http://thestrikerschool.com/

I received this letter from one of my coaching colleagues, Ashley in New Jersey, and thought it was  thought-provoking!

While watching the Sky Blue team play the LA Sol this weekend an internal fight between me and my coaches reared its ugly head as I found myself arguing the “touch” versus “keep away” argument as we were watching both teams warm up! 

“Small sided keep away and the value in training and pre-game.”

If we can agree that the players with the best touch tend to win more than they lose then all of the rest of this is relevant. (I understand that players also need speed and toughness) if not then don’t read any further.

If we listed in rank order every player in the world starting with the player with the best touch going to the worst we would all fit somewhere on that continuum. I estimate that I am around the 100 million mark world-wide beating out my mother and sisters for sure but past that I am not sure anymore. 

We can also make that same ranking within ANY team that we see after a very short observation. We can easily see the player with the best touch and the player with the worst touch. Most of us simply say she is better or worse, we rarely say better touch or worse touch we simply grimace when the poor players lose the ball. Most good coaches measure speed endurance passing ability etc… when we see issues we prescribe... more gym work, more sprinting etc… when it comes to touch however we rarely “prescribe” the right medicine for the most afflicted!

Instead we play small sided keep away games add-infinitum!

Approximately 10 years ago the coming of the small “keep away game” descended upon us. It hit me squarely between the eyes as some of my players at MKA High school declared “enough” with the technical work we want to do what the “pros” do”  Which it turns out is lots of small keep away games in small areas for long periods of time. I faced a rebellion where my intense individual ball skills sessions were no longer “vogue” Certainly for the “better” players it was much more fun to play keep away as they were always winning! My lesser players however saw significantly fewer touches of the ball (even though the small area and fewer numbers were designed to increase touches!) they did however become very good at chasing but technically they started to decline.

To feed the “needs” of the better players I started to break my session down even further. Instead of one lesson plan I had three or four and ran them simultaneously to ensure that every player was getting what THEY needed. This “lack of control” of a training session is very hard for some coaches and with one coach can be a stretch but with many coaches multiple sessions within a session are ideal and much more productive. Even with one coach it is still better, it is simply requires more organization, energy and a booming voice.

Throughout this time I have fought with many coaches within my own organization about the need for this activity (small sided keep away) and its value. I do think it serves a purpose but if we go back to the fundamental issues that all teams (at ALL levels) face then it is not clear cut that this type of activity serves the purpose that many think it does. Today we are in danger of falling foul of the oft told biblical story of the King without his clothes on, because everyone says it is a beautiful gown (great activity) we tend to copy and say same. I am the little boy that sees the naked King and in this case the failings of the small sided keep away game so lauded buy the powers that be!

Because someone in a high place “plays” small sided games and says small sided keep away is great we all agree and follow thoughtlessly.

Before making a new prescription however let’s look at the good and bad with a small sided keep away game in practice and before a game.

In all sessions players with good touch gravitate towards the ball and are very happy to get involved as they have no fear of receiving the ball… why? Because they also have no fear of being able to deal with it. The exception to this is the “brainless player who has no idea that they are not very good with the ball and care less what everyone else thinks! All other players are what we refer to as “peripheral” they work their way out of the middle and try NOT to touch the ball for fear of making a mistake. In England this commonly referred to (you know this term well) as HIDING. The problem is that we can remonstrate with the player that is hiding all we like but their touch precludes them from full involvement.

Yesterday’s game was such a stark demonstration of the differences between a player with exceptional touch “Marta” and a player with “awful” touch and the worst on the field, (a striker that shall remain nameless). Every other player on the field fell somewhere between those two players on the continuum. Today at practice “Marta” will continue to dominate any small sided game if she chooses to do so as she is already with great touch therefore she will get the required number of touches to “top up” her skill. It was not however the game of small sided keep away that gave her a great touch. I would argue that touching the ball more than anyone in her childhood combined with natural flair, passion and aggression sees her able to deal with most any situation. If all else is equal meaning that all players bring passion and flair then surely “she who has the best touch will ultimately win”

I would guess in Sky Blues case that “striker” has no ego issues and cares less what people think yet she clearly has no touch. Therefore the question of how this type of training serves her best must be examined.

Small sided keep away is by definition a game to be played by players with superior touch and passing ability. All other players will see the game breakdown on their possession or they will spend MUCH more time chasing. These players who “break up the game or spend much more time chasing are clearly not being served by this game therefore as they clearly need to be in a different place working on touch with many more touches of a ball than a game of keep away offers… in order to become good enough to avoid chasing or having the game break down on them.

This does not mean that the player does not belong and that they cannot play for the team as they may bring other assets such as speed and toughness or passion, without touch however we must rely solely on this and a half decent defender with some speed will easily corral the touch-less attacker because of predictability.  

What is the solution… one training session clearly does not fit all. The time for the team to come together is when the “tactical” element or game plan for the weekend is put together and shared. Other time on the practice field should be considered almost on a case by case basis or small group by small group basis.  This is particularly important for girls and women who deal with success and failure much differently than men, who tend to be able to shrug off failure and always think that they succeed anyway!

