going according to long ago hopeful plans.
When I started coaching soccer I knew nothing about the game. Soccer wasn't even a school sport during my childhood. I had to become a student of the game. I bought books and videos to study, but the single best thing I did was to ask questions of established coaches. The local high school coach, Dick Hagen, was a starting point, but to be perfectly honest he did not know much about the game either having never played himself. He was simply more advanced on the same path I was beginning to travel. A good resource for sure, but not the be all / end all of a coaching mentor.
Graham Ramsay, a former professional player, coach and administrator who conducted camp for that high school team became a mentor to me. As did Ken White (University of Louisville / BGSU / NSCAA national staff). There were certainly others along the way - some I learned the "do's" of coaching from and some I learned the "don'ts" of coaching from. All have helped in one regard or another... because I was receptive to being helped. I knew I needed help and went looking for it from the most qualified individuals who could offer it to me including a couple of email lists of coaching peers who have been wonderful resources ... and critics when necessary.
Ryan's first year as a head coach was pretty much a disaster. It was the worst season in terms of won/lost/tied record in decades at the school. Coaching mistakes cost the team several victories. Because I had endorsed Ryan for the head coach position and even campaigned to the athletic director on his behalf it was difficult to see him struggle so. To make matters worse, Ryan chose assistants who themselves had zero coaching experience at the high school level. The learning curve was huge and to my knowledge they went it pretty much alone. I had offered to help in any way I could, but was never taken up on that offer.
One of my pet peeves is the person who needs help, but will not ask for nor accept help. Ryan needed help and you might think my offer was about mentoring Ryan but it goes far beyond that narrow scope or view of things. You see, another lesson I learned long ago was that when one person struggles there is a ripple effect. One person's struggles affect many other people. The young players on the high school team did not deserve the season they ended up having. They were too talented to be a sub .500 team. In fact, the pre-season consensus amongst experienced coaches in the area was the team had a chance at the league and district titles.
Help was offered to Ryan, but he was unwilling or unable to accept it. The program, this past falls team and individual players suffered for it. Help was offered to John and he eventually accepted it. John's program, this past falls team and the individual players that comprised the team are an improving lot. They continue to become stronger. While a tale of two programs, both can have bright futures. I know John's will because he constantly seeks help... and not just from me. He's open to help from wherever and whomever he can find it. Hopefully Ryan will grow into that mindset as well. There are plenty of people who are willing and more than capable of helping him - the question is, will Ryan be receptive to their offers?
James is a third coaching associate. I have known him for over a decade. His program is bottom tier in the league they play in. Has been the entire time I have known him. He could use some help. It's been offered repeatedly, but James continues to do what he has always done and unsurprisingly continues to have the same type of results he has always had. He continues as the head coach because ... well, I'm not real sure. Soccer is evidently not a real high priority at his school. Losing seasons are the accepted norm. It's a terrible rut to find one's self in.
Which bring me back to Graham Ramsay and the building of the Shawnee soccer program. There was a time when long-time coach Dick Hagen knew he needed help. He hooked up with Graham Ramsay who was key in helping to build and develop the program over the course of more than a decade. This culminated in a state semi-final appearance during Ryan's senior season. Shortly after that season Coach Hagen began to become disenchanted with Graham conducting summer camp for Shawnee. This eventually led to Shawnee looking elsewhere for help. Not coincidently this coincided with the Shawnee program beginning to decline. A decline that picked up speed in succeeding years and eventually culminated with Ryan's first year as head coach being the worst in recent program history. In a manner of speaking, Ryan now finds himself in a position similar to where Dick Hagen found himself in the late 1980's - the coach of an underachieving program in need of ... help.
What I encourage you as coaches (and players) to do is to actively seek help. Be open minded and receptive to the help offered. Take from each helpful person the bits and pieces of information that resonate with you. Continue to educate yourself and explore both the game and the coaching profession to its fullest. The minute you stop growing your trade, is the moment you should get out of coaching. There is always more to learn and more coaches and players to learn from. Be aggressive in seeking help and in accepting help when offered. Approach each day with enthusiasm to learn previously unknown to man-kind.
And for those of you offering help, remember to be patient. While watching someone needlessly struggle as they muddle through gaining experience is difficult it remains the responsibility of the person struggling to seek help, ask for help and accept help. No one can do it for them. It is much like alcoholism or drug addiction in that the addict must seek, ask for and be receptive to help before help can do them any good. That time may never come. Sad, but true.
