Your connection is what they will remember.

Take one second and think about the best teacher, coach, or mentor you ever had.

Now come up with one memory of them, fast.

(Got it?)

What’s your memory? Is it something your coach/teacher/mentor said? Something they did?

Perhaps what you remembered wasn’t anything particular they said or did, but just their face — specifically their eyes, and how those eyes looked at you — or, rather, looked into you. Which is to say: the lasting impact of our teachers might not be contained in their words, but in the connections they form with us.

When you look around today, a lot of coaches and teachers and bosses seem to be doing everything but connecting. Go to a soccer game, for instance, and you tend to see coaches on the sideline doing a lot of talking (shouting out mid-game advice, orchestrating the action), but not a lot of connecting. Certain CEOs and managers are similar, though perform do their sideline orchestrating via email. But is this wise? Is it useful?

I recently met a terrific soccer coach by the name of Iain Munro, who coaches at YSC Sports Academy in Philadelphia (a burgeoning soccer hotbed in its own right). Munro, who’s in his sixties, played and coached at the top level in England and his native Scotland (working with, among others, Alex Ferguson and Jock Stein). I put the question to Munro this way: if the average coach says 100 words to his players, how many words should a master coach say?

Munro looked into my eyes; he let me know he really heard the question and was giving it due consideration. He placed a friendly hand on my shoulder, and I got an ineffable feeling that I was about to hear something important. Then I did.

“Ten words,” he said. “Fewer, if possible.”

The truth is, great coaches and teachers don’t spend their time talking. They spend most of their time watching and listening. And when they communicate, they don’t just start talking. First they connect on an emotional level, to one individual at a time. They deliver concise, useful information, and they make that information stick. Kind of like Munro did when he communicated with me.

So with that in mind I’d like to offer the following checklist; a filter to use before you start talking.

· 1. Are you connected? Do you have the person’s complete and undivided attention?

· 2. Do you know — deeply understand — where that person is in their development right now, and what the next step is?

· 3. Can you, in five seconds or less, deliver a clear, memorable piece of useful information to help them take that step?

Watch Munro work with his soccer teams and you’ll see him sidle up to a player during a drill, without interrupting the larger flow. He puts the hand on their shoulder, connects to them, and delivers a nugget of helpful information. Then he steps away, allowing the player to take that nugget and start applying it.

Munro’s players, of course, will remember him for the rest of their lives. Not because he makes them better (which he does) or because he’s so entertaining (which he is, too) but for the same reason you remember your greatest coach: because he’s not about himself, he’s really about the people he’s trying to help.

Why Winning Isn't a Priority in Youth Soccer

By Coach V
BlastTheBall.com
View original posting by clicking here.

"Winning is not everything? What a bunch of junk."

I remember uttering those words in my mind many years ago after listening to the usual coaches' meeting before the season started. I thought to myself, "If winning isn't everything, then why do they keep score and why does this youth league have tournaments at the end of the season?" When I walked out of the meeting I knew that EVERY coach had the same thing on his mind. They were already planning their "killer tactical plans" for their Under-12 soccer team.

Think of this mistake as a process, kind of a life cycle that many good coaches go through. Remember most of us start out as bad coaches. We don't really know what we're doing, we just know we are trying to get to a certain point. Along the way and through the years we just kind of figure it out. We go through coaching education, certification, watch videos, read books, watch other coaches, and rely on what we learned as soccer players. Eventually we become pretty good at what we do.

The problem that evolves in this pattern is the natural cycle of the parent/coach. We generally start out with our children at a young age. We teach them basic technical skills and focus on the simple things. We expose young players to the game by having fun, but at the same time teaching the basic skills that make them a skilled individual player.

Now the little ones start to mature, the season rolls on, and here is where the poison starts to trickle in to our coaching: Our human nature.

Resisting the Urge to Win

Human nature is the one thing that is very hard to change. However, to be a truly great youth soccer coach we must learn how to overcome our desire to win, or at least win at all costs, which really is a natural behavior.

Our job as youth soccer coaches is to teach young players individual skills and make sure that these skills are not only taught, but also repeated to the point that they become instinctive. We should make sure the young soccer experience is fun and well rounded.

Moving a weak offensive player to the forward position is easy to do when you are up 6-0. However, making this move when you're losing 3-2 is seen as suicide by many. But if you are not allowing rotations on your young teams, you are doing the kids a disservice.

Spending a great deal of time on technical skills is easy at first. However, when we start to lose games we feel we are weak on tactical strategy and we have a tendency to make practices all about tactical work. The much needed "technical training" just seems to disappear.

Here are a few things that add to this difficulty.

*Parents, a HUGE contributing factor, want their child to be on a winning team. If a team is losing all their games, it's not their child's weak technical skills that are the problem. It is the coach and his game plan that is causing us to lose.

*We as coaches/humans want to win or be successful in the eyes of others. Unfortunately this is often based on what people see as the public grading--the win/loss record.

*We often don't sit down with all the people involved and communicate what our goals are for the season. If only a few parents understand that we are not there to win but to learn, then it simply will not work.

A truly great youth soccer coach understands his job is to teach his young players individual technical skills. Our job is not to teach a 10-year old extended tactical vision for the game, but instead give him the mastery of the tools that it takes to play the game.The creativity and vision for the game will only truly come once this process has ended and they can focus on the GAME as a whole. It's hard to be creative when you keep tripping over the ball while dribbling.