A tough question that also needs to be answered is whether or not it is too late for a player to undo the damage caused by neglect of technical ability and reliance on speed?

“ Stop whining, the answer is always in the dirt”  (Ben Hogan in response to Nick Faldo whining about his swing) ALL athletes that train more with the “right” type of training will always get better as they have already overcome the major obstacles of “getting there” the question is always, does the coach know how to write the appropriate prescription for EVERYONE on the team not just those that long to play small sided keep away games.  

In our company we have our 70 coaches broken into three training groups 1, 2, 3. The new coaches almost always start in group 1 but get moved quickly if they prove otherwise. Based loosely on Anson’s doctrine this promotion and relegation issue does motivate and clearly works for my coaches. In pre-game warm ups we now see a relatively new approach with the “starting 11” training alone and the subs warming up in a different place. I don’t have a problem with this but once again at all levels pre-game should in theory be a “free training session” therefore a player must prepare for the game but each player should also have a personal prescription such as a number of touches or shots. The strikers do go off and take shots but the shots are all the same. The player hits the ball to the coach on top of the box who lays it off left and right and the player runs in un-opposed and hits the GK squarely in the chest!!! This scene is played out over thousands of fields in the US every weekend and baffles me as to its value or productiveness.

Suffice it to say that my teams do not do this as for the past 22 years I have seen 5 opportunities to execute the one on one with the GK from 18 yards unopposed with as much time as needed. Bottom line is that it does not replicate the real game. The real game is what we saw yesterday, half chances, headers, angled shots, shots under pressure, three players tackling as you slide in and the list goes on…

It is tough to replicate this as you don’t want injuries in the pre game but we also don’t need to spend 20 minutes stinging our goal keeper’s hands.  

So what is the solution? Each player needs along with their fitness evaluation a “touch” evaluation and for strikers a “shot” evaluation. From this a very particular individual or small group session must be added to every practice session AND PRE-GAME warm up with extra work taken for players with the worst touch and poor finishing. We all hear the stories of how great players like Beckham stay behind after practice and take 20 more free kicks. This true and it is why he is able to deliver more often than not on the big stage.

I think the message is clear we will always be better at what we train at as long as it is the right prescription!I will continue my fight with my coaches as I question EVERY activity to see if it truly serves the purpose that it was meant to serve and if not I will rethink it!

Ash 

 http://thestrikerschool.com/

This article will focus on my 10 day visit to Sporting Lisbon’s new “Academia” in February 2003 with two of my colleagues and friends, Håkan Jansson and Anton Publik as the guest of Mr. Laszlo Bölöni, head coach of SCP to observe his soccer training. 

Håkan Jansson is an old friend and my former co-coach at Tyresö FF in Stockholm, Sweden and has developed many youth players for Sweden’s AllSvenska (Elite League).  He is currently working with 2001 Swedish champions Hammarby FF and as an instructor for the Swedish Trainer’s Association.  He and Anton authored the Scandinavian best seller, “Techniques for Developing High Speed in Soccer”.  I had the pleasure to work with them in translating this outstanding book into English. 

Anton Public is famous figure in both Hungary and Romania where he played for both the Romania national team and for the Bucharest team for many years.  He is a well renowned sports writer in both countries and is currently living in Sweden training elite players.  Anton has a unique ability to spot and train technique with elite athletes.  His ideas are very insightful.  Anton’s relationship with the SCP coach, Laszlo Bölöni afforded us this unique opportunity. 

Sporting Lisbon is coached by Laszlo Bölöni who played professionally for Steaua Bucharest, clubs in Belgium and for A.S. Nancy in France.  During this period he played 108 times for the Romanian national team.  While playing he attended the prestigious French Football Federation coaching schools, obtaining his youth diplomas and his professional license involving studies with Ajax of Holland and Juventus of Serie ‘A’.   After retiring as a player Laszlo coached A.S. Nancy, gaining promotion from the Second Division to the First Division.  He left France to become the national team coach for Romania for one and one half years before accepting an offer to train SCP, recognized as one of Europe’s biggest Clubs. 

The SCP Academia: Sporting Lisbon has built a 13 million dollar soccer facility (The Academia) that houses soccer training for all their teams from U13 to the professional side.  Opening in June of 2002, it is one of the finest faculties in Europe.  There are five lighted fields exclusively for training, one artificial grass field and one small stadium with seats for 1000.  The ‘B’ team and youth teams for league games use this facility.  There is a 65 X 45 yard roofed artificial field for training in special conditions.  All the modern training necessities, i.e. free kick walls, portable goals (both regular and special size), pendulum balls etc. is provided for the coaching staff and set up by the managers 

The Academia has a hotel with 46 rooms, half on the youth side for players’ aged 14 and above who might live there and half for the professional players who use them between their frequent two-a-day training sessions.  Player’s lounges, dinning rooms, and club official’s offices are housed here.  The youth facilities are separate for the profession ones and include state of the art weight rooms and special rehab rooms.  The locker rooms are kept separately and the large staff cares for all the equipment each day. 

