On Saturday, March 15th, (Note, this was from 2013 or 2014, not entirely sure) I attended a coaching clinic sponsored by the Bavarian Soccer Club, where I coach.
Since all of the teams I work with are in somewhat of an in-between stage in our year-round season - transitioning from our winter Futsal season into our outdoor spring season - it was nice to spend the early part of the weekend learning from various coaches and interacting with my colleagues.
Our day of coaching education began with a session by our director of coaching, Bob Spielmann. His session was on "Preparing Your Players for Training". He ran his U13 boys team through various team building, technical activities, and small sided games.
He started with a Rock-Paper-Scissors warm up activity where some of the players asked coaches in attendance, including myself, to participate. In this activity, groups of two or three players played Rock-Paper-Scissors around a ball - the winner of which was required to flick the ball to hit the others below the knee. The focus of this activity was to get the players physically and mentally ready for training.
Note: Despite being new to this game, I managed to beat all of my partners soundly. And yes, they were thirteen year-olds!
After a "rondo" activity where the boys played a game of one-touch possession in a tight space, Spielmann took us through a "Brazilian triangle" partner technical activity involving various types of passing and a 2v2 heading activity. He ended his session with a 3v2+1 small sided numbers up game to encourage attacking play and transition.
Our next presenter was Marquette University Men's Soccer coach Louis Bennett, who worked with a U10 boys team. His session was on "Changing the Point of Attack for Various Age Groups", and focused on technical and small-sided tactical development of youth players.
He started with a passing and moving activity, which gradually progressed from simple passes to more complex combinations. He emphasized certain "cues" and communication in the game, such as eye contact, body language, and direction of play.
From here, he moved on to a game to targets, in which the internal players were required to play to the target through gates at the end of the field. Finally, he ended with a game to small goals. His coaching points remained the same throughout the session - focusing on teaching players to read the game and improving what he termed "Soccer IQ".
Perhaps the highlight of the event were two sessions by former USMNT and Kansas City Wizards coach, Bob Gansler.
Gansler began the day with a classroom session, where he talked about trends in soccer, based on his experience.
This post is unfinished, but is also interesting to me, so I will publish it.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Movement...and Counter Movement
Wow, has it really been two years since I last did this?
Last post was published April 13, 2014. During that time, I really wanted to have "guest" coaches on this blog to provide something different from what I was able to do so at the time. I still want this to happen, and hopefully I can find some willing colleagues in my new environment in Des Moines, Iowa.
In the last two years, much has happened. I feel that I have developed so much as a coach, but have also stagnated for periods during this time. I am very optimistic about the changes that have happened for my family (and thus my career) in the past four months or so, and I am excited to continue my development as a soccer coach in the right direction.
I've been thinking about this for some time and watched a video tonight that compelled me to write this. At the highest levels of the game, not only do we see movement of individual players, but also counter movement. Additionally, we see movement as a result of individual movement.
I realize that I am using the word "movement" excessively, but bear with me. There are many layers to work with here.
First, movement into space by an individual player is often to receive the ball or present a passing option. However, a direct movement from point A to point B is easily read and often results in the nearest defender following that player to eliminate him (or her) as a passing option.
It is here where we see a separation from average and good players. An average player will simply run in a straight line toward where he wishes to receive the ball next. However, a good player will often utilize a "counter-movement" (such as checking away and then coming back, or checking to and running into space behind) to lose the defender and create space, no matter how little, to receive the ball with time to turn or take an additional touch if needed.
On top of that, a great player will read his teammate's movement, and quickly provide an additional supporting option for where the ball will be once passed to the initial player, often with a counter-movement of his own.
As the late, great Johan Cruyff said, "What is speed? The sports press often confuses speed with insight. See, if I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster."
The trick is how to teach players how to read and understand the game at that speed.
Last post was published April 13, 2014. During that time, I really wanted to have "guest" coaches on this blog to provide something different from what I was able to do so at the time. I still want this to happen, and hopefully I can find some willing colleagues in my new environment in Des Moines, Iowa.
In the last two years, much has happened. I feel that I have developed so much as a coach, but have also stagnated for periods during this time. I am very optimistic about the changes that have happened for my family (and thus my career) in the past four months or so, and I am excited to continue my development as a soccer coach in the right direction.
I've been thinking about this for some time and watched a video tonight that compelled me to write this. At the highest levels of the game, not only do we see movement of individual players, but also counter movement. Additionally, we see movement as a result of individual movement.
I realize that I am using the word "movement" excessively, but bear with me. There are many layers to work with here.
First, movement into space by an individual player is often to receive the ball or present a passing option. However, a direct movement from point A to point B is easily read and often results in the nearest defender following that player to eliminate him (or her) as a passing option.
It is here where we see a separation from average and good players. An average player will simply run in a straight line toward where he wishes to receive the ball next. However, a good player will often utilize a "counter-movement" (such as checking away and then coming back, or checking to and running into space behind) to lose the defender and create space, no matter how little, to receive the ball with time to turn or take an additional touch if needed.
On top of that, a great player will read his teammate's movement, and quickly provide an additional supporting option for where the ball will be once passed to the initial player, often with a counter-movement of his own.
As the late, great Johan Cruyff said, "What is speed? The sports press often confuses speed with insight. See, if I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster."
