Mental toughness is to physical toughness
as four is to one.
Bobby Knight
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.
Attacking Play
Attacking Play: The Individual's Perspective
I often say to players I coach that I wish for them to leave our training sessions mentally exhausted. Soccer, at its core, is all about the quality of decisions made. Of course, it helps if we know ahead of time some of the most common decisions a player will be faced with so we can prepare in advance to be ready when they arise.
As background for these articles we will need to keep in mind the three basic elements in the game of soccer; Penetration, Width and Depth.
The First Attacker aka The Ball Carrier
Before a player gains possesion of the ball or recieves the ball from a teammate he needs to have already answered the question of how best to penetrate the defense.
1) Does he have a good shot on goal? We play soccer to win games. We must score in order to win. Therefore the first question to be asked and answered is "Can I score from here?" If the answer is yes, then the shot must be taken.
2) Is there a teammate in better position to score than I am? If the answer to this question is "yes," then passing the ball is the solution. It is important to remember that the ball can travel faster via pass than it can be advanced by a ball carrier.
2a) A variation of this question, Is there a teammate in a better or more advanced penetrating position than I am? This question would be asked of yourself in the defending or middle third of the field and not predicated on having an available shot on goal, but on creating an opportunity to advance the ball to a position where a shot can be taken.
3) Does the first attacker have space to advance by running with the ball? Note that running with the ball is the third option listed. It is not the last option available, but if the objective is to score a goal we do want to exploit the path of least resistance. Running with the ball can be the best option when neither of the first two options present themselves.
3a) Can the first attacker dribble to engage a defender thereby creating option 1 or 2? If engaging a defender can create a shooting opportunity or create a numbers up situation to play a teammate or one's self into better situation, then the first attacker should purposefuly engage the defender.
4) If no shot is available, no teammate in a more advanced position is open and a defender has seized advantage and engaged you, pass to relieve pressure. It is okay to drop he ball backwards in order to relieve pressure. Sometimes the defense will organize more quickly than the attacking team can do so. Remember that we seek the path of least resistance to the goal.
The options outlined above take into consideration the basic elements of Pentetration ( 1,2,3 ) Width ( 2, 2a, 3a) and Depth ( 4 ) of soccer. In this case "Width" is not necessarily direct lateral width but width present in passing angles.
These questions must be asked and answered before a player receives or gains possession of the ball if we are to play the game with proper pace or speed of play.
Outside Midfielders in the 1-4-2-3-1
Previous articles in this series:
The Goalkeeper
The Linking Midfielder
The Center Midfielder
The Attacking Midfielder
The Central Midfield Triangle
The Center Backs
How the Center Backs and Linking Midfielder interact.
The Goalkeeper
The Linking Midfielder
The Center Midfielder
The Attacking Midfielder
The Central Midfield Triangle
The Center Backs
How the Center Backs and Linking Midfielder interact.
The Outside Backs
The technical considerations for the outside midfield positions center around speed to and with the ball. Physical speed in making runs to draw defenders and open space for teammates. The ability to run onto the ball coupled with a high quality of first touch and the ability to run with the ball / speed dribble. Outside midfielders must be able to cross the ball early and effectively along the ground and through the air. They also need to be able to finish around the net with a high degree of accuracy and pace. Endurance is also a key consideration. Wing midfielders will be called upon to make numerous runs up and down the flanks to either secure the defense or stress the opponents defense.
Tactically the outside midfielders must be committed to getting back behind the ball quickly when possession is lost and they are not immediately involved in pressing to regain possession. Outside midfielders must be astute game watchers especially on the attack as they are the decision makers who must read the opponents outside backs. What they see and execute determines the runs made by outside defenders and directly impacts the choices made by the central midfielders in distributing the ball. Patient on defense and aggressive in the attack.
The technical considerations for the outside midfield positions center around speed to and with the ball. Physical speed in making runs to draw defenders and open space for teammates. The ability to run onto the ball coupled with a high quality of first touch and the ability to run with the ball / speed dribble. Outside midfielders must be able to cross the ball early and effectively along the ground and through the air. They also need to be able to finish around the net with a high degree of accuracy and pace. Endurance is also a key consideration. Wing midfielders will be called upon to make numerous runs up and down the flanks to either secure the defense or stress the opponents defense.