Yes, we do give them some basic vision points for the tactical side of the game. However, it does no good to try and teach them a play that has one player feeding in a ball 30 yards, while another player receives it and finishes, if neither can complete the basic skills to make this play happen.

Many of our technical foundations are thrown out the window when the season starts. We start focusing on scrimmages, set up, positioning and plays. We start lecturing 9-year olds about the "thirds of the field", forgetting that all they are looking at is the ball at their feet.

Coaches have a natural human nature to win. That does not make them bad people, just bad youth coaches. Most of us want to succeed at what we do, we just often define the "definition of success" incorrectly.

Until we can break this cycle of winning at all costs and pressured competition, our kids will continue to suffer. Until the definition of "success" in youth soccer is redefined, there will be kids that are being set up for failure at the expense of adult winning.

Why Can't We Do It?

In order to make this work, everyone has to buy in. There needs to be a strong message--preferably in writing--that explains this trend and how every person contributes to this problem.

Everyone from the program director, to the coaches, the parents and the players need to understand the definition of a successful youth soccer program. A simple parents meeting at the beginning of the season is not enough. Often many miss it and many players will only have one of the parents attending. There needs to be a strong written summary of your goals and all should read, sign and return.

Everyone should realize that while some tactical education will be covered, it will be age appropriate and more on a general, basic and visual understanding level. It should be understood that younger player development will be largely technical-based and competitive games are simply a place to try our newly learn technical skills, not a measure of results.

I will warn you that this is easier said than done. It often takes years of coaching before we realize what we are doing wrong. We when finally realize this mistake we now face the daunting task of selling this theory to inexperienced parents and coaches. (A job no one really wants.)

A Step in the Right Direction

Youth soccer has finally been facing up to these problems around the world. Many international development programs and U.S. Youth Soccer programs are slowly getting this message out to clubs, leagues and coaches. However, this powerful message seems to fall short when it comes to reaching the parents. Coaches must humbly face this reality and focus on moving this message to the parents. Without the parents buying in 100 percent this movement will fail.

I have had the pleasure of working with many soccer programs and players from around the world. It always amazes me at what a poor job the leagues do at communicating these critical points to parents, and coaches as well. A short parent meeting or a 10 line code of conduct will never get this point delivered. Developing a full and thorough plan and getting 100 percent on board is the only way it will work.

You will always find some youth coaches that somehow justify themselves around this basic youth soccer principle. They will still wear their "badge of victories" proudly and debunk this essential and critical understanding. Remember they are not bad people, just bad for youth soccer. They can't help it, it's their nature.

Sadly we as soccer coaches must come to grips with the fact that we are not training a winning team for our sake. Our job is to help young players by teaching them individual technical skills. We then graciously turn them over to another coach hoping they are better with what they have learned.

Young players will remember a good soccer coach for the rest of their lives. That is what we as coaches call our reward. Not winning.

As the Soccer Improves, So Must the Club

Our players are improving with every touch. We have embraced the Player Development Revolution, now it is time to set benchmarks.

In soccer communities around the country, there is a lingering question, “how to measure success?” There are theories and philosophies and studies, but the reality is that we won’t truly know until a child reaches their teens. However, I believe that there can be benchmarks or goals to achieve that will better the chances of an individual’s reaching their potential to play at their highest level.

Recently, in a coaching committee meeting I unveiled the next step to improving the club. The concept puts a measuring and benchmarking system in use. The intentions is to help coaches, parents and players better evaluate their current level of play and set goals that help them reach their potential.

One of the most recent tools that we have added is iSoccer. This program does a number of wonderful things if fully taken advantage of by a player. However, the part that I want to focus on is the ability to quantifiably test and measure an individual in 16 core areas, these areas reflect the very foundation of every successful soccer player. The emphasis on “raising the level” of each player through training and testing is simply amazing, as it will transform a player from being decent to good, good to great, and excellent to elite. This is how we have decided to measure our players’ individual development. We believe strongly that if players train at home, are frequently tested and can see themselves reach their individual goals on iSoccer, it will allow the coach to focus on training the “thinking” part of the game and fine tune team style of play and tactics. -More on iSoccer in an interview with iSoccer CEO, Scott Leben-

Players must be accountable for their own skill development, by training at home before a coach can be criticized for not teaching the players how to play the game. The document “Champions are Grown in their Backyard” is a must read, as it puts an emphasis on what will truly make your child great at soccer!

As mentioned above, this winter our Coaches Committee plans to unveil a benchmarking document. Our job, now that our club philosophy is established and we are developing quality players, is to help teams/coaches measure their success as well as map out the road to achieving a team’s potential.

As the club and culture of our community evolves, so must our aspirations. The benchmarking system will provide a list of expected outcomes at certain ages and levels of soccer. It will allow coaches and parents (the adults) to see where each player is during their development. A combination of iSoccer evaluating and benchmarking (i.e. making the Infinity SC premier team of your age, attending tournaments of interest, competition in state cup, making the Olympic Development Program team for their age, making the High School team, gaining exposure from college coaches, earning a soccer scholarship and so on) will allow everyone to know what to expect as well as know what is expected to get there. This type of road map will allow adults involved to keep things in perspective. They can be confident that the system is working because their player is meeting goals set by themselves as well as by the club.

Having accurate expectations will also allow parents to prepare for the demands of future (time, travel and money) endeavors. Many clubs promise college scholarships or high school soccer relevancy. Infinity does not promise. However, we are developing, through research and experience, a road map for achievement. We must also empower each player to work for these types of rewards. The club must provide a vehicle (teams) that makes the players desired destinations accessible.

