See also The Coach's Perspective on Tryouts and Tryout Questions for Parents and Players and College Soccer Scholarships: The Facts
What You Need to Know About Tryouts
Showing posts with label consistency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label consistency. Show all posts
Saturday
Tryout Season for Club Soccer is Upon Us.
This will be a 4 part series. In today's posting we will look at tryouts in a general sense. There's something here for player, parent and coach alike. Following installments will look at things from a player / parent perspective followed by a look at the process from a coaches perspective. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.
See also The Coach's Perspective on Tryouts and Tryout Questions for Parents and Players and College Soccer Scholarships: The Facts
When true tryouts are held there exists the possibility of jubilation or heartbreak for players. There can be much agonizing for coaches or the selection committee as well. Such is the struggle to organize competitive youth soccer teams, be they of the club or high school variety.
See also The Coach's Perspective on Tryouts and Tryout Questions for Parents and Players and College Soccer Scholarships: The Facts
Sunday
Wednesday
REACT & RID The push pass
REACT moment: Your Push pass is played lacking pace and accuracy.
Real Time:
Was my plant foot pointed where I wanted the ball to go?
Were my toes raised and ankle locked?
Did I strike at the midpoint of the ball and on the ankle bone?
Did I follow through?
Real Time:
Was my plant foot pointed where I wanted the ball to go?
Were my toes raised and ankle locked?
Did I strike at the midpoint of the ball and on the ankle bone?
Did I follow through?
Immediate:
At the next
dead ball opportunity take a practice kick (or two) on an imaginary ball using
the proper techniques to reinforce correct muscle memory required to execute an
effective push pass.
Delayed:
Practice
against a kickback board or with a partner emphasizing proper execution of
proper technique and reinforcing proper muscle memory.
Thursday
Key Considerations for Goalkeeping
There are four basic considerations for goalkeeping that help deterimine an individuals aptitude for the position. The goalkeepers technical ability, his tactical understanding, his psychological ablity to deal with the demands of the position and his physical gifts.
Wednesday
Consistency
While I was watching the Toledo St. Francis at Lima Senior men's soccer game last night consistency was on my mind. Lima Senior was coming off two sterling offensive performances albeit not against foes the quality of this Knights team. Nonetheless, I went into the evening looking for consistency in the Spartan's performance.
Coaches preach about consistency of performance all the time. We build it into every aspect of the team that we can. Same warm up routine everyday in practice and for pre-game. Same formation every game. Same personnel in the same positions every game. We do these things to establish a comfort level for the players. Everyone in "their" position with the same role and expectations.
Remember the scene in Hoosiers where upon arriving at the site for the state championship Gene Hackman's character pulls out a measuring tape and has them measure the height of the basket? In soccer we could measure the size of the goal, the size of the penalty area or the center circle. Consistency.
So it was that I looked for arrow and stick on the defensive side of the ball and winning the ball, securing the ball with a SAFE PASS and them finding the path of least resistance to goal via playing the way they faced and allowing player movement to dictate ball movement. These things had been constants in the Spartans play in recent matches, Would they be present against an elite opponent like St. Francis?
The good news is much of this was in evidence during the first half of the match. True, the Spartans had to defend for long stretches of the first half, but they did so within themselves and within the teams defensive scheme and philosophy. The Spartans took everything the Knights had and stood firm. Lima Senior was consistent in their defensive performance.
The Spartans struggled more on the offensive side, but there were signs of consistency here as well. Those opening minutes of the match when both teams were settling in saw crisp smart possession by the Spartans giving proof that they are capable of playing their game even against an elite team like the Knights. The question then became one of whether Lima Senior could sustain consistency?
The answer to that question is yes, and no.
The Spartans took the lead in this match on one of their first forays into the Knights half of the pitch. Alex Ehora took a shot on goal from approximately 35 yards out. The Knights goalkeeper bobbled the ball and Connor Aboujaoude was there to put the rebound into the net. The Spartans led 1 - 0!
My immediate thought was, OK, the Knights just got slapped upside the head are the Spartans ready for the counter punch? Moments later Colton Fry had an opportunity to put Lima Senior on the board again when he broke free from the left flank. Unfortunately Fry's shot hit side netting on the outside of the goal.
Then came the St. Francis counter punch.
The Knights scored twice late in the first half. The first goal came off a loose ball rebound that a Knight volleyed in from a distance of 20 yards out. The second goal came from a long throw-in to the back post where a St. Francis player headed the ball into the goal. The significance here is it took spectacular goals to get St. Francis on the board and give them the lead.
The Spartans played a fairly consistent half of soccer. They were in the match at half time. Could Lima Senior sustain the effort into and throughout the second half?
The answer to that was unfortunately a resounding "No."
The Knights tacked on 4 more goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. One of those came with a Lima Senior Spartan lying prone in the penalty area with an injury. A most unsporting goal and definitely outside the spirit of the beautiful game. The first of these four goals looked like an own goal off another long throw-in. The second came off an errant pass along the top of the Spartans 18 and the third from a loose ball scramble inside the Lima Senior penalty area. Only the fourth goal could be said to be earned by the a build up of play by the Knights.
Consistency?
Actually, yes. Lima Senior has had a pattern of playing elite level teams even for long stretches of time only to suffer through inexplicable periods of near complete breakdown that allows those teams to pull away. Last night it was the last 10 minutes of the first half yielding two spectacular goals and surrendering 4 goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Six goals in 20 minutes of playing time.
The real point of emphasis here has to be those first 10 minutes of the second half. Why did the Spartans get blitzed like that? The first goal was a bit fluky and might be attributed to poor or lack of communication among the Spartan defenders. It might well have been the tipping point in the match. In my opinion this was the point where the Spartans temporarily lost all sense of positive consistency. Individual effort went up but collective effort diminished for Lima Senior. In short, the Spartan's panicked.
Adversity is the enemy of consistency.
Therefore learning to deal with adversity is the key to being able to give consistent effort throughout a closely contested match. The Spartans are at the "learning to win" stage of development in their program. It is a process. The key is in the details of the process. Learning to focus on what they can control and doing this to the best of their ability is enough to get this team and their program over the hump. They are proving this is so over long stretches of play against great competition. They waiver in conviction and focus for brief periods in these difficult matches and that is their undoing for now.
Consistency in belief.