Tactically the outside midfielders must be committed to getting back behind the ball quickly when possession is lost and they are not immediately involved in pressing to regain possession. Outside midfielders must be astute game watchers especially on the attack as they are the decision makers who must read the opponents outside backs. What they see and execute determines the runs made by outside defenders and directly impacts the choices made by the central midfielders in distributing the ball. Patient on defense and aggressive in the attack.
Physically the considerations for the outside midfield positions centers on physical speed, endurance and the ability to use change of pace effectively. Agility and strength are essential. Leg strength to cross the ball with authority is especially helpful.
Psychologically these players have to be hustlers on defense and risk takers in the attack. They are defenders, but also key instigators of the attack. Their runs create and open space both for themselves and their teammates.
Psychologically these players have to be hustlers on defense and risk takers in the attack. They are defenders, but also key instigators of the attack. Their runs create and open space both for themselves and their teammates.
Wednesday
Champions have an open mindset.
I have been involved in a couple of on-going discussion with friends on email lists about what the next evolution in formations and systems of play will be. My analytical mind is always trying to anticipate what the counter moves are to how our team plays. It's just the way I think - I want to be ahead of the game. Out of one of those conversations came this gem that I wholeheartedly agree with:
Champions have an open mindset.
Losers are of a fixed mindset.
Where to play someone
During a recent question and answer period concluding a coaching clinic I had mentioned the need for center midfielders to be 360 degree players. This sparked further questions concerning where to play someone based on how they approach the game.
This is actually something I have studied quite a bit over the years. I don't have it down to an exact science, but I do feel there are certain indicators that can help point the way dependent somewhat on the training circumstances available to the player and his team.
A 360 degree player is one who is comfortable playing in any direction on the pitch. This ability obviously comes in handy for central midfielders. However, in the ever increasing single forward / target forward systems of today this type of player is highly prized as a target forward as well.
My answer to questions about filling positions was to designate players by their strengths in play to a position that requires those strengths be accentuated to fulfill the expectations for the position
We had just spent a half hour or so discussing the need for players to play the way they face being a requirement for possession play. A specific question posed was "where to play the player who wants to turn and go to goal?" Well, obviously this player would not fare well as a central midfielder or as a target forward. All too often he would be self-inflicting pressure by turning into defenders. This is the type of player who will need to play facing the goal. So, my response to the question was in the form of another question, where should a player who wants to face goal play?
The obvious answers are 1) as a defender and 2) possibly on the flank as a wing player.
A rather animated discussion followed as one of the coaches spoke of a player who likes to turn and go to goal being his best goal scoring option. It was as if the only place he could be played was as a forward or as an attacking mid. I replied with yet another question, why can't a defender score goals?
I went on to explain how on our spring teams defenders were regular contributors to the attack both as assisters and goal scorers. You need an aggressive defender who is offensive minded to man the outside back positions in many of todays zonal systems. The coach, after some reflection, commented that I had just described his "forward" who struggled to play the way he faced.
If you do not have the time to work with such a player to teach him how to and the benefits of playing back to goal and playing the way he faces, why not save everyone a lot of stress and allow the player to play as his instincts tell him to - facing the goal and with your approval to "get forward into the attack?"
The next question to surface was, "who do I play at forward, then?" Again I countered with a question, what do you want in a target player?
Typically we want a target player to be big and strong. Capable of receiving under pressure, shielding the ball and playing the way he faces. It's great to have speed, but not absolutely necessary. Remember, a primary purpose of playing to a target player who then drops the ball back is to allow teammates to join the attack. Do we really want a target player who always turns and attempts to go 1 v 3 or 1 v 4 against the opponents defense? Of course not!
The target player who can receive, shield and drop the ball back allows for teammates to join him in the attack creating more favorable conditions and increasing the chances for success in the attack. All we are talking about is two passes before turning and attacking goal at pace. 1) Play to the feet of the target player who 2) plays back to the feet of a midfielder. The precious few seconds that sequence takes allows teammates, who are running at goal, to come forward enough to be active participants in the attack instead of being trailers in the attack.
