(FIFA.com) Friday 2 November 2007
Ajax have struggled to find their feet this term after academy graduates Ryan Babel and Wesley Sneijder (see video of Sneijder below the article) both moved on in the summer. But one of the few certainties in football is that the Amsterdam club will soon uncover exciting young gems to replace them with. Forever associated with the Johan Cruyff generation, Ajax's youth program is the stuff of folklore, basking in a mythic aura. It also remains highly effective, as FIFA.com discovered in this exclusive journey into the heart of 'total football'.
The first thing that stands out is the Amsterdam Arena itself, looming large in the distance. An elegant, modern stadium, it is above all imposing, bringing to mind the Greek ships mythological hero Ajax the Great leapt between during the Trojan War. And it does an excellent job of inspiring the young hopefuls at the academy to dream of reaching the top. Without exception, they all share fantasies of breaking into the first XI and following in the footsteps of those responsible for forging the Ajax academy legend over the last 30 years. Football is not just about personal success here: it is a question of philosophy, shared heritage and culture.
The photographs adorning the walls of the academy convey that approach extremely well. Decorating the offices, the bar, the corridors and the games room are images of the club's glorious past and the players who helped shape it: Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Frank and Ronald de Boer, Marc Overmars, Danny Blind and Edwin van der Sar. All scaled the heights at Ajax and all began their careers there, making them the best possible advertisement for the club's youth system. Advertisement is the perfect word too, because the Ajax academy has become a brand name without equal in Europe.
Louis van Gaal's 1995 UEFA Champions League winners were particularly instrumental in that respect. With nine starters having graduated from the club's own ranks, they quickly had rival teams clamouring to study the Dutch outfit's methods. But, as academy director since summer 2007, Jan Olde Riekerink denies that Ajax are capable of working miracles. "[The academy] is not a passport to success," he says. "Individual talent is the key."
Whatever forces are at work, Netherlands coach Marco van Basten travelled to last year's FIFA World Cup™ with no fewer than nine players who learned the ropes at Ajax. Among them figured rising stars Sneijder, Babel and Hedwiges Maduro, with Maduro the only one still plying his trade on Arena Boulevard. "Our aim is to bring two players from the academy through to the first team each year," adds Riekerink, who also served as assistant coach at FC Porto and enjoyed a previous eight-year stint with Ajax between 1993 and 2001.
It is a little after 9am on an overcast September morning and the academy's seven training pitches - two of which are artificial - are completely deserted. The only sign of life comes from the grey metallic bunker in front of the entrance gate that serves as both an office and a changing room, where five lads are playing pool on the first floor as they wait to put on their boots. By mid-afternoon, however, the pitches become a real beehive of activity. Thanks to a budget of 4.5 million euros, Ajax have an impressive 240 youth players divided up into 14 different age-groups from seven to 19 years old. They can also boast no fewer than seven youth teams competing in national leagues, and the promising youngsters gain vital insights into the 'house style' from former club luminaries. "There are a lot of old players still involved with the club and that's a good thing," says Riekerink.
A philosophy in four letters
It is an especially good thing at Ajax, where the same philosophy has held sway since the mid-1960s. In formation terms, that translates into the attacking 4-3-3 system they evolved into 'total football', but the Ajax approach is much broader than that. It is a footballing ideology that can be summed up in four letters: T.I.P.S., an acronym for Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed that serves as the guiding principle for the academy's recruitment process. "Our scouting network is made up of 40 volunteers and four part-time employees," explains Riekerink. "We don't travel more than 60km outside of Amsterdam. We believe in our own culture and it's not in our way of thinking to go and find youngsters abroad." That said, the club have none the less spread their net to South Africa and the United States by founding the Ajax Cape Town and Ajax America satellite clubs. Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena both made their way to the Dutch capital after showing up on the radar at these outposts.
"We have a creative football philosophy based on speed and technique. Sometimes we mix the age groups together in training. Individual quality is more important than any system. All the teams under the age of 12 play in a 3-4-3 formation and then they play 4-3-3, but it's flexible. If we have two outstanding strikers we can play in 4-4-2," continues Riekerink, illustrating his point by shifting magnetic figures around the whiteboard in his office.
"We have creative players in every position here and everything comes down to using the ball. There are lots of details that make us unique, such as closing opponents down, being able to play in various positions and moving with the ball. It's how we go about those things that makes the difference." With 22 trainers at his disposal, the former coach of Belgian side KAA Gent is not resting on his laurels either. Keen to take the club forward, he has another area of focus lined up for the near future: anticipation and reading the game, which will mean working on defensive and attacking moves. "It's going to take two years to put this program into place because all the coaches need to be talking the same language," he adds.
