Talk On The Pitch: Recent Posts

soccerdad3333 on "Soccer Drills"

soccerdad3333 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:12:11 +0000

Just sent this out and wanted to add it to this post. Hope it helps.

Newsletter Vol. 1.4
www.learnsoccerdrills.com
TRAPPING/RECEIVING SOCCER DRILLS Newsletter

U6-U7 Soccer Trapping & Receiving Drill:
Have the players form 2-3 lines, depending on the number of players and coaches. You want to keep the lines small (3-4 players). A coach is going to stand about 7-10 yards from the players in line, facing them. Have the coach roll the soccer ball at the player, and the player should then trap the ball with their foot. They can either trap it by using the bottom of their foot or receive it with the inside of their foot. In either case the goal of this soccer drill is to gain control of the soccer ball so it rests on the ground in front of them. The key to this soccer drill is to start by rolling the ball at the player. Once they understand the basic concept explain that you are now going to roll the ball not just right at them but possibly to either side, at which point they will need to move into position to trap or receive the soccer ball. This soccer drill will teach the basics of moving into position to properly trap and receive a ball on the ground. Once received the player can pass the ball back to the coach and go to the rear of the line.
The 2nd phase to this drill is to move closer (5 yards) and now throw the ball lightly at the players feet (do not bounce but loft it gently so it heads toward their foot in a arcing manner). They should be able to trap the soccer ball to the ground by watching it closely and then placing their foot on top of the soccer ball right as it hits the ground, trapping it between their foot and the ground. Use your best judgment to determine if your players are ready for this. At this age it can be tough to trap to the ground from the air but it is good to at least introduce it to them. It is a timing issue to trap the ball from the air to the ground, so try practicing this for 10 minutes a session and you will start to see a difference.

U8, U9 & U10 Soccer Trapping & Receiving Drill:
This is one of my favorite soccer drills for this age because you can do it as a team practice or individually. I still take my sons and daughter out and do this with them. Split the players up into two groups if you have a lot of them. You will need to have a Goal/Net for each group. Also, you have a choice to use an actual goal keeper (good practice for them) or you as a coach can be in goal. Have the players line up about half way between midfield and the goal, facing the goal. They can be further from the goal if you want, depending on how far you want to send the ball to them. The coach will be in goal, or by the keeper with a stack all of the soccer balls. As the coach you are either going to roll the ball hard at the player, or send the ball in a high arcing manner at the player (simulating a kick). The player will then trap the ball by using either their chest, bottom of the foot or inside of his foot, maybe even their thigh or knee depending on how quickly they can get to it.
The key to this soccer drill is to direct the players to be aggressive and not wait for the ball to come to them on the 2nd or 3rd bounce, but attack the soccer ball and gain control. Move at the ball, trap or receive it to the ground in front of you and then once control is gained dribble forward and shoot on goal (this is where it can be good practice for a keeper also). Point out that typically the person that can control the ball where they want it is going to win the initial battle, so they should be trapping or receiving the ball so it is in front of them and on the ground.
You can also choose to have the keeper send the ball out instead of you. If you have a keeper that can kick it consistently then I recommend doing it, otherwise have them or yourself throw ball out high and hard. Remember, the real goal of this drill is to help players aggressively trap and receive the soccer ball in a controlled manner so they can move forward. Don't just throw it at them, make the player run and adjust to the ball, teaching them to move themselves into position to properly receive or trap the ball. It is okay if it bounces 1 time or even 2 (depending on the kick/throw), but if it starts to bounce 3 or 4 times then the player needs to understand to move towards the ball quicker

soccerdad3333 on "Soccer Drills"

soccerdad3333 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:51:17 +0000

Everyone: I decided to start posting a weekly drill letter and will try to post here when I send it out (as long as there are no objections).

