I started an inner city program. It was taken to a higher level by our city, tied into an after school program sponsored by Arnold Schwertnenager. (whatever) there is great talent where you are and you must see it. Let them play. Get small sided games going after mini rules lessons. Ever day out...add a lesson if they understood the previous. Little things. I bet you see them pick the ball up a lot Offsied is the last thing you worry about...let them play. If there are enough kids for 3v3 or 4v4 or 5v5...do that. Skip the goalie. Scoring is big or they lose interest. Keep the field small. Use cones...very small. It's a blast...you ar lucky to begin there. If I knew what ages you had...I could help further. i had the whole spectrum who had never played so it was divided by size at first....then developed after. Just make sure they have fun. Thank you for doing this for youth soccer. Sorry, just read it's high school level. Still new to the game...and I believe strongly in small sided practice to get lots of touches. Have them dribble with the ball using the outsides of their feet...BOTH feet. Around cones...and if your email address is listed, I'll send you some books. Older kids need more structure than younger...but it's still important that they have fun...scrimmaging is the best way...and if they are dedicated (you can always tell by personality) tell them to run on their own and they won't lose the ball so much in scrimmages! Just a start if you haven't done much. Believe me...tons of talent in the inner city with more competition in football and basketball than we see in the burbs. Good Luck!
I would recommend possession games as well, but reward for stringing five passes in a row. When they master five passes, then you have to get points based on the number of passes they can string together - over five. Example: West Ham strings 7 straight passes to start off, so Roma has to string 8 passes in order to get 8 points. First team to 20 gets to drink water first or does less push ups or crunches. My experience is the boys need strength, High school soccer is a man's game, and strength is manditory. Push-ups are about all you can do at this point.
Are you kidding me? I have my kids on a year round weight lifting regimen that provides not only strength, but also injury prevention. They hit all the core lifts, Parralel Squats, Dead Lifts, Bench Press, ect, and they are not a bunch of slow witted football players masquerading as Soccer team guys.....they love the explosive edge it gives them, and the fact that they stay relatively free of injury. My starting stopper is 5',7" and 175lb's, he'll run your ass over, and you'll feel it!
Do you start this two weeks before the season with a bunch of new players? With an exisiting team - you are 100% correct, but there isn't time to make it happen with a group of kids that have just been thrown together.
pething101, you are to be commended for your good work. Thanks for contributing to the soccer world, even if it is in Fayettenam. ;-) Get the Coerver New Era Series. It is wonderful. Have a look at Dennis Mueller's 7 minute drill at: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~dgraham/daily_drill.html Small sided games, e.g. 4v4, 6v4, 3v3, 5v5 are the best way to develop good players.
"Are you kidding me? I have my kids on a year round weight lifting regimen that provides not only strength, but also injury prevention. They hit all the core lifts, Parralel Squats, Dead Lifts, Bench Press, ect, and they are not a bunch of slow witted football players masquerading as Soccer team guys.....they love the explosive edge it gives them, and the fact that they stay relatively free of injury. My starting stopper is 5',7" and 175lb's, he'll run your ass over, and you'll feel it!" Are you using machines or free weights? Do they have supervision when they are using weights or do you leave them on their own? I would like to know a typical weeks weight lifting regiment as in what body parts are worked on each day. Plus is their any change once the season starts or do they still have time for wt work when you start practice? Also what do you have your players do for general quickness? I am from the old school I use player to player resistence, medicine ball work, running with the ball and hurdles during down time. When practices starts it is mostly work with the ball, and running with the ball. Richie
Re: Re: Re: 8/5/02 Look, first let me say that I am not looking for a slanging match but I so think that what you are writing is totally, totally wrong. I heard a fascinating interview with Alvin Martin (ex- West Ham and England) the other day, talking about his own son who, at seventeen or so, has just signed professional forms. He made two points: 1. Before the age of sixteen results are totally and utterly unimportant. and, 2. He told a wonderful story about Ron Greenwood, the great (and vastly under-rated) West Ham and England manager. When Alvin was around fifteen, he was playing for West Ham's kids side. Now for those who don't know the player, he was a big, burly, stop 'em in their tracks centre half. In one particular game Martin, who was physically advanced anyway, was stopping every opposition move in its tracks. Every ball that came through the middle, he'd deal with with consumate ease. After about thirty minutes an opposing winger whipped in a teasing cross and Alvin, rising above the opposing centre forward, headed the ball to safety. In the background, he heard Greenwood screaming at him and at half time he asked him what the problem was. Ron's response: "When that cross comes in, next time take it down on your chest, dribble around the centre forward, and pass it into the middle to one of your own team. You're here to learn to play football, and nothing else." Great football teams (Brazil) learn to develop skills when they're kids. Winning and organisation are for adults. Who the hell cares whether fifteen year olds are winning trophies or matches? There's plenty of time for competition later in life.
