I watched a lot of soccer this weekend. Some at a college showcase event and other at a training session for club athletes. One particular match at the college showcase event featured two excellent U15 girls teams in a 1-1 draw. The talent level was way above average as were the collective soccer IQ on these two teams. Such a joy to watch really good soccer in a club setting. This was most definitely not direct kick & run soccer. The ball was rarely in the air. Lots of possession and lots of team defending. In my opinion, a beautiful game! It was quite evident these girls understood the "why?" behind their actions.
Later in the weekend I observed a training session with a group of U14 - U16 boys. The exercises they were put through were very good to excellent insofar as they went. The drills were explained and demonstrated so all participants could perform what was being asked of them, but it was never put in context as to "why" they were being asked to learn these skills. About half way through the session things moved from a focus primarily on individual skills to a focus on combination passing. One led smoothly into the other with individual skills just practiced being incorporated into the combination passing exercise.
The more astute players, I am sure, recognized the progressions of exercises all tied together. Others, I am equally as sure, were quite clueless about this aspect of the training. That was part of the issue I had with the guys conducting the session. The other part I took exception to was the instructors allowing for improper touches on the ball throughout the combination passing exercises with no attempt to correct or teach the proper way to execute those drills. Because a clear picture was not painted of how the exercise applied to in-game situations the players just went through the pattern of the exercise without emphasis on the proper techniques required to execute the pattern successfully.
The net result of an activity allowed to go on in this manner is the reinforcement of a lot of bad habits the can effectively negate any successful completion of the individual skill performed in the warm up portion of the session sans any form of pressure. And to be clear, there was no active pressure in the combination passing sequences being worked on. Only passive pressure was applied through being asked to successfully coordinate movements with a teammate. The technique of the movements required were never fully explained resulting in the freedom to move very inefficiently thereby allowing the effectiveness of the drill being performed to be compromised. As I commented to the another coach observing with me, "they are practicing poor habits which someone else (me as the U16 coach) is going to have to break down and correct.
I have wrote of the dangers of coaching courses and clinics before. Too many coaches go to these events and come away enamored of the drills or exercises they witness there. They return to their teams and immediately introduce these new drills to their own teams. Kind of. They can get their teams to perform the correct patterns but the exercise never runs as smoothly as it should. The reason for this is found in a lack of understanding of the purpose of the drill in the first place. The details. Why are we asking players to perform this drill? How does it apply to the game. As coaches, we must paint a complete picture for our athletes. This has to include an understanding of why we ask them to do something and an insistence that what we are asking them to do is done a specific way.
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Showing posts with label team tactics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label team tactics. Show all posts
Friday
Playing Up
One of the most frequently asked questions I field concerns the appropriateness of young players playing up an age group or two. I do not have a standard pat response because it really does depend on the individual and the specific circumstances of the situation .There are some guidelines that can help the player and his family make this important decision. These we will explore in today's writings.
There are four areas of development that must be considered, evaluated and continually re-evaluated in the course of a players development; Technical, Tactical, Physical and Psychological.
A players Technical ability is often the eye candy that prompts talk of moving a player up an age group. Technically dominant players "need more of a challenge" than their age appropriate peers can provide them is often a keyconsideration.
Tactical development is tied directly to the development of critical thinking skills in the player. We seldom hear of moving a player up because he is tactically advanced of his age appropriate peers. I have seen a few young players who would meet this criteria, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
A player who is physically dominant - bigger, stronger, faster - always seems to be a primary candidate for being moved up. A player who dominates at his own age group based on physical ability is not a good candidate for promotion unless technical (and tactical) ability is also advanced.
Psychological considerations I will restrict to ideas about how the young athlete will fit in socially with older players. This is an important consideration as the player needs to feel accepted and part of the team both on and off the field.
Freddy Adu is an example of a recent phenom in America. Adu was promoted through the ranks at a rapid pace and was generally regarded as this countries best soccer prodigy... ever. Before just reading his name here, when was the last time you heard about Freddy Adu? His is a cautionary tale when it comes to consideration of moving a player up.
For the record, my sons all played up an age group as youth players. Sometimes it was because we had no choice. For example, two age groups were often combined to make a single team. U11 & U12 would play together as a U12 team. Other times they did truly play up an age group or two. I relate this to make a point that competitive level is also a consideration whether to play up or not. It is far easier and perhaps more appropriate to play up at a recreational level than it is to do so a Premier competitive level. That said, the more competitive organizations and levels of play are usually more receptive to allowing individuals to play up.
Finally, I want you to consider what has been lamented as the lack of creativity in American soccer players. The eye candy mentioned in the third paragraph of this article is often punctuated by clever on-the-ball problem solving skills that leave age appropriate peers dumbfounded while the young "star" maneuvers to goal seemingly at will. In my opinion, it is critically important the candidate for promotion retain a strong measure of the ability to problem solve in this manner. To diminish this advantage often equates to stunting the development of creativity in young players.
Think of it in this manner - promotion to an advanced age group will undoubtedly force the development of team tactical considerations but this cannot come at the expense of individual in-game problem solving or what we call creativity. You want a well-rounded player and so it is important not to promote the young player based on a single or even a couple considerations. All, or at least a preponderance of the considerations outlined here need to be met before a player should be allowed to play up.
There are four areas of development that must be considered, evaluated and continually re-evaluated in the course of a players development; Technical, Tactical, Physical and Psychological.
A players Technical ability is often the eye candy that prompts talk of moving a player up an age group. Technically dominant players "need more of a challenge" than their age appropriate peers can provide them is often a keyconsideration.
Tactical development is tied directly to the development of critical thinking skills in the player. We seldom hear of moving a player up because he is tactically advanced of his age appropriate peers. I have seen a few young players who would meet this criteria, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
A player who is physically dominant - bigger, stronger, faster - always seems to be a primary candidate for being moved up. A player who dominates at his own age group based on physical ability is not a good candidate for promotion unless technical (and tactical) ability is also advanced.
Psychological considerations I will restrict to ideas about how the young athlete will fit in socially with older players. This is an important consideration as the player needs to feel accepted and part of the team both on and off the field.
Freddy Adu is an example of a recent phenom in America. Adu was promoted through the ranks at a rapid pace and was generally regarded as this countries best soccer prodigy... ever. Before just reading his name here, when was the last time you heard about Freddy Adu? His is a cautionary tale when it comes to consideration of moving a player up.
For the record, my sons all played up an age group as youth players. Sometimes it was because we had no choice. For example, two age groups were often combined to make a single team. U11 & U12 would play together as a U12 team. Other times they did truly play up an age group or two. I relate this to make a point that competitive level is also a consideration whether to play up or not. It is far easier and perhaps more appropriate to play up at a recreational level than it is to do so a Premier competitive level. That said, the more competitive organizations and levels of play are usually more receptive to allowing individuals to play up.
Finally, I want you to consider what has been lamented as the lack of creativity in American soccer players. The eye candy mentioned in the third paragraph of this article is often punctuated by clever on-the-ball problem solving skills that leave age appropriate peers dumbfounded while the young "star" maneuvers to goal seemingly at will. In my opinion, it is critically important the candidate for promotion retain a strong measure of the ability to problem solve in this manner. To diminish this advantage often equates to stunting the development of creativity in young players.
Think of it in this manner - promotion to an advanced age group will undoubtedly force the development of team tactical considerations but this cannot come at the expense of individual in-game problem solving or what we call creativity. You want a well-rounded player and so it is important not to promote the young player based on a single or even a couple considerations. All, or at least a preponderance of the considerations outlined here need to be met before a player should be allowed to play up.
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