Youth Training: The emphasis in the youth program is several-fold; the identification and recruiting of players and development both athletically and academically once they are in the SCP program.  Sporting has teams from 13 years of age until 18 under the heading of Infantile and Juniors.  Once a boy reaches the age of 18, he is promoted to the ‘B’ team, loaned out to another club to develop or is released.  Following the French model, academic opportunities are provided at a nearby school if the player lives at the Academia.  Players under the age of 13 are brought into the SCP program but do not train at the Academia but at various locations surrounding Lisbon.  Occasionally they will come to the training center in order to see what lies ahead of them if they continue to develop. 

Jean Paul oversees the youth soccer training set up.  Under him each team is assigned two coaches, many of them former SCP players. Working as trainers (although with the professionals) are players such as Hilario who played as left back in Portugal’s semi-final appearance in the 1966 World cup and Jordanov, center-back in Bulgaria’ semi-final spot in World Cup 1994.  All the trainers could play and demonstrate at a high level. 

The emphasis on youth training is changing since Laszlo Bölöni arrived in 2001.  The emphasis is now on the smallest of details within the individual player’s techniques.  The players work on one certain technique for long periods of time.  Lots of coordination training takes place first without the ball.  All the players received large doses of balance activities beginning with the proper running styles yet in a relaxed manner. In the U.S. we tend to concentrate on explosive type activities but that comes later in the learning process for the SCP players. The French are very good at taking small portions of the game and then breaking them down into the precise movements needed to improve techniques.  This training begins at age 6 while the player is still flexible in his learning process. These are very simple but important exercises.  Even the stretching at the beginning of training and after activities is very soccer related in terms of moment.

 As the player’s technique and ages grow so does the focus on the understanding of the simple procedures that are necessary to play soccer.  The focus now shifts on understanding the player’s roles during 1 v 1, 2 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 2 and 3 v 3 play.  Again it sounds simple, but these points are central to the player’s success through his career.  The training was highly organized, realistic and is dependant on the coach’s knowledge and ability to instantly see and correct the smallest detail or fault.  Each player was involved in each part of the session and was constantly moving.  Juggling activities while moving were included and once again the emphasis was on balance and coordination.  Even throw-in techniques were incorporated in to the training. 

The youth program is paying dividends as several of the youth players have been or will be sold to other teams.  Hugo was just sold to Newcastle of the English Premier League at a cost of 13 million dollars.  Two other players, Quaresma and Christiano Ronaldo aged 18 and 19, will possibly be sold to top clubs for 10-20 million dollars.  This is a two-edged sword as the money is necessary to finance the new Academia and the new stadium that is being built in time for Euro 2004, yet it is hard to compete with Portugal’s best when you are always selling your top young players. *2004 - Quaresma is now playing for Barcelona and Ronaldo is playing at Manchester United.  

The Professionals: Sporting Lisbon has a proud tradition as one of the top clubs in Europe.  Winner of the league and Portuguese Cup in 2001-2001, SCP was in third place as we visited.  The coaches and players are under tremendous pressure from the fans and players, as the media reports on their every move.  Last year two players, Jardel (Brazil) and João Pinto (Portuguese national team) scored 61 goals between them.  This year, both have missed games through injuries and suspensions.  It is important that SCP finish in the top two in order to automatically qualify for the Champions League.  Qualification brings in large amounts of money. 

The Sessions: Laszlo Bölöni is a very intelligent, reserved coach and man.  His training sessions are brilliant and always relate to small precise sections of the game.  All of his tactical trainings are done through the use of small-side games building up to large.  Teaching is simple to complex and everything on the weekly schedule is done to a tee.  Everything is timed and appropriate water breaks accounted for. 

Usually the attacking players had functional training while the rest of the team was working on tactical ideas.  Laszlo feels that they do not need to be involved in much of the work in the middle and defensive thirds of the field.  He does have some strong ideas about their participation in the attacking third however.  Of course the focus was on their tactical understanding in attacking schemes and options.  

All activities ended up going to goal and especially the fitness training.  I have never seen professionals work as hard as the SCP did during their explosive training sessions.   

The fitness staff was more than willing to share ideas with us.  All the players are tested and then put in four groups.  Training was on a two-week schedule with three precisely planned activities depending on the group you were in.  For example the older players did not do as much explosive work as the younger players, working instead on strength training.  Emphasis was on explosive training (Force Max) for the legs and arms, strength training for overall and explosive training for the legs only.  The last grouping worked outdoors.  Each activity during the plyometric sessions ends with a ball function activity derived from the game and always at top speed.  The players are tested every eight weeks and their individual program planned. 

The players are extremely technically and can play at high speed.  They however have a great ability to be relaxed on the ball under pressure.  Tactically they are not as sophisticated as their professional counterparts of other European nations.  Laszlo is bringing this dimension to the team. 

