A new way to coach

[Unregistered]

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/id...ll_kid/?page=1

Thoughts?

[Unregistered]

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/id...ll_kid/?page=1

Thoughts?

If you are asking if kids should learn how to handle a ball at their feet....all part of the foot... before learning how to pass a ball or what position to be in.....then yes.
I have always been told to allow the younger kids to dribble themselves into a corner instead of insisting that they pass the ball. This lets them learn how to get themselves out.

At some age, however, the kids have to learn the game....?? 13, 14 years old.

Soccer is a free flowing sport.....free play for the players. This is know different than other like sports. Kids learn to dribble and shoot in basketball before the game strategy is taught. Hockey is no different. Even baseball, they learn how to throw and catch before playing the game of baseball. American football may be different as this is a finely orchestrated game dictated by semi-rigid plays.

The parents who, at the earlier ages are insisting that the kids pass, pass, pass are missing the opportunity to teach the basic soccer skills

[Unregistered]

Platitudinous

This article sets a world record for most generalizations and soccer trivialisms.

The dichotomy between encouraging 1v1 skills and passing is a false one; the equivalence between taking on a defender and selfishness is a false one; blaming volunteer coaches and not the club/odp system for failures at WC is outlandish.

The sad fact is Americans don't have a lot of experience with soccer. It's only been around 25 years +/- as a popular movement. There are a lot of ineffective coaching platitudes floating around. As long as coaches think about what they are doing and how it impacts training, the bad practices will eventually fade in the minds of the coaches who stick with their discipline. But that usually takes a long time to happen, and requires the volunteer coach to make a commitment to the sport, not just their kid.

The main point of the article is true: 1v1 needs to be emphasized more than it has been. That is not selfishness; that is developing more capable ball handlers. That is how the passing game is made more effective.

In the younger years, the first look should be to take it. 1v1 yes. 1v2 or 1v3, not so much. Train those situations in practice, to find out why to avoid them in games.

[Unregistered]

This article sets a world record for most generalizations and soccer trivialisms.

The dichotomy between encouraging 1v1 skills and passing is a false one; the equivalence between taking on a defender and selfishness is a false one; blaming volunteer coaches and not the club/odp system for failures at WC is outlandish.

The sad fact is Americans don't have a lot of experience with soccer. It's only been around 25 years +/- as a popular movement. There are a lot of ineffective coaching platitudes floating around. As long as coaches think about what they are doing and how it impacts training, the bad practices will eventually fade in the minds of the coaches who stick with their discipline. But that usually takes a long time to happen, and requires the volunteer coach to make a commitment to the sport, not just their kid.

The main point of the article is true: 1v1 needs to be emphasized more than it has been. That is not selfishness; that is developing more capable ball handlers. That is how the passing game is made more effective.

In the younger years, the first look should be to take it. 1v1 yes. 1v2 or 1v3, not so much. Train those situations in practice, to find out why to avoid them in games.

You have hit the nail on the head. We in the USA are big on labeling, generalizing and defining instead of letting it all just happen. The point is kids have to learn how to play with a ball and be comfortable on the ball and see the field and have skills to move with and without the ball and pass accurately. This is not selfish. This is not pass, pass, pass. This is learn the skills and learn the game. Watch the game and play the game. Simple. We need to take out genralizations. Selfish is what ODP looks for. There are plenty of those around. That does not win. Skills and vision wins.

[Unregistered]

You have hit the nail on the head. We in the USA are big on labeling, generalizing and defining instead of letting it all just happen. The point is kids have to learn how to play with a ball and be comfortable on the ball and see the field and have skills to move with and without the ball and pass accurately. This is not selfish. This is not pass, pass, pass. This is learn the skills and learn the game. Watch the game and play the game. Simple. We need to take out genralizations. Selfish is what ODP looks for. There are plenty of those around. That does not win. Skills and vision wins.

Good post

[Unregistered]

Great comments in this thread! Something unusual for this forum.

[Cujo]

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/id...ll_kid/?page=1

Thoughts?

