Coaches, PLEASE share this article with the parents of the players within your respective team/s. Coach Tim Bradbury, the Director of Coaching Instruction at Eastern New York Youth Soccer, a state association and affiliate of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer spoke recently about some common dilemmas we face in our everyday interactions with parents within our part of the youth soccer scene. The ever-continuing coaching education we receive through our club, state association, NSCAA, US Soccer, and US Youth Soccer stress the absolute need for us to design playing environments to teach developmentally appropriate topics, which consider the cognitive, physical, and psycho-social level of each player. Topics such as “improving flank play and creating finishing opportunities through the use of wide areas of the field” or “teaching the roles of the first, second, and third defender” for instance would not be realistic in terms of the learning expectations for u-8 players just as trigonometry, calculus, or a literary analysis, criticism, and interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet would not be in line with the skill set of a second grade class. We may be challenged with the ideas that “the other team’s coach tells them during the game what to do and where to go on defense and they stop us from scoring” or “the other team’s coach tells them to kick it into the goal area and they get goals that way; so why don’t you do that coach?” Coach Bradbury mentions a common criticism of coaches that focus upon teaching proper technique to promote the development of ball skills that “our team’s players aren’t as physically fit as the other team so the team should running laps at practice to build endurance.” He refers to the sports science fact that lung capacity and therefore stamina of a 10 year-old cannot be improved by any type of training, period. Recently modified instruction at the National E and D License Courses focus upon the significance of periodization that balances training, match play, and rest. We must consider these ideas when challenged why we don’t enter more one day tournaments that would require players to play multiple matches over the course of an 8 hour day or weekend for that matter. Coach Bradbury highlights the most salient point of his article Who is Driving the Bus? which involves player development vs. winning (whacking it forward). His sample conversation is one that unfortunately takes place far too often within the American youth soccer community. Coach ...although we did not get the win today we managed to string 8 or 9 passes in a row together and completed several two player combinations. Our 1v1 take on ability was great and bright things lay ahead. Parent 1... Im not interested in this pretty soccer nonsense. We just need to win. If we play Alex up top and whack it forward we will get the wins we need. Coach.. If we play that directly and never try to possess, our players will never master the skills of the game. Development must come before win at all costs. Parent chorus... If we dont win you’re gone or we all leave. Please adhere to our club-wide coaching practice. Training sessions must involve small-sided games free of mechanical drills where players stand in line and wait for their turn to engage for a few moments in a coach-directed action before getting back in line. Please keep in mind that the same topics (passing, combining, finishing, etc.) are taught much more effectively within the game environment where players will be pressured and must become accustomed to making their own decisions to solve soccer problems within realistic match-like surroundings! Thank you, Lou Mignone Louis Mignone Director of Coaching and Player Development West Orange United FC [email protected] enysoccer/who_is_driving_the_bus/?idevd=490E649829CB11E2974975496188709B&idevm=f13712140f8f47d8bce805f6e5b2be7e&idevmid=448088
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:35:43 +0000
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