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The discussion I’ll share this week is pretty long, like last week, so I’ll give you a quick update and then get right into the conversation.
I feel that my players are experiencing a lot of, ‘At Home’ training fatigue. It’s only natural since they’ve been stuck at home for two month without a chance to play. Training without playing would get old pretty fast for anyone let alone youth players.
The trick shot videos that I asked the girls to create last week and post on Flipgrid gave some of them the fresh motivation that they needed. More than one parent told me that it took their daughter several hours to get it right. They enjoyed watching them work hard as something soccer related again.
Our fun activity during the Zoom team meetings was an individual scavenger hunt. I gave them one item to find and the first one back with that item won that round. We didn’t keep score. It was just a fun way for them to do something with their teammates.
As you can see, most of my time on these Zoom meetings is to keep it fun. There are other coaches doing workouts with them or analyzing old games. I’ve provided them with the Techne App for individual training and set the expectation that they spend at least an hour per week on that. Hopefully the challenges also focus their training a bit.
Some of my players are spending hours doing online school through Zoom or other platforms everyday. I want our meetings to be fun and a chance to interact with friends; a break from the online school world.
In this Episode
It’s only been two years since US Soccer introduced the Play – Practice – Play methodology in it’s Grassroots Coaching Courses. There are some coaches who have really embraced it and others who are still skeptical. The conversation that I’ll share today is with a coach who prefers a more progressive approach.
Future Episodes
Next week I’ll share a debate with Rob Gale, former Canadian U20 National Team Coach and Stephen Constantine, former National Team Coach of India on the different styles of direct play or possession play. This is another Facebook Live conversation that I thought you would enjoy.
Hi,
Here’s a link to a webinar recording that i think is relevant for this conversation.
It talks about the current player development models of the belgian and english soccer federations.
I found it very interesting as well as the Q&A part.
https://youtu.be/DA9uXfpBzlI
Thanks Lionel! I appreciate you sharing the link.
Hey Tom,
Listen just about every week to the podcast and a big fan! My girls are now a 13U EXTRA team (AYSO) in San Clemente, CA. We’ve been very competitive and beat most Flight 2 club teams in tournaments. Started our Spring Season with two wins playing 14U in flight 1 (first time 11 v 11) and are building a nice to team to move over to Flight 1 club in two years.
Haven’t listened to this week’s podcast, but don’t need too. I’ve been so burnt out on the progressive style of training and was moving away from it anyway with a good deal of push back as I’m also a coach trainer, referee, mentor, and player (you name it I pretty much do it) 🙂
After listening to your Podcast about a year ago, I felt it gave me a license to really start progressive methods of training outside of the norms which I’ve always embraced… Once I incorporated a modified version of Play, Practice, Play, the skill level, interest, and fun for the team really grew allowing me to work more so on the mental side of their game and drive that “results regardless of situation of opponent” that your guest spoke about last week.
I live in a upper end socially economic area and parents are quick to put their players into a “club” so they can put the sticker on their car, not for the development. We only have a single flight one team Boys/Girls in our town amongst 3-4 clubs as the really good players leave town to find that “elite club” so I’m not able to attract the best players at this time…
As a player and coach of many sports (very late to soccer) you drag through practice to play games…
I know have players who enjoy practice as much as games… They like games, but sometimes the pressure captures them a bit (we are working and progressing on that) but practice is fun for them… The last 1.5 years have been such a blast as it is great to show up to a training and the players really want to be there and are disappointed when its time to leave. One day a week, I went to a 2 hour training and they still don’t want to leave…. 🙂
Some of my tips that I’ve been sharing with other coaches in our EXTRA program:
– Individual warm up half lap with a ball…. Just to get their body moving
– Warm Up (dynamic/static stretch) run by a player on the team (drives leadership and independence)
– Usually a quick 5 minute juggling challenge/practice. We have a team challenge for minimum numbers, has been very successful…
– Warm up game… Usually split the team into two and play a stipulation touch game in a small space with multiple goals. Working on quick passing, movement off the ball, in small spaces…
– Technical Work – you name it, we do it…
– Tactical Work – 3 v 2, 5 v 3, 7 v 5 depends on field space and need. On a large goal with goal keepers to give them some work too…
– Small sided game – to work on the technical and tactical work we’ve just worked on
– Large sided game – if possible against another team or larger field.
Key is to mix up the games and the large sided could be a game, but not a traditional scrimmage.
It has been a fantastic experience and my players are technically better than their peers and tactically more prepared and nimble.
So Thanks for giving me “a license” to do something progressive and highly effective… It has been a fantastic experiment in which I would recommend to any youth coach at any level…
Best wishes and stay safe during these crazy times!!!