To help the players (and their parents) that have aspirations of playing college soccer we are establishing a college liaison committee. This committee will start generating contacts with college coaches as well as assist college bound players with the recruiting process. The committee will also be in charge of empowering a person to be the Infinity SC college liaison representative of the club.

Emphasizing player development and focus on Long-Term Development has been our focus for the last three years. It will continue to be the emphasis as we move forward as well. But now that our players are maturing (51 Infinity SC girls playing High School Soccer for their respected schools) it is time to provide a higher level of expectation and a road map on how to get there. Infinity SC is committed to evolving as our players develop.

Any adult with interest, experience, expertise in college recruiting who would like to help with this project are encouraged to email coachjginn@gmail.com so they can be invited to join a College Liaison Committee.

“The future has been written…

…forever futbol!”

-Ginn

"Some youth academies worry about winning, we worry about education."

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Barcelona and Spain icon Xavi exposes his romanticism of the game and shares his thoughts on Player Development. Here are some highlights from our fellow revolutionary:

“It's good that the reference point for world football right now is Barcelona, that it's Spain. Not because it's ours but because of what it is. Because it's an attacking football, it's not speculative, we don't wait. You pressure, you want possession, you want to attack. Some teams can't or don't pass the ball. What are you playing for? What's the point? That's not football. Combine, pass, play. That's football – for me, at least.”

“Some youth academies worry about winning, [Barcelona] worry about education. You see a kid who lifts his head up, who plays the pass first time, pum, and you think, 'Yep, he'll do.' Bring him in, coach him. Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo. Every. Single. Day. It's the best exercise there is. You learn responsibility and not to lose the ball. If you lose the ball, you go in the middle. Pum-pum-pum-pum, always one touch. If you go in the middle, it's humiliating, the rest applaud and laugh at you.”

“If you go two years without winning, everything has to change. But you change names, not identity. The philosophy can't be lost. Our fans wouldn't understand a team that sat back and played on the break. Sadly, people only look at teams through success. Now, success has validated our approach. I'm happy because, from a selfish point of view, six years ago I was extinct; footballers like me were in danger of dying out. It was all: two metres tall, powerful, in the middle, knockdowns, second balls, rebounds … but now I see Arsenal and Villarreal and they play like us.”

“I'm a romantic. I like the fact that talent, technical ability, is valued above physical condition now. I'm glad that's the priority; if it wasn't, there wouldn't be the same spectacle. Football is played to win but our satisfaction is double. Other teams win and they're happy, but it's not the same. The identity is lacking. The result is an impostor in football. You can do things really, really well – last year we were better than Inter Milan – but did not win. There's something greater than the result, more lasting. A legacy.”

“Education is the key. Players have had 10 or 12 years here. When you arrive at Barça the first thing they teach you is: think. Think, think, think. Quickly.”


READ THE INTERVIEW in full and JOIN THE REVOLUTION.

FA head of elite development Gareth Southgate has his work cut out trying to change the future for football

Original article can be viewed on The TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER web site.

A couple of years ago, the junior football club with which I was associated took an idea to our local youth league. It was that instead of seven-year-olds playing in seven-a-side matches with referees, baying parents on the touchline and results collated into league position, clubs should organise weekly friendlies at four-a-side.

The philosophy behind it was that without the pressure of parentally-imposed competitive structures, children might more enjoy their football, and, with many more touches of the ball available with fewer players on the pitch, develop their skills. There was nothing non-competitive about it: every child would want to win every game they played.

It would be immodest to claim it as our idea. That’s what they do in Holland, in Spain, in Germany, countries that seem to have a reasonable idea how to produce footballers. But when the proposal was raised, the wannabe Fergusons who made up the committee, those managing their little league sides in neatly pressed tracksuits with their initials on the chest, snorted derision.

“Kids want to see their name at the top of the league in the paper,” one said, to much agreement. In fact, most of the committee members thought it would be a better idea to institute competitive leagues for even younger age groups: “How else will they learn how to win?” When it came to a vote, ours was the only one cast in favour. We lost 23-1.

That, in microcosm, was English football : a latticework of self-interest. Never mind the wider good, what about my medals? And I thought of the episode when I heard that Gareth Southgate, the Football Association’s newly-appointed head of elite development, is touring the country, trying to persuade leagues to adopt a policy of small-sided games for young children. Good luck with that, I suggested when I met up with him earlier this week at the launch of the FA’s coaching licence scheme. There are oil tanker captains with easier jobs turning around their ships.

“Actually, there are signs of encouragement,” he said. “I meet lots of young coaches out there who are forward thinking. Yes, there are others set in their ways, but there’s an acknowledgment we have to catch up with the rest of the world. And to do that, one thing is for sure: we can’t carry on with what we’ve been doing.”

Southgate’s task is not a minor one: it is to create a system which nurtures skill. Presently, among Englishmen aged 18 to 25, only a handful demonstrate ball-playing ability to match their European contemporaries. Actually, it is probably only Jack Wilshere who can hold his head up in international company. It is not much better below that: England’s Under-17s were this week evicted from the World Cup by – who else? – Germany.

Partly the issue lies with the Premier League academies, whose processes are under review. But in many ways the problems have been entrenched before young players arrive at elite clubs.

“The under-17s are at the end of the cycle,” Southgate said. “We need to concentrate right at the start of the process. There are so many steps along the way, there’s no scientific path. But I know this: if we don’t give them the right skill base from five until 10 [years of age] it won’t be there whatever you do thereafter.”

