Teaching Kids the Right Way to Play

Interesting Article on soccernet.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... 00&cc=5901

here are some interesting tidbits from the article:

more from Hackworth...

The article also goes on to say some of the negative effects that academies can have such as burnout. Having coached High School Basketball I have to agree from the standpoint that in many instances winning is more prioritized than developing skill in club ball. Your thoughts on this article and it's ideas?

 

I certainly think that there are down sides to playing too many organized games and playing just to win, but I have to question how much that is to blame for a lack of technical skill in US players. I think that tends to come from not just kicking the ball around or having one at your feet in your spare time. So many kids dont have enough spare time to get bored and decide to have a pick-up game. They're in afterschool programs until their parents get home from work. I wish all the afterschool programs would just throw a ball out onto the playground and tell the kids to go play. It might only create one new soccer star but it would probably help the childhood obesity rate.

I do think playing games at too young of an age is a problem and may have more to do with why US players develop bad habits and have a lack of technical skills. I think kids would be better served to just learn skills for a few years before they start playing games. The difficulty here is that kids want to play games. They want to be on a team and they want to know whether they win or lose.

Also, there are local community clubs that try to do what's best for the players by not playing too many games and emphasizing the learning rather than the winning. Unfortunately, parents, especially the ones with a child who can play, gravitate to the clubs that win. Until youth soccer stops being a business, I dont think this will change. Given this environment, I think the smart local club tries to balance the two while preaching the message that youth soccer needs to be about learning the sport and having fun.

I do agree that playing too many games would lead players to the habit of taking mental and physical breaks during games. That only makes sense. In general, I'm excited about these US development academies. I think they will take our best players and provide them with a more consistent, focused, and appropriate soccer program.

 

What Mo said!

I think that's a good program and much needed. too many coaches expect the kids to pick up the skills on their own while at play.
It's not just the coaches, either .. so much as the parents.

They might pay lip service to the training aspects, but listen to them gripe at a loss

 

Immitation is key to the development of great footballers (or cricketers, baseball platers, NFL etc...).

All the real greats idolised a great, spend years practicing to be just like them, watching the nuance of a trick or move (either live or on TV). Even now, people watch videos of Cruyff to see how he sold the turn so completely to leave world class defenders standing.

There is a place for coaching, but the best players I've ever met are the ones who spent hours alone, in the back yard kicking a ball about being Pele et al.

 

I am speaking from a very narrow point of view of watching the change in coaching philosphy at my kids soccer club from last year to this year but I am encouraged by what I am seeing. There is a big push, I am told it is nationwide, to move to what is being called an academy format at the younger age groups. Our club adopted this academy format this year for the U9 age group and we have been told it will be carried up with this age group until they reach U-13.

What changes have I seen?

Last year with the girls U9 team there was 1 high school coach with a college age assitant who came when she was able for about 20 girls. This year there are 5 coaches with at least one college age assitant for between 25-30 girls.

Last year girls that had not yet reached true U9 age were granted player cards to participate in competitive leagues and tournaments by the state of Indiana. This year girls that had not reached the true U9 age were not issued a player card and are not allowed to participate in any competitive league or tournament.

Last years spring session was mainly spent teaching the girls to play positions. The majority of the spring sessions so far have been spent practicing individual ball skills, playing small sided scrimmage games and teaching the girls to play into any open space.

Last year the U-9 girls played in a competitive spring league and played in tournaments. This season they are playing friendly games against other area academies that all academy participants play in and competitive tournaments that true U-9 girls have the option of playing in.

The change from playing in a competitive league to playing friendlies has been dramatic. There are now no referees or side judges and the coaches can and do stop play to teach during the games. Coaches now can mix players to best match skill levels during the games. There is no official score kept because groups of girls a shuttled from one playing area to another. However, my daughter always seems to know whether she won or lost each playing session.