The article was was largely nonsense. It framed passing and shooting as either / or situations. I do agree that players need to learn WHEN to be "selfish". Too many teams seem to be coached to pass for the sake of passing. Teams need to spend more time teaching good shooting technique. Any time spent in practice juggling the ball is a complete waste of time. Coaches need to teach players that 1 v 1 challenges should be made in the risk zone when it is the best option to develop an opportunity to score. This is what coaches should be teaching. This has nothing to do with levelling, cumbaya soccer, or any of the piffle that some are preaching about how U8's should be competitive. How typically American these attitudes are to swing from one extreme to another. We don't have a player problem in this country but we do have a coaching problem.

[Cujo]

If you are asking if kids should learn how to handle a ball at their feet....all part of the foot... before learning how to pass a ball or what position to be in.....then yes.
I have always been told to allow the younger kids to dribble themselves into a corner instead of insisting that they pass the ball. This lets them learn how to get themselves out.

At some age, however, the kids have to learn the game....?? 13, 14 years old.

Soccer is a free flowing sport.....free play for the players. This is know different than other like sports. Kids learn to dribble and shoot in basketball before the game strategy is taught. Hockey is no different. Even baseball, they learn how to throw and catch before playing the game of baseball. American football may be different as this is a finely orchestrated game dictated by semi-rigid plays.

The parents who, at the earlier ages are insisting that the kids pass, pass, pass are missing the opportunity to teach the basic soccer skills

Good post this is precisely why I started playing soccer and quit basketball. When I was 11 I had a b-ball coach that had us run 5 set plays. There was not creativity - it was just run play 4 - run play 5. Set pick. Go to this spot on the court - rotate - blah blah blah zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Soccer was great - totally free flow and improvisational.

[Unregistered]

"Any time spent in practice juggling the ball is a complete waste of time."

Cujo, can you just clarify your opinion on the above? Are you saying that juggling a ball is a waste of time, or did you mean that using practice time to do it (when the players could easily work on that on their own) is a waste of time? I ask because our daughter's coach encourages them to juggle on their own.

[Cujo]

"Any time spent in practice juggling the ball is a complete waste of time."

Cujo, can you just clarify your opinion on the above? Are you saying that juggling a ball is a waste of time, or did you mean that using practice time to do it (when the players could easily work on that on their own) is a waste of time? I ask because our daughter's coach encourages them to juggle on their own.

Using a formal training session to practice juggling is a COMPLETE waste of time. If it doesn't happen in a game then it should not happen during training. I have seen forwards juggle the ball 3 maybe 4 times (while moving) while gaining possession in an attempt to beat a defender. You have 90 minutes to train players per session. Juggling should not be a part of that 90 minutes.

If players want to learn to juggle the ball then they should do it in their backyard on their own time. I want players that a tactically smart and that know where to be on the field when they do not have the ball and what to do with the ball when they have. Knowing that a player can juggle the ball 100 times doesn't accomplish that.

I view it as a parlor trick.

[Unregistered]

A parlor trick? Getting as many touches with as many surfaces of your body on the ball actually is something that juggling can help accomplish, and to many coaches it is an important part of training (whether on their own or during practice as a warm-up). There are some great jugglers who are not great players, but there are pretty much no great players that are not great jugglers.

Technical before tactical. If a kid can only juggle with their thigh you think that kid can receive a flighted ball to get to the step of a tactical decision? I'm not saying it is the most important part of training, but to say it's a parlor trick is nonsense IMO.

[Unregistered]

Using a formal training session to practice juggling is a COMPLETE waste of time. If it doesn't happen in a game then it should not happen during training. I have seen forwards juggle the ball 3 maybe 4 times (while moving) while gaining possession in an attempt to beat a defender. You have 90 minutes to train players per session. Juggling should not be a part of that 90 minutes.

If players want to learn to juggle the ball then they should do it in their backyard on their own time. I want players that a tactically smart and that know where to be on the field when they do not have the ball and what to do with the ball when they have. Knowing that a player can juggle the ball 100 times doesn't accomplish that.