Consistency in trust.
Consistency in leadership.
Consistency in adhering to the system of play.
These are the things that bring consistency to performance.
As the second half wore on, Lima Senior did begin to regain some semblance of previous consistency. It came first in their defensive play and then begin to transfer to their attacking play. I am a firm believer that players are the experts in the game. Watch them play video games . They lose a life, go back to the beginning and try a different way to beat that level of play. And they keep doing this until they advance. Soccer players are like this. The Spartans eventually began finding their way again. They began slowing the Knights attack and working within their defensive scheme to regain possessions. From there they looked to secure possession with safe passes and attack in rhythm and with pace. It wasn't a smooth process, but it was and will continue to be a process. In this match it resulted in a second Lima Senior goal via a well struck free kick from Alex Ehora. Two scores against a quality side... that's progress in the process.
I'm not a big one on moral victory but am huge on recognizing progress in the process. That continues to occur at Lima Senior. Everyone recognizes the strides this program is making... and there is some frustration the process is not delivering better results faster than it is. Remember the progress already made and stay committed to continuing forward in the process.
Stay true to your defensive system. Defend to attack. Attack via the path of least resistance.
Coaches preach about consistency of performance all the time. We build it into every aspect of the team that we can. Same warm up routine everyday in practice and for pre-game. Same formation every game. Same personnel in the same positions every game. We do these things to establish a comfort level for the players. Everyone in "their" position with the same role and expectations.
Remember the scene in Hoosiers where upon arriving at the site for the state championship Gene Hackman's character pulls out a measuring tape and has them measure the height of the basket? In soccer we could measure the size of the goal, the size of the penalty area or the center circle. Consistency.
So it was that I looked for arrow and stick on the defensive side of the ball and winning the ball, securing the ball with a SAFE PASS and them finding the path of least resistance to goal via playing the way they faced and allowing player movement to dictate ball movement. These things had been constants in the Spartans play in recent matches, Would they be present against an elite opponent like St. Francis?
The good news is much of this was in evidence during the first half of the match. True, the Spartans had to defend for long stretches of the first half, but they did so within themselves and within the teams defensive scheme and philosophy. The Spartans took everything the Knights had and stood firm. Lima Senior was consistent in their defensive performance.
The Spartans struggled more on the offensive side, but there were signs of consistency here as well. Those opening minutes of the match when both teams were settling in saw crisp smart possession by the Spartans giving proof that they are capable of playing their game even against an elite team like the Knights. The question then became one of whether Lima Senior could sustain consistency?
The answer to that question is yes, and no.
The Spartans took the lead in this match on one of their first forays into the Knights half of the pitch. Alex Ehora took a shot on goal from approximately 35 yards out. The Knights goalkeeper bobbled the ball and Connor Aboujaoude was there to put the rebound into the net. The Spartans led 1 - 0!
My immediate thought was, OK, the Knights just got slapped upside the head are the Spartans ready for the counter punch? Moments later Colton Fry had an opportunity to put Lima Senior on the board again when he broke free from the left flank. Unfortunately Fry's shot hit side netting on the outside of the goal.
Then came the St. Francis counter punch.
The Knights scored twice late in the first half. The first goal came off a loose ball rebound that a Knight volleyed in from a distance of 20 yards out. The second goal came from a long throw-in to the back post where a St. Francis player headed the ball into the goal. The significance here is it took spectacular goals to get St. Francis on the board and give them the lead.
The Spartans played a fairly consistent half of soccer. They were in the match at half time. Could Lima Senior sustain the effort into and throughout the second half?
The answer to that was unfortunately a resounding "No."
The Knights tacked on 4 more goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. One of those came with a Lima Senior Spartan lying prone in the penalty area with an injury. A most unsporting goal and definitely outside the spirit of the beautiful game. The first of these four goals looked like an own goal off another long throw-in. The second came off an errant pass along the top of the Spartans 18 and the third from a loose ball scramble inside the Lima Senior penalty area. Only the fourth goal could be said to be earned by the a build up of play by the Knights.
Consistency?
Actually, yes. Lima Senior has had a pattern of playing elite level teams even for long stretches of time only to suffer through inexplicable periods of near complete breakdown that allows those teams to pull away. Last night it was the last 10 minutes of the first half yielding two spectacular goals and surrendering 4 goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Six goals in 20 minutes of playing time.
The real point of emphasis here has to be those first 10 minutes of the second half. Why did the Spartans get blitzed like that? The first goal was a bit fluky and might be attributed to poor or lack of communication among the Spartan defenders. It might well have been the tipping point in the match. In my opinion this was the point where the Spartans temporarily lost all sense of positive consistency. Individual effort went up but collective effort diminished for Lima Senior. In short, the Spartan's panicked.
Adversity is the enemy of consistency.
Therefore learning to deal with adversity is the key to being able to give consistent effort throughout a closely contested match. The Spartans are at the "learning to win" stage of development in their program. It is a process. The key is in the details of the process. Learning to focus on what they can control and doing this to the best of their ability is enough to get this team and their program over the hump. They are proving this is so over long stretches of play against great competition. They waiver in conviction and focus for brief periods in these difficult matches and that is their undoing for now.
Consistency in belief.
Consistency in trust.
Consistency in leadership.
Consistency in adhering to the system of play.
These are the things that bring consistency to performance.
As the second half wore on, Lima Senior did begin to regain some semblance of previous consistency. It came first in their defensive play and then begin to transfer to their attacking play. I am a firm believer that players are the experts in the game. Watch them play video games . They lose a life, go back to the beginning and try a different way to beat that level of play. And they keep doing this until they advance. Soccer players are like this. The Spartans eventually began finding their way again. They began slowing the Knights attack and working within their defensive scheme to regain possessions. From there they looked to secure possession with safe passes and attack in rhythm and with pace. It wasn't a smooth process, but it was and will continue to be a process. In this match it resulted in a second Lima Senior goal via a well struck free kick from Alex Ehora. Two scores against a quality side... that's progress in the process.
I'm not a big one on moral victory but am huge on recognizing progress in the process. That continues to occur at Lima Senior. Everyone recognizes the strides this program is making... and there is some frustration the process is not delivering better results faster than it is. Remember the progress already made and stay committed to continuing forward in the process.
Stay true to your defensive system. Defend to attack. Attack via the path of least resistance.