We were shooed from the building at about this time. I would have liked to continued the discussion. Perhaps another day? For now, the proverbial light bulb seemed to go off in the coaches mind during the course of this discussion. I could see the wheels churning as he pondered changing the positional assignments of some players on his team. I'm anxious to get back out to see the team to see what he has implemented.
This is actually something I have studied quite a bit over the years. I don't have it down to an exact science, but I do feel there are certain indicators that can help point the way dependent somewhat on the training circumstances available to the player and his team.
A 360 degree player is one who is comfortable playing in any direction on the pitch. This ability obviously comes in handy for central midfielders. However, in the ever increasing single forward / target forward systems of today this type of player is highly prized as a target forward as well.
My answer to questions about filling positions was to designate players by their strengths in play to a position that requires those strengths be accentuated to fulfill the expectations for the position
We had just spent a half hour or so discussing the need for players to play the way they face being a requirement for possession play. A specific question posed was "where to play the player who wants to turn and go to goal?" Well, obviously this player would not fare well as a central midfielder or as a target forward. All too often he would be self-inflicting pressure by turning into defenders. This is the type of player who will need to play facing the goal. So, my response to the question was in the form of another question, where should a player who wants to face goal play?
The obvious answers are 1) as a defender and 2) possibly on the flank as a wing player.
A rather animated discussion followed as one of the coaches spoke of a player who likes to turn and go to goal being his best goal scoring option. It was as if the only place he could be played was as a forward or as an attacking mid. I replied with yet another question, why can't a defender score goals?
I went on to explain how on our spring teams defenders were regular contributors to the attack both as assisters and goal scorers. You need an aggressive defender who is offensive minded to man the outside back positions in many of todays zonal systems. The coach, after some reflection, commented that I had just described his "forward" who struggled to play the way he faced.
If you do not have the time to work with such a player to teach him how to and the benefits of playing back to goal and playing the way he faces, why not save everyone a lot of stress and allow the player to play as his instincts tell him to - facing the goal and with your approval to "get forward into the attack?"
The next question to surface was, "who do I play at forward, then?" Again I countered with a question, what do you want in a target player?
Typically we want a target player to be big and strong. Capable of receiving under pressure, shielding the ball and playing the way he faces. It's great to have speed, but not absolutely necessary. Remember, a primary purpose of playing to a target player who then drops the ball back is to allow teammates to join the attack. Do we really want a target player who always turns and attempts to go 1 v 3 or 1 v 4 against the opponents defense? Of course not!
The target player who can receive, shield and drop the ball back allows for teammates to join him in the attack creating more favorable conditions and increasing the chances for success in the attack. All we are talking about is two passes before turning and attacking goal at pace. 1) Play to the feet of the target player who 2) plays back to the feet of a midfielder. The precious few seconds that sequence takes allows teammates, who are running at goal, to come forward enough to be active participants in the attack instead of being trailers in the attack.
We were shooed from the building at about this time. I would have liked to continued the discussion. Perhaps another day? For now, the proverbial light bulb seemed to go off in the coaches mind during the course of this discussion. I could see the wheels churning as he pondered changing the positional assignments of some players on his team. I'm anxious to get back out to see the team to see what he has implemented.
Saturday
Friday
Thursday
What's the difference?
With every camp season I discover new facets of the game to consider. This summer the differences between programs / teams seems to always be at the forefront of my thoughts. After a recent camp session I overheard two parents discussing the prospects for the coming season. Their children play for a program on the upswing and the conversation was about the difference between where their program was, where it is now and those programs that are still clearly better.
They ticked off a list of similarities - conditioning, weight training, summer camp, preseason tournaments, skill sessions, two-a-days, kids playing club soccer, active booster programs to support the team. The list of similarities seemingly went on and on. The sentiment was "We are doing everything other teams do so why aren't we experiencing the same level of success?"
Standards.
Yes, every team does the same things so it becomes about the standards set for doing those things. What are the expectations when preparing to play and is everyone held accountable to those standards? What separates the really good teams from everyone else is the difference between what is allowed and what is demanded in meeting the standards set for a team. The really good teams demand excellence where everyone else wishes or hopes for excellence as if it is something that can be granted.
