Coaching Outside the Box: New book re Youth Soccer

Discussion in 'Youth & HS Soccer' started by futbal4eva, Feb 21, 2013.

  1. futbal4eva

    futbal4eva Member+

    Jan 3, 2010
    Club:
    Sao Paulo FC
    If I may promote the #1 Amazon best-seller on youth soccer...not personally involved but the emphasis on the ugly truth that a significant aspect of the problem in the U.S. is...parents/coaches/clubs embedded in - primitive - notions of what the sport is and how students should prepare to train, and have fun, playing soccer. Encouraging a thicker stream of top-quality talent to emerge; and the rest to have more fun, while playing - a better type of football.

    Check out:

    http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Outs...0199&sr=8-1&keywords=coaching+outside+the+box

    Further thoughts and any reviews?
     
  2. BP9175

    BP9175 Member

    Aug 2, 2011
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Thanks, looks like a good read.
     
  3. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    What are some of these misguiding and out dated beliefs. What are some examples of these?
     
  4. futbal4eva

    futbal4eva Member+

    Jan 3, 2010
    Club:
    Sao Paulo FC
    Read the book; or at least the free preview blurb on Amazon ;)
     
  5. y.o.n.k.o

    y.o.n.k.o Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Although it looks like a good book, there is nothing new for me in it. I accept it may have something new for others.
     
  6. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    I read the blurb it told me nothing. I don't buy books unless I know more then the promo says. That is why I asked my questions. Evidently no one knows the answers not even you. So I think I will pass.
     
  7. futbal4eva

    futbal4eva Member+

    Jan 3, 2010
    Club:
    Sao Paulo FC
    Good, I recognize that as you don't judge a book by its cover or blurbs...or sales?...there is no reason to buy this book.

    Not that it is a secret that a major part of the problem with youth soccer - is the entrenched USSF-crats (and the high school coaches who double as track and field and/or history teachers, but who certainly never played soccer at any level of competence, and thus assume the sport is - 1960s long ball kick and run, with the big and fast kids favored over the - skilled); or the many in the system who themselves were never particularly good soccer players - certainly not by contemporary standards.

    But even if most books and media on the topic and talk more politely about raising standards without actually pointing fingers at the current coaches, nor at the parents/pseudo-coaches who grew up on another sport and now are confused to think they know enough to help children learn to play soccer.

    Still at least for me this excerpt from the blurb is more frank than one usually sees in print; instead happy talk and reform of academies is usually the emphasis right, without acknowledging the current national scene...is held down by a lot of obsolete if not dead weight. And the scene frankly won;t improve til those 40-50 somethings - move on and/or retire.

    Still, no need to read the book, since you already know all that right.

    "Holding nothing back, they unveil the damaging problems that currently exist in U.S. youth soccer due to high numbers of administrators, coaches, and parents demonstrating misguided and outdated beliefs, and/or harboring ulterior motives that are simply not beneficial for the players’ best interests."

    "They emphasize how conventional thinking in youth soccer leads to so many youngsters encountering negative experiences during their formative years and is a major driver as to why 70-80% of young players drop out of the sport at a young age before they have even had the opportunity to unlock their true potential."
     
  8. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Here is the problem with youth soccer here in the US. Parents of even the real good players think it is about getting a free college education fo there kids. That is the goal for them, and nothing more.

    In youth club the most inexperienced coaches do the youngest teams. Think of building a house when dealing with young players. To make a strong house you need a good foundation and not a foundation made by an inexperienced builder.

    HS soccer is a joke. A lot of those coaches are just school teachers that are only coaching soccer as a perk.

    Etc etc etc
     
  9. coachd24

    coachd24 Member

    Feb 22, 2013
    Club:
    RC Lens
    Everything is too organized, unless kids go out and play everyday by themselves they'll never get better. In basketball they have open gyms every night in some towns and a game at the local courts every night where people can play for 2-3 hours a day every day. Recently at the school I work at I started a 30 min before school "open gym" where kids can go and play soccer on their own. Some of the kids come all 3 days and are therefore getting 1.5 hours extra/week which over the season (10 weeks) adds to 15 extra hours of touches. Although it is a MS, I work as the HS coach in the same district and know that after a few years this program (sometimes only 2v2, sometimes 10v10) will pay off in the long run simply because they are getting the extra practice without even realizing it. Of course, one grade (6th) has a very good club coach and am extremely excited to see what these kids can bring. In the gym they are working on their dribbling and are becoming more patient with the ball. Unless kids themselves start to organize stuff on the courts, in the gyms, or in the parks, it's going to be difficult for US Soccer in general to keep up with the rest of the world. For me, growing up in Spain until I was 11, enabled to play at a high level of US soccer simply because we had those touches. Every night after school and dinner we'd meet up and play 2-3 hours on the cement courts in the city as a hangout. Once I made the move to the US, It was clear what a difference I had not in terms of speed or fitness but in terms of finding opportunities in small space and being creative when attacking. Now as a coach, it is something that we lack and I hope that in my community that I coach in, I can start to bring my childhood to these kids so that they can be successful when they reach the higher level in HS and for some in college. Until the USSF sets up opportunities and locations where kids can go and play whenever like the basketball courts around the US, it is going to be difficult to get the crafty and creative player that we lack as a country.
     