Persistency to Consistency.
Proper preparation is the key to consistent performance.
I spent last night texting, tweeting, emailing and talking with a half dozen coaches, perhaps as many as 30 players, four referees and a handful of parents. Some were excited about their performance while others were clearly frustrated. Others just wanted to chat for a few minutes.
Through it all, the one train of thought that was constant in my mind was "preparation". I wondered what the team who performed so well against the odds had done to prepare for their match? I also wondered what the team who was frustrated with their performance had done to prepare for their match?
Emotional, mental and physical preparation are all important. I believe each can be trained. I believe each must be given proper consideration before, during and after a match.
When coaching goalkeepers I design practices that focus equally on all three of these areas. I do not want a player relying too heavily on emotion to perform for that means with every high there will be a corresponding low. The idea is to limit the peaks and valleys in order to be consistent in performance.
I never have goalkeepers practice "spectacular saves" and I never have goalkeepers practice "recovery" techniques. I firmly believe if a goalkeeper is technically excellent he will be able to make the spectacular save when called upon to do so. Likewise, if a goalkeeper is tactically excellent he should never have to execute a recovery technique to make up for being out of position in the first place.
I want goalkeepers to remain constant and consistent in the moment. I ask nothing more of them than to make the routine save knowing if they take care of the "easy" saves they will rise to the occasion when the difficult save is required of them.
I believe the same holds true for field players.
Have you ever watched a player working on his own practice a spectacular move over and over again? The rainbow for instance? How many times have you seen a rainbow performed in an actual match? In all my years of coaching I have seen a rainbow attempted twice in a match. Both were successfully completed but led directly to a lost possession. Other than a little "wow factor" little else was gained from performing the move... and think of all that was lost in the hours spent refining the move.
If a player has a solid foundation in the routine the spectacular will manifest itself when needed.
Confidence is a product of preparation.
This is why my goalkeepers perform the same three part warm up routine every practice and every pre-game. We are building a foundation in the routine matters of goalkeeping. Emotional, mental and physical routine to establish a foundation of preparedness. A platform for success, if you will. A reinforcing of routine to instill and ingrain confidence.
So it is I wonder what each team, what each player, coach and referee did in preparation for their games last night. What led to the thrill of successful performance and what led to the disappointment and frustration of under performance?
Through it all, the one train of thought that was constant in my mind was "preparation". I wondered what the team who performed so well against the odds had done to prepare for their match? I also wondered what the team who was frustrated with their performance had done to prepare for their match?
Emotional, mental and physical preparation are all important. I believe each can be trained. I believe each must be given proper consideration before, during and after a match.
When coaching goalkeepers I design practices that focus equally on all three of these areas. I do not want a player relying too heavily on emotion to perform for that means with every high there will be a corresponding low. The idea is to limit the peaks and valleys in order to be consistent in performance.
I never have goalkeepers practice "spectacular saves" and I never have goalkeepers practice "recovery" techniques. I firmly believe if a goalkeeper is technically excellent he will be able to make the spectacular save when called upon to do so. Likewise, if a goalkeeper is tactically excellent he should never have to execute a recovery technique to make up for being out of position in the first place.
I want goalkeepers to remain constant and consistent in the moment. I ask nothing more of them than to make the routine save knowing if they take care of the "easy" saves they will rise to the occasion when the difficult save is required of them.
I believe the same holds true for field players.
Have you ever watched a player working on his own practice a spectacular move over and over again? The rainbow for instance? How many times have you seen a rainbow performed in an actual match? In all my years of coaching I have seen a rainbow attempted twice in a match. Both were successfully completed but led directly to a lost possession. Other than a little "wow factor" little else was gained from performing the move... and think of all that was lost in the hours spent refining the move.
If a player has a solid foundation in the routine the spectacular will manifest itself when needed.
Confidence is a product of preparation.
This is why my goalkeepers perform the same three part warm up routine every practice and every pre-game. We are building a foundation in the routine matters of goalkeeping. Emotional, mental and physical routine to establish a foundation of preparedness. A platform for success, if you will. A reinforcing of routine to instill and ingrain confidence.
So it is I wonder what each team, what each player, coach and referee did in preparation for their games last night. What led to the thrill of successful performance and what led to the disappointment and frustration of under performance?
Thursday
Mistakes are Opportunities to Learn
Learning from mistakes is the key to positive soccer experiences from both coaching and player perspectives. I would like to concentrate on the coaching aspect of learning from mistakes to help fellow coaches improve their work. The following paragraphs will highlight some common coaching mistakes and provide alternative ideas that you might find useful.
1) The position an individual coaches from is vitally important and unfortunately one of the most common mistakes made. We must remember that we can only coach what we see. Therefore if we are involved in active participation of the activity we will be unable to see the entire picture due to focusing on our role or responsibility as a participant. In similar fashion if a coach assumes an observation position in the middle of an activity he is likely to see only half of what is happening about him.
1) The position an individual coaches from is vitally important and unfortunately one of the most common mistakes made. We must remember that we can only coach what we see. Therefore if we are involved in active participation of the activity we will be unable to see the entire picture due to focusing on our role or responsibility as a participant. In similar fashion if a coach assumes an observation position in the middle of an activity he is likely to see only half of what is happening about him.
Friday
Coach self-evaluation
I am blessed to have coaching peers and mentors to dialogue with and thankful that each willingly shares their thoughts, opinions and suggestions with me. In the end, I take their input and use it as part of my self-evaluation process. This process is a source of growth for me as a coach and as a person. I'm still learning about the game and the people who participate in it, be they players, referees, parents, opposing coaches, administrators.
I have a vision of what the game should look like when played properly. In a nutshell, tight secure team defending and a varied attack that seeks the path of least resistance to goal. A significant part of my post self-evaluation is devoted to analyzing how well I adapted my vision to the personnel on hand. Success is often subjectively judged based on how well we maximized our potential to play to that vision as opposed to the final won/loss record.
It's always nice to have a dependable goal scorer but I have found my "best" teams have had multiple scoring threats and can score in a variety of ways - patient build ups, quick counter-attacks, off set pieces and more. I find it fairly easy to put in a good defense. Solid and steady back line with a midfield that understands the necessity of pressuring service and demonstrates the ability to do so combined with forward play that cuts the field in half are the basic ingredients.