8/6/02 Well, today is Tuesday. The Head Coach should be back from his trip so I won't be leading the team. It will be interesting to see the differences in how we conduct the practice. Weather should actually be better. Forecast is for about 89 degrees with a good chance of Thunderstorms in the afternoon. May not sound better, but we have been practicing in 95 plus degree weather, so it is an improvment.
It is going to be a good learning experience. Where can you order these videos? Gotta love Fayettenam... we should be competative as long as we dont have to play the big boys up in your next of the woods.
Keepers Don't know if you are training the keepers(always seems to be the asst. coach's jobs), but here is an archive from a newsletter for goalkeeper coaches. You might want to sign up for the newsletter itself, on the same site, but there is plenty in the archive to work with. Lee
"Syd all things considered fitness is a very important component of soccer.' Want to comment on fitness in soccer. It is not the same now as it was in the youth game years ago. Old clubs just had one field that the senior team used years ago. Then they still had one field when youth teams were introduced. That field was a regulation size field. Youth teams of every age played on the mens field. Coaches trained youth players much more in fitness then then now. Also years ago in youth travel as in the mens game the best 11 played, and the rest got 5 or ten miuntes of play. That I never agreed with. They did it even though even then Under 19 and under were unlimited substitutions. They were preparing youth players for the mens game. Now you have smaller fields, unlimited substitutions. Small sided play helps with conditioning because the players needs to think and to dribble more. Dribbling is better for fitness then just running without the ball. However this small sided play and unlimited substitution does not prepare a players fitness when they move out of the unlimited substitution stage. Then I can tell you as a coach who does adult teams conditioning is a very important part of training. You can substitute up to three players in a game. I don't want to make substitutions in a game period because you never know what can happen in a match. Cards and injuries are unknow factors. So I especially don't want to sub for tired players? I only make subs to improve the team. I don't consider subbing a starter if he is tired for a fresh player as improving the team. A starter is a starter for a lot of reasons. One reason is his fitness it has to be, and the other reason is his overal game is better then any sub I have. I want my starter to be able to do something in the 90 minute that can help us win. That's better then a sub that has fresh legs but is not capable of doing something that can win a game even if he is fresh. How many tired players can you sub for in the mens game 10? No, can't do that so three right? Then I have 7 tired players still on the field? Then you get an injury or a booking and your playing short with 6 or 5 tired players. So fitness is important. Being able to push oneself mentaly even if your tired is a good character trait for a player who wants to be a starter. Oh yeah, tired players also stop thinking when they are tired. So fitness is very important. Richie
Regarding conditioning, in my "C" license training I asked our instructor, Ian Barker, who played pro in England and was coaching a college women's team at the time, about it. He said conditioning in practice should start at the JV level in high school. Prior to that they should just work with the ball. Most high school teams will work on conditioning, I believe.