In the wake of the Bosman ruling, Ajax's academy has lost its role as the foremost provider of first-team players. The last ten years have also seen other Dutch clubs begin to catch up, but the capital outfit's methods remain unique and are still highly sought-after.
As proof, almost 2,000 young aspirants a year try their luck at the club's three 'talent days'. Only two or three ever make it to the top, with Edgar Davids a notable example, but the desire to receive instruction in the Ajax way is strong. "We don't want to produce robots," says Riederink. "We believe the family environment is important. Here, they eat, study and play, but their homes remain their homes. The youngest players train three times a week and the U-19s six times."
With that, he glances out of his window at the eldest trainees being put through their paces, as the Ajax factory line carries on preparing the next batch of champions.
Wesley Sneijder Highligh Video
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Golden Years of Youth Soccer Technical Training
Technical training should be the core of youth soccer development.
Unfortunately, especially in the US, we start “playing for the team” or trying to “achieve results” too early. Nothing like the coach of a 10 year old team pacing on the sidelines screaming at his players that they “stink and are playing like a bunch of losers”. (Yes, an actual quote I heard last year.) This coach had one problem. He wanted to win like we all do, but he placed that trait of human nature above the needs of his players.
These kids desperately needed general ball handling, dribbling and passing skills work, but you just know that the coach was spending all the practice time on conditioning, set plays and tactical work. I guess his next intended step was to coach with the “premiere leagues”.
Understanding that we are developing “future competitors” is the first step in youth development. The best training development clubs in the world strictly limit competitive matches and focus on the player’s overall development. It is pretty widely accepted that once a player hits the age of 16, it is hard to return and teach the skills.
There are two key factors in developing youth players.
First, is a love for the game. Street soccer, pick up games and non-adult structured soccer games help kids be creative and develop a love for the game. This environment unfortunately no longer exists in the US. We have to keep in mind that ending all “work sessions” with fun small sided games is critical to kids walking away from all practices thinking, “I want to come back next week.”
This also applies to older players. Just because a player is “advanced” you have to remember that they really are still just a “kid at heart”. 17 year olds love to “play” and have fun too.
Second, is constantly returning to repetitive exposure of all the core skills. Instead of running laps and conditioning for 20 minutes to begin our practices, we should have players touching the ball with basic skills. Dribbling, passing, moves, chesting, heading and all the skills they actually use in a game.
I can’t tell you the number of advancing soccer players I see that struggle to perform basic moves such as pull backs, cuts and feints. They learned them a long time ago, but never practice them. Start EVERY practice the same way. Core movement drills, repeating the basic and essential ball control skills. End every practice the same way; fun, small sided games where the coach is not controlling every move.
Our teachers (coaches) are often not players.
One critical point to training young soccer players is first making sure the “teacher” understands how to teach. When you combine recreational soccer in with the academy programs the number of coaches that never really played competitive soccer is very high. Some of our surveys had the number at 70%. (Dad got involved because his son decided to play and the club or program needed “volunteers”.) However, I will tell you that some of the best youth coaches I have met were not “great players”. They became great coaches because they focused on youth development and core technical training. Their focus was on “what is best for my players” and not “how do I become winning and successful coach”. It is critical that coaches not only learn how to be a better coach, but also how to teach each individual technical skill the RIGHT way. Forget about the “winning” and focus on the “development”.
Understand the difference between Immediate and Residual training.
Immediate training includes things that we can control rather quickly but often do not last a long time. For example, at any time a soccer player can get in condition. Working out for about 4 – 6 weeks will get us into playing shape. However, once that stops or the season ends, the conditioning level goes away and we have to return to build it back up.
Technical skills however, are slowly built and refined over several years. Once they are learned, they will continue to stay with us.
A great quote from former U.S. Men’s National Team captain Claudio Reyna, “It’s possible at any time during a player’s career to get into top physical shape or to try to win every game! But you can’t teach skills to an old player. Youth coaches should keep in mind that individual skills need to be nurtured at an early age. Players who haven’t mastered the fundamental skills become frustrated because the game gets too difficult for them as they move into higher levels.”
The golden years of soccer development (ages 8-14) only happen once. Focus these years on development and make sure your player(s) are being trained for the long term with skills, not conditioned for the short term to win.
Video below: Infinity Soccer players playing pick up soccer.