Generating a varied attack that consciously seeks and recognizes the path of least resistant to goal is a more complicated and difficult undertaking.
I believe in versatility. I'm not so concerned with Forwards or Midfielders or even Backs as I am with having versatile soccer players capable of playing multiple positions and interchanging on-the-fly as the flow of the game dictates. This can present quite a challenge from a coaching perspective. Quite honestly, many players struggle when asked to change how they have always played, to step out of established comfort zones.
My pet peeve is to see a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation morph into a 4-1-5 or even a 4-6 with front runners all looking to be played through. I cringe when I see a ball carrier advancing the ball with 4 or 5 of his teammates ahead of him moving in the same direction as he is and at the same pace as the ball is being advanced. Those front runners are forcing the opponents defenders back and by doing so are closing the very space we wish to have open to play in. The odds for success can decrease with each successive step toward goal the front runners take.
It can be exceedingly difficult to convince forwards to play as target players with their backs to goal in front of the opposing backs when they have been trained to do nothing but run onto through balls. That's not to say a player should never look to run onto through balls. No, the point is running onto through balls should be a small part of a players overall repertoire or arsenal.
I realize the problem with one-dimensional forwards is symptomatic of a youth soccer culture that caters to the early physically blessed in search of wins. This is at the crux of the development vs win now issue, imo. It is the damage done by this philosophy that I battle in establishing a broader and more realistic vision of the game. I often refer this as the process of unlocking the possibilities within the game.
It is a battle between "If all you you ever do, is all you have ever done all you will ever be is what you have always been" and the false confidence born of "what I have always done has worked to this point, so why should I change?"
This spring I was blessed with a talented roster of 18 players. Fifteen of the players were quite capable of starting . The remaining 3 were for the most part realistic and embraced their roles on the team. Even blessed with this much individual talent transitioning from a team that won on talent alone into a team capable of dictating the rhythm and tempo of a match was a season long process.
By the last game of the season this springs U17 team encapsulated my vision for how the game should be played as well as any team I have ever coached. We (player and coach) were able to break down some old habits and establish new foundations for play. We were solid on defense and very versatile on offense. We won games in a variety of ways - some days our defense carried us by shutting out the opponents and other days our attack overwhelmed opponents. It was a very satisfying and rewarding season from a team perspective.
On an individual player basis there were success stories and some disappointments as well I feel 14 of the 18 players made significant strides in their games this season. To back track a bit, during the preseason I outlined seasonal plans for each of the 18 players detailing 2 or 3 areas that I hoped to help each improve in. I feel we were successful with 14 of 18 players. A 78% success rate. Not bad, but it is the 4 that I let down that remain on my mind the most.
Two of the players displayed an immaturity that hindered their development. The inability to concentrate for the duration of a practice ... or game... was marked and at times unsettling insofar as it was so distinctly out of character with the rest of the team. They played as they practiced and they were not good practice players. Both individuals spent a lot of time "horsing around" and being disruptive in their actions and words.
The remaining two players could have been termed stubborn, but I believe it more a reflection of my inability to figure out how they best learn. Both are very much products of having enjoyed early success coming up through the youth ranks due to being physically gifted. Now they face the prospect of seeing the game pass them by, but instead of searching for and embracing new solutions they fall back upon what was successful for them in the past not being able or willing to recognize the problems they posed to opponents as young players are no longer as troublesome as they once were. Opponents, their peers, have learned new technical and tactical skills to render the problems they once posed far less effective. These two players remain steadfast in attempting to solve new problems the game is presenting to them with old solutions whose effectiveness has been diminished.
The success stories? Most of these center on instilling confidence in players. Sometimes this involves teaching new technique and tactics to elevate confidence. Other times it is simply being consistently encouraging and providing ever expanding opportunities for players. Letting someone else know that you believe in them, that you trust them, can lift them to new heights. There were a lot of success stories from this spring and I am anxious to see how this translates to their play in high school this fall.
So overall I think this was one of my best coaching performances ever but it still comes up short of my own expectations. Even in coaching the team to a perfect league record I was far from perfect myself. Just as I am spending time evaluating individual players to formulate seasonal plans for next spring I am putting together a list of things for me to work on as a coach. The underlying theme is improvement and not only as a coach (or player) but as a person. We can never lose sight of the fact soccer's most important lessons are those they teach us about life, that we are not only coaches of soccer. but also life coaches as well.
I have a vision of what the game should look like when played properly. In a nutshell, tight secure team defending and a varied attack that seeks the path of least resistance to goal. A significant part of my post self-evaluation is devoted to analyzing how well I adapted my vision to the personnel on hand. Success is often subjectively judged based on how well we maximized our potential to play to that vision as opposed to the final won/loss record.
It's always nice to have a dependable goal scorer but I have found my "best" teams have had multiple scoring threats and can score in a variety of ways - patient build ups, quick counter-attacks, off set pieces and more. I find it fairly easy to put in a good defense. Solid and steady back line with a midfield that understands the necessity of pressuring service and demonstrates the ability to do so combined with forward play that cuts the field in half are the basic ingredients.
Generating a varied attack that consciously seeks and recognizes the path of least resistant to goal is a more complicated and difficult undertaking.
I believe in versatility. I'm not so concerned with Forwards or Midfielders or even Backs as I am with having versatile soccer players capable of playing multiple positions and interchanging on-the-fly as the flow of the game dictates. This can present quite a challenge from a coaching perspective. Quite honestly, many players struggle when asked to change how they have always played, to step out of established comfort zones.
My pet peeve is to see a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation morph into a 4-1-5 or even a 4-6 with front runners all looking to be played through. I cringe when I see a ball carrier advancing the ball with 4 or 5 of his teammates ahead of him moving in the same direction as he is and at the same pace as the ball is being advanced. Those front runners are forcing the opponents defenders back and by doing so are closing the very space we wish to have open to play in. The odds for success can decrease with each successive step toward goal the front runners take.
It can be exceedingly difficult to convince forwards to play as target players with their backs to goal in front of the opposing backs when they have been trained to do nothing but run onto through balls. That's not to say a player should never look to run onto through balls. No, the point is running onto through balls should be a small part of a players overall repertoire or arsenal.
