The Game Within the Child

The use of video can be a powerful tool for both the coach and the player. As a coach, you can save yourself hours of time and energy with one good video segment. Let's say that you are trying to show a dribbling move to players and only one player can do it. When you stop the practice to have that player demonstrate, they almost always fail to do it well. If you catch them on video, you can use that to show that player to both himself and his teammates. Players love to see themselves on video and it can be a powerful motivator to the other players to push them to try and get it right.  An even more effective use of video occurs in game situations. I always counsel my coaches to focus on individual players during the game even if it is only for 2-3 minutes. That way he has something specific to say to each player as opposed to talking about things that only apply to some players on the team but not all the players. Video is a great way to show the player what s/he is doing and...

Among the most successful activities for U6 players is this game that requires the parents to chase their children as they try and score a goal as quickly as possible. "Don't Let the Bird Bite You in the Bootie" works on three key skills for U6 players: dribbling at game speed, vision and shooting. The setup is very simple. Line players up on a line about 15-25 yards from a small goal. Have their parents line up behind them and act like birds (trust me, they will do it). On your command "Don't let the bird bite you in the bootie" players dribble as fast as possible to a point where they can take a shot on goal. Their object is to get the ball into the goal before they get "bit." Obviously, this one works because you sell the kids on the risk of getting bit by a bird. In an earlier iteration, it was "don't let the bird bite you in the back." I observed several kids dribbling while putting their arms behind them to keep from getting b...

I have used red light, green light as a dribbling activity on occasion, but have never been happy with it except for use with U6 players. I felt it was too static and didn't have many elements of the game that would challenge the kids. I have modified it by adding a goal at the end so that the U6/8 players are encouraged to shoot from longer distances, hence the name Red Light, Green Light, Goal!!! It worked reasonably well, but was not nearly as fun or intense as " Don't Let the Bird Bite you in the Bootie " which is an absolute blast and works well for even large groups of players. Having said that, I was working with a large group last night where the coach introduced colors other than red and green. He used the colors to denote specific moves that the players would have to perform instead of dribbling in a straight line. So, for example, Orange was a step over and Blue was a scissors move. This modification made the game harder and tied in more closely to the ...

If you have ever taken a Meyers-Briggs personality assessment, the first segment is introvert or extrovert. I am clearly an introvert. When given a choice between talking to a person or group of people or reading a book, I would choose reading a book every time. If you see me in the classroom or on the pitch, I don't appear to be uncomfortable. In fact, I look like I am clearly enjoying myself. The reality is that I am enjoying the interactions with players and students and I have discovered over time that I am comfortable with virtually any type of group, regardless of age or experience. So how is that possible? as Jon Lovitz used to say "Acting!!!" (with a flourish). I have mastered a teacher/coach personality that is energetic, excited, jovial and possibly funny as well. I can slip into this personality and modify it to the level of the group quickly. When I am mentoring a coach, I like to demonstrate the activities and behaviors that I want to see the coach use. O...

When introducing players to passing, I have always avoided the pairs standing 5 yards apart kicking a ball back and forth. Instead, I want kids to focus on how the ball moves after you strike it. If a ball is rolling along the ground and didn’t have spin, then the kid could know that he or she had struck it pretty well. Most coaches focus on body shape, balance and leg swing, endlessly emphasizing the mistakes that players are making. While the information they are passing on is correct, it is at such a high volume that kids very quickly tune out the coach. Additionally, coaches often don’t take passing exercises past the fundamental phase or have the passing skill as a focus of the small-sided and expanded small sided activities. Even as players mature, they don’t think about what kind or quality of ball they want to give their teammates. They are more focused on giving the ball away than about the quality of the ball. I recently came up with an analogy that I used with my U1...