Monday
Communication and Relationships - The Art and Science of Coaching
Back in my college days I took a couple of courses on coaching. The "professors" were basketball and football coaches. Both courses were largely anecdotal with a fair smattering of logistical considerations thrown in. I'm not sure how much I actually learned about coaching, but they were fun classes.
Soccer is one sport that actually promotes coaching education through the USSF and NSCAA as well as a few smaller organizations. Even so, many people in our area are given a whistle, clipboard and roster of players then declared a coach as is the standard in most sports.
Even within the soccer family the quality of education provided and required is a bit murky. The USSF largely tests ones knowledge to an extent if you do not know what you are doing the only real benefit to be gained from some of their courses is the re-verse engineering of them so that you might pass on your second try. The NSCAA does a much better job of teaching the art and science of coaching but in no way, shape or form provides an extensively inclusive education.
While the two organizations are friendly rivals competing for your dollars they are also complimentary in the sense many coaches take the NSCAA courses as preparatory work for the USSF courses. For all I know, the two organizations may be in cahoots with one another?
The fact remains, if you wish to coach at the upper levels of the game - college or professional - one must have passed the USSF "A" licensure course or a foreign equivalent. There is not another major sport that requires such a license to coach. In sports like baseball, football, basketball and hockey the "license" a coach obtains is from experience and success. If your teams are successful, your experience as their coach is deemed proof of your ability to coach.
That leaves many people to stumble upon the art and sciences of coaching. Playing experience becomes a factor, but the most important aspect of learning to coach will be those you learn the game from - your coaching mentors. When it comes to soccer, for me this is Graham Ramsay and Ken White. I learned the "do's" of coaching from these gentlemen. I have learned what not to do from the school of hard knocks - my own mistakes and those of people who have coached me or my sons.
Becoming a student of the game is something I have written often about, but as I type today I think a better description of that process would to become a student of coaching and a student of the game. Even in this context the single most important thing to recognize is the relationship aspect of coaching. Building the coach / player relationship is the very foundation of coaching.
Over the years I have certainly learned more about soccer. I know far more about each component of the game - technique, tactics, physical and psychological - then I ever dreamed existed when I started out as coach of an undefeated U6 team 20+ years ago. I've learned even more about relationships - how to build and maintain them - and this has been the enduring life lesson soccer has taught me.
It's not all been positive though. I recently wrote a letter of recommendation for a coaching candidate and closed it by offering the highest form of endorsement I have - I would not only allow, but welcome the opportunity for my children to play for the candidate. There are very few people who receive that endorsement from me. For example, my wife and I allowed our sons to play for the local high school coaches even though we did not welcome their opportunity to do so with open arms. We recognized the coaches as trustworthy men even if we did not always appreciate or respect their coaching methodology. More specifically we did not appreciate the lack of quality in the coach / player relationships.
Going through the college selection and recruiting process with your youngest son the considerations are finding a school Lance likes that offers the degree he seeks and has a coaching staff he connects with. Trust me, that is a tall order. Lots of good schools. Many offer the course of study he wants to pursue. Several have soccer programs with coaches who are expressing interest. Do any of them meet his expectations in all three areas?
As I contemplate this, I cannot help but wonder how many parents approach youth soccer or youth sports in general in this manner? I know there were youth coaches I did not want anywhere near my sons. We either avoided them or in the one instance with Lance we pulled him out of the program to avoid his exposure to her "coaching."
I know there are some who do not wish to play for me. I understand that. With me, I do not play favorites. You might believe you are the best player around, but if you expect special considerations you might as well go elsewhere. Not happening in my program. A classic example of this was a player named Kelly. Kelly and her parents had the perception she was the best player the program had ever produced and somehow based this and her value / worth as a player on Kelly scoring a great preponderance of the teams goals. When I introduced a system of play with balanced scoring, they thought Kelly's soccer playing world had come to an end even as the program enjoyed its most successful seasons ever on the field. I understood this even as I never understood this.
We are speaking to the "art" of coaching in the sense that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Kelly and her parents never really challenged the science behind my coaching. They readily admitted that I knew the game as well as anyone they had encountered, they just didn't appreciate how I applied that knowledge when it came to Kelly. Their contention was I held Kelly back even as the team was wildly successful. The disconnect was on a relationship level.
The art and science of coaching are tied together by the relationship bond between coach and players. Sometimes I feel salesmanship is one of the most important aspects of coaching. Being able to sell players (and their families) on the programs goals and ideals is crucial to achieving "buy-in" which in turn is the single most important determining factor in a teams success. Of course, we are talking about communication. The players, the team must be receptive to what the coach is selling and effective communication is the cornerstone for success in this area.