    ChapacoSoccer repped this.
  10. ChapacoSoccer

    ChapacoSoccer Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    A book like this is really important. I can use it as a screen for coaches- have you heard about Coaching outside the box? If they haven't, they are so disconnected that they probably aren't good. If they have a negative reaction to the book that tells me something as well. A full embrace of the book is a pretty good signal that they are at least thinking.
     
  11. y.o.n.k.o

    y.o.n.k.o Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    So if I don't read this book because the info in it is something I already know from experience, then you would consider me disconnected? Hmmmm....

    To tell you honestly, I don't need to read books about the problems with youth soccer in US, because I'm already aware of most of them and I talk to a lot of people who know more or are more entrenched through their experiences with these problems. The soccer books I read are usually about other nations, other (non-US) people in the game, other clubs and other environments. That's how I understand even more how wrong youth soccer is in this country.......
     
  12. y.o.n.k.o

    y.o.n.k.o Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    That "free college education" is actually not that free. It's just that they pay the money elsewhere - to the youth soccer clubs/coaches. And in many cases they still end up paying some tuition to colleges anyway. But if you listen to all parents, all their kids got "free" education/full scholarship through soccer. Come on, there are not that many free rides to that many players available, are there? And if the colleges give free rides to most of these players then I don't know what they see in them soccer-wise. It makes you think that colleges give free rides like colorful beads at Mardi Gras.....
     
  13. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    You think those free beads are really free?

    My brother has paid a ton of money on his son for baseball and some of mine as well. Here's his plan get into a baseball college. Then in the second year go professional. Can it happen maybe there were two openings for pitchers at the school. Why because the two in college went into the pros.

    On the beads the girls have to show their breasts to get those free beads.

    At least his plan the end game is make to the pros. Unlike most parents
     
  14. ChapacoSoccer

    ChapacoSoccer Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Actually, you proved my point, you are aware of the book and think that their analysis is mostly on point. You have shown that you are trying to keep current right there.
     
  15. y.o.n.k.o

    y.o.n.k.o Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    I'm aware of the book now because of this thread. But 6 months from now I wont even remember it. So if you ask me in 6 months if I know of this book and I say "no" would you dismiss me as disconnected?
    If I want to know what are the problems with youth soccer in US, I wont be reading a book about it. Instead, I would be talking to people who are working in youth soccer. Or I would be drawing knowledge from my own experiences.
     
  16. GarySmith

    GarySmith New Member

    Mar 2, 2013
    I’ve been managing a (now gold level) club soccer team in ultra-competitive Southern California for 5 years now. I just wrote a book about my adventures and misadventures for everyone involved in soccer (and other youth sports) in the U.S.
    Gary Smith: Club Soccer: Insider’s Guide to Winning the Game
    http://www.amazon.com/Club-Soccer-Insiders-Guide-Winning/dp/1482346885

Here is a blurb from a rival manager: “A gritty and honest look at the realities of club soccer. Dispels many of the myths of club soccer, and in so doing, does a favor to those who read this book and are seriously contemplating club soccer for their children. Gary's insight and experience are on full display in its depth and breadth. Club Soccer: Insider's Guide to Winning the Game should be a must-have companion for every parent, manager, and coach who wants to navigate the rough waters of club soccer to success for themselves, their teams, and especially their children.”
     
  17. Mirzam

    Mirzam Member

    Jan 21, 2010
    @Dick's
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Hmmm.... I obviously shouldn't be judging a book by its cover, or title to be more exact, but, the word "winning" in the title of a book about youth soccer is a red flag to me. I don't want my child in a "winning" environment, I want them in a program that develops them. Screw "winning".

    Congrats on the publication of your book, however, I would like to read some objective reviews on it, before I would consider buying it.
     
  18. GarySmith

    GarySmith New Member

    Mar 2, 2013
    Great point.

    The title is meant to be ironic. One of my key chapters is "Is Winning All There Is?"

    Some of the main themes are that the U.S. pay-for-play model puts winning above development, falsely advertises club soccer as an "investment" in a college scholarship or pro career, and takes much of the joy out of sports.

    The way to "win" the game of club soccer is to choose an honest team that truly emphasizes development and fits your personal objectives (including friendships, travel time, and multiple sports).
     
  19. chitownseadog

    chitownseadog Member

    Dec 21, 2006
    I'm waiting for YONKO's book ;)
     
  20. y.o.n.k.o

    y.o.n.k.o Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    It will be a never-ending wait for you my friend.;)
     
  21. chitownseadog

    chitownseadog Member

    Dec 21, 2006
    Hmmm...maybe just a collection of your best posts then? Send a copy to Jurgen
     
  22. y.o.n.k.o

    y.o.n.k.o Member

    Jan 12, 2010
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    I'll just call him.....;)
     
  23. SockerIsLife

    SockerIsLife Member

    May 1, 2011
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Well said. Funny, if you go back to the 1980s and early 1990s there were several European clubs and trainers that were emphasizing development over winning, fun over work, love of the game, passion, things that have translated well to the development of the game in Europe. All we're left with in the US is pay to play, win, attract players, pay to play - repeat. It's silly. It won't change, ever, never.
     
  24. SockerIsLife

    SockerIsLife Member

    May 1, 2011
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Well said. Funny, if you go back to the 1980s and early 1990s there were several European clubs and trainers that were emphasizing development over winning, fun over work, love of the game, passion, things that have translated well to the development of the game in Europe. All we're left with in the US is pay to play, win, attract players, pay to play - repeat. It's silly. It won't change, ever, never.
     

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