PASSING SOCCER DRILLS v.1.2 NEWSLETTER

U6-U7 Soccer Passing Drill:

Place two sets of cones (tall cones) in a parallel line. See below as an example. The cones should be about 10 yards apart from each other to start and can be moved to any distance depending on the age group.

x x

Break the kids up into two groups with a player behind each cone. There should be one ball per line of cones, so in the above example you would have three soccer balls. Have all the soccer balls start on one side or team. The goal is to kick the ball in a passing manner to knock the cones down. Team A can kick to other cone, then Team B. Leave the cones down and the first team to knock all the cones down win. I always like to have the losing team do 10 sit-ups or push-ups because it is good exercise and will help keep them engaged since there is something at stake. Move the cones back the next round. Illustrate to them that a close pass should be accurate and on the ground. As the cones move back they may need to use a different type of pass (e.g. a harder kick using the shoe laces of the foot).

U9-U12 Soccer Passing Drill:

You will need three players and two soccer balls for this soccer drill. You will also need to have the players form a line with about 10 yards between them (see below). The two outside player will be facing each other with the center player facing one of them (forcing his back to the other player). Each outside player will have a ball. See below.

X--> X <--X

The center player will have his back to one of the players. The player he is not facing will pass the ball and yell "TURN", at which point the center player will receive the ball, control and quickly pass it back (accurately). The other player will then pass the ball and yell "TURN". Timing on this by the passing player is key. You do not want too much idol time for the center player. This soccer drill teaches good soccer passing and communication by the players. Switch it up as you go along. Emphasize accuracy and good solid passing by all players. Also, let the passing player know how important it is to time the pass, just as if they were in a soccer match.

Soccer Passing Drill w/Movement:

Break the kids up into three groups. Take three cones and form a triangle about 20 yards apart and have a group of kids start behind each one of the cones.

1X 2X

Have one ball. Player first in line at 1X will pass to player at 2X. Right after he passes he will SPRINT to the end of the line at 2X. The key here is the player receiving must execute receiving the ball and then passing in two touches. He will pass to 3X and SPRINT to the end of the line at 3X. Finally, 3X will pass to 1X and so on. If you are working with large groups then have multiple sessions going. You do not want long lines (maybe two per cone). This soccer drill will improve receiving and passing. It also teaches to move after making a pass.

KnoxSoccerDad on "FC Alliance 3v3 Summer Youth League"

KnoxSoccerDad — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:29:28 +0000

June 14th - July 21st.
3v3 is the essence of soccer a showcase of technical skills and a tactical challenge for beginners to premier players. Get your teammates and friends together to declare your teams position in this league and be ready for a fun summer of soccer!
League offers:
Starts June 14 and runs until July 21.
Tuesday and Thursday night games
5:45 pm-8:15 pm
2 games per week 3 twelve minute periods per game
Competitive and Recreational play

Summer League Location:
Alliance Park
2809 Ball Camp Byington Road
Knoxville, TN 37931
Deadline: June 5, 2009
Entry Fee: $75 per player
Ages: u5-u18
For information contact: Burak Er 865-643-4625 globalteez@hotmail.com

Soccer Dad on "Punishment for not winning a match"

Soccer Dad — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:36:29 +0000

Sounds like a great way to get kids to quit playing soccer. As a coach I often struggle with the positive vs negative reinforcement. But that's just silly punishing a team because they didn't score 10 goals, an extraordinary feat in itself unless you play all teams much lower than you are.

If I was a player I'd be furious at having to do insane amounts of sprints - which are often a waste of time anyway. So much better to develop intensive drills with the ball at their feet to build up endurance.

How this coach thinks this will improve hsi team is beyond me - they may be in excellent cardio shape, but wouldn't it be better working on things liek shooting, passing, and crossing that'll help them achieve that 10 goal goal?

jmingus on "Punishment for not winning a match"

jmingus — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:29:14 +0000

So they lost 1-0 and the coach is making them run 54 full field sprints. That seems stupid, absurd and abusive.

From a practical standpoint, I wouldn't want to spend the practice time running. I'd rather have the time to focus on drills. Specifically, if there was a particular reason they gave up a goal, I would design my next training session around that situation.