The trick is how to teach players how to read and understand the game at that speed.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Jess Taylor: A Lack of Female Coaches
This is the second part of what I hope to be a regular series on this blog. These articles will feature a guest writer, who will provide slightly different, or even alternate, perspective on soccer in America. Each writer will have at least one thing in common - a shared involvement in soccer at the grassroots and developmental level in this country.
I first met Jess Taylor in Milwaukee, WI after a futsal game I had just coached last winter during the 2012-13 season. She struck me as a very outspoken and confident person, who is not afraid to speak her mind in a male-dominated field. As it turns out, she and her family also live not too far from my family in the same community and she joined my club right around the time I met her. The following is an account of Jess' thoughts on a lack, or rarity, of female coaches in the women's game.
I first met Jess Taylor in Milwaukee, WI after a futsal game I had just coached last winter during the 2012-13 season. She struck me as a very outspoken and confident person, who is not afraid to speak her mind in a male-dominated field. As it turns out, she and her family also live not too far from my family in the same community and she joined my club right around the time I met her. The following is an account of Jess' thoughts on a lack, or rarity, of female coaches in the women's game.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Parent Coaches
The last couple of months, I have been thinking a lot about youth soccer coaches who also happen to coach their own children.
For the record, I have never coached one of my own children, as my only child is just shy of six months old. The closest I have come to being a parent coach is when I coached my younger brother, who is three years younger than me, from when he was sixteen until he was nineteen. This, by the way, was my first real coaching experience.
Among topics of nepotism and favoritism, I am really just curious about the thought process parent-coaches go through that results in a decision to coach their own child in addition to a dozen or so of his or her athletic peers. What is the driving reason that coerces people to undertake what could become a very controversial position within the athletic development of their own child?
In my experience, there are a couple of types of parent coaches that exist within youth soccer.
For the record, I have never coached one of my own children, as my only child is just shy of six months old. The closest I have come to being a parent coach is when I coached my younger brother, who is three years younger than me, from when he was sixteen until he was nineteen. This, by the way, was my first real coaching experience.
Among topics of nepotism and favoritism, I am really just curious about the thought process parent-coaches go through that results in a decision to coach their own child in addition to a dozen or so of his or her athletic peers. What is the driving reason that coerces people to undertake what could become a very controversial position within the athletic development of their own child?
In my experience, there are a couple of types of parent coaches that exist within youth soccer.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Gamesmanship vs Cheating
Last weekend, an incident occurred in the German Bundesliga in a bottom-half of the table battle between SV Werder Bremen and FC Nürnberg.
Werder Bremen player Aaron Hunt took a large touch past a Nürnberg defender inside of the penalty area and appeared to stumble before going to ground. The referee immediately stopped play and awarded a penalty kick to Bremen. However, Hunt approached the referee to say a few words and the referee reversed his decision.
Upon closer look at the replay, it looks as if Hunt almost trips or drags his right foot across the ground to simulate a foul just after he is past his defender - in other words, a dive. After the game, Hunt even admitted he had attempted to gain an advantage:
“It was clear to me that I made a mistake. That’s why I did not have to think much about it. We don't want to win like that, not even in a battle for relegation.”
In a sport in which winning at all costs seems to be the motto of the day, Hunt's fair play, as some are calling it, has been deemed "refreshingly honest".
Werder Bremen player Aaron Hunt took a large touch past a Nürnberg defender inside of the penalty area and appeared to stumble before going to ground. The referee immediately stopped play and awarded a penalty kick to Bremen. However, Hunt approached the referee to say a few words and the referee reversed his decision.
Upon closer look at the replay, it looks as if Hunt almost trips or drags his right foot across the ground to simulate a foul just after he is past his defender - in other words, a dive. After the game, Hunt even admitted he had attempted to gain an advantage:
“It was clear to me that I made a mistake. That’s why I did not have to think much about it. We don't want to win like that, not even in a battle for relegation.”
In a sport in which winning at all costs seems to be the motto of the day, Hunt's fair play, as some are calling it, has been deemed "refreshingly honest".
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Jose Reyes: Soccer is more than just a game...
This is the first part of what I hope to be a frequently occurring component to this blog. These articles will feature different guest writers, who will provide slightly different, or even alternate, perspectives on soccer in America. Each writer will have at least one thing in common - a shared involvement in soccer at the grassroots and developmental level in this country.
I first met Jose Reyes in Carson, CA at the USSF C License course in July 2012. Quiet and unassuming at first, he quickly came out of his shell and proved to be very knowledgeable and collaborative with myself and our other classmates. I got to know him very well in the week and a half that the course lasted, and am happy to continue to have him as a colleague who I can bounce ideas off of and share resources. The following is Jose's response to my request that he contribute to this blog.
I first met Jose Reyes in Carson, CA at the USSF C License course in July 2012. Quiet and unassuming at first, he quickly came out of his shell and proved to be very knowledgeable and collaborative with myself and our other classmates. I got to know him very well in the week and a half that the course lasted, and am happy to continue to have him as a colleague who I can bounce ideas off of and share resources. The following is Jose's response to my request that he contribute to this blog.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Things to come...
It's been a while since I have actually posted anything on this blog. I do have a couple of things I am working on in my spare time that I hope to have out within the next couple of weeks (I know that I keep saying that but this time I mean it!).
However, I do have some exciting news:
However, I do have some exciting news:
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