I realize the problem with one-dimensional forwards is symptomatic of a youth soccer culture that caters to the early physically blessed in search of wins. This is at the crux of the development vs win now issue, imo. It is the damage done by this philosophy that I battle in establishing a broader and more realistic vision of the game. I often refer this as the process of unlocking the possibilities within the game.
It is a battle between "If all you you ever do, is all you have ever done all you will ever be is what you have always been" and the false confidence born of "what I have always done has worked to this point, so why should I change?"
This spring I was blessed with a talented roster of 18 players. Fifteen of the players were quite capable of starting . The remaining 3 were for the most part realistic and embraced their roles on the team. Even blessed with this much individual talent transitioning from a team that won on talent alone into a team capable of dictating the rhythm and tempo of a match was a season long process.
By the last game of the season this springs U17 team encapsulated my vision for how the game should be played as well as any team I have ever coached. We (player and coach) were able to break down some old habits and establish new foundations for play. We were solid on defense and very versatile on offense. We won games in a variety of ways - some days our defense carried us by shutting out the opponents and other days our attack overwhelmed opponents. It was a very satisfying and rewarding season from a team perspective.
On an individual player basis there were success stories and some disappointments as well I feel 14 of the 18 players made significant strides in their games this season. To back track a bit, during the preseason I outlined seasonal plans for each of the 18 players detailing 2 or 3 areas that I hoped to help each improve in. I feel we were successful with 14 of 18 players. A 78% success rate. Not bad, but it is the 4 that I let down that remain on my mind the most.
Two of the players displayed an immaturity that hindered their development. The inability to concentrate for the duration of a practice ... or game... was marked and at times unsettling insofar as it was so distinctly out of character with the rest of the team. They played as they practiced and they were not good practice players. Both individuals spent a lot of time "horsing around" and being disruptive in their actions and words.
The remaining two players could have been termed stubborn, but I believe it more a reflection of my inability to figure out how they best learn. Both are very much products of having enjoyed early success coming up through the youth ranks due to being physically gifted. Now they face the prospect of seeing the game pass them by, but instead of searching for and embracing new solutions they fall back upon what was successful for them in the past not being able or willing to recognize the problems they posed to opponents as young players are no longer as troublesome as they once were. Opponents, their peers, have learned new technical and tactical skills to render the problems they once posed far less effective. These two players remain steadfast in attempting to solve new problems the game is presenting to them with old solutions whose effectiveness has been diminished.
The success stories? Most of these center on instilling confidence in players. Sometimes this involves teaching new technique and tactics to elevate confidence. Other times it is simply being consistently encouraging and providing ever expanding opportunities for players. Letting someone else know that you believe in them, that you trust them, can lift them to new heights. There were a lot of success stories from this spring and I am anxious to see how this translates to their play in high school this fall.
So overall I think this was one of my best coaching performances ever but it still comes up short of my own expectations. Even in coaching the team to a perfect league record I was far from perfect myself. Just as I am spending time evaluating individual players to formulate seasonal plans for next spring I am putting together a list of things for me to work on as a coach. The underlying theme is improvement and not only as a coach (or player) but as a person. We can never lose sight of the fact soccer's most important lessons are those they teach us about life, that we are not only coaches of soccer. but also life coaches as well.
Monday
The worst. Bet they would like to change that, eh?
Found this on the Internet at http://www.whoscored.com/Graphics/451/Show/Premier-League-2012-13-Most-Ineffective-XI
The lowest rate of success on passes by a central midfielder is 72%.
On my current U17 Boys spring team I would venture to say I have no more than 4 of 18 players who have a success rate at 70% of higher. A majority might be on the wrong side of 50%.
If you have followed along with the posts covering our season you will appreciate we have worked consistently and constantly on preparing to play which I believe is the king consideration both in playing quickly and in playing accurately.
Breaking down old habits to establish new, better habits is a challenging task. Slow and steady must be the course. Those players that have been with the team for more than one season are generally, but certainly not always, further along in the process. I believe all are improve albeit each at his own pace in accordance with his own acceptance of the need to change, You know what they say about change, It is constant in he world. You either modify your dreams and magnify your skills or you will find yourself reminiscing about the past as the world passes you by.
Thursday
Coaches need to pay attention to the details of the process too.
I am constantly reading, watching and learning about the game of soccer. Over and over again I am struck by the smallest of details in the process of coaching and playing the game. Today I want to look at the technical aspect of this by taking a well known exercise and tweaking it just a bit to enhance it.
I do not recall exactly when I first saw this exercise although it seems to me it was at a licencsure or diploma course from my early days in coaching soccer. The exercise is typically called the Dutch Diamond and is employed as a warmup. It's the simple type of exercise that offers repetitive touches and serves to develop muscle memory. Like any exercise worth the time to use it comes with coaching points. In this case, preparing to play, quality of first touch and the correct execution of a push pass. There is also movement after the pass although it is not necessarily game related in the simplest version of this exercise.
Using four cones set up a 20 yd x 20 yd grid and divide the players between the four cones.
Begin with one ball being passed around the outside of the grid.
The touch sequences are all 2 touch and begin coutner clockwise with right / right, then right / left. Change directions to clockwise utilizing left / left and left / right touches on the ball.
Pass and follow.
Simple and useful exercise when executed properly. The coaching points listed above can help improve upon it. The video linked below illustrates a very simple means to drive those coaching points home even more effectively. It's a quite simple tweak of the exercise.
Breaking Lines (Thanks to Randy at soundsoccerdotcom)
I add 2 cones to each corner forming a "L" or "V" shape dependent on abilities. In this manner we can perform all 4 sequences without resetting. By adding two cones to each corner a greater emphasis is placed on preparing to play (receiving across the body) and quailty of first touch (pushing the ball across and break the line to lead into the second touch)
The after pass movement portion is still not as game related as I would like it to be so I continued tinkering with possible progressions. What I came up with was to have the passer make a diagonal run through the center of the grid instead of following their pass (a sometimes useful play in-game, but one we over-emphasize in skill exercises, imo). For the purposes of this warmp exercise that the players will be merely exchanging positions between two diagonal corners as opposed to circling the grid matters little as the touches are the same at all four corners.