Irishlass on "Punishment for not winning a match"

Irishlass — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:44:18 +0000

I was just wondering what your thoughts were on a U14 coach that makes his girls run 6 full field sprints for each goal not scored up to 10 goals? Is this a positive or negative thing? Our girls will be running 54 full field sprints for a 1-0 game.

jmingus on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 11"

jmingus — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:53:17 +0000

We are playing 8 v 8. My plan was to have a team size of 16-- basically everyone who played for me in the fall. I had 1 mom talk to me directly asking me to take her daughter (she had a lousy experience in the fall) then we had a team fold and one of coaches was unwilling to make his team any bigger than "what he was comfortable with" Essentially he was willing to screw my players to benefit his. It will work out fine, I can always count on missing a few for every game-- now its no big deal. I can practice with this many, because I've got some great help. It just means that I really have to have a solid practice plan in place.

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 11"

Soccer Dad — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:16:53 +0000

TWENTY ONE???? Are you kidding me? Do you play 11v11 at U12? Because if it's 8v8 - I'd take 10 and 11 kids to make two teams just so they'd play more. Wow, I do not envy you AT all having a team that large. We're mandated to rosters no bigger than 18 until the upper ages of high school.

Good luck!

jmingus on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 11"

jmingus — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:00:01 +0000

You guys are killing me. I just had my first practice yesterday. I have a huge team this season (21--a team folded and we didn't really have enough to form a 4th U12 girls team).

soccerdad3333 on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 11"

soccerdad3333 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:35:10 +0000

Our kids were off for Spring Break, but we took the opportunity to work on some individual moves. I had the my kids and any others that wanted to join work dip moves and cuts, doing 50 each with their left and their right. You could really see the progression at the end of the 50. It seemed to happen much more naturally. One thing I noticed and tried to point out is once a move is made their should be an immediate attempt to go up field to put the defender behind you. I think later this week we will do the same drills but try to incorporate them recognizing how a defender is positioned and which direction may make sense for them to go in order to get around them. It might be hard given the age range, but what the heck...we'll give it a try.

tazdog on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 11"

tazdog — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Our girls ‘95 team actually played well yesterday and finally won a game. The wind was bad and they seem to lost all interest in really windy games, but stuck it out.

I think one of the better things we did was finally take some shots. As much as we practice it, they always want to take that extra set up step and then lose the ball..

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 11"

Soccer Dad — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:44:03 +0000

Spring has sprung and April is getting closer and closer. If you're already playing and have Tales From The Pitch to share, here's your thread for Week 11!

soccerdad3333 on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 10"

soccerdad3333 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:29:06 +0000

It was cold and wet in Oregon all weekend. My daughter is on a U12 team and they played both days. The girls were miserable but they played through it. Both were great matches for spring soccer. I saw a great adjustment by the coach of my daughter's team. They usually play a 4-3-3 with the four being a flat four trying to catch players offsides. This particular game they were getting beat with long balls and great speed. At the end of the first half they were down 1-0. Keep in mind these girls really have not played any other formation. The coach was able to communicate to them what was happening on the field and switched the formation to a 4-1-3-2 which filled in a gap that was occurring at midfield and allowing the long ball to take place. The defensive midfielder was able to slow down any counter attacks. It worked pretty good. They tied the game in what otherwise would have surely been a loss due to speed in on the defense. I notice as the girls and boys get older there really is a strategic part of the game. Skill and speed still rule on the field but a coach can make a difference to help the players out. Anyways...it was a fun weekend despite the weather.

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch 2009 - Week 10"

Soccer Dad — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:56:20 +0000

This past weekend was a washout in many areas of the country, but a few hardy souls played. My '96 girls team played in 36 degree temps and pouring rain on artificial turf. NOT fun, but they played very hard and almost had a draw until three minutes to go. I did a small write about it on our website:

http://lunachicksoccer.org/2009/03/one-very-proud-coach/

Playing on turf was a new thing for them. Just wish it had been warmer!

How about you all? What stories do you have to share from your time on the pitch this past week?

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 9 2009"

Soccer Dad — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:16:38 +0000

My U12 Girls team had a fantastic weekend - I go into a bit more detail about it here:

http://onthepitch.org/2009/03/09/a-major-confidence-boost/

They really had one of those wins to remember. I'm very proud of them.

