"Stop playing it backwards....."

Discussion in 'Youth & HS Soccer' started by ppierce34, Sep 3, 2019.

  1. ppierce34

    ppierce34 Member

    Aug 29, 2016
    Fort Wayne, IN
    My daughters coach screamed this at the girls (u12) multiple times during a tournament this passed weekend. "Stop playing it back we need to go forward and attack." WTF is that?? Obviously you need to attack to win but i would think a U12 girl playing it back to maintain possession is how soccer outta be played. Not sure what i think of that. Actually, i am sure. Its crappy advice and reinforces the direct win at all costs mentality that plagues this country. I never coach from the sidelines but if that type of ire is ever directed at my daughter i will yell out to ignore her coach.
     
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  2. bigredfutbol

    bigredfutbol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 5, 2000
    Woodbridge, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'd avoid actually telling her to ignore her coach in the heat of the moment, but it's quite all right to talk with her about it later. You're right, that's terrible coaching and I wonder if the coach ever watches the game.
     
  3. TheKraken

    TheKraken Member

    United States
    Jun 21, 2017
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My U12 son was one of those kids that played it back a lot when younger. Parents on the sidelines would get so mad sometimes. I would hear the same things from them, but never from his coach. The coaches at the club encourage build up and playing out of the back. A lot of those kids that could only play forward are gone now and my son is the starting CDM on the top team. Tell her to keep playing the ball backwards.
     
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  4. Crewman_Rob

    Crewman_Rob New Member

    Leeds
    United States
    Sep 15, 2017
    Well maybe they were 2-1 down in the 88th minute against Croatia in the World Cup playoff final? No?

    Ok then yeah bad advice.
     
  5. SuperHyperVenom

    Jan 7, 2019
    Forwards and backwards are easy. but can your right-footed MF kid pass to the right winger? or vice versa. THAT drives me insane. I'm not kidding. Watch some U15-17 games this weekend and you'll see what I am talking about.
     
  6. NewDadaCoach

    NewDadaCoach Member

    Tottenham Hotspur
    United States
    Sep 28, 2019
    Yeah, I think the context matters. If they are passing it back uncessarily, or if the other team has good forwards that are able to intercept those back passes and score off of those, then I would limit the back passing. I think in a game situation the kids should focus on what they are good at, they should try to win. If they are doing things that they are not used to doing it will lead to risky situations/loss of possession. So my answer is: it depends.
    Ideally, they would learn to pass it back to switch the point of attack, spread the opposition, etc, but if they aren't working on that in practice sessions, then I would not try it in a game. I would stick with what they know or stick with less risky moves.
    Perhaps the girls were passing it back when they should in fact have been attacking; I see that happen often. Kids who are new to this tactic sometimes do it just to do it ("hey let's pass it around to show that we're able to keep possession"), assuming it's more advanced than attacking, while attacking might have actually been the better option.
    So yeah, maybe the coach saw a good opportunity to attack that was wasted and he got upset, but of course we don't know the details.
     
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  7. sam_gordon

    sam_gordon Member+

    Feb 27, 2017
    The thing is, especially at younger ages, the kids SHOULD be encouraged to try things in a game situation, even things they aren't good at or are risky. OK, maybe not "encouraged", but definitely not criticized.

    The best way to learn how to do something is to try it. If you fail, you learn from your mistakes. If you never try, you won't succeed.
     
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  8. NewDadaCoach

    NewDadaCoach Member

    Tottenham Hotspur
    United States
    Sep 28, 2019
    I agree. But maybe the U12 coach felt the girls were too timid to attack and missing opportunities. I mean, the point of possession is ultimately to find opportunities and attack right? Maybe they were possessing too much with no real strategy. idk
     
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  9. Cantona's Eyebrow

    Dirty Leeds
    Togo
    Oct 8, 2018
    Definately, all about context.

    If the player on the ball turns to go forward, but turns into trouble, I'd be coaching to play the way you are facing and play sideways/back.

    However, if the player is receiving in space, and not checking their shoulder, and playing backwards, I'd be telling them to turn and move forwards. Perhaps the coach has worked on this scenario repeatedly in training and the players keep playing back when there is an opportunity to go forward. That can get frustrating.

    Without understanding the context, it's difficult to asses whether the coach or your daughter was in the right. Generally speaking, play should move forward if it's possible to do so.
     
  10. Terrier1966

    Terrier1966 Member

    Nov 19, 2016
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Hopefully the team works on this in training...the game is not the time to try this, get yelled at not to do it or figure it out.

    Every team should go through the pains of learning how to play out of pressure...in training.

    The coach should know there is a time and place for playing it back...so should the players.

    The appropriate feedback to a player is not “don’t play it back” but to remind them what was discussed in training about options, vision etc.

    Tactically, the correct answer is as described above...it depends.
     
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  11. BlG_$0CC3R

    BlG_$0CC3R New Member

    Chelsea
    Belgium
    Mar 7, 2019
    Playing it backwards is a team action, if the team has not trained for it and is not expecting it...

    With that said, if the coach isn't an avid soccer watcher, sounds like he could potentially introduce many more bad habits that could haunt the players for a long time. I would personally find a coach with high soccer iq.

    The OP is the best person to know if that's how the team always performs or if they do play it back on different occasions.
     
  12. nca12

    nca12 New Member

    Trabzonspor
    Turkey
    Nov 1, 2019
    I have two sons both playing DA teams (2004 and 2007) so I have been through this a lot. There is more depth to this issue then just saying this way or that way is right. Playing back is fine however if that is because of a fear of losing the ball, or with having issues with creativity and vision then you should tell your kids to stop playing back, because that is an easy way out and in soccer usually at U12 age you need kids to be aggressive and try to create. To be an impact player they have to take risks and not go to easy way.
     
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  13. illinisoccer

    illinisoccer Member

    Aug 15, 2005
    Chicago, IL
    Any improvement on this?
     
  14. ppierce34

    ppierce34 Member

    Aug 29, 2016
    Fort Wayne, IN
    we have a new coach who started last week with us. i dont think it will be an issue anymore.
     
  15. illinisoccer

    illinisoccer Member

    Aug 15, 2005
    Chicago, IL
    Wow, mid season switch. Must have been dire straits.
     
  16. bmirak

    bmirak New Member

    Dec 20, 2019
    Well, there are times when you shouldn’t play it backwards....
     
  17. TheKraken

    TheKraken Member

    United States
    Jun 21, 2017
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Of course, but there are a lot of kids who simply never do and constantly dribble to the corner or into trouble.
     

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