I do not recall exactly when I first saw this exercise although it seems to me it was at a licencsure or diploma course from my early days in coaching soccer. The exercise is typically called the Dutch Diamond and is employed as a warmup. It's the simple type of exercise that offers repetitive touches and serves to develop muscle memory. Like any exercise worth the time to use it comes with coaching points. In this case, preparing to play, quality of first touch and the correct execution of a push pass. There is also movement after the pass although it is not necessarily game related in the simplest version of this exercise.
Using four cones set up a 20 yd x 20 yd grid and divide the players between the four cones.
Begin with one ball being passed around the outside of the grid.
The touch sequences are all 2 touch and begin coutner clockwise with right / right, then right / left. Change directions to clockwise utilizing left / left and left / right touches on the ball.
Pass and follow.
Simple and useful exercise when executed properly. The coaching points listed above can help improve upon it. The video linked below illustrates a very simple means to drive those coaching points home even more effectively. It's a quite simple tweak of the exercise.
Breaking Lines (Thanks to Randy at soundsoccerdotcom)
I add 2 cones to each corner forming a "L" or "V" shape dependent on abilities. In this manner we can perform all 4 sequences without resetting. By adding two cones to each corner a greater emphasis is placed on preparing to play (receiving across the body) and quailty of first touch (pushing the ball across and break the line to lead into the second touch)
The after pass movement portion is still not as game related as I would like it to be so I continued tinkering with possible progressions. What I came up with was to have the passer make a diagonal run through the center of the grid instead of following their pass (a sometimes useful play in-game, but one we over-emphasize in skill exercises, imo). For the purposes of this warmp exercise that the players will be merely exchanging positions between two diagonal corners as opposed to circling the grid matters little as the touches are the same at all four corners.
Sunday
I need to work harder... and smarter.
Our U17 team got thumped 1-6 on Sunday. The match was both closer than the score indicates and worse than the score indicates. How can that be? Well, there were periods where we passed the ball well, built attacks and were dangerous. There were also times our defensive alignment was the best its been all year. So, consistency was obviously a problem.
With a talented and deep roster "buy in" becomes a critical consideration and unfortunately not everyone has bought into the team style of play we are attempting to implement. As a coach, little is as frustrating as having to correct the same mistake repeatedly. This is unfortunately the position I find myself in these past two weeks. Old habits can be difficult to break, but I expect effort in attempting to establish new, better habits. That "buy in" to improve individual play for the benefit of the team has been lacking. It's my job to do a better job of selling sacrificing self for team.
As an experienced coach I know that sometimes team chemistry never does develop to an extent that allows collective achievement to rise to potential. Some of the most talented teams I have ever been associated with have under achieved because some key players never came to appreciate and understand what it means to play for their teammates. I'm not sure we are that point with this team, but we have a need for greater buy-in to a team first approach.
To date, I have started the best individual players with the belief that as they learned to play together they would develop a team approach to the game. Our practices are team oriented to re-inforce this. We don't do a lot of individual work. Almost everything we do is based in playing together as a team. Support on offense and defense. Sharing the ball ... or allowing the ball to do the work for us.
Johan Cruyff once stated that "the most difficult thing is to play simply" and this is a message we need to heed. Too many lost possessions caused by taking on multiple defenders or by attempting fancy passes instead of a simple push pass. Trying to be spectacular rarely works. The "Play of the Day" plays arise from making the simple play on a routine basis, then when extraordinary is called for it is based in simple fundamental play.
For the next match I will start the 11 that play best together instead of the 11 best players. A subtle difference at times, but success is found in the smallest details of the process. The small details is where our process has faltered in recent days. As a coach I must encourage paying attention to the details of the process. I must help this group of players develop individual and collective discipline where it concerns the details of the process. Once we re-establish that base I am confident we will regain momentum and finish the season strong.
Lots of work to do.
Time to get started on it.
With a talented and deep roster "buy in" becomes a critical consideration and unfortunately not everyone has bought into the team style of play we are attempting to implement. As a coach, little is as frustrating as having to correct the same mistake repeatedly. This is unfortunately the position I find myself in these past two weeks. Old habits can be difficult to break, but I expect effort in attempting to establish new, better habits. That "buy in" to improve individual play for the benefit of the team has been lacking. It's my job to do a better job of selling sacrificing self for team.
As an experienced coach I know that sometimes team chemistry never does develop to an extent that allows collective achievement to rise to potential. Some of the most talented teams I have ever been associated with have under achieved because some key players never came to appreciate and understand what it means to play for their teammates. I'm not sure we are that point with this team, but we have a need for greater buy-in to a team first approach.
To date, I have started the best individual players with the belief that as they learned to play together they would develop a team approach to the game. Our practices are team oriented to re-inforce this. We don't do a lot of individual work. Almost everything we do is based in playing together as a team. Support on offense and defense. Sharing the ball ... or allowing the ball to do the work for us.
Johan Cruyff once stated that "the most difficult thing is to play simply" and this is a message we need to heed. Too many lost possessions caused by taking on multiple defenders or by attempting fancy passes instead of a simple push pass. Trying to be spectacular rarely works. The "Play of the Day" plays arise from making the simple play on a routine basis, then when extraordinary is called for it is based in simple fundamental play.
For the next match I will start the 11 that play best together instead of the 11 best players. A subtle difference at times, but success is found in the smallest details of the process. The small details is where our process has faltered in recent days. As a coach I must encourage paying attention to the details of the process. I must help this group of players develop individual and collective discipline where it concerns the details of the process. Once we re-establish that base I am confident we will regain momentum and finish the season strong.
Lots of work to do.
Time to get started on it.
Thursday
Sometimes the Process Falters
On Monday our U17 team had its worst practice ever. As a coach, I saw the process breaking down in the days leading up to Monday's practice. The team was becoming over confident due to their successful run through the league. Standing at 5-0-0 and within a victory of clinching the league title their focus was wavering. The truth of this can be found in a simple quote from one of the players "This is too easy. We should have played (in a tougher league)."
I cautioned repeatedly of how our next opponent would play well against us despite their lacklustre record to date. Excellent coach and they had nearly two weeks to prepare for us. I could tell the players were not heeding these warnings. They were riding high and basking in their success while largely ignoring the very things that brought them to that point in the first place - the details of the process.
I have traveled this path with teams before. I often allow them to fail and have at times aided in their failure in interests of long-term goals. Failure can lead to change and from change success can arise. With a home and home against a quality side looming sandwiched around a Presidents Cup match winning our match on Tuesday was imperative, in my opinion.