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 9 2009"

Soccer Dad — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:15:44 +0000

My youngest had his first U5 game Friday night. His team is made up of one player who played in the Fall. The rest are new to soccer this season. The youngest daughter of my daughter's U10 coach along with the younger sister of one of my U12 players round out the team. The team is sponsored by Sheetz and early on was dubbed the Lil' Sheetz. Everyone figured they would have a lot of fun, because you had a number of long time soccer parents who 'get it' and know it's all about the fun.

Little did they know. The little sister of my player is hilarious, funny, and has the energy of Hammie the chipmunk in Over The Hedge. So we get ready for our first match and I realize I'm not all that bright. See, in addition to the parents, I had the sibling of a Lunachick on my team. So 4 or 5 of them showed up to watch too, plus my older son and daughter and a couple other friends. I should have foreseen this. They stayed by the team bench and cheered on the younger kids with abandon.

We start the game and the kids are having a blast playing swarm ball and shooting on goal. The little sister of my player grabbed a free ball and took off towards the goal, drilling it in. She squeals with joy, jumps up and down a couple times, then plants herself in front of the goal and does Alvin's Bow Chicka Wow Wow dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4N5-GTV8_c

No - I'm not kidding. Well, when she did this everyone laughed out loud, and then I heard the same lyric from our team sideline. There's 8 or so 10-12 yr olds doing the Bow Chicka Wow Wow dance in unison. The little kids (and parents for sure) thought it was hilarious, and from then on, every time the Lil Sheetz scored, they got their cheer from the older kids. Lets just say they scored a lot. I wish I had video. I don't think I've ever had as much fun at a U5 match as I did at that one.

The parents from the other team likely think we were all certifiable.

jmingus on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 9 2009"

jmingus — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:54:57 +0000

We actually just finished up our indoor season yesterday. Our outdoor games don't start for 5 more weeks.

soccerdad3333 on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 9 2009"

soccerdad3333 — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:48:40 +0000

Our kids started playing in Oregon and with a new year comes new shoes. New shoes can be rough on kids. My daughter had 3 games last weekend. Game 1, many of the kids were showing of their new shoes...proud as can be. Game 2: Many kids were not so happy with their new shoes because the were not broken in. Game 3: They were lucky to field a team. It was funny to some extent, but I felt bad for a couple of kids that had some bad blisters. This weekend, we are bringing plenty of "Glide" and "2nd Skin". The good news is that the shoes should all be broken in.

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 9 2009"

Soccer Dad — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 08:36:05 +0000

Many folks aren't playing yet, but down in the South, Spring seasons are well underway. What funny tales from the pitch do you have to share this week?

tahuichiway on "The Tahuichi Way"

tahuichiway — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:18:00 +0000

The Academy Tahuichi Aguilera is one of the best in the world. Located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, as a full time academy, Tahuichi gives literal homes to dozens of talented orphaned children, as well as free soccer for thousands of others. Every child who has ever been to the Academy understands it's importance. Every day, youth of all ages, from 3 and 4 to 18 and 19, litter the soccer fields. In the morning, before school, they come and play. Residents who live there spend their breaks (from school) playing soccer tennis over a broken bench and futsal overgrown slab of concrete spend their afternoons. After school, everyone is back again for practice, often lasting until 6 or 7 in the evening. Recreational and "seleccion" teams play absolutely beautiful, striking soccer on dusty, sandy, and uneven fields. The objective of the soccer academy is summed up as "Deportes, Si! Drogas, No!". Since its foundation, Tahuichi has kept thousands of children from drug use and lives overcome by poverty. It infuses, however cliche, a dream into the children who live their lives there: a dream of soccer, of success, and of passion. This is the Tahuichi Way.

Tahuichi offers an international youth program every summer in order to help fuel their academy during the year. They want to extend their style, their passion, and their way to other big dreamers in the world. Tahuichi holds 1 month sessions in which players experience soccer as a way of life. They live with a Bolivian family learn to transcend cultural, linguistic, and societal boundaries to comprehend the Tahuichi way. They train in the morning, 8:30-12:00 with other participants in the program, and then in the afternoon 1:30-6 train again, often with a scrimmage against a Tahuichi select team (which, by the way, are absolutely amazing) to understand the style-the way--of Tahuichi. They learn the system of play, the training rituals, and the love for soccer to further promote understanding of the passion that almost defines the Tahuichi Way.

