Last weekend was US Youth Futsal Nationals. I know that talking about ‘National’ tournaments for youth players can sound a little over the top. There weren't teams from all over the country but there were some great teams from the midwest and east coast. Talking about it as a National tournament is really more of a way to describe the progressive nature of the competition. Team qualify through a Regional tournament and then progress to a National … [Read more...]
#136 The Responsibilities of an Effective Coach
For three weeks I've focused on fast footwork and lateral movement with my players. It’s been great to see their increased on comfort and confidence on the ball. Each practice I’ve given them ‘homework’ to do that related to the movements we did during training. Hopefully they’ll continue to do these exercises at home so that their development in this area will not stop with this MicroCycle. In the last two weeks of the season we’ll be focusing on playing a … [Read more...]
#134 The Choice between Rec and Premier
Now that my teams have been playing Futsal for a few months we've gone over and over the basic Futsal tactics that have helped my teams to understand the shape and structure needed to play Futsal effectively. That's not to say that they can always execute effectively. We could keep working on our shape and movement but I think if we do we will reach a point of dimension return. The tactical sessions, even though they include a lot of technical components, … [Read more...]
#132 New Grassroots Coaching Pathway
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 … [Read more...]
#131 A Coach’s New Years Resolution
It was a great time for a break! I really enjoyed the time away from the field and the chance to spend time with family and friends. It was also a productive time as I was able to complete my spring league and tournament plan as well as the Technical Training curriculum for next season. As much as I've enjoyed the time off, I'm looking forward to getting back to working with my teams in training and games. This week’s question comes from Chris (a … [Read more...]
#126 How to Remove Diving from Soccer
My teams are making the transition to indoor Futsal training this week. Some of them still have an outdoor tournament this weekend but our club always moving inside on the first of November. I enjoy the change of pace and the focus on different skills and tactics. Some coaches focus on training Futsal in isolation but I look at how the game as an opportunity to better prepare my teams and players for a return to the outdoor game in the spring. This winter … [Read more...]
#125 Prepare their Mind to Train their Skills
As I mentioned last week, my weekend was focused on refereeing as I renewed my outdoor and Futsal certifications. I was asked to do a presentation to the group from a coach's perspective. I tried to show how coaches, referees and players need to work together to create a positive experience for everyone. I let the referees know what coaches expect from referees. We want Professionalism, Effort, Knowledge and Consistency. I asked the referees what they want … [Read more...]
#123 Where We Go from Here
This is the last weekend of league play in our area. It's great to see the players really starting to understand the key aspects of the game that we've been focusing on. They're not always getting it right but seeing them work hard to play the game in the right way is always very satisfying. Not all of my teams will win the league this season. That's not the most important measuring stick. Seeing their progress and constant improvement makes the long hours … [Read more...]
#122 Silent Saturdays Aren’t the Answer
I can't believe I'm sitting here today NOT looking forward to the World Cup this summer. Having the US miss the World Cup for the first time in my adult life is a very hard pill to swallow. This is a youth soccer podcast so I usually don't focus on national team or professional results and news but this is something that will deeply affect youth soccer in this country, OR AT LEAST IT SHOULD! I'd already planned to discuss another topic this week so I … [Read more...]
#121 US DA vs High School Soccer
With one of my teams last weekend I decided not to coach while the ball was in play. The team had played a tournament the previous weekend and they had heard enough from me :-). I wanted them to take total ownership of the game and make their own decisions whenever the ball was in play. I also didn't want to break their focus on the game so I stayed out of their way. This is something I've done in the past but not with this team so it seemed like a great … [Read more...]
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