Many teams go through the motions or play at being excellent. They talk the talk but don't walk the walk. There is little accountability for meeting and maintaining levels of excellence and so their overall standards are much lower than those of the really good teams and consequentially so too is their quality of play on the pitch.
If your team wants better success, set higher standards and demand they be met by holding everyone accountable to them.
They ticked off a list of similarities - conditioning, weight training, summer camp, preseason tournaments, skill sessions, two-a-days, kids playing club soccer, active booster programs to support the team. The list of similarities seemingly went on and on. The sentiment was "We are doing everything other teams do so why aren't we experiencing the same level of success?"
Standards.
Yes, every team does the same things so it becomes about the standards set for doing those things. What are the expectations when preparing to play and is everyone held accountable to those standards? What separates the really good teams from everyone else is the difference between what is allowed and what is demanded in meeting the standards set for a team. The really good teams demand excellence where everyone else wishes or hopes for excellence as if it is something that can be granted.
Many teams go through the motions or play at being excellent. They talk the talk but don't walk the walk. There is little accountability for meeting and maintaining levels of excellence and so their overall standards are much lower than those of the really good teams and consequentially so too is their quality of play on the pitch.
If your team wants better success, set higher standards and demand they be met by holding everyone accountable to them.
Wednesday
This is Tradition!
Nearly 60 past and present players came together for the annual Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage!
The goal for our program is to have both a tradition and a future and to be able to look with pride and confidence in both directions.
Mission ACCOMPLISHED, but not completed.
Mission ACCOMPLISHED, but not completed.
It was a Blessing to see so many old familiar faces at the Shawnee Alumni Scrimmage. I counted at least 39 former players at the contest and I likely missed a couple. What an incredible turnout!
For the match, the 2014 Varsity came out strong and established control of the match early. Sharp, crisp passing with a purpose. Patience while working to create a seam to attack through and great change of pace when they decided to go forward. Solid shape defensively and beyond that was a much improved recognition for and ability to pick up their marks in the forward passing lanes. The Varsity scored first and looked to be in mid-season form in some regards.
Eventually the huge numbers advantage for the alums began to take its toil on the 2014 Varsity as Coach pro tem Doc LaGrande shuttled players in and out en masse. The alumni eventually won the match and on reflection this is perhaps how it should have been. So much talent on the field - former all-state, all-district, district POY, all-league and league POY's - for the alumni team yesterday.
Some of the former players in attendance: Joe Bianco, Dave Goodin, Jeff Decker, Jared Link, Brandon Morse, Trent Quatman, Colin McDermott, Nick Pratt, Brian Bell, Evan Bell, Joe Vogelgesang, Christian Vogelgesang, Joel Reddick, Joe Keller, Joe Goodman, Austin Howard, Troy Brinkman, Jared Dupes, Nick Guidera, Ryan Quatman, Pete LaGrande, Adam Khalaf, Kirt Moritz, Cody Fullenkamp, Patrick Bonifas, Adam Knott, Cogan Shimizu, Garret Gross, Austin Braychok, Andrew Ritchie, Matt High, Justin Thomas, Josh Thomas, Brennan Gaffer, Tyler Anderson, Cory Wilder, Tim Taviano, Derek Smith, Ryan Bosler and probably a couple of more.
Current players include Lance Brown, Tanner Mayer and Chase Wilder - 2014 Tri-Captains. Logan Spieles, Levi Dahlke, Matthew Dailey, Justin Vorhees, Trenton Ward, Alex Lehman, Landon DeMoss, Jack O'Connor, Yung Seong Lee, John Kesner, Nicholas Hoffman, Max Sweigart, Jon Andrews.
It was wonderful to see the "old guys" interact with this years varsity. I saw several instances of the old guys schooling the new and then taking time to coach them up afterward. The sportsmanship was heart warming. Words of encouragement, pats on the back, handshakes and hugs shared by players old and new.
This is what tradition is all about - honoring those who have gone before, supporting those in the moment and building for the future.
Well done Shawnee!
Changes coming to NCAA soccer (and high school?)
See the full MLS Technical Committee Presentation detailing PROPOSED changes to the NCAA Division I Calendar in PDF format here.