In order to do that, Southgate needs to do nothing less than effect an entire change of culture. Through a programme of coach education, he needs to persuade the self-interested parents and junior officials, vicariously living through their offspring, that they are not serving the best interest of the child. He needs to make things fun, with the emphasis on the development of skill. He needs, in short, to reverse the adultification of junior football.

“Parents and coaches have to understand that their child’s enjoyment, what they can learn from the game as people, in terms of team work, defeat and victory, is more important than anything,” he said.

“I do think we have a major cultural issue. We need to end the way in which the little kid is berated for losing the ball on the edge of the area, or the kid is applauded for hoofing it off the pitch.

“Until we alter that mindset then we’ve got a tough task if we want to produce skilful players. None of this will guarantee us a World Cup-winning team. But I’m dead certain that if we don’t change we’ll never have one.”

And as to the critique that the methodology he endorses promotes non-competitiveness, Southgate has a pertinent rebuttal.

“Look at the Williams sisters, they were brought up in an environment of positive reinforcement of hugs and love, they weren’t allowed to play in tournaments until they were 14. And no one could say they lack the will to win,” he said.

“We are trying to put in place ways to create an environment in which every kid – elite or not – can realise their potential within the game. To make football better for every child who plays it. If we don’t achieve anything else, that’s a worthwhile thing to do.”

Listening to Southgate it occurs to me that the FA seems to have done something unusual: made the right appointment. Only time will tell if anyone is prepared to listen to him.

THE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT REVOLUTION: In the fi rst of a series of articles, David Newbery and Tony DiCicco, from USA coaching organisation SoccerPlus,

THE AUTHORS:

DAVID NEWBERY
For over 20 years David has studied and worked in youth education, soccer development and coaching. A former University Professor and CEO of a Youth Sports Company, he is the Director of Player & Coach Development of SoccerPlus.

TONY DICICCO
Tony is the most successful coach in USA Soccer history, most notably leading the USA Women’s national team to 1996 Olympic, plus 1999 and 2008 World Cup success. He is the Head Coach of the Boston Breakers professional women’s team.

The word ‘revolution’ can be synonymous with such terms as anarchy, chaos and confusion, yet our revolution is encouraging a new approach where players have the opportunity to succeed, and where equal opportunity is not an objective but a reality.

We aim to raise standards and expectations, we challenge the way things have always been done and offer an approach where every player and coach has the opportunity to succeed, continuing to play and love the game by becoming serious about player and coach development.

Player Development is now common in soccer vernacular, yet our research has revealed that only 5% of youth soccer clubs are providing a programme built on firm player development foundations – in short, the phenomenal growth in soccer participation is not being supported by a more sophisticated approach.

The application of a ‘town’ soccer model is prevalent, where the primary objective is having fun. These programs are mainly coached by parent volunteers who have a limited understanding of child development and education, with little or no oversight by a coaching authority.

But parent involvement is the bedrock of youth football, and it cannot be understated the critical influence early youth sport experiences have on a participant’s enjoyment and adoption of physical activity. Simply, we need to get serious about player development.

Every coach and every organisation is unique and the aims, objectives and availability of resources (finance, volunteers, facilities etc) are different. A ‘one size fits all’ solution is clearly not the way forward.

“Soccer needs to get serious about player development.”

However, there are some recommendationswe offer to address common issues:

1. Adopt a Philosophy - The philosophy is critical to the long-term approach and it should guide decision making. For example, if the philosophy includes a ‘competency based approach’ to coaching and player development (something we strongly advocate), regular assessment for all players would need to be a significant part of the learning process. We would encourage coaches to develop and redefine the approach annually. Buy-in is critical, as important for parents and players as it is coaches.

2. Create a long-term strategic plan – Teams lacking long-term direction are set to repeat the same year - every year. Making time to ‘think’ will offer insight to a number of critical questions, including coach education and planning for player development. Creating a three- to five-year strategic plan, which involves parents, coaches and players, will provide the framework to make essential decisions and offer a roadmap for success.

3. Adopt or create a Player Development
Curriculum - In general terms a curriculum consists of everything that promotes intellectual, personal, social and physical development of the participants. And as well as session plans, it includes approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, objectives and program values. A detailed development model will create tremendous value and help in raising standards, performance, and expectations, as well as removing the guesswork.

4. Create an in-house Coaching Education
programme – Without great coaching it is unreasonable to expect meaningful player development. A formal education program for coaches is vital to develop expertise and knowledge. A combination of workshops, presentations, online resources, licensing courses, mentoring, practical coaching and demonstrations are needed to raise the standard of coaching and playing.

5. Provide coaches with access to
coaching resources – There are obvious benefits players will receive from a planned approach to development. Having all coaches accessing developmentally appropriate activities and sessions will create a degree of consistency that sometimes does not exist in volunteer organisations.

6. Provide oversight – a coaching authority – It is essential for bigger teams and organisations to clearly identify a ‘Coaching Authority’. This does not need to be a professional, but should be someone able to dedicate significant time during the season to assist coaches and players during practice sessions and games.

We believe firmly in parent volunteer coaches and non-profit organisations, but local coaching needs to start applying more appropriate strategies that are
relatively simple and cost-effective to implement.

Crucially, if we hope to raise standards and expectations, fun and educational attainment must be mutually inclusive outcomes of participation.

www.soccerplus.org/services

Soccer America: Youth Insider

Former U-17 coach Roy Rees: USA should be further along
article can be viewed at www.SoccerAmerica.com

By Mike Woitalla

How many players on the U.S. team currently competing at the U-17 World Cup will make a significant impact on the full national team?

