Help with flat back 4

[Unregistered]

Completely agree, from my original post:

I like to have that one very solid defender in the middle and have the second middle player be very fast to help out when you get burned or the ref misses an offsides call.

There are obviously other combos, strong/weak player, defender/striker, lefty/righty, and many more. My kids play every position throughout the year though I will admit they tend to play 50%+ in a certain position, but they do rotate even as keeper. It doesn't always work out perfectly but if you are flexible along the lines you suggest you improve your odds of a positive outcome.

This mentality is exactly why MA soccer is a failure. At the beginning levels there simply is not enough teaching going on. This so called rotation is not supported by instruction at practice or training. Positions in soccer even at 8v8, 6v6 require different skill packages. I'm sure none of you are doing the work needed in training to teach every child that is going to be rotated into a right defensive position, for instance, what they need to do.

Instead when a player fails in a game at that position you labeled the kid a "weak" player and try to cover the kids failings with a scheme to help win the next game. Try instead instructing!

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;220691]... I don't think you'll find any college coaches going to the site, but I also don't think that's the intended audience.

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QUOTE]

I wish more college coaches would go to the site. Given the "horror shows" I've seen of "high level" college soccer that I have seen on tv a bunch of them could use the help.

[Unregistered]

This mentality is exactly why MA soccer is a failure. At the beginning levels there simply is not enough teaching going on. This so called rotation is not supported by instruction at practice or training. Positions in soccer even at 8v8, 6v6 require different skill packages. I'm sure none of you are doing the work needed in training to teach every child that is going to be rotated into a right defensive position, for instance, what they need to do.

Instead when a player fails in a game at that position you labeled the kid a "weak" player and try to cover the kids failings with a scheme to help win the next game. Try instead instructing!

Not sure what you mean here. Every child gets the same instruction and attention in practice. Every kid on my U11 team knows the basic terminology and knows what goal side, weak side, rotating over etc means, some just can't physically get there or "forget" to do what they know they ought to be doing. I explain it, show it nad walk them through it and at this level some get it and some don't. No player is ever punished if they don't, they ALL get the same opportunity to "get it." If we see a kid who is struggling either myself or assistant will talk with that player either in practice or when they come off the field in a game and first ask them what they thought happened and then go from there. Sometimes the kids know what they did and some kids never see it. No player is written off or left behind as weak.

I've never really grasped the granola attitude about only teaching skills and not recognizing that there are, in fact, some strong players and weak players at this level. Why is learning thru failure better than learning thru success. It isn't that hard to spend 1.5 hours with 12 or so kids at practice and make sure they ALL get something positive out of the drills/scrimmage/lesson whatever the plan is for the day.

I am not trying to come up with a "scheme to win", I am trying to put that child in a position for a positive outcome. If you think that a kid who gets burned badly and gives up a breakaway goal doesn't know it and feel very bad about it, then I think you are kidding yourself. If Jimmy get to play alongside Tommy and one isn't as good as the other, both have a chance to get better and learn something. If 3 "weak" players are on Defense and give up 2 quick goals, I am not sure what that proves, but do know that it is somewhat demoralizing to those 3 kids and the rest of the team.

I am not surprised as kids go from U10 to U14 that often times kids other coaches would have given up on turn out to be "better" than many of the players who were much better than him at U10, it happens a lot.