Hi folks, Firstly, let me say, I am well aware that I've not ingratiated myself on these pages. Many people outwith these boards find my manner bullish, blunt and often insensitive. That may or may not be the case. To be honest I pay the thoughts of others very little attention. I'm single-minded and know what I want. That being said, I am still human and enjoy connecting with those with similar interests. Whether that be Japanese cinema, making my own sweet meats ,or my true love: football. I love talking football and reading all your thoughts and opinions. I'll take ideas and inspiration from wherever I can. That's how we learn. So, I'm offering an olive branch. I like to give back to the football community in any way I can. It's been so good to me. I owe football more than you could ever imagine. So, what I propose is free access to my wisdom. To my years of experience. To my passion. Please feel free to PM me on any football coaching topic. If your child has a deficiency in a certain area of their game I can recommend and explain individual practice drills. Need help on the physical side of the game? I can prescribe fully detailed core, strength or cardio workouts that are suitable for different playing position. Need help on tactical theory? I'm on it. I've got medicine to cure all y'alls ills. I'll help on coaching disagreements (from a coach's perspective) or simply be an encouraging, shoulder should your child need a boost. Any way I can, I will help to make your son or daughter a better player. If it's in there, then I can help them find it. Eyebrow's Clinic is open.
Playing the ball out of the air....U11 daughter's first touch out of the air in a training environment is good (top of foot, trapping it etc..) In games under pressure the same balls hit her shin and bounce away.
You really like hearing yourself talk right. I'm glad that you are displacing me as the boards most hated member. Keep up the good fight
I have a question... A couple weeks ago my U9 played in the top flight a huge local tournament. Teams from as far away as Iowa were there, and we battled our way to Sunday's championship match. Our final foe was quite talented but played a predictable brand of kickball, so our coach decided to push our back line well forward and rely on the AR to not miss any offsides calls. Unfortunately, our left back got abused. The strategy worked well until little Jimmy got tired and the shape of our back line fell apart. We were screaming for coach to get Jimmy the hell off the field, but we had no subs. Eventually coach told Jimmy to go down while there was action at the other end of the field. Jimmy played the role perfectly, howling in pain, allowing us to get him off the field. We had to play the rest of the game 6v7, but the high back line strategy kicked in again and we took home the trophy with a 4-3 victory. My son had a brace and got MVP. The post game celebration wa a little bit awkward as the coach chose not to give Jimmy a trophy, but parents were ok with ther decision. The kid has been dragging down the team all season. My question for you, Eyebrow, is this. The GotSoccer points we earned by winning this tournament have not been reflected in our teams ranking yet, and parents are pissed. How long should we wait to see updated ratings, and can you suggest who we contact to correct this injustice?
Little Jimmy should have the offside trap down pat by U8. The fact he is still on the team is bewildering.
Personally, I think GotSoccer points are meaningless and have very little to do with learning to play football. They don't encourage development of the game and seem to appeal more to parents than they do children. For me, playing the game should be enough. But as they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. I'd suggest that the parents relax a little and not concern themselves with a facet of grassroots football that isn't game related or beneficial to the development of their child. If they are still determined to "win their points" then I'd suggest they contact GotSoccer customer services. I'm sure they are very good at what they do and will be able to rectify the problem.
Thanks to all that have PM'd me so far, it's been a really positive start to the clinic. I've answered most and have now acknowledged everyone that has asked a question. I'll respond to the remaining few by the end of tomorrow!
GoSoccer is a valuable tool in our ongoing struggle to separate 9 year olds into winners and losers…I mean seriously, if little Johnny/Sally isn’t on a Platinum level team by 10, they are clearly deadweight and just wasting everyone’s time and money…. What’s next, not keep score?
That's not my call, puma. There are a few people on here who are more interested in making sarcastic comments and point scoring than talking football, so that's why I thought it's better to stick to PMs. If people want to share that's their call.
Eyebrow's Clinic will be closed for the next week. Those still waiting for responses will receive them ASAP. Thank you
I've a two hour window tomorrow, so will be holding an emergency surgery should anyone have anything they really need to ask
How often should a u12 be training? Our club only trains twice a week and i typically supplement that with either 1 or 2 extra training sessions a week i.e. small group training or private trainings. I wish my daughter was the type who would juggle in the yard for hours on end by herself but she's not.
JMO, but they should train as much as they're willing to. The idea that some scutwork is required to good at anything has to be understood and accepted, but my approach has been that soccer should never be viewed as a punishment. I never force her to go out back and practice if she doesn't want to...that's a shortcut to finding other interests. Outside of 2x practice and a training session every week, I find that she'll approach me fairly regularly on her own to work on some skill or other, and I oblige. It helps her skills and interest level, and we get to spend time together. Seems to be working for us so far.
This really depends on the goals and focus of the club. If it's a fun community program: put on an optional training session, with a everybody plays game at the weekend. At the other end of the scale, for elite academies: 3/4 sessions a week with a game on a Saturday. This would focus on technique, physical prep, patterns of play, team shape and plenty of work on overloads. For a 11 year old child who is serious about developing at the sport, training twice a week, a weekend game and augmenting that with less intensive individual sessions is great