Judging from the average of the previous 13 U.S. teams that have competed at each of the biennial world championships since 1985, the answer would be one.

Roy Rees coached the USA at four U-17 World Cups, from 1987 through 1993. He guided the young Americans to historic victories over Brazil in 1989 and Italy in 1991. After the USA, led by Claudio Reyna, beat Brazil, 1-0, in 1989, Brazil’s coach Homero Cavalheiro said, “The United States deserved to win today. They were better as a team; they were better individually.”

Asked how he imagined the future of American soccer two decades ago, Rees says, “I would have expected it to be further along than it is now. They've done well but could have done much better.

"They have developed a whole bunch of very average players but not the great players you need to get that little bit extra. There's a lack of creative players."

Mike Burns and John O'Brien, who played for Rees in the 1987 and 1993 tournaments, were also among the U-17 alums who had the most success with the full national team.

Rees was succeeded by Glenn Myernick (1995), Jay Miller (1997), John Ellinger (1999, 2001, 2003), John Hackworth (2005, 2007) and Wilmer Cabrera (2009, 2011).

Ellinger's 1999 team, which was the first that went into full-time residency in Bradenton, Fla., finished fourth and remains the only squad to win a knockout stage game. It included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Bobby Convey. That class proved to be an aberration.

Miller’s 1997 squad included Taylor Twellman and Danny Califf, who went on to long pro careers but had limited success with the full national team. Ellinger’s 2001 and 2003 squads included Eddie Johnson and Jonathan Spector, respectively.

Hackworth’s 2005 team included Jozy Altidore and Neven Subotic, now one of the top defenders in the German Bundesliga, but he plays his national team ball for Serbia.

Rees, a Welshman who served as an English FA staff coach and worked for FIFA as an international coaching instructor before taking over the U.S. U-17s, cites many reasons why the USA hasn't made more profound progress in producing exceptional players. Topping the list is an emphasis on athleticism rather than on skill and understanding the game.

"America had the reputation of being better athletically than everyone else, because at the Olympics they ran faster, were stronger, and threw things farther,” he says. “Those are things that have nothing to do with soccer. At the youth level, big, strong and physical may win games. But the smaller players develop skills to combat the big and the physical, and when they get the growth they’re the ones who get the results."

He also warns of the perils of advocating an orthodox approach to player development:

"It was, 'Coach this way, or get out.' There are different ways of developing players, which is obvious when you see how great players have emerged from different countries."

He says that the insight into the game that great players acquire is something that they develop naturally when they're young, not from being told how to play, but by being given the freedom figure the game out.

“What matters is being able to perceive the game, to predict what happens next," says Rees. "They need to be placed in a situation where they can see it for themselves rather than having it laid out for them. That needs to happen at the youngest levels. They need to be allowed to express themselves and not be tied to the coach’s instructions, or they’ll play like robots.”

Now retired and living in Southern California, Rees is watching this U.S. U-17 team on TV. Not judging it by the scorelines, but whether there are within the group some players with that little bit extra that hints of greatness.

* * * *
The USA opened its U-17 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday with goals by Alejandro Guido and Esteban Rodriguez and late sub Alfred Koroma. In their second Group D game, the Americans face Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 pm ET, Galavision, ESPN3.com).

Uzbekistan lost its opener, 4-1, to New Zealand, which got a hat trick by Stephen Carmichael. Carmichael, making his first start for the Kiwis, hadn’t been part of the squad during qualifying nor for a pre-tournament tour to Qatar.

Go HERE for U-17 World Cup results and schedule.

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United in Oakland, Calif. His youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

Club, a focus on players

Generating individual players is a top priority in our club. It is what sets us apart from other soccer teams/groups in our community. Even though team success is very important, what’s truly significant is what is happening with each individual in the club that truly makes Infinity SC special.

The ongoing process of developing people over a long period of time is something that the ordinary person understands. We are used to having a curriculum in our education program, piano lessons, scouting programs, skiing and snowboarding programs. If a student is excelling in the second grade, he/she is likely going to be tested to see if they can perform at another level. If an alto sax player is performing poorly at the start and is sitting third chair and suddenly improves they will move up to second and possibly first chair. If child moves from an orange belt to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do, we acknowledge the accomplishment without making his/her peers move up prematurely. In all of these examples, the focus is on the individual, not their group, and each individual is rewarded for their abilities within a curriculum. Why don’t we embrace the same patient scheme with youth sports?

The beauty of our club philosophy, enabled by having multiple teams, a technical director and licensed/experienced coaches, is that we have been through the bumps and bruises of forming teams, enjoying success, only to dissolve (in quality and/or quantity) as the teams mature in age. We understand that players may find themselves jealous of the teammate that moves up a team because they are excelling faster, questioning what their team is going to do without them. Or that also that parents may find their child moving up to be challenged more because all of the sudden they are no longer the star of the team. However, our club is focused on placing each player in the most ideal environment for their development as a soccer player. This, for some reason, is very difficult to grasp and it is our mission to educate and change the culture in our community. We want a club that focuses on player development first, and team success second. I say this openly, knowing very well that winning is important, and that we should be striving to win every time we are placed on the field, but not at the cost of our players development. Winning is secondary to each player’s skill development and decision making abilities. I will not go in to detail about this, but feel free to check my blog for articles that support the philosophy (www.coachginn.blogspot.com).