Training is in no means easy. More often than not, the participants of the program are boys ages 14-22 and girls (though not often) 15-23. Tahuichi plays fast, yet with distinctive grace and creativity. Often, the internationals(players from North America, South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Central America, and Asia have participated)will play against a younger team at Tahuichi. The challenge is still the same. As the matches continue, they get harder. The internationals will play much better, faster, stronger, and older teams. The first international team (usually boys age 16-22 [and, of course, occasionally a female]) will play the top teams at the academy and learn what a love of soccer and a dream can do for one's game. Tournaments and matches against other local and professional teams will also be integrated during the one-month stay. Blooming's (a professional club in Bolivia) youth teams (much like Arsenal or Manchester United's youth programs) have battled the international visitors for some truly exciting soccer.

Breakdown of the stay:

Week 1:
FITNESS
-Sand Dune training (see explination below)
-River Training (see explanation below)
-Trails Training (see explanation below)
-Field Fitness (see explanation below)

Week 2:
TECHNICAL TRAINING
-Interspersed games and scrimmages

Week 3:
LEARNING THE SYSTEM/GAMES
-Players learn the system of Tahuichi
-Technical training continues
-Travel for Games and scrimmages

Week 4:
TOURNAMENT
-Players will participate in a tournament and show off their newfound skills and love for soccer
-Congratulations and Tahuichi Certificate of Honor

All throughout the weeks, games and scrimmages, fitness, ball skills, and technical training(and of course, soccer tennis and futsal during lunchtime)are interspersed. Don't think you are out of the dunes just because you are done with the first week.

Fitness Training:
The Tahuichi Way will get you in the best shape of your life...

Dune Training: Players will run 4-5 miles through sand (24/7), rivers, and forest to reach Las Lomas, or the dunes. Once there, players will then do a combination of the following exercises:

1.Sprints up and across the dunes (individually, with a team, and with the ball)
2.Run around the entire dunes through deep sand and tall grass (2.0 or so miles)
3.Run on top of the dune to the tip and back (around 1.5 miles through deep sand)
4.Core and strength training at the base
5.Plyometrics on the top of the dunes through deep sand

River Training:
1.A run in a shallow river for a specific amount of time
2.Plyometrics, Sprints, and Jumping in the deeper parts of the river
3.Some serious fun falling down

Trails:
A run through some very, very, very long trails, followed by much deserved sugar empenadas and coca-coal.

Technical Training:
Non-stop training is a marker of the Tahuichi Way. Dribbling, Shooting, Passing, and Creativity. The basics intensified.

Also, futsal and soccer tennis gets very heated and helps touch as well as accuracy.
There is a one bounce-one touch-three pass rule...you better know that going in. :)

The Way of Play:
A unique system that will translate to any background.
A passion unlike any other.
An ultimate love for the game.

The Tahuichi Way is not just about the training, fitness, fun (and there is a lot of fun), or even the soccer. It is about life. It is about enjoying the game and loving to play. Tahuichi is about dreaming big while starting small. It is about wanting impact. Not just for the moment, but for the entirety of life. A commitment towards excellence with a tradition of winning. It is about appreciating what life gives you and witnessing the challenges of others. Tahuichi is about discovering a new world: a world of poverty, of family, of passion, of soccer, and of love. It is about something that cannot be expalined, something that must be experience.

"At Tahuichi, we teach more than soccer. We use soccer as a means to teach life."

Any interest, questions, or concerns can be addressed.
Personal accounts of Tahuichi are readily avalible.
Please feel free to email me at tahuichiway@gmail.com

Pictures can be found at http://s717.photobucket.com/albums/ww178/tahuichiway/The%20Tahuichi%20Way/

Thank You For Reading

soccerdad3333 on "Did you say YES? Are you suddenly coaching a soccer team?"

soccerdad3333 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:28:51 +0000

I couldn't agree more on the basics and keeping it fun. I've coached rec. for my kids for about 6 years and it has been a fun experience, challenging but lots of memories and laughs. Be patient, go in with a plan for each practice if possible and try to limit it to one or two key points you want to make. Keep the lines short so they don't get bored waiting. If possible, try to look at the big picture also...have drills that can build upon each other as the season goes on. I know one thing, without volunteers to coach at the recreational level the sport will not continue to grow. Have fun with it. I actually started a blog just to share some of the funny stories on my rec coaching experiences. Email me if interested and I will forward it over to you for laughs.

