Sounds like you are saying the right things to them in this situation. (Apologies if someone has suggested this already) You might describe some things you'd like to see happen on the field during games apart from a win, so you can praise them for these interim successes while you build them into a better team. Pick out those guys who did NOT quit, for example, and publicly praise them without criticizing the guys whom you think did quit. Notice successful implementations of strategy, even if it doesnt' result in a goal, etc. Any number of things to express the idea that the main job for these guys is improvement as a team and as players regardless of the scores. Since you've established Sept. 16 as an important date, you definitely want to be able to tell them they've succeeded somehow, even if you don't get the win.
What is a good way to hammer home the point that the defenders need to push up and offer more support to the midfielders. No matter how much I beg, they insist on staying back leaving a 30 or 40 yard gap between mids and defenders.
I wish they would give coaches electric zappers and we could shock the players into doing what we want them to do. I'd keep count of how many times the other team ventured into your half and into the penalty area. Explain to them that the goal of the defense is to keep the other team out of your half. And while that may be impossible for them to accomplish, they have got to believe the other team getting into the penalty area is an insult to their manhood. Show them how many times the other team ventured into their areas and offer rewards for lowering that number (they rest while the team does sprints or let them run a few practice drills.)
DEFENCE.. Come on pething!!!! You are the coach, or at least the only person on your side that has a FKing clue. How your side executes, is your responsibility. When they excecute and the response to your coaching is a attribute, and is indicaitive of your coaching abilities. Scoring doesnt seem to be our problem, but keeping goals out does. You dont even know how the opposition scored. How are you explaining to your team the reasons for the goals against?
Pressing Up We use a sweeper! It's her responsibility to make sure that she can see the backs of all the other defenders except the GK. That also makes it simple. I only have to yell at that one player, and ask why she's not moving them up. I put the responsibility on the field. So far, it's working! Five games into the season, and we're 3-1-1, 2-0-1 in our conference. The last tie was a result of our regular sweep being injured, and me not being smart enough to sub the reserve in the second half, but we dodged one. Over the next two weeks, we play 7 games, every other day! What do you folks see as practice ideas for the inbetweens? I'm afraid to be too intense because of fatigue. SUGGESTIONS?
For the next two weeks you will want to focus on the mental aspects of the game. Pya close attention during the games and review the next day things that were done well and those that need work. Keep the drills low exertion and mainly mental. I would even suggest having a couple of chalkboard practices. Reveiw with the kids your list from the prior game and ask them to explain how to improve it. If they are not getting to where you want them to be lead them there. Make them work mentally and use this time to really improve their knowledge of the game. It will really help later in the season.
Thanks for the link Pething. As for getting the defenders to push up, I'd combine Reality Al's suggestion with crewcrazy's. Make the strategy clear to everybody, but designate one guy with the job of defensive "captain" who will tell people to step up. Also, pick a specific term to use (eg step up, step, or push up) and use it consistently. A thought: are your defenders slow? Maybe they're afraid of getting beaten on a long run and don't come forward for that reason.
I know that when I started watching professional games and talking with a few parents who had grown up in Europe, I understood the value of pushing up. It was nothing my coach did or said, it was something somebody told me, and then I saw it work on TV. But it took many games for me to fully understand all the reasons why it was important to move up the field (our basic idea was the offside trap to start). You might want to try doing something that gets the midfield and defense to work together. Perhaps something versus the forwards. Not sure what to suggest, but I think you get the idea.
Add a lot of stretching and allow wounds to heal. A day off or two won't hurt either. Remember, a good coach doesn't introduce injury.
This thread Pething... Thanks from me too. I hope you are saving this thread because all of those that come after us sure can use this kind of info. I've used it and it has already made a difference in my coaching and my team. Thanks again.
Re: Pressing Up The varsity coach uses a sweeper. I am just not sure I trust any of my players enough to plug them in at sweeper. I have one that plays like Maurcio Wright ... I have a heart attack almost every time he has the ball at his feet. Just waiting for him to get burned.
I explain to my outside backs that the Gap that they leave is only gonna make their job harder, and the opposing teams' easier. When a forward or outsied mid has that much room to settle a cleared ball, turn, and then run at a defender who is either just standing there 20 yards away, or even worse, charging in late, that player has only to make one good move or pass and the whole defense is beat. Given the amount of time that the player is going to have, the hardest part for them may be deciding which option to use to make the lagging defenders look silly. Make them think about how much harder it would be for that player to control, turn, and attack with the ball if they were already right there in the forwards shorts, not giving them any room to breathe.