See full article here: http://www.socceru.com/winning_soccer.htm
Unfortunately, especially in the US, we start “playing for the team” or trying to “achieve results” too early. Nothing like the coach of a 10 year old team pacing on the sidelines screaming at his players that they “stink and are playing like a bunch of losers”. (Yes, an actual quote I heard last year.) This coach had one problem. He wanted to win like we all do, but he placed that trait of human nature above the needs of his players.
These kids desperately needed general ball handling, dribbling and passing skills work, but you just know that the coach was spending all the practice time on conditioning, set plays and tactical work. I guess his next intended step was to coach with the “premiere leagues”.
Understanding that we are developing “future competitors” is the first step in youth development. The best training development clubs in the world strictly limit competitive matches and focus on the player’s overall development. It is pretty widely accepted that once a player hits the age of 16, it is hard to return and teach the skills.
There are two key factors in developing youth players.
First, is a love for the game. Street soccer, pick up games and non-adult structured soccer games help kids be creative and develop a love for the game. This environment unfortunately no longer exists in the US. We have to keep in mind that ending all “work sessions” with fun small sided games is critical to kids walking away from all practices thinking, “I want to come back next week.”
This also applies to older players. Just because a player is “advanced” you have to remember that they really are still just a “kid at heart”. 17 year olds love to “play” and have fun too.
Second, is constantly returning to repetitive exposure of all the core skills. Instead of running laps and conditioning for 20 minutes to begin our practices, we should have players touching the ball with basic skills. Dribbling, passing, moves, chesting, heading and all the skills they actually use in a game.
I can’t tell you the number of advancing soccer players I see that struggle to perform basic moves such as pull backs, cuts and feints. They learned them a long time ago, but never practice them. Start EVERY practice the same way. Core movement drills, repeating the basic and essential ball control skills. End every practice the same way; fun, small sided games where the coach is not controlling every move.
Our teachers (coaches) are often not players.
One critical point to training young soccer players is first making sure the “teacher” understands how to teach. When you combine recreational soccer in with the academy programs the number of coaches that never really played competitive soccer is very high. Some of our surveys had the number at 70%. (Dad got involved because his son decided to play and the club or program needed “volunteers”.) However, I will tell you that some of the best youth coaches I have met were not “great players”. They became great coaches because they focused on youth development and core technical training. Their focus was on “what is best for my players” and not “how do I become winning and successful coach”. It is critical that coaches not only learn how to be a better coach, but also how to teach each individual technical skill the RIGHT way. Forget about the “winning” and focus on the “development”.
Understand the difference between Immediate and Residual training.
Immediate training includes things that we can control rather quickly but often do not last a long time. For example, at any time a soccer player can get in condition. Working out for about 4 – 6 weeks will get us into playing shape. However, once that stops or the season ends, the conditioning level goes away and we have to return to build it back up.
Technical skills however, are slowly built and refined over several years. Once they are learned, they will continue to stay with us.
A great quote from former U.S. Men’s National Team captain Claudio Reyna, “It’s possible at any time during a player’s career to get into top physical shape or to try to win every game! But you can’t teach skills to an old player. Youth coaches should keep in mind that individual skills need to be nurtured at an early age. Players who haven’t mastered the fundamental skills become frustrated because the game gets too difficult for them as they move into higher levels.”
The golden years of soccer development (ages 8-14) only happen once. Focus these years on development and make sure your player(s) are being trained for the long term with skills, not conditioned for the short term to win.
Video below: Infinity Soccer players playing pick up soccer.
See full article here: http://www.socceru.com/winning_soccer.htm
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Necessities for Being “in it” For the Long Term
by Dave Simeone
Soccer Development Strategies
National Staff Instructor – U.S. Soccer
Philosophy
The development of soccer talent is an on going process; it truly is
longitudinal. It is a process in which individuals’ progress gradually
from simple to the more complex experiences that the game provides.
The process of player development requires planning that has clarity
and based upon a modern technical development ideas. This plan and
direction needs to come from the technical people; coaches who are
educated, experienced and knowledgeable. Anything less than a
comprehensive and coordinated effort only means that player development
is left to chance rather than being maximized as a result of coaching,
programming, competition and well thought out planning.
This process can not be rushed. It is not positively affected by “if
this much is good then more must be better.” The process of player
development can be influenced by elements that are essential for
effective player development.
The Necessities
Training: The development of HABITS and a TRAINING MENTALITY.