On Tuesday, March 12th I received a phone call from one of the u11 girl’s parents around 12:45pm. They were stumbling around the District 7 web site and recognized that we had a game in less than five hours. Due to the chaos the weather had brought, we had a game rescheduled without any notice at all. The next six hours were insane, but the commitment to the players that coaches and parents showed was more than just synergetic. We acted like a club determined to make things work, not just for this newly scheduled game, but for each player throughout the club that was affected by this added match.

The scenario was this: two of the u11 girls were already committed to play with the u10 boy’s team at the same time as their new game because the u10 boy’s team had a couple of injured players and a couple of absent players. They needed players, so as a club we provided two u10 girls that were “playing up” at u11 to play with the boys. These two girls helped the boys to a 9-2 win and contributed by scoring two goals and 2 assists. The comment from the u10 coach was that it was nice to be able to plug two players, regardless of gender, and be confident that they will be able to contribute due to similar training and playing styles. The girls train often enough with the boys that the boys are comfortable playing with the two girls while the girls were confident that they could play with the boys as well.

As the u10 boys kicked off so did the girl’s teammates (the u11 girls). They are playing in the u11 boys league this season to be challenged more after running the table in the girl’s league. The beauty of this game was that although they were missing two stronger players (the players that were playing with the u10 boys,) two players from the 2nd u11 team (u11 select girls) were invited. Even though the girls were down 2-0 at the half, the two select girls started over two of the premier girls, they fit in, contributed, and there was no drop in play. The two select girls contributed in an eventual 3-2 win over a very fast and physical independent u11 boy’s team. They train with each other, they compete with each other and they plan to play with each other when they move to 11v11 next year when they are u12 players. It is fun to be involved with these players, teams and coaches. Although the circumstances may not always be ideal, and that the team may suffer on game day at the younger ages, we are seeing individuals nurtured to become quality players that are comfortable playing in every position, on any team, under any circumstance and team players who openly accept the guest players and work with them.

The other amazing part in the chaos of that day was that every player made it to the game with only three hours notice. The parents and coaches among the three teams were great at tracking down player passes, doing the online paperwork to allow the players to use the developmental pass and simply making things happen. When we place the needs of the kids above our own needs, we find out that little miracles happen. Raising a soccer player these days requires players, coaches and parents (especially) to make some major sacrifices. It is not convenient at all to have kids running around. But if anyone saw the girls smiling at half time while they were down 2-0 they will admit that it is all worth it. The girls knew that they had out possessed and out played their opposition. They wanted to be winning, but they knew what they were accomplishing as individuals and as a group. This highly competitive group of players was smiling ear to ear, happy with the way they were playing. They regrouped at half time, were guided in a conversation on how to improve their attack and before we knew it, the opposing side was stunned with a 3-2 loss being handed to them.

On the very same day, another shining moment occurred. I had a training session planned for three other teams at the exact time of these games, but due to the field closures, I had to change it to a street soccer session. I asked a coach that I have been mentoring to help out. He gladly accepted and made it happen. The club unity and synergy was amazing. During this time the u12 Premier boys were training with the u12 Select boys, and the u9 boy’s team impressed everyone watching with their skills and decision making in a loss to a much more physical team.

We often hear the phrase, “it takes an entire village to raise a child,” and in similar fashion it takes a club to create a culture that will develop a player. Over the last three years we have overcome many hurdles in an effort to build a quality premier club for our community. We have changed the culture of youth soccer and continue to be constantly on the cutting edge of U.S. Youth Soccer Association philosophy and curriculum. In an effort to improve our coaches, players and educate the soccer parents we have followed and will continue to follow U.S. Youth Soccer’s BEST PRACTICES manuel while improving our services to our community. We have taken the approach of thinking and researching globally while serving locally. Our community is unique in that we can rally together and build something together if we understand what the potential outcome can be.

We believe that as we all work together, like in the examples above, and help our kids get the appropriate training, our coaches will receive opportunities to continue their coaching education and the club members find ways to volunteer (even in the smallest of ways) that we will continue to lead the charge within our community.

Understanding the many sacrifices it takes from everyone in the club, I am very grateful for the board members that serve diligently to represent the parental and administrative side of our club. They are priceless, and sacrifice countless hours to improve the experience of the players and their families. The coaches are the lifeline of our club; the sacrifices that they make to be on a field with your child are amazing and frequently taken for granted. As parents of the players, you have been outstanding with adapting to the many schedule changes due to weather this spring, and in general our parents make many sacrifices for their children and I applaud them for pulling it off. I can’t even imagine how strenuous it is to get your children everywhere. Last, but not least, the players- all of you work hard, play hard and train hard. I enjoy being part of your development on the soccer field.

As mentioned at the start of this letter, it is Infinity’s goal, as well as mine, to help you fall in love with the game while learning the game. However, I hope that you are learning important life lessons during your experience with Infinity SC that will help you be quality citizens now and forever.

Forever Futbol,

Coach Jeff Ginn, Technical Director

Beckham Slow Motion Shot as requested in a reply to previous post

Beckham



Youth Players trying their best to imitate Beckham



Finishing/Shooting - Technical break down on the SKILLS SCHOOL DVD by US Youth Soccer

For Real in Salt Lake, Barca style is the model

By Simon Evans

MIAMI, March 17 (Reuters) - Most of the money and attention in the growth of soccer in the United States has been focused on Los Angeles and New York but the unlikely setting of Utah is where the game has developed in the most attractive way.