Paulinho:   There is a very special story at SCP.  In Lisbon there was a young boy who was hit by a car and lived for months in a coma.  During this time his family abandoned him and he was given very little chance to survive.  During his coma months the only thing that seemed to get any response from him was when the doctors would start talking about Sporting Lisbon.  When he eventually got better the doctors asked if he Sporting would take care of him.  He has been at the club for 20 years now helping to take care of the equipment.  He is loved by all the players and fans and is one of the most recognizable personalities on the team.  The times when he leads the team out, the biggest cheer is for Paulinho.  He never pays for anything when out in Lisbon, lives by himself and the players take turns inviting him to their houses for the holidays.  In 2000 FIFA recognized him with a special award at their world awards ceremonies.  It was truly heartwarming to see how the players played with Paulinho, now 34, and teased him but always looked out for him.   

The Games: Lisbon has three Division One teams and we saw them all.  We had the privilege of meeting and dinning with my old fiend and current Portuguese national team goalkeeping coach Dan Gaspar.  Dan is one of the top goalkeeper trainers in the world and has been the coach for many professional goalkeepers and teams including Sporting Lisbon, Grampus Eight (Japan), the Metro Stars (MLS) and the Connecticut Wolves of the ‘A’ League. Over the years Dan and I have had many long discussions on developing youth players.  I value his principles and innovative ideas.  Dan was just returning from the Portugal – Italy national team match, which they lost.  Together we traveled to watch Belenenses defeat Varzim 4-1 in the afternoon.  Afterwards Dan presented me with his Portuguese national team shirt, which I will always treasure! *Note – Dan is now the assistant coach at Benfica. 

That night we were Laszlo Bölöni’s guests at the Sporting – Braga game at the Estádio José Alvaladehe t (30,000).  We walked out the same tunnel the teams came out just prior to kickoff and were treated to a superb 2-0 win.  Afterwards we sat with Laszlo in his stadium office, went back to his home and then out to dinner to his favorite restaurant.  It was a priceless opportunity to pick one of the great coach’s brains. 

Midweek the Columbus Crew of the MLS played a game at the Academia versus the ‘B’ team.  The Crew was just starting preseason-training camp and despite the 2-1 loss looked very promising.  The next day we visited with the Crew coaches at the Rio Maior training facility.  That night we were USISL (‘A’ League and PDL) president Francisco Marcos’ guest at his beautiful coastal home and at his favorite restaurant.  Obviously the discussions were about cooperation’s between MLS and youth clubs and their Portuguese counterparts. 

The last day of our stay we spent at the Academia watching the ‘A’ team train.  It was hard to say goodbye to all the friends we had made on the staff.  Laszlo presented each of us with a Sporting Lisbon game jersey with our name printed on the back.  It is a memento that will be framed and hanging in my den along with other priceless soccer treasures from my travels. That night we watched Benfica destroy Vitória 6-2.  This game was full of all the flag waving and flares that one sees on television with European games. 

Summary: Over the course of my professional playing and coaching career I have been to many top quality facilities and clubs.  None can hold a candle to the Academia of Sporting Lisbon.  I went hoping to seek more knowledge in the development of soccer training for youth players.  I came back renewed with many great ideas and, more importantly, with many new colleagues and friends 

A coach can be described as an expert who has spent a lifetime acquiring and perfecting knowledge in a particular area in your case soccer training.  He is a friend who sometimes reminds you of what you already know and just fine-tunes it.  He/She also teaches you new things to expand your horizons.  As he can have a tremendous impact on your athletic career, it’s important the two of you get along.  Here are a few hints to help you gain his respect and make him work for you. 

·         Above all, remember that you are the student.  Seek to gain as much knowledge from the coach as he can give you.

·         Listen carefully.  Hear in depth what the coach is actually saying.  Don’t assume things.  A successful person is usually a good listener.

·         Visually and verbally demonstrate to the coach that you are interested in learning and improving.  Don’t be a know-it-all.

·         Follow the coach’s dress code on and off the field.  It’s OK to assert your individuality, but don’t show a lack of respect for the coach’s authority.

·         Learn not to “take things personal “.  Good coaches separate your performance on the field from you as the worthwhile individual.  When they criticize your play, remember they are talking about you as the player not you as the human being.

·         Practice self-discipline.  This allows the coach to become a better teacher for you.   And that is what he wants to be.

·         Come to soccer training early and be prepared.  If you really want to be the best, stay late.

·         Hear the coach’s instructions during games.  He is the one who spent practice time with you formulating the game plan.  Learn to tune out the outside influences, i.e., fans, friends and parents.  They all love you, but tend to deal strictly on emotion.

·         Coaches usually ask you to do things that are best for your development. If you don’t agree, show them common courtesy by speaking to them directly.  They will respond positively and have a higher regard for your position.  Don’t ever challenge their authority in front of the group.  Team matters also stay within the team.

·         Learning to calmly and naturally handle a dispute is one mark of a good leader.  This is a part of growing up.

·         Coaches are just like you.  They want to be liked.  They generally don’t do things to hurt people.  Remember they must decide: a) what is best for the team, b) what is best for the individual.  Your coach has a lot to do with your success, in the present and the future. Treat him exactly the way you would like to be treated.  He does have the ability and the contacts to “make or break you”.  Provide your coach with lots of positive reasons to help you.

  Above all…remember the golden rule…the man with the gold makes the rules!