My one comment would be this..a practice from 4 until 6:30 is way too long for these kids...even if you have only had one week of practice and such...the ideal time shoudl be an hour to and hour and a half at the most...for the length of time that you have there, the kids will get bored and worn out and there's a better chance for injury as a result... Peace
What age are your girls again? Not that it matters, seven games in 14 days is too much at any level (unless some of them are controlled scrimmages). Unless you have a huge squad, you will have very tired athletes, and tired athletes are prone to injure themselves and others. I know, you didn't ask for a lecture. Still, you are correct in your concern about player fatigue. My suggestion for things to do: a lot of stretching, talking about what happened previous game/what to do differently next game, work on things like set plays, light passing, air dribbling, etc.--things that get some touches on the ball but are less physically taxing. I'd also give them at least one day off from practice. Meet for a half an hour, then let them go home and stretch (and/or ice). Sometimes a day away from the game is better than any amount of practice. If one of your parents is half-way decent with a video camera, have him or her tape a game and watch it on one of the practice days. That way the girls can see their success/mistakes and learn from them while resting their bodies. jgw
I'm not sure why you have concerns about entrusting a player with a sweeper's responsibility at their level. Part of your responsibility as coach is to challenge/help the players to raise their level of play. I suggest taking a player who is coachable and has good decision-making ability and giving him the responsibility to organize the defense, to provide cover for other defenders and to work the ball out to the flanks. Whereas at higher levels of play the sweeper is one of the most skilled players, you will often notice at the high school (and by extension JV) level, sweepers whose strongest characteristics are their ability to make good decisions and make up for other's defensive mistakes. Besides, I would think it would be hard to effectively employ a flat-back four with such a young team. Just my 2¢. jgw
spot on jgw I agree, find either A. a player who reads the game well and can lead from the back B. a good athelte, who has the ability (speed, stamina, skills) to cover the back. Sometimes the best sweepers are players who just makes plays by reacting rather than thinking. Make sure the fullbacks/marking backs know that when the sweeper calls step that they must look inside and find the sweeper and immediately get in front of him/her. Just like building a house... start with a good solid foundation. I think most kids are familiar with the sweeper system and its pretty easy to coach.
I generally go from about 4 pm to 6 pm. Lots of water breaks and usually about 30 minutes of playing some sort side.
I think my concerns stem from the fact I have never done this before and I dont want to get destroyed every game. Vainity. Still learning this whole thing. Gotta let go of that mentality.
Somebody said "her " as a response to a sweeper issue. i haven't read all of this thread...is it girls or guys? BIG giant difference. Still..I thought it was high school boys. If so...sweeper isn't something you pick up easily at this level. He/she either played it in club or not. I think you are expecting WAAYYYYY too much out of your kids. Relax, make sure they have fun...and winning is good....but learning and getting together as a team is more important if they are as green as you make it sound. Just saw the last response...you NEED to let go of thinking this is about YOU. This is about the kids...you had your chance. it's their turn now. Give them the opportunity. Novody cares about what you do...just don't mistreat them...give them a chance to shine. Respect them, and they will respect you.
Various I'm certain that this discussion has been made a thread somewhere, but I just don't buy into this concept. I've coached males and females at every age level for over twenty years and just haven't experienced anything other than minor cultural differences. I think that making some sort of major mystery out of gender coaching differences is harmful b/c it hammers in stereotypes. From a management view, both genders have many of the same motivations and variances are greater due to individuality than to gender identity. By this I mean that a "one size fits all" management style is no more effective within a gender than across genders. From a physical perspective, athletes are athletes. One cannot expect to generalize within a gender anymore that one can across genders. If women and girls are not as quick, fast, or strong in general as men, they are still quick, fast, or strong in relation to their opponents. Any coach still has to deal with matchups. Yes, there are differences - mostly cultural - that a coach must look out for. But it is dangerous to allow even those stereotypes to direct your coaching style. Just teach the game and be sensitive to the needs of your players. You'll have success regardless of gender. I think that a sweeper is the easiest defensive scheme to pick up. It is most difficult to teach players of this age a zonal flat defense b/c it requires that ALL the backs read and communicate. It is also hard to get them to develop the confidence to trust each other. A sweeper satisfies the player's need to have clearly defined jobs; and leaves the coach with only one player to worry about. If you have players of limited experience or wildly disparate abilities, a sweeper allows you to plug the dike. B/C it limits the roles of players, more sophisticated teams seldom employ them. One way of bridging this gap is to train your sweeper to play as flat as possible. Teach them to read the technical and visual cues of your opponents game so that they can better anticipate the need to drop back and you will gain some of the benefits of a flatter defensive organization while retaining the organizational benefit of clearly designated responsibilities. Good advice. Huh!!! I don't see any serious vanity issues here. I certainly don't see any lack of respect from Pething towards his players. Rather, his attitude in starting this thread shows admirable humility.
Re: Re: My first year coaching thread Does your varsity team use a sweeper? If so talk to the coach and get some ideas/principles on playing the sweeper system from him or talk him into coaching the system to your guys. If not, then find a team who does play that system and watch them play. I am sure the varsity squad will face some opposition that uses a sweeper, make notes; positives and negatives of the system, note the attributes of the player who is the sweeper. Introduce the concept and see how your players respond, it sounds like you have plenty of matches coming up to give a try.