Real Salt Lake, founded just seven years ago, coached by a 38-year-old from Nebraska and playing in the suburb of Sandy, made their mark by winning the MLS Cup in 2009.

This year they have reached the last four of the CONCACAF Champions League which is the premier club competition for North, Central America and the Caribbean.

They are winning admirers, such as ex-France striker Thierry Henry, as much for the way they play as for their results. Real have adopted the Barcelona style of aesthetically-pleasing football based on a short passing game and swift movement.

“I believe in soccer being played that way, it’s the way I like to watch it, it’s what attracts me about the game when teams play a possession-orientated style, ” head coach Jason Kreis told Reuters in an interview.

“It is something that I wanted to do but it is something also where you need the right tools to be able to do it.

“It has taken some time for us to get a critical mass—the right number of players that are technically gifted enough and smart enough to play the way that we are trying to,” he said.

While Kreis has never played or coached outside the U.S., his influence is drawn mainly from Spain and, despite his club’s name reflecting a cooperation deal with Real Madrid it is their Catalan rivals’ way of playing that has made its mark in Utah.

TOTAL FOOTBALL

“Barcelona have probably been playing that way since (Johan) Cruyff,” he said, referring to the Spanish club’s former Dutch forward and manager who brought ‘Total Football’ to the Catalan side from his days with the national team.

“I think we try in a lot of ways emulate that style, I think it would be very fair to say that we have Latin American players on our team who like to play that style and it is more a natural fit,” added Kreis.

It is an approach which stands in contrast to the perhaps rather dated view of MLS as a physical league with teams who prefer to play a direct form of the game.


“I hope it continues to change in that direction,” said Kreis. “I always think it is going to be a physical league because we have very good athletes, we have strong, big guys that can get the job done and can stretch their bodies maybe a bit further than in other places.

“But I would also say that some of the physical side of our game is because we haven’t raised our technical ability as high as it probably should be—the average player in our league is definitely not as technically gifted as the average player in the Premier League or La Liga or the Bundesliga.

“Because of that we have had a lot of poor first touches and poor tactical decisions on the ball which means that defenders can really jump into things,” he said.

Salt Lake’s approach is based around the cool play of deep lying midfielder Kyle Beckerman whose astute positional sense, vision and composed passing ensure that Real start moves on the floor from the back.

Kreis acknowledged that a direct approach can bring results but would like to see more teams in MLS play a short pass and move style. He believes that would require a major change in the way young players are developed in North America.

“There are lots of ways to look at soccer (it’s) just that (the direct style) isn’t particularly mine. If all soccer was to be the way I like to see it I think it would have to start well before college soccer. We need to start implementing that in our youth teams and our youth national teams,” he said.

How a Soccer Star Is Made

By MICHAEL SOKOLOVE
Published in The New York Times

The youth academy of the famed dutch soccer club Ajax is grandiosely called De Toekomst — The Future. Set down beside a highway in an unprepossessing district of Amsterdam, it consists of eight well-kept playing fields and a two-story building that houses locker rooms, classrooms, workout facilities and offices for coaches and sports scientists. In an airy cafe and bar, players are served meals and visitors can have a glass of beer or a cappuccino while looking out over the training grounds. Everything about the academy, from the amenities to the pedigree of the coaches — several of them former players for the powerful Dutch national team — signifies quality. Ajax once fielded one of the top professional teams in Europe. With the increasing globalization of the sport, which has driven the best players to richer leagues in England, Germany, Italy and Spain, the club has become a different kind of enterprise — a talent factory. It manufactures players and then sells them, often for immense fees, on the world market. “All modern ideas on how to develop youngsters begin with Ajax,” Huw Jennings, an architect of the English youth-development system, told me. “They are the founding fathers.”

In America, with its wide-open spaces and wide-open possibilities, we celebrate the “self-made athlete,” honor effort and luck and let children seek their own course for as long as they can — even when that means living with dreams that are unattainable and always were. The Dutch live in a cramped, soggy nation made possible only because they mastered the art of redirecting water. They are engineers with creative souls, experts at systems, infrastructure and putting scant resources to their best use. The construction of soccer players is another problem to be solved, and it’s one they undertake with a characteristic lack of sentiment or illusion.

The first time I visited De Toekomst happened to coincide with the arrival of 21 new players — 7- and 8-year-olds, mainly, all from Amsterdam and its vicinity — who were spotted by scouts and identified as possible future professionals. As I came upon them, they were competing in a series of four-on-four games on a small, artificial-turf field with a wall around it, like a hockey rink, so that balls heading out of bounds bounced right back into play. It was late November and cold, with a biting wind howling off the North Sea, but the boys skittered about in only their lightweight jerseys and baggy shorts. Their shots on goal were taken with surprising force, which kept the coaches who were serving as goalkeepers flinching and shielding themselves in self-defense. The whole scene had a speeded-up, almost cartoonish feel to it, but I certainly didn’t see anyone laughing.

After a series of these auditions, some players would be formally enrolled in the Ajax (pronounced EYE-ox) academy. A group of men standing near me looked on intently, clutching rosters that matched the players with their numbers. One man, Ronald de Jong, said: “I am never looking for a result — for example, which boy is scoring the most goals or even who is running the fastest. That may be because of their size and stage of development. I want to notice how a boy runs. Is he on his forefeet, running lightly? Does he have creativity with the ball? Does he seem that he is really loving the game? I think these things are good at predicting how he’ll be when he is older.”

