My first year coaching thread

[JohnW]

A few random thoughts...

1. Working with only nine players, there should never be a time when you have players standing around waiting to participate in a drill. Even 1 v 1s can be set up with more than one grid and rotating players.

2. Lots of good drills but some are obviously coming from established teams. Adjust drill to fit players.

Let me give an example. When I took over the team I have now, we could barely string together five passes-- and that's without pressure. So you may need to go with a 4 v 2, stressing movement off the ball so players won't get lazy, and then move toward your 4 v 4, 5 v 5.

Even now, we'll start the season with some 6 v 4 and then move into small-sided games in the same practice. I think that's what the posters where getting at with the 4 v1/3 v 1.

3. Remember what drills are for--to develop skills and/or simulate game situations. So as you identify the skills that are lacking (as you have mentioned trapping, passing) then use a variety of drills that help develop these skills.

I like your comment about "creative flair" but if your kids can't trap or pass, make runs off the ball, etc. then they aren't playing soccer. Most often, I associate creative flair with players who have mastered the technical aspects of the game and are taking it to the next level.

I think you can develop practices that are fun but also develop players.

4. I'm surprised no one has mentioned air dribbling. This is something the players can do on their own, with one other player, or you can do with drills together.

As above, it's not an end in itself but will improve an individual player's touch.

5. Finally, in one post you (pething) mention something about seeing how practice goes the day the coach comes back (the implication seems to be that you are making a comparison).

I'd be careful here. Your players will very quickly pick up any dissension that exists between coaches. So you want to make sure you're on the same page as your boss.

If you feel like you have a better handle on the game, then I suggest talking to him. Lay out the case for you taking charge of one aspect of the team.

For example, you might say something like, "I think the team is weak in trapping (or passing, shooting, team shape, movement off the ball, etc.). I'd like to work on this. Here's what I propose..."

Good luck.

jgw

[pething101]

Syd, I think most of us would agree with your last post. I, being someone who follows UCLA great John Wooden, have no interest in wins versus loses as long as improvment is the there and the effort is there. I think if my team went 3 and 13, I would be happy as long as we showed improvment and effort each day. I want to make sure the players develop and have fun and if I do my job correctly, the results will come no matter.

Sadly, Athletic Directors feel a wee bit differently. And since he hired me, I do have to focus some on results. I would like to keep my job afterall. But worrying about wins and losses wont be the total all encompassing thought for the next 2 months or so.

[pething101]

Originally posted by johnh00
Don't know if you are training the keepers(always seems to be the asst. coach's jobs), but here (http://finesoccer.com/keepers.htm) is an archive from a newsletter for goalkeeper coaches. You might want to sign up for the newsletter itself, on the same site, but there is plenty in the archive to work with.

Lee

Thanks for the link. I have one kid that wants to play keeper. Has a lot of heart, but not much skills. And I think he might be scared of the ball. Which is not a good thing.

But if he gives me all he has got, I will turn him into something decent.

[Alberto]

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.

Time out! Where did I say that conditioning is equated with the Cooper Test. Geez! Talk about people jumping to conclusions. This includes especially you Eddie, you should know me better than that. I base my observations from having refereed lots of youth games. Kids in the U10-16 age even in top flight leagues are not in great shape. They don't know how to run to conserve energy and they get substituted in and out of games so much that except for the most essential players are typically playing only 20-25 minutes before being subbed.

Therefore, I have seen a trend develop where you have 6 core players that play the majority of the minutes and 5 other field players that are routinely substituted. When a 44 year old referee is trying to communicate with a field player on the fly and they can't respond because they are huffing and puffing and clearly drained something is wrong with the conditioning of these players. I notice it most at the beginning of the season. Partly it has to do with unlimited substitutions in the youth game, the other component is a lack of a conditioning program.

[Alberto]

Originally posted by sydtheeagle


Look, first let me say that I am not looking for a slanging match but I so think that what you are writing is totally, totally wrong.

I heard a fascinating interview with Alvin Martin (ex- West Ham and England) the other day, talking about his own son who, at seventeen or so, has just signed professional forms. He made two points:

1. Before the age of sixteen results are totally and utterly unimportant. and,

2. He told a wonderful story about Ron Greenwood, the great (and vastly under-rated) West Ham and England manager. When Alvin was around fifteen, he was playing for West Ham's kids side. Now for those who don't know the player, he was a big, burly, stop 'em in their tracks centre half.

In one particular game Martin, who was physically advanced anyway, was stopping every opposition move in its tracks. Every ball that came through the middle, he'd deal with with consumate ease. After about thirty minutes an opposing winger whipped in a teasing cross and Alvin, rising above the opposing centre forward, headed the ball to safety.

In the background, he heard Greenwood screaming at him and at half time he asked him what the problem was. Ron's response: "When that cross comes in, next time take it down on your chest, dribble around the centre forward, and pass it into the middle to one of your own team. You're here to learn to play football, and nothing else."