If a team does not buy into the coach's program - his formation and system of play, his expectations for standard of conduct - it's going to be a long season marked by underachievement and discontent... even if the team happens to be winning. A team that buys-in tends to be a happy team even when the on-field results are not as good as they might be. The perception that they are improving each time they step on the field, that the process is working, can cover for a lot of disappointment and frustration. Again, we address not only the art and science of coaching but the importance of building relationships. Coach / player relationships. Effective communication.
What about player / player relationships? Team Chemistry. Team Bonding. This too is very important and within the purview of the coach. It's not about fostering an environment in which everyone loves one another. Its all about building trust and respect within the team setting. It's all about individuals being able to effectively communicate with one another and trust what is being communicated to each other.
Relationships.
Trust is the glue of life, the most essential ingredient in effective communication. Trust is the foundational principle that holds all relationships together. The beauty of art will always be in the eyes of the beholder and the science of the game will always hold certain truths therefore the difference maker from a coaching perspective is found in relationships. Coach / player and player / player relationships. Effective Communication. Trust and Respect.
Soccer is one sport that actually promotes coaching education through the USSF and NSCAA as well as a few smaller organizations. Even so, many people in our area are given a whistle, clipboard and roster of players then declared a coach as is the standard in most sports.
Even within the soccer family the quality of education provided and required is a bit murky. The USSF largely tests ones knowledge to an extent if you do not know what you are doing the only real benefit to be gained from some of their courses is the re-verse engineering of them so that you might pass on your second try. The NSCAA does a much better job of teaching the art and science of coaching but in no way, shape or form provides an extensively inclusive education.
While the two organizations are friendly rivals competing for your dollars they are also complimentary in the sense many coaches take the NSCAA courses as preparatory work for the USSF courses. For all I know, the two organizations may be in cahoots with one another?
The fact remains, if you wish to coach at the upper levels of the game - college or professional - one must have passed the USSF "A" licensure course or a foreign equivalent. There is not another major sport that requires such a license to coach. In sports like baseball, football, basketball and hockey the "license" a coach obtains is from experience and success. If your teams are successful, your experience as their coach is deemed proof of your ability to coach.
That leaves many people to stumble upon the art and sciences of coaching. Playing experience becomes a factor, but the most important aspect of learning to coach will be those you learn the game from - your coaching mentors. When it comes to soccer, for me this is Graham Ramsay and Ken White. I learned the "do's" of coaching from these gentlemen. I have learned what not to do from the school of hard knocks - my own mistakes and those of people who have coached me or my sons.
Becoming a student of the game is something I have written often about, but as I type today I think a better description of that process would to become a student of coaching and a student of the game. Even in this context the single most important thing to recognize is the relationship aspect of coaching. Building the coach / player relationship is the very foundation of coaching.
Over the years I have certainly learned more about soccer. I know far more about each component of the game - technique, tactics, physical and psychological - then I ever dreamed existed when I started out as coach of an undefeated U6 team 20+ years ago. I've learned even more about relationships - how to build and maintain them - and this has been the enduring life lesson soccer has taught me.
It's not all been positive though. I recently wrote a letter of recommendation for a coaching candidate and closed it by offering the highest form of endorsement I have - I would not only allow, but welcome the opportunity for my children to play for the candidate. There are very few people who receive that endorsement from me. For example, my wife and I allowed our sons to play for the local high school coaches even though we did not welcome their opportunity to do so with open arms. We recognized the coaches as trustworthy men even if we did not always appreciate or respect their coaching methodology. More specifically we did not appreciate the lack of quality in the coach / player relationships.
Going through the college selection and recruiting process with your youngest son the considerations are finding a school Lance likes that offers the degree he seeks and has a coaching staff he connects with. Trust me, that is a tall order. Lots of good schools. Many offer the course of study he wants to pursue. Several have soccer programs with coaches who are expressing interest. Do any of them meet his expectations in all three areas?
As I contemplate this, I cannot help but wonder how many parents approach youth soccer or youth sports in general in this manner? I know there were youth coaches I did not want anywhere near my sons. We either avoided them or in the one instance with Lance we pulled him out of the program to avoid his exposure to her "coaching."