One of the major differences the young player will find frustrating as they attempt to make the jump from high school to college and beyond is in the area of speed with the ball.  We have all seen the youth player who at 12 years old simply kicks the ball far down the field and simply outruns opponents to kick it in the goal.  That same player is frequently overlooked at the next level because suddenly everyone has caught up in terms of speed, strength, and power.Most players fail to get out of their comfort zone during soccer training sessions with the ball.  Therefore, few develop the ability to run with, dribble, and receive a ball at top speed. Most players need to slow or stop their runs in order to receive a ball that their foreign counterpart at the same age naturally takes at speed. Training in the following activities daily will improve this deficiency quickly.

Change of Direction and Acceleration

Activities:

1.   Fast footwork, should be trained in three ways A)          Within the comfort zone (slow and smooth).B)          Fast as can be done.  On the cutting edge of losing control!C)          With penetration.  This means pushing the ball 5-10 yards out and sprinting after it.  A good method of teaching penetration is to put the players in a series of five-yard grids.  On the command, they must execute the desired technique, push the ball out of their grid into another and sprint to regain possession, without contacting another player (also increases their awareness of space).    

2.   Speed Wheel with the ball:On the coaches’ command, the player begins dribbling the ball toward cones, stopping at the first cone, second cone, third cone, turning and repeating coming back.  The emphasis is not only on acceleration but also on deceleration.  The coach can give the player directions on how to navigate the course, emphasizing stopping, feinting and going to a side cone, acceleration, twisting, turning, and what techniques to use. 

Here the Three- point flexion is crucial.    

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3.   Technique on Demand:    

 Twenty yards in length between cones.  Player starts build-up run, attaining full speed by first cone.  Coach serves ball from the side into player’s path, player must control without losing speed, sprinting to designated cone.  Coach should give each player a few chances to perform new exercise within their comfort zone. 

Start service on ground, demanding player takes ball with left foot, right foot, etc. Build up to bouncing balls, air balls for thigh, foot, chest, and head.  Coach observes speed, technique, and the proper distance that the ball is played away from receiver on first touch.  It will be normal for players to lose control at beginning of activity.The coach is looking for quality, not quantity in this type of soccer training activity.  In order to maximize effectiveness; allow the proper work-to-rest ratio.

By arranging the activity with ten players in each line (two-three areas might be necessary), and allowing each player to walk slowly back to the end of the line after a full-out sprint with the ball, this should be accomplished.  Each player completes 10-12 repetitions.  Distance between cones should be varied weekly.                         

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                      Coach

SUMMARY:

Today I have added a few soccer links from well respected experts in their fields.  First is Coach Karl who has had a major impact on youth soccer not only in the US but in other countries.  His Soccer fundamental programs and books/DVDs are outstanding.  Next is College Advisor's, LLC headed by Charles Slany who is masterful in the art of preparing both your child and your financial services to enable your child to attend the college of their dreams.  I use both their services in order to further educate myself regularly. Please check them out on the Soccer Links page.

Well, once again the ugly side of parents getting involved in youth sports has reared its ugly head this time close to home on my own son's soccer team.  I do not coach them as they have an outstanding coach who also is a teacher by profession, a good role model and due to the fact that I just want to be a good dad and watch him have the opportunity to grow on his own.  In fact all I ever ask is that he plays hard and has fun.  I then add the subliminal message, that when I played, working hard was the fun.  I am also careful to ask him probing questions about his role in the game and how he thinks he played.  We see too many parents who instead of using the car ride home as a chance to bond and use it as an educational experience say thinks like, "The coach should not have played Jimmy in that position", "The goalkeeper cost us the game", "You only played 30 minutes and Sam played 35" , or my personal favorite "The coach cost us the game".   I recognize the my son's team is not the top in the area but they have improved by leaps and bounds and the players are becoming proficient in the age-group appropriate techniques I believe in for long term development.  So what is the problem?  Obviously the team is not winning enough!  So now emails have been flying around until I could not stand it anymore.

But there is an silver lining.  Since I was observing my 24-48 hour rule of not responding to things that upset me in regards to coaching, player/parental behavior, etc. I was rewarded with an excellent download from US Youth Soccer regarding their vision toward the development of soccer in this country.  Funny how things come out of nowhere when you need them most.  Please download this document and feel free to pass it along:

http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story.asp?story_id=3974

Anyway it was time to get involved and if you know me I did.  In the following you will read my response.  In the 26 minutes following my email I heard from over 95% of the team parents all saying thank you.  I have learned in coaching and business over the past thirty years that most people allow that 5% to upset the apple cart... not on my watch!   I have a saying on my office door...Illegitimus Non Corborundum...Don't Let The Bastards Wear You Down!  Live it!

 Parents:

I am going to stick my nose into this situation after watching the emails fly back and forth. I am not sure what happened at the end of the season with regards to the end of the season in-house tournament but in regard to things I have read I am disappointed with the lack of respect you are showing in to Coach ___ _____ and team Administrator ___ ___who both have done an outstanding job for your child.  I know in speaking with many of you, you have echoed my comments.  maybe a mistake was made in terms of the end of season shielding but so what?  The only people effected by this seem to be a few parents.  Personally my son doesn't care about such things and he is happy to get to play a few more games at the end of the season.  Maybe that's because his parents don't try to live out out sports fantasies through him.