Great football teams (Brazil) learn to develop skills when they're kids. Winning and organisation are for adults. Who the hell cares whether fifteen year olds are winning trophies or matches? There's plenty of time for competition later in life.

Syd, please go back and read my post. I agree that skills are most important thing for a coach to develop. That said, read my post from today. Player condition is a real issue. It should be remedied by intensive short sided drills involving as many touches with the ball as possible. I love how people immediately jump to conclusions.

Regarding, the issue of player development versus results, please go back and read my post again. I stated it is most important to improve player development, but that results do matter at the varsity level. You may not like, I don't like it. It certainly unfair to a coach, but that is the reality of most high school sports.

[johnh00]

Originally posted by pething101


Thanks for the link. I have one kid that wants to play keeper. Has a lot of heart, but not much skills. And I think he might be scared of the ball. Which is not a good thing.

But if he gives me all he has got, I will turn him into something decent.
The site's real good. Got a lot of good keeper drills from it.

As far as your keeper goes, he'll get used to it, the more he plays. I was a catcher in baseball from the time I was 5, so I never had any fear in nets when I started soccer several years later. The hardest thing when they are afraid of the ball is to get them to follow it into their hands. Just give him tons of reps, starting with soft "shots" from close range, gradually increasing the distance and the speed. Keep the shots close to him, and concentrate on his form watching the ball into his hands. Do enough reps, and it will become second nature.

Lee

[Alberto]

Originally posted by pething101
Syd, I think most of us would agree with your last post. I, being someone who follows UCLA great John Wooden, have no interest in wins versus loses as long as improvment is the there and the effort is there. I think if my team went 3 and 13, I would be happy as long as we showed improvment and effort each day. I want to make sure the players develop and have fun and if I do my job correctly, the results will come no matter.

Sadly, Athletic Directors feel a wee bit differently. And since he hired me, I do have to focus some on results. I would like to keep my job afterall. But worrying about wins and losses wont be the total all encompassing thought for the next 2 months or so.

I understand about the pressures brought to bear from athletic directors. Never make decisions in matches based on your won loss record. Strive for player development. Wins will come if the players perform up to their maximum potential. Never make substitutions that will undermine the confidence of your players. If a player makes a mistake and it leads to a goal encourage him, don't pull him out of the match. After the match at the next practice work at correcting the errors. Never blame the players for losses.

[pething101]

Originally posted by johnh00

The site's real good. Got a lot of good keeper drills from it.

As far as your keeper goes, he'll get used to it, the more he plays. I was a catcher in baseball from the time I was 5, so I never had any fear in nets when I started soccer several years later. The hardest thing when they are afraid of the ball is to get them to follow it into their hands. Just give him tons of reps, starting with soft "shots" from close range, gradually increasing the distance and the speed. Keep the shots close to him, and concentrate on his form watching the ball into his hands. Do enough reps, and it will become second nature.

Lee

I thought about tying him up a la Mighty Ducks but that might get me in trouble.

[panicfc]

Originally posted by Alberto


Time out! Where did I say that conditioning is equated with the Cooper Test. Geez! Talk about people jumping to conclusions. This includes especially you Eddie, you should know me better than that. I base my observations from having refereed lots of youth games. Kids in the U10-16 age even in top flight leagues are not in great shape. They don't know how to run to conserve energy and they get substituted in and out of games so much that except for the most essential players are typically playing only 20-25 minutes before being subbed.

Therefore, I have seen a trend develop where you have 6 core players that play the majority of the minutes and 5 other field players that are routinely substituted. When a 44 year old referee is trying to communicate with a field player on the fly and they can't respond because they are huffing and puffing and clearly drained something is wrong with the conditioning of these players. I notice it most at the beginning of the season. Partly it has to do with unlimited substitutions in the youth game, the other component is a lack of a conditioning program.

I think we just misunderstood because your post followed the "Cooper Test" conditioning post. We assumed that you were in favor of it.

I think the subs issue has a great deal to do with conditioning. I know my own son's conditioning is not where it should be, and that limits his effectiveness as a player.

I am not a proponent of running for the sake of conditioning as a means of improving one's fitness for soccer.

I firmly believe that if you get your game legs from playing, that is the best from playing - but not real games, small-sided games.

Going back to my son, when we moved to CT and joined a new team our coach had the kids running for 20 minutes each practice, and we never played big field small-sided games. My son never got in shape, he would finish 1st or 2nd the first 10 minutes, but deadlast or near last the last 10 minutes. Back home, he would routinely finish first, as well as be the fastest at the end of the day.

Anyway, now I see that Alberto is on the same page - they need to be in condition, but not by running miles.

[panicfc]

Originally posted by Alberto


I understand about the pressures brought to bear from athletic directors. Never make decisions in matches based on your won loss record. Strive for player development. Wins will come if the players perform up to their maximum potential. Never make substitutions that will undermine the confidence of your players. If a player makes a mistake and it leads to a goal encourage him, don't pull him out of the match. After the match at the next practice work at correcting the errors. Never blame the players for losses.