I view it as a parlor trick.

Actually, I have seen it used in a game, an 8v8 indoor game with boys probably about 13 or 14 years old at the time. The kid actually juggled the ball at full speed about 2/3rds of the length of the field before taking a shot. Last time I saw that kid's name was on a Revs DAP roster.

Remember this, not all good jugglers become good soccer players, but all good players can juggle. So while it may be a waste to juggle during practice time, juggling is not a waste of time and should be encouraged. It can be included as part of the warm up and it certainly doesn't hurt for a team coach to periodically test players to see if they are working on it on their own.

[Unregistered]

Using a formal training session to practice juggling is a COMPLETE waste of time. If it doesn't happen in a game then it should not happen during training. I have seen forwards juggle the ball 3 maybe 4 times (while moving) while gaining possession in an attempt to beat a defender. You have 90 minutes to train players per session. Juggling should not be a part of that 90 minutes.

If players want to learn to juggle the ball then they should do it in their backyard on their own time. I want players that a tactically smart and that know where to be on the field when they do not have the ball and what to do with the ball when they have. Knowing that a player can juggle the ball 100 times doesn't accomplish that.

I view it as a parlor trick.

Well, there's some truth to keeping juggle time under control. But there is a place for it as active recovery between intervals and as part of a very good sport specific dynamic warm up prior to practice.

Plus, although there may not be much direct practical application in a match, kids like it. It has some application to 1v1. So, a limited amount in training seems OK. But, there are other things that are >= importance such as off ball awareness, speed endurance, etc.

[Cujo]

A parlor trick? Getting as many touches with as many surfaces of your body on the ball actually is something that juggling can help accomplish, and to many coaches it is an important part of training (whether on their own or during practice as a warm-up). There are some great jugglers who are not great players, but there are pretty much no great players that are not great jugglers.

Technical before tactical. If a kid can only juggle with their thigh you think that kid can receive a flighted ball to get to the step of a tactical decision? I'm not saying it is the most important part of training, but to say it's a parlor trick is nonsense IMO.

Please tell me what part of the game being able to juggle the ball 100 times occurs in. I'd rather see the player work on shooting technique, hips square knee over the ball. I see players every day that can juggle forever but can't put a ball on net to save their souls.

Rather than juggling 100 times a player's time would be better spent working on hitting balls waist and chest high down and into the far corner. THAT is how you score goals and NOT by juggling. This is just more evidence of the inanity in American Soccer.

I will grant you this. Here is something the player can do on their own that involves juggling. Play the ball high off a wall, juggle it in the air with the knee, down to the feet and then square the hips and get the knee over the ball and blast it back into the wall so the ball hits the wall where it meets the floor. If they can master that they will score goals on set plays from CK's and free kicks. THAT will help a player learn how to score. Not juggling 100 times.

Obviously technique has to come before tactical. Everybody with a G license knows that. Everything you do in a practice should replicate match conditions or match-like conditions. And juggling ain't a part of that. When you are a finished player tactically and technically then you can juggle to your hearts content.

[Cujo]

Well, there's some truth to keeping juggle time under control. But there is a place for it as active recovery between intervals and as part of a very good sport specific dynamic warm up prior to practice.

Plus, although there may not be much direct practical application in a match, kids like it. It has some application to 1v1. So, a limited amount in training seems OK. But, there are other things that are >= importance such as off ball awareness, speed endurance, etc.

For warm up I'd rather see the kids working on 1 v 1 moves, various Step overs, Nelsons, Coervers, pull backs, etc etc. Accomplishes same aerobic and warm or cool down needs and actually teaches them stuff they can use in a game. I can see maybe as a 2 minute cool down when all else is done in practice but I still don't see any correlation between juggling and being a good player. There is not a cause and effect relationship in my mind. It is like having a pitcher practice taking 100 pop flies instead of learning to use good mechanics and actually throwing to a catcher. It makes no sense.