View Full Version : My first year coaching thread
pething101
13 Mar 2003, 02:33 PM
Actually got to play a match with a full 11 on the field and even, agasp!, a sub.
Played at home against the team that beat us 8-1. Lost to them, 2-0. I was proud of the ladies for fighting hard and earning a lot of respect.
Varsity lost 5-0. It was not pretty.
pething101
13 Mar 2003, 03:11 PM
Also,
One good thing about teaching where I teach, lots of volunteers from Fort Bragg and Pope AFB.
Well, I got an assistant coach to help me out. She played college soccer at Ohio University. She was also a team assistant for a year or two.
She knows more than me.
She will help out a lot.
pething101
18 Mar 2003, 02:12 PM
Match last night. We lost 3-0.
Told the kids that they were playing very lethargic. They asked me what lethargic meant.
It was amusing b/c my comeback was, well it means lackadasical (sp?).
That one threw them for a loop.
pething101
22 Mar 2003, 11:19 AM
Supposed to have a mandatory practice on Friday for both JV and Varsity. Out of about 30 ladies, 10 showed up.
The lack of dedication just staggers the mind. I feel very badly for the handful of players that care because they are so obviously in the minority.
bungadiri
27 Mar 2003, 03:37 PM
Originally posted by pething101
Supposed to have a mandatory practice on Friday for both JV and Varsity. Out of about 30 ladies, 10 showed up.
The lack of dedication just staggers the mind. I feel very badly for the handful of players that care because they are so obviously in the minority.
Have you talked to the parents about it?
IASocFan
27 Mar 2003, 03:42 PM
Originally posted by bungadiri
Have you talked to the parents about it?
This is high school. As a parent of two high school kids, it's not my problem. It's between the kids and the coach. I may ask my kids whether they really want to play at this level, but the kids need to make that choice.
I also am aware of a local coach who went ballistic when some of his students wanted to miss practice to take ACT tests. He didn't get much sympathy, and backed off.
You might take this chance to talk to the more dedicated players (possibly with the Head coach since it affects both teams). Get their ideas on what to do about Friday practices. Shorter practice; more games; Team trip to the Dairy Queen after practice; longer other practices and take Fridays off; Saturday morning instead of Friday nights; what are their ideas?
pething101
28 Mar 2003, 08:51 AM
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=preps&Story=5553020
It is not so fun to be on the other side of history.
bungadiri
28 Mar 2003, 08:59 AM
IASOCFAN: As a parent I agree with you completely. I have a HS age son and we make it very clear that it's his responsibility to get himself to practice, handle his homework, etc. Unfortunately not all parents handle these things the same way, and of the group that doesn't, some of these might be responsive to a plea for support from the coaching staff. A note via email or photocopied sheet to parents addressing the no-show issue might be a fairly low-cost, low labor means of getting some improvement. I'm not talking about making a big hairy deal out of it by calling a meeting, which only a few (probably the parents of the girls already showing anyway) would attend.
bungadiri
28 Mar 2003, 09:06 AM
Originally posted by pething101
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=preps&Story=5553020
It is not so fun to be on the other side of history.
Ouch.
Pething, sorry if you've addressed this already but here's a question. Is there a possibility that the no-show issue might at least partly be a result of the Iraq war invasion? The 82nd is based at Fort Bragg, as is Delta IIRC. Might some of your players have parents heading to or already in Iraq?
pething101
28 Mar 2003, 10:09 PM
Originally posted by bungadiri
Ouch.
Pething, sorry if you've addressed this already but here's a question. Is there a possibility that the no-show issue might at least partly be a result of the Iraq war invasion? The 82nd is based at Fort Bragg, as is Delta IIRC. Might some of your players have parents heading to or already in Iraq?
Some parents have headed that way. Some more may head that way in the near future.
So far, no one has really mentioned it, either in practice or in the classroom.
boydreilly
28 Mar 2003, 10:33 PM
Originally posted by pething101
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=preps&Story=5553020
It is not so fun to be on the other side of history.
What division is UNCG? The men's teams was the reigning NCAA III for a very long time. Obviously, since they are offering Lindsey a scholarship they must have moved up.
pething101
28 Mar 2003, 10:40 PM
Originally posted by boydreilly
What division is UNCG? The men's teams was the reigning NCAA III for a very long time. Obviously, since they are offering Lindsey a scholarship they must have moved up.
Division I.
They did very well at D III and D II. Very solid at D I but never broken top 15 or so.
pething101
30 Mar 2003, 01:22 PM
Originally posted by pething101
Some parents have headed that way. Some more may head that way in the near future.
So far, no one has really mentioned it, either in practice or in the classroom.
This just changed today. The 82nd is beginning to see some action. It could become interesting soon.
pething101
03 Apr 2003, 09:11 PM
Well, this ends the journey.
My last post in my first coaching thread.
I am ending it here b/c nothing new seems to be happening, just a vicious cycle of the same old crap.
It was a great thread, thanks to all those that participated. One day I need to print out the whole thing.
But not today.
bungadiri
07 Apr 2003, 11:40 AM
It's a great thread, thanks for starting it. Good luck and please feel free to change your mind and tell us how things are going, especially if the cycle of crap changes (for the better, I hope).
etcheverrito
23 Apr 2003, 11:53 PM
Originally posted by Coryattheplex
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Alberto
[B]
Syd all things considered fitness is a very important component of soccer. I agree skills are the most important, but these are no longer children they are young men playing varsity sports in high school were the commitment is much greater than they have previously experienced. They are not 9-12 years of age, they are 14-18 years old. At this point results do matter. Certainly the most important thing is to improve player performance, but we would be lying to say results don't matter at the varsity level.
Sorry guy, your philosophy is something I agree with, because the kids do need fitness, but the method is all wrong...when do soccer players ever take the field in a game and run two miles, in a circular pattern, for a set time. Players need to train under game conditions to get any GAME benefits. The idea of short sided, large area games like the three v three on a fourty yard long field are perfect.....the kids run their nuts off, and learn how to play together all at once. a coach can step in at any time to teach a lesson, and competition drives them to work thenmselves to death. In short, look for as many creative game related situations as you can, I would suggest checking out the Training Ground page on UEFA.com, and look at for the Practice Routines section.
Have them do:
10 yar sprints,
using cones, have them run around them these in a straight line
go back to your elementary and middle school days in the gym, use a lot of those drill and they work.
I'm coaching an adult coed squad, belive me when I say that these guys and gals actually got reasonably fit and are playing much better.