Upon arriving at our opponents pitch it was obvious our team believed all they had to do was show up and the game was ours. Pre-match warmups were lethargic and punctuated by off-topic discussions. The opposing team was far more focused going through their pre-game rituals. They had a crispness and business-like approach.
We began the match strong with good teamwork and excellent passing to get in behind their defenders 4 times in the first 3 minutes of the game. We failed to finish on any of those chances. At the 7 minute mark our goal keeper played a soft ball up the middle of the pitch off a pass back that was promptly deposited in the net behind him. It was a horrible passive mistake by an experienced goalkeeper. A play born from a lack of focus and lack of attention to the details of the process. The tone was set for the rest of the match.
To further complicate matters the referee crew was subpar by the weakest of standards. I would hate to think it was intentional bias but we were whistled for 21 fouls as opposed to 6 for the opponents and were issued 3 yellow cards while the opponents recieved one. My team rarely receives yellow cards and in my opinion none of the issued were warranted last night.
We fought through it all to tie the score 1 - 1 at halftime. I was extremely frustrated with many aspects of our play. In particular the team having completely ignored the pre-game instructions regarding limiting touches in the defending and middle thirds of the field. We continuously attempted to dribble through multiple defenders. Selfish play rooted in not having a plan for what to do with the ball before recieving it.... the very thing that has been our point of emphasis all season long.
I attempted to re-establish some of these points of emphasis at half time, but it was clear the team was still tuning me out. They offered excuses for why they had abandoned the things we worked on. They were quite clearly not yet ready to admit the path they had chosen was one of false steps that would lead to the undermining of their goals, of their team mission.
We went down 1-2 shortly into the second half and my usually positive team began to get chippy with one another. Once again, I seriously considered alowing them to fail. In the end I felt circumstances dictated we find a way to win this match. I went with a line up of our most rugged kids and sought to simply overwhelm the opponents with our physical presence on the pitch. Yes, this did contribute to the discrepancy in foul calls. Yes, all 3 of the yellow cards issued against us came in the second half. Yes, we did end up intimidating the opponents and setting them back on their heels. Almost the entire final 30 minutes of the match was played on their end of the pitch.
We evened the score at 2-2 and then saw a player coming from the midfield called offside on a bangoo - a pass back toward the 12 from along the endline. Bizarre call at best. We got the go-aead goal with 14 minutes left and hung on for the victory that clinched the league title. I suppose we should have celebrated but I was nearly sick to my stomache over the way we played. We abandoned everything we worked on and reverted to playing American high school soccer. U-G-L-Y straight line soccer with no forethought of play beyond individually winning the ball and taking it to goal. A style that will surely get our heads handed to us this weekend in Presidents Cup play.
We have our work cut out for us as we attempt to regain focus and re-establish positives from our play leading up to this last match. This match was a step back, but we will re-group and move forward again. I am just hoping it can be a quick turnaround.
I cautioned repeatedly of how our next opponent would play well against us despite their lacklustre record to date. Excellent coach and they had nearly two weeks to prepare for us. I could tell the players were not heeding these warnings. They were riding high and basking in their success while largely ignoring the very things that brought them to that point in the first place - the details of the process.
The process of reaching our goals takes place every day.
The process is taking place when working on your own, in every practice and during every game.
The process is taking place at every meal and in the amount of rest we get each night.
We cannot allow ourselves to become bored with the process.
Ultimately the quality of our performance, our ability to achieve the goals we have set, will be determined by the attention paid to the details within the process.
The process is taking place when working on your own, in every practice and during every game.
The process is taking place at every meal and in the amount of rest we get each night.
We cannot allow ourselves to become bored with the process.
Ultimately the quality of our performance, our ability to achieve the goals we have set, will be determined by the attention paid to the details within the process.
I have traveled this path with teams before. I often allow them to fail and have at times aided in their failure in interests of long-term goals. Failure can lead to change and from change success can arise. With a home and home against a quality side looming sandwiched around a Presidents Cup match winning our match on Tuesday was imperative, in my opinion.
Upon arriving at our opponents pitch it was obvious our team believed all they had to do was show up and the game was ours. Pre-match warmups were lethargic and punctuated by off-topic discussions. The opposing team was far more focused going through their pre-game rituals. They had a crispness and business-like approach.
We began the match strong with good teamwork and excellent passing to get in behind their defenders 4 times in the first 3 minutes of the game. We failed to finish on any of those chances. At the 7 minute mark our goal keeper played a soft ball up the middle of the pitch off a pass back that was promptly deposited in the net behind him. It was a horrible passive mistake by an experienced goalkeeper. A play born from a lack of focus and lack of attention to the details of the process. The tone was set for the rest of the match.
To further complicate matters the referee crew was subpar by the weakest of standards. I would hate to think it was intentional bias but we were whistled for 21 fouls as opposed to 6 for the opponents and were issued 3 yellow cards while the opponents recieved one. My team rarely receives yellow cards and in my opinion none of the issued were warranted last night.
We fought through it all to tie the score 1 - 1 at halftime. I was extremely frustrated with many aspects of our play. In particular the team having completely ignored the pre-game instructions regarding limiting touches in the defending and middle thirds of the field. We continuously attempted to dribble through multiple defenders. Selfish play rooted in not having a plan for what to do with the ball before recieving it.... the very thing that has been our point of emphasis all season long.
I attempted to re-establish some of these points of emphasis at half time, but it was clear the team was still tuning me out. They offered excuses for why they had abandoned the things we worked on. They were quite clearly not yet ready to admit the path they had chosen was one of false steps that would lead to the undermining of their goals, of their team mission.
We went down 1-2 shortly into the second half and my usually positive team began to get chippy with one another. Once again, I seriously considered alowing them to fail. In the end I felt circumstances dictated we find a way to win this match. I went with a line up of our most rugged kids and sought to simply overwhelm the opponents with our physical presence on the pitch. Yes, this did contribute to the discrepancy in foul calls. Yes, all 3 of the yellow cards issued against us came in the second half. Yes, we did end up intimidating the opponents and setting them back on their heels. Almost the entire final 30 minutes of the match was played on their end of the pitch.