 As a parent I am more than happy with what the club is doing to further educate my son.  He will stay wih this team as long as he is able to make the grade.  Coach ___ _____ spends more that the required time thinking and researching ways to become a better teacher and how to enhance the performance of your son.  Team administrator ____ _____ has volunteered when many of us have not and she has made it easy for me as a parent to enjoy his games without a word of thanks from most of us.

 As a person who is a professional soccer educator and makes my living from this sport I am completely satisfied with the progress this team has made this year.  The are learning age-group appropriate techniques and things they would not learn at other clubs.  But then I see the big picture, the road map in how you have to go A-B, B-C, etc. , until the player finally reaches Z in terms of physical, emotional, technical and tactical development.  I like the quotes from the college coaches but they have no meaning in terms of relevance in terms of relevance to this situation nor this team. These are not collegiate nor professional athletes.  I have trained many players who have gone on to win two FIFA World Championships, several Olympic Gold Medals, MLS and national club championships.  The criteria we have always had was how did I perform today, regardless of the result of the game over which they may not have control.  Their performance was measurement of themselves on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest.  If the team won but they measured their performance as a 5 they were not performing up to their own standards yet were happy for the team win.  Likewise when the team lost and they rated as a 8 they were happy with their own performance but nit with the team result.

I would like you to take the time to read an article I received from US Youth Soccer this morning, "Youth Soccer in America, How Do We Measure Success?"

http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story.asp?story_id=3974

I would also encourage you if you are unhappy to "man up" as Coach ____ ______ tells the boys when teaching them to take responsibility and talk to Coach ____ personally rather than hide behind letters.  Interesting in that one case one of the fathers writing letters has already arranged for a tryout with another team at season's end.  Remember that a have a good relationship with all the other club directors and have heard directly from him.  If you want to leave KSA fine but leave the rest of us alone!  Be careful in what you wish for because it just might come true!

Roby

This past weekend I had the pleasure of watching many youth games during a tournament my son was playing in.  It was extremely enjoyable and it gave me the opportunity to speak with many parents both from my son's team and from others.  Many times parents and their sons/daughters get frustrated when their team moves up from one level to a higher level and the result are not favorable.  As an example my son's team won just one game out of the three even though in two games they were obviously good enough to have won both.  Two of the teams they lost to have been together for a long time and play in the state's top level league.  Our team has never competed outside the local league even though they are in the top division.  I am okay with this as my son is receiving good coaching and competing at the proper level to help him obtain long term success.  I told many of parents that there is an old saying credited to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche that says "That which does not destroy us makes us stronger".  Many to prefer to talk about the coaches, opponents, teammates, etc and avoid the real issue that some struggles are good for kids and make them develop.  This why I advocate coaches using an empowerment approach to coaching centered on Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) concepts making them responsible for their own actions, accomplishments and failures.

I bring this up because last week one of my Cincinnati Kings (PDL) players, Branden Stelmak, invited me for lunch down near the University of Cincinnati campus where he plays for the Bearcats soccer team.  He is very frustrated because the Bearcats are having a season not up to par for their past accomplishments.  He is feeling the pressure and feels he needs to carry the team on his back.  Admirable traits but perhaps not realistic for the situation.  You see UC has only one senior and 14 freshman, many of whom are starting, competing in the powerhouse Big East.  Although all these players are very talented it is a big step up from playing high school and club soccer one month and then playing against players who are not only four years older but might have expectations to play in the MLS or even abroad the next. 

Branden and I have a good relationship if in nothing more that we both grew up in Cleveland, Ohio on the same street and share many of the same high school/club experiences.  He is a goalscorer and I always thought I was fairly useful around the goal and we both are hard workers.  Probably has something to do with the fact that our area was ethnic blue-collar and you are expected to do a day's work for a day's pay.  Branden is not one to shy out of putting his face in front of someone's boot if it means scoring a goal for the team to win. In fact the picture on the front page of the web site in the upper right hand corner is one of him (#15) scoring an important goal for the Kings in which he collided with the opponent's goalkeeper, sweeper and one of his teammates in a vicious collision leaving all four in heap and injured.  We literally had to carry him off the field yet there he was at training the next day ready to continue.  It was only after the season that he shared with me that he had a groin injury the entire season.

We talked about how he could best serve his team and coaching staff and reference was made to the above Nietzsche quote which he had never heard. We agreed he could adhere to it.  Having to struggle this year will make him a stronger player, a more competent competitor and a better person. That would be easy for him.  You see Branden is a survivor (well not technically for another year) of childhood Leukemia.  He contacted it when he was seven years old and battled the treatments for three years.  During that time he missed no school as his mother was determined that he would not miss being a normal child or use his illness as a crutch.  He was so weak from the treatments that he was not able to play soccer but he used it as a motivation to get his strength back.  When he had minimal strength but not enough to play in the field he became the goalkeeper so he could stay in the game he loved and be with his teammates.  You see Brandon is a living example of "That which does not destroy us makes us stronger"!  Think about him the next time your son/daughter says"It's too hard" or the "Coach is not fair" or blame someone else for the team's shortcomings!  I think "that which we make excuses for makes us weaker!"

