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Last weekend I had my first games back with my teams after the long holiday break. Because of the way the schedule worked out we didn’t have a practice before our games. I knew we wouldn’t be really sharp but I was surprised by just how rusty the players really were.
You could tell that the players knew it and were frustrated by how they were playing. I tried to high my frustration because it wasn’t that they weren’t trying, they were just out of practice.
Hopefully this experience will motivate the players to work hard in training this next week because we have a Regional tournament to qualify for Nationals that’s coming up this weekend.
This week’s question comes from Ben. He left them in the comments of Episode 128 on Futsal Techniques and Tactics
Ben asks,
“Has it been a hard adjustment for your players who are trained to receive with their back foot in outdoor to switch over to receive on the front foot for futsal?
What are your thoughts on coaches who have their teams play futsal for the speed of play and ball control required but don’t necessarily coach the futsal specific techniques?”
Thanks for your question Ben!
It’s always an adjustment that takes a couple of weeks. Then in the spring it will take them some time to think about using their back foot more often but then they have an understanding of when to use each technique.
I used to be one of those coaches! It took me a few years before I saw the benefit of teaching futsal specific techniques. I was missing an opportunity to add skills to my player’s ‘tool box’ because I wasn’t seeing how teaching the different techniques would benefit the overall development of the players.
In This Episode
On December 20 US Soccer announced a change to the Coaching License system. They’re calling it the ‘Grassroots Pathway Initiative’.
Today I talk about my experiences with coaching licenses and how the system has changed over the year. I’ll also share what I’ve learned about the new system from our State Director of Coaching that I haven’t seen detailed anywhere else.
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. If you’re serious about passing a coaching course, you need to start preparing months in advance. After all, it’s not a fun break when you can relax. Coaching courses are high pressured, stressful and expensive. You either pass and get certified or face the disaster of all your time and money being wasted, and failing to earn a promotion or a new role.
If you want to advance your career, Conquering Your Next Coaching Course – The ultimate guide to preparing for any coaching license, is essential reading. It’s a unique guide on exactly what to expect at every stage and what to do to impress the assessors. With these valuable insights, you know exactly what’s expected of you before you arrive. Instead of massive pressure and stress, you’ll feel confident and ready to pass.
Remember!
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Future Episodes
Next week I’ll discuss what players can be doing at home to improve technically and tactically in their own time?
Tom-
First, I want to thank you for all of your great podcasts! I can’t wait to get into the car on Friday morning to listen on the way to work!
I am happy to see that the USSF has decided to follow the United Soccer Coaches coaching education model (4v4, 7v7, 11 v 11 etc..). The United Soccer Coaches Association licensing process has mirrored the USSF licensing for many years. To the best of my knowledge a USSF “A” license and the United Soccer Coaches “Premier” license,for all intensive purposes, are the same curriculum. The USSF “B” and United Soccer Coaches “Advanced National”, the USSF “C” and United Soccer Coaches “National” etc..
I have taken both programs and have gotten just as much, if not more, out of the United Soccer Coaches Association courses. I have taken the USSF “D” and “B” courses and I have taken the United Soccer Coaches National, Advanced National and Premier courses. Often times the same coaches instruct courses for both organizations.
Just a thought for those that may find the United Soccer Coaches courses more accessible for them. The locations, time of year and cost may work better for some.
Thanks again Tom!
Sincerely,
Rich Becker
Shrub Oak, NY
Thanks Rich!
I need to do a podcast with someone from United Soccer Coaches. I have only taken the USSF courses but from what I hear there’s just as much to be gained from USC.
Thanks Tom,
This is great info. I, like you, assumed that you should just continue on the education path as you build your knowledge and understanding. I coach for fun as a hobbie in the club that I have volunteered at for the last 12 years as my daughters have grown. I now have a USSF D and the USC Adv National.
I have done it primarily for the education as I don’t plan on making a career out of it. I have always looked at it as the more knowledge the better and with each course I feel better prepared and more confident. I often wish I had started it sooner because coaching would have been so much easier in the early years. It has been costly as you point out. I hope with using video mudules USSF an USC can continue to reduce the cost and time commitments required for courses.
To me it would make a lot of sense to have the curriculums and videos available for free to all coaches, then just have a cost for testing and certification. Why put any road blocks in front of the thousands of volunteer coaches around the country that could be working with the next potential national team star or even just helping to build soccer culture and love of the game.
Anyway, thanks for this perspective and insight! I really enjoy your podcast and use your sessions often!
Sincerely,
Mike Shannon
Indianapolis, IN
I am also a huge proponent of coaching education (trained as a teacher, so no surprise there!) and have pursued my licenses as a way to improve and inform my instruction. If I expect my players to get better by learning skills, then they should have the same expectation of me!
As for your concern about existing pathways, specifically, wondering about those with the E License moving on, this is direct from an email I received from USSF on Jan. 17th, 2018 (3rd paragraph is of most interest):
U.S. SOCCER COACHING EDUCATION UPDATES GRASSROOTS PATHWAY, F AND E COURSES TRANSITION OUT
CHICAGO (Jan. 17, 2018) – Effective today, the U.S. Soccer F and E Coaching License courses will no longer be offered to new candidates as a part of the U.S. Soccer Coaching Pathway.
While candidates currently registered for the F or E course have the opportunity to complete the course process, earn the accompanying license and apply the license within the new pathway framework, new candidates will no longer be able to register for these courses. Instead, new Grassroots Course opportunities have been developed and added to the pathway, replacing the existing starting phase of the U.S. Soccer Coaching Pathway.
****Coaches who currently hold the U.S. Soccer E License will be able to proceed directly to the U.S. Soccer D License course (no development period) after completing the cost-free Introduction to Grassroots Coaching module. Those who hold the F License will have the ability to move to the D License course after completing the Introduction to Grassroots Coaching module along with the 11v11 in-person course and one additional in-person grassroots course opportunity, either the 4v4, 7v7 or 9v9.****
Love the podcast – I find something to use almost every episode, even though I coach 3-year-olds, and a town level U10 (along with my own club playing 8 year old!), and my struggles to effect change on my town soccer board, of which I am a member.
An excellent parallel for US Soccer is the struggle (and ultimate success) of USA Hockey in their complete revamp of coaching education and player development. Now, you can’t step on the ice without being trained by USA Hockey – displacing years of well-meaning, but ill-informed parent coaches training kids as if they were adults. Their success can be measured directly in the increasing numbers of US hockey players making it into the highest levels of professional play, including the NHL.
US Soccer has a long way to go to break the cycle and mentality of local (and state) associations – I fight the fight in my town weekly with coaches that have been around for years doing it “their way” – but not making any progress in developing the players in front of them, all while the local high school coaches complain to us that we don’t prepare our kids to play at even the high school level.
Kevin Williams
North of Boston, MA
Thanks for sharing that info Kevin!
Hey Tom,
Just finished up the Grassroots 4v4 training session from US Soccer and have to say I was impressed. It was about 2 hours of classroom learning, 1 hour of watching it in action and 1 more hour of wrap-up. I have to say I like the idea of “Play-practice-play” in many ways when paired with small-sided games it helps keep practice focused and since there’s so much “Play” – there’s less of a session to plan for the coach which is great at the grassroots level. Plus for the players I think the idea of tying in a key part of the game that’s not working – to a practice focus – then back to the game has the right formula for keeping players engaged, giving the players confidence and helping keep the coach focused on training stuff that will help in the game – not just more drills.
Best,
-Frank
Great! Thanks for the feedback.