Good stuff.

The goal of the JV should be to develop for varsity, clarify this with your head coach. If they want to win at the JV level, they might not win the Varsity.

find a way to get them playing after the season as well.

[NawlinsFats]

What school in Fayetteville, Smith?

[Alberto]

Originally posted by panicfc


I think we just misunderstood because your post followed the "Cooper Test" conditioning post. We assumed that you were in favor of it.

I think the subs issue has a great deal to do with conditioning. I know my own son's conditioning is not where it should be, and that limits his effectiveness as a player.

I am not a proponent of running for the sake of conditioning as a means of improving one's fitness for soccer.

I firmly believe that if you get your game legs from playing, that is the best from playing - but not real games, small-sided games.

Going back to my son, when we moved to CT and joined a new team our coach had the kids running for 20 minutes each practice, and we never played big field small-sided games. My son never got in shape, he would finish 1st or 2nd the first 10 minutes, but deadlast or near last the last 10 minutes. Back home, he would routinely finish first, as well as be the fastest at the end of the day.

Anyway, now I see that Alberto is on the same page - they need to be in condition, but not by running miles.

Exactly. It's not mileage. Soccer is controlled running. Lots of starts and stops. Sprints, jogs, trots, and walking. I do think that supplimenting 1-2 days of running during non-training days in the preseason assuming kids are practicing two to three times a week, would be helpful to help build-up endurance. I agree that small sided drills will do the trick of conditioning for the player, particularly if placed on larger play areas and were the players are pushed to maximize their abilities.

[panicfc]

Originally posted by Alberto


Exactly. It's not mileage. Soccer is controlled running. Lots of starts and stops. Sprints, jogs, trots, and walking. I do think that supplimenting 1-2 days of running during non-training days in the preseason assuming kids are practicing two to three times a week, would be helpful to help build-up endurance. I agree that small sided drills will do the trick of conditioning for the player, particularly if placed on larger play areas and were the players are pushed to maximize their abilities.

One thing we used to do was at the beginning of the season we would time the players in a 800 yard run (2 laps around the field) and then in the middle of the season - the times would be so much lower it was amazing, and that was only two laps.

[pething101]

Originally posted by NawlinsFats
What school in Fayetteville, Smith?

Yep. Good school, good kids and good coach. I am thankful to be starting in a good place.

[bungadiri]

I hope you run this thread through the season because

a) the stuff I'm reading is great
b) I'm a Smith alumnus (as you know already) and I want to hear how the Golden Bulls do.

Good luck! I hope in addition to success you have lots of fun.

[JohnW]

Originally posted by panicfc


I think the subs issue has a great deal to do with conditioning. I know my own son's conditioning is not where it should be, and that limits his effectiveness as a player...

...Anyway, now I see that Alberto is on the same page - they need to be in condition, but not by running miles.

You've tapped into a number of things by your post. The unlimited subbing (virtual or otherwise) in youth up to college in this country has been debated by many, and frowned upon by most.

The purists among us say that it doesn't teach players how to conserve energy, pace themselves, cheapens the game, etc.

So that certainly is a valid issue.

However, to be successful in soccer at a moderate to high level, a player needs both speed and endurance (sometimes referred to as anaerobic and aerobic although they are not synonyms).

Bottom line: players need to be in shape to compete.

How you get there varies by coach, coaching school, philosophy, etc.

I know some coaches who plan every moment of every practice (except stretching) that incorporates a ball. I know others who do split out aerobic and anaerobic training from technique and tactics; while others combine them. (Although I always find it funny that some are so adament that there is only one right way.)

Anyway, if a player is getting so tired during the game that he/she needs to be subbed (not injury or even fatigue in tournament), then that player needs more conditioning. It's as simple as that.

I like Alberto's suggestion of some running in addition to regular training, although with a younger player this needs to be monitored closely.

jgw

P.S. And there's nothing wrong with running miles.

[JohnW]

Originally posted by panicfc


One thing we used to do was at the beginning of the season we would time the players in a 800 yard run (2 laps around the field) and then in the middle of the season - the times would be so much lower it was amazing, and that was only two laps.

Not to gang up on you, but all that tells you is that the players weren't in shape before the season started and were in better shape as the season progressed.

A half mile isn't that long unless it's maybe U-10.

jgw

[panicfc]

Originally posted by JohnW


Not to gang up on you, but all that tells you is that the players weren't in shape before the season started and were in better shape as the season progressed.

A half mile isn't that long unless it's maybe U-10.

jgw

It was U12's so you are right.

[pething101]

Originally posted by bungadiri
I hope you run this thread through the season because

a) the stuff I'm reading is great
b) I'm a Smith alumnus (as you know already) and I want to hear how the Golden Bulls do.

Good luck! I hope in addition to success you have lots of fun.

I too think this thread is generating a lot of good stuff for me and others. I will keep it going for the run of the season.

Will throw in the occasional pointy ball score for you.

[jmeissen0]

how many showed up today?