I know there are some who do not wish to play for me. I understand that. With me, I do not play favorites. You might believe you are the best player around, but if you expect special considerations you might as well go elsewhere. Not happening in my program. A classic example of this was a player named Kelly. Kelly and her parents had the perception she was the best player the program had ever produced and somehow based this and her value / worth as a player on Kelly scoring a great preponderance of the teams goals. When I introduced a system of play with balanced scoring, they thought Kelly's soccer playing world had come to an end even as the program enjoyed its most successful seasons ever on the field. I understood this even as I never understood this.
We are speaking to the "art" of coaching in the sense that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Kelly and her parents never really challenged the science behind my coaching. They readily admitted that I knew the game as well as anyone they had encountered, they just didn't appreciate how I applied that knowledge when it came to Kelly. Their contention was I held Kelly back even as the team was wildly successful. The disconnect was on a relationship level.
The art and science of coaching are tied together by the relationship bond between coach and players. Sometimes I feel salesmanship is one of the most important aspects of coaching. Being able to sell players (and their families) on the programs goals and ideals is crucial to achieving "buy-in" which in turn is the single most important determining factor in a teams success. Of course, we are talking about communication. The players, the team must be receptive to what the coach is selling and effective communication is the cornerstone for success in this area.
If a team does not buy into the coach's program - his formation and system of play, his expectations for standard of conduct - it's going to be a long season marked by underachievement and discontent... even if the team happens to be winning. A team that buys-in tends to be a happy team even when the on-field results are not as good as they might be. The perception that they are improving each time they step on the field, that the process is working, can cover for a lot of disappointment and frustration. Again, we address not only the art and science of coaching but the importance of building relationships. Coach / player relationships. Effective communication.
What about player / player relationships? Team Chemistry. Team Bonding. This too is very important and within the purview of the coach. It's not about fostering an environment in which everyone loves one another. Its all about building trust and respect within the team setting. It's all about individuals being able to effectively communicate with one another and trust what is being communicated to each other.
Relationships.
Trust is the glue of life, the most essential ingredient in effective communication. Trust is the foundational principle that holds all relationships together. The beauty of art will always be in the eyes of the beholder and the science of the game will always hold certain truths therefore the difference maker from a coaching perspective is found in relationships. Coach / player and player / player relationships. Effective Communication. Trust and Respect.
Sunday
Coaching Clinics can be Dangerous
As I watched a soccer webinar (on-line seminar) this morning I had to ask, who is the target audience here? The clinician is fairly well known and has published a couple of books on systems of play. The webinar is on the 1-4-2-3-1 formation. The exercises and drills being used seek to explain how professional sides play out of the formation - what their systems of play are.
Those in attendance range from coaches of U8 teams through high school and college coaches. An organization with a national base is hosting the event and will take anyone's money who wishes to attend. And of course, I am watching the webinar (for free) six months after it took place.
The clinician is very passionate about the virtues of the formation and is clearly excited to be presenting its secrets to the audience. He has a decent girls side working as the presentation team. What he is actually doing is using a combination of pattern play and shadow play to illustrate the teams shape in the transitional phases of play - going first from defending shape to attacking shape, then back again to defending shape.
I find myself wondering how many of those present or who have watched the on-line webinar actually know what the phases of play are?
As I continued watching I witnessed the clinician allowing improper or poorly executed technique to take place as movement of the ball was utilized to demonstrate the morphing of the teams shape from defending to attacking and back again.
I have attended many coaching courses, clinics and seminars over the years. I suppose the actual number may stand at 100 or more. Very few made a lasting impression on me, but those that did were the ones in which the clinician explained the details and reasoning for what (s)he was doing and demanded the presentation team provide excellence within their ability level to what they were being asked to do.
Traveling back in time to this past July and August I recognized the tactical application of the 1-4-2-3-1 being presented as what my son's high school team was working on in preparation for their high school season. My immediate thought was "that lasted all of about a month before his high school coaches abandoned it." And that is largely a fair and true statement although the final flameout would not occur until their 4th game of the season in an embarrassing misapplication of attacking shape during a goal kick restart.
And that is one of the points I wish to drive home today. A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing when the person holding that knowledge does not have a foundational background sufficient to support its application. From past experience I know many coaches in attendance that day and also those who have watched the webinar will go back to their teams and put them through the exercises presented in this webinar anticipating great things will follow for their teams.
It's not that simple.
There is a process involved. One must start at the beginning of the process and work one's way through the process. What many of these coaching education opportunities do is to place their audience in a position of having to reverse engineer the information they receive. The information being provided is really solid stuff, but too many of the coaches receiving it will not have a sufficient foundation to set it upon. It's a bit like building a million dollar mansion atop of quicksand. There will be a lot of settling and in the end that million dollar mansion is going to be condemned.