The State of US Women's Soccer?I received this today from a friend on the east coast and thought it would generate some dialog.  This was written prior to the Olympic Final. It does seem that in this country the trend is to try and emulate other countries styles of play and youth development schemes.  That never works.  The best coaching seminar I ever attended was around 1989 when then US Soccer Director of Coaching, the late Walt Chyzowych brought to Colorado Springs the staff of the US Men's national volleyball team.  They were presently both Olympic and World Champions.  In the year prior to this group taking over the best we ever were ranked worldwide was 16th.  Basically they sat down and reinvented the way the game was played, taught and developed new measures that proved to take us to the top over a three year time frame.  Now countries were emulating us.  I remember the head coach saying that "as long as they are copying us, they will never beat us"!  Prolific!  What can we do to breath fresh air into our coaching methods and ideals?  The ball is in your court!  Enjoy! 

  *Written after the defeat at the hands of Norway in the Olympics by Ashley of Soccer Domain:  

A decade ahead of everyone, liberal attitudes, equality and title nine to protect it and help it, more women playing soccer than the entire population of some of the countries that now compete with the us and bright new shiny uniforms every year! But we are still left to ask the question where did it all go wrong?  

 In 1882 the English Cricket “lords” took the wickets (stumps) and bails from the field of play at the end of the test match between England and Australia and burned them placing the “Ashes” in a small urn proclaiming to the world that this was the day that English cricket died. Feel free to Google “Ashes” for the full version of this dreadful day in English sporting history but remember this; one hundred years from now a young lady in California will be “googling” “the death of women’s soccer in the US”  and the answer will clearly be 8/6/08.  

Although the US women lost only one game to Norway August 6^th 2008 I do hope that the powers that be, in charge of the mighty USSF (United States Soccer Federation) take a bright shiny ball and a pair of size 7 brand new Nike cleats and burn them, then they should place the Ashes in a nice new shiny Adidas bag and bury it deep beneath the great wall of China with each member of the “committee” proclaiming at the top of their lungs (hopefully not at the expense of waking the local panda population) that  “this is the day that women’s soccer died in the US”    

Victories against New Zealand and Japan will allow for a shaky public to regain some hope and some pride but when we run into the mighty Germany or Brazil we will once again see the depth to which women’s soccer has sunk.   As a “professional trainer” of 20 years in the US I feel terribly guilty as I am clearly a contributor to the current problem. I do however at least acknowledge this unlike the leaders that I so willingly follow as I annually send my players to the vaunted State Cup and ODP program!   

Yes EVERYONE is to blame not just me! The players, parents, coaches, clubs, states and YES the FEDERATION!!!! In the movie Star Wars the “Federation” was a dark powerful operation that was in no way democratic and if you spoke out of line you were summarily executed… sounds a lot like Zimbabwe and many other African and middle eastern countries today but it also sounds a lot like today’s United States Soccer Federation and if not them then it certainly sounds like the New Jeersey State Youth Soccer office!  In truth the NJSYA office is bright airy and sometimes people actually smile but the fact that Pteranadons can be seen roosting in the gables outside should be a clear indication of how far we have come in the last 20 years while every other country has leapt through a time portal and caught up nay passed the US!!Some more hope comes if you talk with the “leader” of Region 1, he has vision, business acumen and a plan. This is all well and good but he works with three other Regions that are clearly on different planets to his both financially and otherwise.  

Joking aside we do face some serious issues and they will need to be addressed from the top down if we are ever to return to the glory days of Mia and Brandy.  

1.       The ODP system (our primary talent recognition program)  is corrupt and broken. Nobody at the top will admit this and until they do we will not see change

2.       High school soccer is awful and players MUST play club ball as their primary soccer experience

3.       Professionalism at the youth level has created a “must” win attitude and serves greatly to STOP coaches coaching what is right rather what wins

4.       Referees in the US continue to make up their own rules contrary to the “way” that the game is refereed and subsequently played in other countries

5.       College coaches are GUILTY of the same crime as professional youth coaches… winning gets you promoted, losing gets you fired, therefore winning regardless of quality is the goal

6.       Size strength and speed is coveted and skill (unless combined with the afore mentioned) is discarded oh I am sorry how did our big fast strong girls do versus the tiny skillful Brazilians in the last world cup?

7.       Coach training is available but when was the last time that anyone from the Federation actually did an evaluation of its coaches other than their win loss record and more importantly when was the last time that anyone from the federation evaluated a sampling of “training sessions” from U8 to the college level?     

The real solution? EVERYONE  must buy the skills training philosophy… she who has the best touch invariably wins at the highest level!  