I have been hearing rumblings on both the national and state levels of addressing the high school calendar as well. Most of these rumblings seem centered on NFHS identifying a unified soccer season for all high school play. Currently soccer is a Fall sport in some states and a spring sport in other states. Identifying a single season for high school soccer makes sense. And making that season inclusive of Fall and Spring may make more sense than making it Fall or Spring.
I strongly believe should a split season be approved for NCAA Division I, there will be a movement to do likewise in the high school ranks. It honestly makes sense for reasons outlined in the presentation linked above.
I have a concern a split season in high school will see the sport lose athletes, but also feel it is a necessary step to promote the overall growth of the sport in the US and would be most beneficial in helping the US bridge the gap between it's USMNT and the top teams in the world. In a sense it is a call for specialization in one sport at the high school level, but not an unprecedented one as many states allow for a period of spring football and fall baseball.
It is obvious to me the current high school / club structure is so disjointed as to be an impediment to fully developing and identifying young talent. NFHS and high school soccer through their national structure have within their means to seize control of the soccer scene and are much better equipped to promote the ideals of FIFA's fair play and development than are the various youth club groups where greed and politics rule the day and are often at odds with truly developing and identifying young talent to promote through the ranks. I'm not sure it will ever come about, but it is the best idea I have seen to date.
PROPOSED 2016-17 CALENDAR for NCAA DIVISION I SOCCER
I have been hearing rumblings on both the national and state levels of addressing the high school calendar as well. Most of these rumblings seem centered on NFHS identifying a unified soccer season for all high school play. Currently soccer is a Fall sport in some states and a spring sport in other states. Identifying a single season for high school soccer makes sense. And making that season inclusive of Fall and Spring may make more sense than making it Fall or Spring.
I strongly believe should a split season be approved for NCAA Division I, there will be a movement to do likewise in the high school ranks. It honestly makes sense for reasons outlined in the presentation linked above.
I have a concern a split season in high school will see the sport lose athletes, but also feel it is a necessary step to promote the overall growth of the sport in the US and would be most beneficial in helping the US bridge the gap between it's USMNT and the top teams in the world. In a sense it is a call for specialization in one sport at the high school level, but not an unprecedented one as many states allow for a period of spring football and fall baseball.
It is obvious to me the current high school / club structure is so disjointed as to be an impediment to fully developing and identifying young talent. NFHS and high school soccer through their national structure have within their means to seize control of the soccer scene and are much better equipped to promote the ideals of FIFA's fair play and development than are the various youth club groups where greed and politics rule the day and are often at odds with truly developing and identifying young talent to promote through the ranks. I'm not sure it will ever come about, but it is the best idea I have seen to date.
PROPOSED 2016-17 CALENDAR for NCAA DIVISION I SOCCER
FIRST ALLOWABLE FALL PRESEASON PRACTICE
August 19, 2016
FIRST ALLOWABLE FALL REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
September 10, 2016
LAST ALLOWABLE FALL REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
November 20, 2016
FIRST ALLOWABLE SPRING PRESEASON PRACTICE
February 24, 2017
FIRST ALLOWABLE SPRING REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
March 18, 2017
August 19, 2016
FIRST ALLOWABLE FALL REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
September 10, 2016
LAST ALLOWABLE FALL REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
November 20, 2016
FIRST ALLOWABLE SPRING PRESEASON PRACTICE
February 24, 2017
FIRST ALLOWABLE SPRING REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
March 18, 2017
LAST ALLOWABLE SPRING REGULAR SEASON CONTEST
May 7, 2017
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 29, 2017 through May 7, 2017
NCAA TOURNAMENT FORMAT
First Round: Thursday
May 11, 2017
Second Round: Sunday
May 14, 2017
Third Round: Saturday May 20, 2017
Quarter-Finals: Saturday
May 27, 2017
Semi-Finals: Friday
June 2, 2017
Final: Monday
June 5, 2017
Tuesday
Piqua Indians
Team: 37!
Train Like: Champions!
Play Like: Champions!
Become: Champions!
Piqua: Indians!
2014 CBA Soccer Campers!
Good Luck Gentlemen!
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