A few random thoughts... 1. Working with only nine players, there should never be a time when you have players standing around waiting to participate in a drill. Even 1 v 1s can be set up with more than one grid and rotating players. 2. Lots of good drills but some are obviously coming from established teams. Adjust drill to fit players. Let me give an example. When I took over the team I have now, we could barely string together five passes-- and that's without pressure. So you may need to go with a 4 v 2, stressing movement off the ball so players won't get lazy, and then move toward your 4 v 4, 5 v 5. Even now, we'll start the season with some 6 v 4 and then move into small-sided games in the same practice. I think that's what the posters where getting at with the 4 v1/3 v 1. 3. Remember what drills are for--to develop skills and/or simulate game situations. So as you identify the skills that are lacking (as you have mentioned trapping, passing) then use a variety of drills that help develop these skills. I like your comment about "creative flair" but if your kids can't trap or pass, make runs off the ball, etc. then they aren't playing soccer. Most often, I associate creative flair with players who have mastered the technical aspects of the game and are taking it to the next level. I think you can develop practices that are fun but also develop players. 4. I'm surprised no one has mentioned air dribbling. This is something the players can do on their own, with one other player, or you can do with drills together. As above, it's not an end in itself but will improve an individual player's touch. 5. Finally, in one post you (pething) mention something about seeing how practice goes the day the coach comes back (the implication seems to be that you are making a comparison). I'd be careful here. Your players will very quickly pick up any dissension that exists between coaches. So you want to make sure you're on the same page as your boss. If you feel like you have a better handle on the game, then I suggest talking to him. Lay out the case for you taking charge of one aspect of the team. For example, you might say something like, "I think the team is weak in trapping (or passing, shooting, team shape, movement off the ball, etc.). I'd like to work on this. Here's what I propose..." Good luck. jgw
Syd, I think most of us would agree with your last post. I, being someone who follows UCLA great John Wooden, have no interest in wins versus loses as long as improvment is the there and the effort is there. I think if my team went 3 and 13, I would be happy as long as we showed improvment and effort each day. I want to make sure the players develop and have fun and if I do my job correctly, the results will come no matter. Sadly, Athletic Directors feel a wee bit differently. And since he hired me, I do have to focus some on results. I would like to keep my job afterall. But worrying about wins and losses wont be the total all encompassing thought for the next 2 months or so.
Re: Keepers Thanks for the link. I have one kid that wants to play keeper. Has a lot of heart, but not much skills. And I think he might be scared of the ball. Which is not a good thing. But if he gives me all he has got, I will turn him into something decent.
Re: Re: Re: Re: 8/5/02 Syd, please go back and read my post. I agree that skills are most important thing for a coach to develop. That said, read my post from today. Player condition is a real issue. It should be remedied by intensive short sided drills involving as many touches with the ball as possible. I love how people immediately jump to conclusions. Regarding, the issue of player development versus results, please go back and read my post again. I stated it is most important to improve player development, but that results do matter at the varsity level. You may not like, I don't like it. It certainly unfair to a coach, but that is the reality of most high school sports.
The site's real good. Got a lot of good keeper drills from it. As far as your keeper goes, he'll get used to it, the more he plays. I was a catcher in baseball from the time I was 5, so I never had any fear in nets when I started soccer several years later. The hardest thing when they are afraid of the ball is to get them to follow it into their hands. Just give him tons of reps, starting with soft "shots" from close range, gradually increasing the distance and the speed. Keep the shots close to him, and concentrate on his form watching the ball into his hands. Do enough reps, and it will become second nature. Lee
I understand about the pressures brought to bear from athletic directors. Never make decisions in matches based on your won loss record. Strive for player development. Wins will come if the players perform up to their maximum potential. Never make substitutions that will undermine the confidence of your players. If a player makes a mistake and it leads to a goal encourage him, don't pull him out of the match. After the match at the next practice work at correcting the errors. Never blame the players for losses.
Re: Re: My first year coaching thread I think we just misunderstood because your post followed the "Cooper Test" conditioning post. We assumed that you were in favor of it. I think the subs issue has a great deal to do with conditioning. I know my own son's conditioning is not where it should be, and that limits his effectiveness as a player. I am not a proponent of running for the sake of conditioning as a means of improving one's fitness for soccer. I firmly believe that if you get your game legs from playing, that is the best from playing - but not real games, small-sided games. Going back to my son, when we moved to CT and joined a new team our coach had the kids running for 20 minutes each practice, and we never played big field small-sided games. My son never got in shape, he would finish 1st or 2nd the first 10 minutes, but deadlast or near last the last 10 minutes. Back home, he would routinely finish first, as well as be the fastest at the end of the day. Anyway, now I see that Alberto is on the same page - they need to be in condition, but not by running miles.
Good stuff. The goal of the JV should be to develop for varsity, clarify this with your head coach. If they want to win at the JV level, they might not win the Varsity. find a way to get them playing after the season as well.