Overall I am very pleased with the changes I have seen because each girl this year seems to have more time with a soccer ball at her feet and the exact process is being duplicated on the boys side. The thing that surprised me the most is that in one friendly game this year I saw more passes for goals than I think I saw in all of the spring season last year. Why? My guess is because each girl seems more competent with the ball at their feet and is less likely to just kick it than to dribble and find an open teammate to pass to.

 

This topic... So much to say. But in the end - if we can sort out how to focus on the development of players in the face of the business that is club soccer we will be golden.

One of the things I see is that MLS clubs are now starting acadamies. The word is that the training and activities will be FREE to the players. S0 - regardless of your financial or parental situation, if you are good enough, you can play.

I am hoping that this will continue to develop so that the team will provide housing and education to open the door to even more kids.

 

Article I just read last week:

Is coach doing a good job?

By Sam Snow

Proper player development leads to good match performance, which often leads to wins.

But there are shortcuts to winning, particularly with players younger than high-school age. Just get the biggest, fastest kids around -- then outrun and outmuscle the opposition.

Play run-n-gun and high-pressure defense against young players who are still learning the game and that amount of pressure can win games. Mind you, it doesn't help those kids learn how to play soccer in any sophisticated manner.

It is certainly the stance of US Youth Soccer to focus more on match performance than outcome; yet this is not to say that players should not strive to win. There's nothing wrong with winning!

But remember, the outcome of the game is not necessarily a measure of whether the coach is doing a good job developing players. Players and coaches should diligently work to improve their performance. This is the drive for excellence as opposed to superficial success.

All right, fine you say. So how do we measure success?

How do parents know if the team coach is doing a good job of teaching soccer to the players? How does the novice coach know if the kids are growing within the game?

These are the goals in measuring success for youth soccer:

SHORT TERM
FUN ... do the players smile and laugh? Do the players look forward to playing? The first question from the player's family should be, "Did you have fun today?"

Fair Play ... does a player demonstrate by words and actions a sense of sportsmanship?

Rules of the Game ... do the players know and follow the rules of soccer?

Health and Fitness ... are the players physically fit enough to meet the fitness demands of the game? Are they developing good nutrition and hydration habits befitting an athlete?

Friendships ... are the players creating new friends within the team and with players from other teams?

Skills ... are the players demonstrating a growing number of ball skills and are they gradually becoming more proficient in those skills?

LONG TERM
Commitment ... how do the players answer when asked at the end of a game, "Did you try your best?"

Roles in the Team ... more important than learning a position, are the players learning about positioning? Knowing where the center forward spot is on the field is important, yet learning how to move tactically within the game is far more important. Do all of the players get exposed to playing all of the positions?

Leadership ... are players being given the opportunity to take on leader roles and responsibilities? Are the coaches and team managers teaching leadership?

Tactics ... are the players experimenting with new tactics in matches? The coaches must teach new tactics to the players in training sessions and then allow them to try out the tactics in a match, regardless of how that might affect the outcome!

Retention ... do the players come back year after year? Retention is recognized as also a short-term measure of success in youth soccer and developing well adjusted citizens is another long-term measure of success in youth sports.

We know that is takes many years to develop into a quality soccer player. Indeed, that continued development can be seen even in young professional players.

Soccer is a long-term development/late specialization sport.

Research by Dr. Istvan Balyi and others provides us this model:

LATE SPECIALIZATION MODEL
1. FUNdamental Stage - ages 6-9
2. Learning to Train - ages 8-12
3. Training to Train - ages 11-16
4. Training to Compete - ages 15-18
5. Training to Win - ages 17 and older
6. Retirement/Retainment - ages: post playing career

Striving to improve individual, group and team performance is more important at the youth level than the scoreline. Simultaneously, players should play to win.

Coaches should teach and develop the players as they learn how to win. Parents should support the players and coaches. Intrinsic success is by its nature more difficult to measure than extrinsic success.

A trophy is more tangible to an adult than the exhilaration a child feels while playing soccer. The final measure of success for parents and coaches of the children's soccer experience will require a good deal of patience from the adults. That measurement is the free choice of the child to stay in the game!