Welcome to Soccer!!!
So you have decided to enroll your child in our soccer program.
If you have no experience with soccer, then this article is for you.
First, I wanted to talk to you about the nature of the game. Unlike baseball or football or organized basketball, the game does not have any plays. As a result, the role of the coach during practices and games is different. Instead of the coach controlling the action and the players working hard to run the play the exact same way every time, players get control of the game. If you can imagine, every time the player gets the ball, the situation is different and the player has to come up with a way to solve the problem. The solution to every problem requires ball skills like dribbling, controlling the ball and shielding/turning with the ball.
As a result, our practices should include lots of time on the ball. The exercises that the players do should require them to make decisions and use their skills to carry out their decisions. They should also focus on PLAY. A good practice should have a lot of scrimmage time where the kids get to play. As a result, practices will not look a lot like a baseball practice and it may seem that not a lot is going on, but believe me, the more a player plays, the more experience s/he will get and eventually that will lead to better play on the field.
Unfortunately, it takes a long time and a lot of high-quality practice to get there. There are a few things you can do to help your child.
Games are a little different as well. Once again, because the game is player-centered, the role of the coach is different. Each coach should treat the game like a teacher treats a test. S/He should be observing the play and noting what the players are doing. They should be noticing the progress of the players as they try to incorporate skills that they worked on in practice. They need to manage substitutions and provide feedback for the players who are on the sideline. They should also be enjoying the game regardless of the performance of their players.
That is the ideal. The reality is that they will often be modeling the same kinds of behaviors we see in other sports where they get tied up in the action and focus on the results of the game and the decisions of the players on the field. I understand that impulse and I have fallen into it while coaching repeatedly. However, as we make the game more child-friendly and developmentally appropriate, we do see less of that behavior from our coaches.
We expect the same thing from you. It is great to cheer for your child and your team (and the other team if you choose). The kids want your approval and encouragement. Like you, they know they aren't perfect, but they want you to understand that they are trying as hard as they can. That effort should be encouraged. So during the game, refrain from giving your child (or others) specific tactical instructions like: "turn around", "kick it away", "get rid of it", "shoot", "pass it to ...". This advice distracts the player and actually slows them down if they hear it. There are a lot of stimuli in a game: the ball, the teammates, the opponents, the referee, the field and the weather. If a child has to also process the advice you are giving them, it adds one more piece of information and can overwhelm. As a result, players will often resort to the lowest common denominator which is to kick the ball away and relieve themselves of the pressure to decide what to do and give it to someone else.
The principle is "Cheer, Don't Steer" and I hope you can live up to that standard. I also hope that you can hold up your peers (fellow parents, coaches) to the same standard. Establishing "Cheer, Don't Steer" as a cultural norm is easier when everybody know the value of it and is willing to abide by it no matter what happens on the field. Your participation is greatly appreciated.
As you can see, we use our understanding of the nature of the game to help determine everything we do in our program. We want to create a child-friendly environment that is focused on the growth of the player both in skills and in life. In order to achieve this environment, we:
You will learn more about the game, but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read this little primer. More will come later when we do the Soccer 101 class.
If you have no experience with soccer, then this article is for you.
First, I wanted to talk to you about the nature of the game. Unlike baseball or football or organized basketball, the game does not have any plays. As a result, the role of the coach during practices and games is different. Instead of the coach controlling the action and the players working hard to run the play the exact same way every time, players get control of the game. If you can imagine, every time the player gets the ball, the situation is different and the player has to come up with a way to solve the problem. The solution to every problem requires ball skills like dribbling, controlling the ball and shielding/turning with the ball.
As a result, our practices should include lots of time on the ball. The exercises that the players do should require them to make decisions and use their skills to carry out their decisions. They should also focus on PLAY. A good practice should have a lot of scrimmage time where the kids get to play. As a result, practices will not look a lot like a baseball practice and it may seem that not a lot is going on, but believe me, the more a player plays, the more experience s/he will get and eventually that will lead to better play on the field.
Unfortunately, it takes a long time and a lot of high-quality practice to get there. There are a few things you can do to help your child.
- Play with your child
- you will learn something as well.
- they may only practice 1-2X/week, so play outside practice is going to help.
- Watch soccer games
- There are tons of games to watch on TV and we have an MLS team to watch live as well.
- Even though the professional game will not look like the games your child plays, there is a lot to gain from watching.
- Encourage your child to play during free time.
- it doesn't take up a lot of space and most of what a child learns occurs when s/he works without adults around.
Games are a little different as well. Once again, because the game is player-centered, the role of the coach is different. Each coach should treat the game like a teacher treats a test. S/He should be observing the play and noting what the players are doing. They should be noticing the progress of the players as they try to incorporate skills that they worked on in practice. They need to manage substitutions and provide feedback for the players who are on the sideline. They should also be enjoying the game regardless of the performance of their players.
That is the ideal. The reality is that they will often be modeling the same kinds of behaviors we see in other sports where they get tied up in the action and focus on the results of the game and the decisions of the players on the field. I understand that impulse and I have fallen into it while coaching repeatedly. However, as we make the game more child-friendly and developmentally appropriate, we do see less of that behavior from our coaches.
We expect the same thing from you. It is great to cheer for your child and your team (and the other team if you choose). The kids want your approval and encouragement. Like you, they know they aren't perfect, but they want you to understand that they are trying as hard as they can. That effort should be encouraged. So during the game, refrain from giving your child (or others) specific tactical instructions like: "turn around", "kick it away", "get rid of it", "shoot", "pass it to ...". This advice distracts the player and actually slows them down if they hear it. There are a lot of stimuli in a game: the ball, the teammates, the opponents, the referee, the field and the weather. If a child has to also process the advice you are giving them, it adds one more piece of information and can overwhelm. As a result, players will often resort to the lowest common denominator which is to kick the ball away and relieve themselves of the pressure to decide what to do and give it to someone else.
The principle is "Cheer, Don't Steer" and I hope you can live up to that standard. I also hope that you can hold up your peers (fellow parents, coaches) to the same standard. Establishing "Cheer, Don't Steer" as a cultural norm is easier when everybody know the value of it and is willing to abide by it no matter what happens on the field. Your participation is greatly appreciated.
As you can see, we use our understanding of the nature of the game to help determine everything we do in our program. We want to create a child-friendly environment that is focused on the growth of the player both in skills and in life. In order to achieve this environment, we:
- train our coaches on effective techniques to use at practice.
- teach our parents how to behave appropriately at practices and games.
- work with our coaches to help make games as competitive as possible for as many players as possible.
- work with our referee development program so that we have a large group of qualified, experienced referees.
- Follow US Youth Soccer recommendations for the size of the field and number of players on the field.
You will learn more about the game, but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read this little primer. More will come later when we do the Soccer 101 class.
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