Mark

Soccer Dad on "Pros and Cons of starting U10 Travel Teams"

Soccer Dad — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:26:42 +0000

TNsoccermom,

We managed to get local businesses to cover the training costs for this year, but don't expect to have that luxury in the future. So training was not included in our budget. The training itself was mixed in terms of what I think the kids got out of it. So we may think about doing our U9 training in house as a pool type setup and have the professional training for the travel teams at U10 and above.

Our travel coaches get a gas stipend and that's it. They are not paid. That's something we're trying to maintain since it sets us apart from other leagues that charge a lot more - this way parents have a choice and we do everything we can to recruit and train willing volunteer coaches.

TNsoccermom on "Pros and Cons of starting U10 Travel Teams"

TNsoccermom — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:16:56 +0000

Our league is looking at starting an academy/hybrid type program. This post has been pretty helpful to me. I do have a question. Do you charge your players (parents) a training fee for the program? I imagine the Travel coaches would want compensation for their time but I also think that since it is an intro to select teams, there should be no charge.

Any advice or thoughts are welcome!

Soccer Dad on "Tweak for smaller screens"

Soccer Dad — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:40:16 +0000

I think I've fixed things up for people still working on smaller screens (1024) The top ad was pushing everything down to the bottom in IE (but not Firefox - of course) So apologies if you had to scroll down all the time to see stuff. It should be fixed now.

Soccer Dad on "Pros and Cons of starting U10 Travel Teams"

Soccer Dad — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:53:39 +0000

geordieinexile,

Excellent advice. A lot of leagues around here are doing something similar, though at U9 instead of U8. Our travel programs in NC start at U10, so many leagues have U9 development programs where the kids get introduced to travel soccer, but it's fairly informal and low key. It's a stepping stone. Then when U10 rolls around, the kids aren't as unsure about the perceived 'big jump' from Rec to travel. So far our program here has been VERY successful. WE'll see how it pans out next Spring when tryouts roll around.

Be sure to keep us all posted on your program's success!

Soccer Dad on "Pros and Cons of starting U10 Travel Teams"

Soccer Dad — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:51:09 +0000

atmcevoy,

Glad to hear it's moving along. It sounds like you implemented an excellent program. We did something similar here, paying to have a professional coach work with each team once a week and their team coach manage the other practice and the games. We'll see how it goes. By all means keep us updated on how it progresses! Travel soccer can be a LOT of fun if the parents and coaches keep things in perspective, especially at U10-U14 - it's still mainly about development, you're just facing new teams, styles, and coaches.

Good luck!

PS - Happy to provide the forum - tell your friends! ;) I'm hoping we reach a point where enough people are posting that it'll sustain itself. Right now it's pretty quiet!

geordieinexile on "Pros and Cons of starting U10 Travel Teams"

geordieinexile — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:34:27 +0000

I'm Head Coach of a U9 Boys travel group (we have two teams) in Nashville. We just started travel this fall season.

However, we did something that other teams might want to consider. Last Spring and Fall season I coached a footskills academy session for those U8 boys from Rec who were considering stepping up to travel soccer at U9 level. There were six sessions, once a week, every Friday for six weeks.

This accomplished two things. Number one, it got the parents and boys used to the coach (me) so when the travel season started they saw a familiar face. Number two, it gave the boys an idea of what a training session might be like at Travel level soccer.

We also did this for girls.

The program was so successful we've gone ahead and made the program permanent every year. I think the kids can really benefit from this and it makes the transition to Travel soccer a little easier.

Now that the kids are playing travel the ball skills I teach are getting progressively harder. I emphasize two things - team work and ball skills. To the parents I emphasize player development. If their kid is having fun in training and playing and is also becoming a better soccer player then I've done my job as a coach.