How does this happen.. firstly we must look at “how players learn” not how we teach!!! Those two issues are not always congruent yet most coaches teach how they were taught, regardless of how his or her players are going to learn! In my vocabulary we call this ramming it down someone’s throat or more appropriately “banging our heads against a wall”  We must look at our coach training! In the USSF  “F” license where we train the most tender and important coaches (the new ones) we teach 3 hours of how to avoid litigation in our training programs and 2 hours on how to listen to the coach talk.. which we refer to as a “Disney” practice. Coaches that talk too much should be thanked by any parent that takes a kid to Disney. Standing around on a line waiting for a turn or listening to a coach is common in soccer practice, it is also common in other places in the US including, football, soccer and baseball practices, getting medical attention and DISNEY!!! The Clintons would have fixed the second one but they ran out of time, Walt would turn over in his grave if he only knew about the third one and nobody in the “Federation, NFL or MLB” has a clue that the last one is even a problem or that it exists!  

We will probably win the Olympics this year now that I am writing this! but the underlying issues remain very obvious to anyone that knows soccer.  A lack of emphasis on skills training has produced a national program with players who lack skills. The basic control radius of the Brazilian players is far tighter than that of the US women and will remain that way so long as the standard Disney practice is in play at the youth level. The amount of games that we play versus training remains disproportionately high and the emphasis on winning early remains disproportionately important. The trickle-down theory DOES NOT WORK ask our favorite republican government. It requires real investment at the youth coach and player level and more importantly the ability of those in the trenches (us) to not fear putting their heads above the proverbial parapet and live in fear of having their head shot off or stuck with a bayonet.  

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori  

*As a post script the US women as predicted obviously did go on and win the Olympics playing some decent football in the final… the differential in skill however continues to widen although it was good to see the “guts” and “spirit” shown by the girls…  If you listen to post game interviews given by Arsene Wenger he ALWAYS talks about the technique, skill and the mentality of his players. The coaches who play against him always talk about “guts”, “spirit” and the need to work harder on the practice field and what a great bunch of lads they are… did anyone hear the post game interviews of the US players and coaches?  How about working harder on the practice field at being more skillful? Otherwise like our first world war compatriots the term “over the top” will continue to be heard on and off the battlefield…  

How Coaches Expectations Effect Player Performance

http://thestrikerschool.com/

Submitted by Steven Richards, Melbourne, Floirda

Whether you know it or not, the expectations you form as a coach about players on your team affects not only your own behavior toward them but also the feelings and performance of those players. Having such an influence on your players' athletic experience and development is a huge responsibility and a process every coach should understand.

Here's how the process works.

STEP 1: COACHES FORM EXPECTATIONS OF PLAYERS
all coaches form expectations of players on their team. For example, often coaches have higher expectations for players that they feel are more athletic. When sources of information allow accurate evaluation of athletic potential and ability, there is no problem. However, inaccurate expectations (either too high or too low) especially when the expectations are too rigid and inflexible, often lead to unsuitable behaviors by the coach. This leads us to the second step -- coaches' expectations influence their behaviors.

STEP 2: COACHES' EXPECTATIONS INFLUENCE THEIR COACHING BEHAVIORS
Most coaches behave differently if they have high or low expectations of a specific player and these behaviors normally fit into one of three categories:
1) Quality and amount of interactions with an athlete. Coaches spend more time talking and working with "high-expectation" players because they expect more of them. Coaches show more caring and positive emotions toward high-expectation athletes.
2) Quality and amount of instruction toward an athlete. Coaches lower their expectations of what skills a "low-expectation" athlete can learn/execute and thus establish a lower standard of performance. Coaches provide a "low-expectation" athlete correspondingly less time in practice drills. Coaches are less patient in teaching challenging skills to low-expectation players.
3) Type and amount of feedback toward an athlete. Coaches give high-expectation athletes more instructional and informational feedback. Coaches provide more positive reinforcement and praise for high-expectation athletes after a successful performance.

STEP 3: COACHES' BEHAVIORS AFFECT ATHLETES' PERFORMANCES
it is easy to see why athletes who consistently receive more positive and instructional feedback from a coach will show more effort, improvement, and enjoyment in soccer. As a coach, it is also easy to take credit for how your positive coaching behaviors directed toward high-expectation players positively affect performance. However, it is more difficult to see how coaching behaviors directed toward low-expectation players might be negatively affecting performance. Read the following and see if you can think of times when your expectations/behaviors as a coach might have unknowingly affected a player's performance in a negative way:
* Low-expectation players often receive less playing time and less effective reinforcement and as a result have poorer performances.
* Low-expectation athletes attribute their failures to a lack of ability reinforcing the notion that they aren't good and may never have future success.
* Low-expectation players demonstrate lower levels of self-confidence and perceived ability.

STEP 4: ATHLETE'S PERFORMANCES CONFIRM THE COACHES' EXPECTATIONS
Often an athlete's performance adds confirmation to a coach's initial evaluation of the athlete's ability and potential. However, few coaches are actually aware that their own expectations and behaviors helped produce this self-fulfilling performance result in their athletes. Thus, it is absolutely critical that all coaches understand the cyclical relationship between their expectations and players' performance - players' athletic development and enjoyment are dependent on this knowledge.

The question is. Does this just happen in the States or World Wide.