We do not start our schooling with a 7th grade curriculum. We lay the foundation for 7th grade in the K-6th years. It would be silly to start a 5 year old in 7th grade, would it not? Yet this is what we do in education for soccer coaches when it comes to clinics and symposiums. It's a one size fits all approach that just doesn't work for many, perhaps a majority.
With this in mind, I have begun to alter how Conceive Believe Achieve Soccer presents coaching clinics and symposiums. We break things down by age and ability of the teams the coaches will be working with by matching phases of development with appropriate progressions of tactics. I also try to break down the presentation to an appropriate level of understanding for the strength of the participants foundation in the knowledge of the art of coaching.
It is not an easy undertaking for me, but it is one I feel passionate about. As I look at American soccer and compare it to the great soccer countries of the world the one thing that really stands out is game intelligence. Other countries simply play smarter than we do. A primary reason is we do not establish a solid foundation to build upon. We just go straight to advanced tactics without creating the foundation these tactics must be based upon. Here at CBA Soccer we are looking to change that one coach, one team at a time. A grass roots movement for soccer intelligence.
Those in attendance range from coaches of U8 teams through high school and college coaches. An organization with a national base is hosting the event and will take anyone's money who wishes to attend. And of course, I am watching the webinar (for free) six months after it took place.
The clinician is very passionate about the virtues of the formation and is clearly excited to be presenting its secrets to the audience. He has a decent girls side working as the presentation team. What he is actually doing is using a combination of pattern play and shadow play to illustrate the teams shape in the transitional phases of play - going first from defending shape to attacking shape, then back again to defending shape.
I find myself wondering how many of those present or who have watched the on-line webinar actually know what the phases of play are?
As I continued watching I witnessed the clinician allowing improper or poorly executed technique to take place as movement of the ball was utilized to demonstrate the morphing of the teams shape from defending to attacking and back again.
I have attended many coaching courses, clinics and seminars over the years. I suppose the actual number may stand at 100 or more. Very few made a lasting impression on me, but those that did were the ones in which the clinician explained the details and reasoning for what (s)he was doing and demanded the presentation team provide excellence within their ability level to what they were being asked to do.
Traveling back in time to this past July and August I recognized the tactical application of the 1-4-2-3-1 being presented as what my son's high school team was working on in preparation for their high school season. My immediate thought was "that lasted all of about a month before his high school coaches abandoned it." And that is largely a fair and true statement although the final flameout would not occur until their 4th game of the season in an embarrassing misapplication of attacking shape during a goal kick restart.
And that is one of the points I wish to drive home today. A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing when the person holding that knowledge does not have a foundational background sufficient to support its application. From past experience I know many coaches in attendance that day and also those who have watched the webinar will go back to their teams and put them through the exercises presented in this webinar anticipating great things will follow for their teams.
It's not that simple.
There is a process involved. One must start at the beginning of the process and work one's way through the process. What many of these coaching education opportunities do is to place their audience in a position of having to reverse engineer the information they receive. The information being provided is really solid stuff, but too many of the coaches receiving it will not have a sufficient foundation to set it upon. It's a bit like building a million dollar mansion atop of quicksand. There will be a lot of settling and in the end that million dollar mansion is going to be condemned.
We do not start our schooling with a 7th grade curriculum. We lay the foundation for 7th grade in the K-6th years. It would be silly to start a 5 year old in 7th grade, would it not? Yet this is what we do in education for soccer coaches when it comes to clinics and symposiums. It's a one size fits all approach that just doesn't work for many, perhaps a majority.
With this in mind, I have begun to alter how Conceive Believe Achieve Soccer presents coaching clinics and symposiums. We break things down by age and ability of the teams the coaches will be working with by matching phases of development with appropriate progressions of tactics. I also try to break down the presentation to an appropriate level of understanding for the strength of the participants foundation in the knowledge of the art of coaching.
It is not an easy undertaking for me, but it is one I feel passionate about. As I look at American soccer and compare it to the great soccer countries of the world the one thing that really stands out is game intelligence. Other countries simply play smarter than we do. A primary reason is we do not establish a solid foundation to build upon. We just go straight to advanced tactics without creating the foundation these tactics must be based upon. Here at CBA Soccer we are looking to change that one coach, one team at a time. A grass roots movement for soccer intelligence.
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