Like other professional clubs in Europe and around the world, Ajax operates something similar to a big-league baseball team’s minor-league system — but one that reaches into early childhood. De Jong, a solidly built former amateur player, is one of some 60 volunteer scouts who fan out on weekends to watch games involving local amateur clubs. (He works during the week as a prison warden.) His territory includes the area between The Hague and Haarlem — “the flower district, which is also a very good hunting ground for players” is how he described it. He’ll observe a prospect for months or even years, and players he recommends will also be watched by one of the club’s paid scouts, a coach and sometimes the director of the Ajax youth academy. But for some families, the first time they realize their boys are under serious consideration is when a letter arrives from Ajax requesting that they bring their sons in for a closer look, an invitation that is almost never declined. To comprehend the impact of a summons from Ajax, imagine a baseball-crazed kid from, say, North Jersey arriving home from school one day to learn that he has been asked to come to Yankee Stadium to perform for the team brass.

One player there was de Jong’s discovery, an 8-year-old who, he said, had “talent that is off the charts.” But if this boy were to be accepted into the academy, it would mean he had completed just the first of a succession of relentless challenges. Ajax puts young players into a competitive caldron, a culture of constant improvement in which they either survive and advance or are discarded. It is not what most would regard as a child-friendly environment, but it is one that sorts out the real prodigies — those capable of playing at an elite international level — from the merely gifted.

The rest of the article can be viewed by page on the following page links: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Michael Sokolove, a contributing writer for the magazine, is the author of “Warrior Girls,” about the injury epidemic among young female athletes.

Advice to Soccer kids from Landon Donovan (have fun)

Changing the [Soccer] Education Paradigm

With just a little bit of extrapolation on your part you can make the connections between the youth academic environment and the youth soccer environment. As I viewed the clip many dots connected for me. But I would like for you to post a reply on the blog before (comment below) I share the things I found. Please take the time to have some dialogue about this topic as a group. I would really like us to share some ideas.

No Guarantee

The development of a soccer player is a long process in which players progress gradually from a simple to a more complex involvement in the game. This progression requires proper guidance and direction from quality, knowledgeable, licensed coaches. This process cannot be rushed, but players should always compete at a level that is both challenging and demanding. I believe that there are eight elements that are essential for proper player development.

1) Competitive Training Environment that is demanding, challenging, varied, motivating and stimulating on a regular consistent basis.

2) Quality Coaching to help, guide, direct and assist players through their youth careers. Coaches must continue with their on going education.

3) Competitive Matches against teams that will push the players to their maximum capabilities.

4) Quality Referees who understand and can interpret the laws of the game.

5) Facilities that are numerous and of a high quality.

6) Proper Equipment - Boots, Shin Guards, Balls, Proper Dress, Inflated Soccer Ball.

7) Political Pipeline of Administrators, Politicians, Coaches and Referees that when making decisions and policies consider if it enhances the development of the player.

8) Player Identification System that can find the top players and place them in the appropriate level and program.

There is no guarantee that a player will reach his or her potential, but at least we must give him or her the opportunity to become "The Best They Can Be".

In the words of Bobby Howe, US Soccer National Director of Coaching Education, "soccer is an art not a science and the game should be played attractively as well as effectively. Soccer is a game of skill, imagination, creativity and decision-making. Coaching should not stifle, but enhance those elements".

"There is no magic formula or short cut to successful development, coaching at youth levels is all about working with players to improve performance, not about recruiting players to build teams to win championships. Soccer is a player's game and the players should be considered first when political, administrative and coaching decisions are made".

The Beginnings of Barcelona's Superstars

By Mike Woitalla

The world's three greatest players have a few things in common.

Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi all stand barely 5-foot-7 tall. They're teammates at Barcelona and they all came out of the club's youth program.

The trio finished tops in voting for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or, the world player of the year award won by Messi.

VIDEO OF INIESTA IN HIS YOUTH


2010 World Cup champs Iniesta (age 26) and Xavi (31) joined Barcelona at age 11 and 12, respectively. Messi (23) arrived from Argentina at age 13.

One person who had a close eye on all three of them during their youth days is Albert Benaiges, the coordinator of Barcelona's youth teams, which spawned seven players who played for Spain in its World Cup final win.

After the Ballon d’Or honors, Benaiges recalled his impressions of the trio in their early years.

“No one back then knew they would be world-class players,” he told Germany’s Kicker Magazine. “For sure, Messi’s great talent was already apparent. Also in Iniesta and Xavi one saw early on that they offered something special -- or else we wouldn’t have brought them in.

“But anyone who says that when he saw those three players at age 11, 12 and 13 he knew they were future superstars is a liar.”

Benaiges says that it’s at age 16 when they can predict if a boy might mature into a very good player.

“Before that age it’s nearly impossible,” he said.

Benaiges does recall that Messi was incredibly fast with the ball. That even at 11, Xavi almost never lost the ball. And that Iniesta was a sensitive, considerate boy – shy but always willing to help others.

Messi, during one year, played for teams at five different levels within the club – and never complained whether it was with the A team or C team – always giving his best.

Regarding the type of training Barcelona youth players receive:

“Technical skills we can improve up till the age of 13,” Benaiges says. “But every pro was born a soccer player. Instinct and game intelligence we can’t create. Both of those come within.”

Asked what is trained, Benaiges responded: “Only technique and tactics, not fitness, which they can catch up on later.”

The ball is the focus:

"The most important aspect of our program is always ball work. In all the exercises they do, whether it's physical preparation or any other kind of training, the ball is always there."

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United in Oakland, Calif. His youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)