The hardest part the kids and parents have is understanding my English accent...

atmcevoy on "Pros and Cons of starting U10 Travel Teams"

atmcevoy — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:39:02 +0000

Well the season started and the verdict is in, Fall Rec and then Spring Travel for U10. We compromised and decided to hire UK Elite to run 1 practice a week for all U10 players and then have the coach run the 2nd practice for each Rec team, 6 Girls U10 and 4 Boys U10 teams in total, this fall. Additionally we hired a goalkeeper trainer fo U10 and above for 1 night a week as well.

Our ultimate goal to teach the kids and coaches was accomplished and based on the success of the program so far, we will look to hopefully roll this program out to U9 and below in the coming years.

Thanks again for providing the open forum to discuss.

joelmaners on "Did you say YES? Are you suddenly coaching a soccer team?"

joelmaners — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:47:24 +0000

I'd say the biggest thing is to just teach the basics and get the kids playing the game. The game is after all the best teacher. Make it a fun experience that will pique their interest and keep them coming back for more. Make practices fun and end them before the kids get tired. They should leave wanting to come back for the next practice.

Soccer Dad on "Did you say YES? Are you suddenly coaching a soccer team?"

Soccer Dad — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:30:09 +0000

For those of you who agreed to coach a soccer team for the first time this fall, what has you nervous? What are you most worried about? What are you going to do to prepare? I'll be working on an article with some tips for beginning coaches, with some help from our more experienced readers, but I'm curious what has you thinking 'What did I just get myself into?'

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch - Summer"

Soccer Dad — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:19:25 +0000

Since the Spring seasons are winding down, I figured I would put up on post for the summer for folks to post about their summer experiences. I'll start up the weekly threads again in August.

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 20"

Soccer Dad — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:04:57 +0000

Being Memorial Day weekend in the US, I'm sure many of you were soaking in the sun and enjoying yourselves off the soccer field, but I do know there are some heavily attended tournaments at the same time (Wrangler in Greensboro, NC comes to mind) Did any of you enjoy your vacation on the touchline? How did it go?

I admit, I was camping and relaxing. We had considered going to a tournament (Wrangler), but had enough girls out of town, we decided to go to the NC State Games instead in mid June - same venue as Wrangler.

Soccer Dad on "Tryouts, Tryouts, Tryouts"

Soccer Dad — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:22:08 +0000

Many of you are still in the thick of your regular seasons, while others are already finishing up tryouts, so I figure it'll be worth having a thread open about tryouts. Did your club see more kids trying out? Did you handle the stress better this year than last? Did your child? Thoughts on how teams are shaping up for next year?

Our club has about 900 players total, and we had 200 kids showup for tryouts. Not huge numbers, but huge for us. We had 8 travel teams last year, and we may have 12 in the Fall, plus 4 U9 developmental teams. So this should be an interesting season for us!

Our kids are trying out at two clubs just to have some options. They did well at our tryouts here, and will be trying out at another area club next week. Should be interesting to see the differences in how tryouts are organized, the kids that come out, etc. I'll keep you all posted!

Soccer Dad on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 19"

Soccer Dad — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:16:51 +0000

[Crosspost from On The Pitch]

Normally I would write about something like this in a Tales From The Pitch thread, but this was such a cool experience, I figured it was worth a blog post.

After deciding to do away with the Recreation State Cup for U9-U12, the NCYSA replaced it with regional festivals. The idea was to have events spread across the state so that teams didn’t have to travel far. The overall goal was to increase participation, thinking Rec teams were less likely to travel. So when we were asked to host one of the regional festivals, we jumped at the chance, and last Fall around 40 teams played a full day of soccer here in Mebane. It was a lot of fun, and we hoped to do it again.

This Spring, we agreed to host the festival again, and had 19 teams from our league that eagerly awaited the chance to play some teams from other leagues. But for a number of reasons, all four festival sites struggled to attract teams, so with less than two weeks to go before the festival, we saw that there were only a handful of other teams planning to attend the festival (in addition to our own teams). This wasn’t good. So to try and salvage some type of event, we decided to try something different.