We evened the score at 2-2 and then saw a player coming from the midfield called offside on a bangoo - a pass back toward the 12 from along the endline. Bizarre call at best. We got the go-aead goal with 14 minutes left and hung on for the victory that clinched the league title. I suppose we should have celebrated but I was nearly sick to my stomache over the way we played. We abandoned everything we worked on and reverted to playing American high school soccer. U-G-L-Y straight line soccer with no forethought of play beyond individually winning the ball and taking it to goal. A style that will surely get our heads handed to us this weekend in Presidents Cup play.
We have our work cut out for us as we attempt to regain focus and re-establish positives from our play leading up to this last match. This match was a step back, but we will re-group and move forward again. I am just hoping it can be a quick turnaround.
Tuesday
Is he coachable?
Invariably when a coach contacts me about a player the question of whether he is coachable arises in one form or another and usually very early in the discussion. Coaches want to know a player's capacity for listening to instruction, constructive criticism and suggestions. Will the player be receptive and will he use these focal points as points of emphasis to improve his game and advance to another level of play? Is the player willing to learn or is he a know-it-all stuck in his ways?
There are lots of skilled athletes looking to play in college. One of the determining factors in closing the deal between coach and athlete is the players willingness to learn. Is the athlete willing to accept feedback? Will he recognize the constructive criticism, instruction and suggestions are offered to make him a better player? Athletes who fail to be receptive to coaching are the ones coaches tend to pass on.
On the club and high school level the same holds true. During tryouts coaches will often give "pointers' to the group and then watch carefully to see which players work to address these suggestions. I do this frequently with teams I coach. If there is a battle for a starting position or role on the team, which athlete do you think is more likely to win out?
How do you take constructive criticism, instruction and suggestions?
Do you react or do you respond?
Reacting typically involves competitive responses. A coach will offer insight, instruction or suggestions and the athlete will be argumentative or dismissive either in word or deed. There is a disconnect between coach and athlete. Coaches dealing with this type of athlete will often invoke the word "trust" or lack thereof in association with this type of athlete. A lack of "buy in" will be cited. Coaches choose not to waste their time with this type of athlete.
Responding typically involves reflective, open minded thinking on the part of the athlete. There is a willingness to step out of established comfort zones with an acknowledged prospect of broadening their game. There exists an eagerness to learn as opposed to a stubborness to new ideas. Responding often involves question and answer discourse between coach and player that serves to build a relationship whose foundation is trust. When a coach knows the athlete buys into the program he is more apt to be willing to invest as much time as necessary to help the athlete develop.
Coaches, the good ones anyways, are hyper-sensitive to "coach-ability". The best coaches are themselves coachable. These are the men and women that are students of the game. They are always in search of more knowledge.... and by extension they expect the athletes they coach to be receptive and eager learners as well. Technical and tactical knowledge are musts but the ability to build reltionships that foster receptiveness to learning from constructive criticism, instruction and suggestions is also a focal point of a coaches continuing education. In the end though a coach wants to see the same level of committment to the relationship from the player as he himself puts into the relationship. If a player is not receptive and responsive, coaches typical dismisss them and find others who are. It comes down to decision-making on the athletes part. It's an athlete's choice to be coachable.
There are lots of skilled athletes looking to play in college. One of the determining factors in closing the deal between coach and athlete is the players willingness to learn. Is the athlete willing to accept feedback? Will he recognize the constructive criticism, instruction and suggestions are offered to make him a better player? Athletes who fail to be receptive to coaching are the ones coaches tend to pass on.
On the club and high school level the same holds true. During tryouts coaches will often give "pointers' to the group and then watch carefully to see which players work to address these suggestions. I do this frequently with teams I coach. If there is a battle for a starting position or role on the team, which athlete do you think is more likely to win out?
How do you take constructive criticism, instruction and suggestions?
Do you react or do you respond?
Reacting typically involves competitive responses. A coach will offer insight, instruction or suggestions and the athlete will be argumentative or dismissive either in word or deed. There is a disconnect between coach and athlete. Coaches dealing with this type of athlete will often invoke the word "trust" or lack thereof in association with this type of athlete. A lack of "buy in" will be cited. Coaches choose not to waste their time with this type of athlete.
Responding typically involves reflective, open minded thinking on the part of the athlete. There is a willingness to step out of established comfort zones with an acknowledged prospect of broadening their game. There exists an eagerness to learn as opposed to a stubborness to new ideas. Responding often involves question and answer discourse between coach and player that serves to build a relationship whose foundation is trust. When a coach knows the athlete buys into the program he is more apt to be willing to invest as much time as necessary to help the athlete develop.
Coaches, the good ones anyways, are hyper-sensitive to "coach-ability". The best coaches are themselves coachable. These are the men and women that are students of the game. They are always in search of more knowledge.... and by extension they expect the athletes they coach to be receptive and eager learners as well. Technical and tactical knowledge are musts but the ability to build reltionships that foster receptiveness to learning from constructive criticism, instruction and suggestions is also a focal point of a coaches continuing education. In the end though a coach wants to see the same level of committment to the relationship from the player as he himself puts into the relationship. If a player is not receptive and responsive, coaches typical dismisss them and find others who are. It comes down to decision-making on the athletes part. It's an athlete's choice to be coachable.
Thursday
REACT & RID for November 15, 2012
REACT moment for November 15, 2012
This one will look at returning the oars in the row the boat motion.
Have trouble controlling chest traps
Real Time:
Did I have my arms pulled back before contact with the ball?
Did I return the oars (extend the arms) as the ball made impact?
Were my arms extended too soon?
Immediate:
At the next dead ball practice returning the oars. Row the boat and then return the oars. Feel the extended chest concave as the arms are extended.
Delayed
Toss the ball in the air and receive it off your chest usingthe proper motion of returning the oars. Practice this with a partner serving a thrown ball. Progress to fielding a punted ball from a short distance.
This one will look at returning the oars in the row the boat motion.
Have trouble controlling chest traps
Real Time:
Did I have my arms pulled back before contact with the ball?
Did I return the oars (extend the arms) as the ball made impact?
Were my arms extended too soon?
Immediate:
At the next dead ball practice returning the oars. Row the boat and then return the oars. Feel the extended chest concave as the arms are extended.
Delayed
Toss the ball in the air and receive it off your chest usingthe proper motion of returning the oars. Practice this with a partner serving a thrown ball. Progress to fielding a punted ball from a short distance.
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