The result last week really annoyed my HS team. They came out like beasts and put on a 4-0 beatdown of the other team. Everything we'd been working on really clicked. 7th graders got their 1st result of the spring with a 1-1 draw. Coolest thing was in my 6th grade game. Final score was ugly but again lots of cool stuff was happening. During the 2nd half 2 girls were talking and 1 said "even though we've gotten beat a lot this season, I think we are getting better as players and learning a lot"
I'm really feeling my lame duck phase now knowing I'm moving to another group next season. Gotta keep reminding myself that I have to keep pushing though the end of season—despite the fact that my burnout hit at the end of the winter.
Fresh starts can be an advantage for both coaches and players. There is a reason professional coaches turn over every few years. It is not a matter of coaching, but a matter of human nature.
i just signed up for a ussf d license course in august and october. anyone been through this lately? i'm sure each state runs them differently, but i'd appreciate any info you guys have. i looked into the nscaa courses too, but none are offered close to me. it looks like i'll keep working through the ussf curriculum if i want to progress after this. are any of you members of the nscaa? i don't see any downsides to joining, but have any of you received any real benefits?
I just took the E course in January. It was taught by state instructors but used a lesson plan and power point presentation that was written and edited by USSF only a couple of days before the class. One of the evaluation areas was appearance and going hatless. I live in Arizona and never go out without a hat. I had to take off my favorite US Soccer hat. Even with lots of sunscreen my bald head was sunburned after two days in the sun. I don't understand the fiction that soccer coaches don't wear hats. I am a NSCAA member and enjoy access to their coaching materials. Costs money though. Some of their materials and courses are available on line. For the first time I attended the national convention. It was a great experience, although it costs time and money to attend. USYSA holds their national convention in conjunction with it, so if you are a USYSA coach there is twice the benefit. Loads of classes and demonstrations for every type of coach. One advantage of NSCAA, USYSA, and AYSO is the potential for networking with other coaches.
Are you serious about the hat? Did they want you to wear a special track suit and speak with a British accent? Around so cal, those seem to the the most popular coaches.
NSCAA- pay the $95 and get $1 Million in insurance. In today litigious society, working with children–it’s a damn bargain. D-License: Plan your dive, dive your plan. -Stick to the coaching points they have laid out for the various topics. Don’t try to show how much you know by adding your own twist–save that for your own sessions. These are the the coaching points the federation has identified as relevant. I don’t feel they are wrong, but they certainly don’t cover everything but that’s not the important thing in this license. You’ll have plenty of time to show how brilliant you are in future licenses. -Run your session exactly like you drew it up. -Learn and use the nomenclature and terminology they want you to use when drawing your plan. -Best advice my instructors gave me: So the whole session is set up simple to complex. Essentially you add player in each phase. In phase 1 coach the players you have. In phase 2, direct the coaching points to the players you added. And so forth progressively. -2nd best advice from instructors: apply each coaching point to the person on the ball, then to the player(s) near the ball, then to the rest of the team you are coaching. This way they know how the coaching point applies to the larger context of your topic. -Relate your coaching points to the principles of play.
Very. Also don't wear sunglasses. If you are wearing shorts pull your socks up—don't wear ankle socks. I wear transittions lenses that go dark in sunlight. I'm considering getting rid of them so I don't make the mistake when I test again.
Yes. The course is controlled by USSF. This was not something imposed by the state evaluator. My impression was that he had problems previously with candidates not taking the appearance requirements seriously. The evaluators politely insured that we all understood that it was not a joke before the field testing on the final day.
Just to add to the D License question. You basically start the course with a National D and you basically lose points for things you do or don't do. I believe your overall demeanor and behavior helps too. Be engaged and stay off the damn cell phone.
Guys used to fail the D who were current players. Who thought they knew more then the instructors. They did so best thing is forget all you know and listen to them like they actually know what there talking about. There was a time you had to be a player to get your B license. That has changed now.
Thanks, guys. Wow. My E course was considerably more laid back than what you guys are describing. I took it in March 2015 though so maybe USSF has tightened the reins on the instructors since then. Or perhaps Indiana Soccer is less concerned with appearances than other states. Maybe it's a good idea to work on an accent before the course? Italian or Spanish? Which would be more likely to afford me bonus points? Lol.
It makes sense. It's a bit silly but it's important to look professional-for nothing else that sloppy can be distracting.
I am. Found it to be a wonderful fit for me. I am 49 yo. I coach U-12 year in and year out. I am not looking to progress from here. I am curious to learn, but I don't need the 'official license.' I've ranted about this before. USSF since their curriculum change looks to cater to the 'elite coaches for elite players.' NSCAA really caters to a much wider net. Two years ago I took their old Level 6 course (precursor to their national license). I took it with a young woman who was a former DI player at a major school. She was looking to get her USSF licenses. The course instructors used this analogy when she was discussing wanting to go for the 'D.' They recommended that if she could take the NSCAA national. They said "NSCAA dipolmas are like taking drivers education, while USSF courses are like taking the road test.' I don't need to be tested, but I do want to learn.
Oh they'd love to see me by my 5:45 Sunday coaching gig. By that time, I've already played a 90 minute match and not showered, so pretty good chance there is dry mud on me. The body odeor is too bad as I am layered in bug spray and sunscreen. I've possibly refereed a couple games so I have my USSF ref shorts on, with the socks pushed down. Wearing a Red Bulls hat (I usually will lose the sunglasses for a match). I do try to wear my club polo shirt, untucked naturally. Footwear may be slides, but I prefer to lose the socks and go flip flops. Of course living in Albany this spring its been too cold and rainy for most of this wardrobe.
that's the impression i've gotten from everything i've read. i don't particularly need the licenses either, but i want to continue learning. i'll keep checking the nscaa's schedules to see if anything pops up near me.
I'm really going to make an effort to get the the Florida one next January for the national diploma. Got enough frequent flyer miles for a free flight. Just gotta make sure my schedule is clean.
"They said "NSCAA dipolmas are like taking drivers education, while USSF courses are like taking the road test." This is a great explanation. I think I'll be paying for a membership now.
Never have taken an NSCAA but that is also what i've heard from many many people. USSF is like a beauty pageant in many ways or kabuki theater. Not that I don't take away anything useful from the USSF courses, but yeah it feels light on learning for something I spend many hours taking.
From Doug Lemov/Teach Like a champion: http://teachlikeachampion.com/blog/carry-son-signal-noise-coaching/ . . . one of the biggest challenges of playing or learning a sport–or something in the classroom–is that whether the outcome of any series of events is positive does not necessarily correlate to whether execution or decision-making were correct. . . you can do everything right and events will still temporarily conspire against you, just as you can do everything wrong and still have things work out perfectly through no fault of your own. The coach’s job is to help the player see the signal and not the noise, . . .Because knowing what to keep doing is a big deal in learning. So to some degree that’s also what’s happening here. Plus maybe Kerr is helping Curry see the full picture of the value he brings. What’s most measurable has a tendency to get most of our attention but it’s not the full story. Tacitly this is a coach telling his player what he values,. . .
I had something happen tonight that has never happened to me-- zero players showed up for practice. There were no phone calls/emails from families. It was very odd