We decided to breakup our teams that had planned to attend, and create new ‘festival teams’. This way if two Mebane teams played each other once or twice in the festival, it would still be ‘new’. We didn’t force players to do this - we just explained the change and polled the teams to see who was still game. We managed to keep over 100 players who wanted to play no matter what. The rest, mostly U8 age players, weren’t interested in “playing for another team” and clearly some parents were unsure about this whole idea. But we had more than enough players to do something, so with only a few days to go before the event, we scrambled to confirm players who would still play and create these ‘festival teams’. As we were doing this, it became clear that many teams from other leagues were pulling out of the Rec festival due to a severe lack of teams. Three days beforehand, the NCYSA canceled the event.

Since we had already put so much work into recruiting coaches and players for our ‘festival teams’, we decided to go for broke and still hold some sort of event for all these kids who still wanted to play. So we kept working on our festival teams, and decided to hold a mini-festival ourselves. We ended up having to combine some age groups, but we did it in a way that let kids get a taste for what play this Fall would be like when they aged up. U8 players got to play 6v6 on a bigger field with bigger goals. U9 players got a chance to be the ‘older kids’ in 6v6. U10 players got a chance to play 8v8 like they would in U12 this Fall, and the U11 players got a chance to be the ‘older kids’ in 8v8.

We managed to get 11 teams formed in two divisions, with each team getting three matches (except for one team). We put a schedule together, got officials to call the matches, and put bins of red and blue pinnies at each field. Players just showed up at their scheduled field in the morning and said what color their team was (White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, etc) to find their team. Then they grabbed some pinnies and played.

I honestly don’t know who had more fun - the kids, the coaches, or the parents. The coaches had a blast coaching a team of unknowns in matches that didn’t count. The kids, after a little awkwardness, just played, and not knowing how skilled their teammates were, treated them like equals for the most part. The parents just cheered, laughed, and enjoyed themselves. New friends were made and a lot of fun was had by all. I can’t recall the last time as league president that I got so much positive feedback in one day and not a single complaint.

I’m not advocating this as some type of replacement for league play, etc. Our Rec league is a very competitive league, and the vast majority of people prefer it that way. I’m not a huge fan of the U10 Academy format where players pool train and play on random teams all the time. But this was a fantastic ‘alternative event’ that was a great way to end the season AND help kids prepare for travel tryouts, which were the next week. I know as a coach I had an absolute blast.

My point in sharing this is that there are many possibilities out there to mix things up a bit with your soccer program. Not as a season/league wide change, but as an ‘event’. This was one day of soccer - that’s it. I wouldn’t advocate it be more than that. It took some administrative overhead to form the teams, but beyond that - it was worth any effort it took to organize. In the end everyone had a lot of fun and a new experience.

So the next time you’re laying out your Rec league schedule, think about some things you could do to give your players a new experience.

Coach Tim on "Tales From The Pitch - Week 19"

Coach Tim — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:24:52 +0000

It was very hot in southern california this weekend, temperatures were over 90 degrees on the field. My U6 team, the Wolverines, was playing the Hawks for the first time, a team that defeated the Yellow Jackets, who beat us easily two weeks back. It was a rough first half and my son Aldy, the team leader, was pushed and elbowed in the box on a number of scoring chances. He took a shot ot the ribs at the end of the first half (0-0) and I carried him off the field in tears and pain. The coaches and the ref chatted before the second half and told the boys to take it easy, everyone shook hands and we played a vigorous but cleaner second half with both teams getting good saves from their goalies. Still tied at zero with about 5 minutes to play Aldy came to me and said he had to stop that his ribs were hurting too much. I sat him down off the pitch and, now that we were shorthanded, the Hawks had a breakaway to win that just misfired. Aldy rallied and got back out there, then single handedly took the ball downfield, fought through 4 defenders and kicked in the winning goal seconds before time was called. After cheers and handshakes (including a lot of congratulations from the other team's players and coaches) I carried him off the field, more worn out than elated and he sat on my lap in the shade while the other kids had drinks and snacks. A couple of fathers from my team came over and sat next to us at different times and said how impressed and proud they were of him for rallying from his sore ribs and rough treatment and finishing the game like he did. I've replayed that goal in my head dozens of times and still don't know how he managed to score. Plus, I remain in awe of his spirit, heart and determination. I'm truly lucky to have him as my son.