To stimulate players to raise the level of response training needs to
balance demanding and challenging with motivating and interesting. Much
of a training mentality has to do with the development of concentration
and the responsibility within the players to coach themselves. While we
often hit the peak we’d like to in training --- the attitude and
intensity, we lack the ability to pick up in the next session where we
left off in the previous one. Transferring what’s been retained from
one session to the next is one indicator of learning. Even the simplest
aspects that are associated with mentality – punctuality, correct
equipment and attentiveness are huge in the whole process.
The additional aspect of training is to balance it with games. The
accepted ratio at U12 and older between competitive games and training
is 2:1 training to games. At U16 the ideal ratio is 3:1 training to
games. Too many games results in a poor mentality and attitude; “it’s
just another game”. The lack of training also creates the added
difficulty of fixing problems from competitive games. It is the basic
issue of QUALITY versus QUANTITY. There needs to be balance!
- Competitive Matches: Games of varying difficulty. Games that suffice for different priorities or purpose; Games that are player development opportunities (PDO) versus games that are result driven. Competition is important but games differ in importance of achieving a result versus player and team development. Ultimately competitive players must earn playing time in result oriented games. There’s also a necessary element of “fear free” playing time in games that are oriented towards player development versus a result. While the result is not the be all, end all, it allows for the necessary experience of “winning” or “losing” in games other those that are the most coveted to win in order to be successful in. There are those coaches who also believe that losing a “big game” while disappointing in the short run is beneficial in the long term of winning more important matches in the future.
- The “Political Pipeline” of administrators, politicians, coaches,referees and parents.
Parents are tremendous assets and necessary pieces of the youth sport
mosaic here in the United States. Parents can be tremendous during the
entire player development process or detractors. Parents can, and do
have, operated in what they believe to be the “best interests” of their
children. While parents can lend all the necessary financial support
and assistance they can’t do it for their youngsters. They can only
assume an ancillary role which is best described as supportive.
Sometimes the best and most realistic thing parents can allow
youngsters and teenagers to do is to learn to fail in order to decide
how important soccer, and learning to be an accomplished player is to
them. In the case of board members (club, league, state) they must
operate with the technical professionals in the mutual interest of the
players and the game. They must avoid being inclined to carry out the
aims of their own “technical plan” based on their presumptions and not
expertise. The coaches owe those in the positions of being “trustees”
explanations and the rationale for planning out technical and
competitive issues. The organization of recreational and competitive
playing environments need to come in line with the mainstream and
accepted rationale based upon what is tested , tried and definitely in
the best interest of players.
- Coaching: it is the one thing that interfaces MOST with the one product in the game; the players.
Coaching is responsible for more than 90 minutes of training or 90 minutes of game management.
In the youth game coaches are instrumental in communicating with parents;
articulating information in order to educate them. The club in concert
with the coaches is collectively responsible for the long term of
preparing players for collegiate opportunities. This includes working
towards academic requirements, matching players with institutions,
ensuring that players are working with guidance counselors at school
and networking with college coaches. In coaching older teams and
players this is an absolute necessity in the United States. There are
some older boys who are now by-passing college and transferring
directly into MLS. Dealing with this is also an important facet for the
coach and the club.
Coaching younger players under 12 years of age has become its own art
and science. Coaching these players involves putting experiences into
them that contribute to their development while investing in them for
the future.
There is no guarantee that every player will reach his or her potential.
Much happens outside of training and the club to distract
and deter individual players and their progress. But at least we must
give all of them the opportunity to “Become The Best They Can Be”.
Bobby Howe, former U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching remarked “Soccer is
as much art as science. 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. Neither should politics or alternative interests.”
“There is no magic formula or short cut to successful player
development,” added Howe. “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 players should be considered first when political, administrative,
and coaching decisions are being made”.
Good principles of business or enterprise are mainstays no matter what
continent or country. Good principles of player development are no
different. It’s a long term proposition in either case. Business and
enterprise is not a seasonal activity neither is soccer and player
development. It’s not a matter of convenience or chance in terms of
doing what will be best for achieving goals in the long term. It is a
matter of priorities, planning and design.
Soccer Development Strategies
National Staff Instructor – U.S. Soccer
Philosophy
The development of soccer talent is an on going process; it truly is
longitudinal. It is a process in which individuals’ progress gradually
from simple to the more complex experiences that the game provides.
The process of player development requires planning that has clarity
and based upon a modern technical development ideas. This plan and
direction needs to come from the technical people; coaches who are
educated, experienced and knowledgeable. Anything less than a
comprehensive and coordinated effort only means that player development
is left to chance rather than being maximized as a result of coaching,
programming, competition and well thought out planning.
This process can not be rushed. It is not positively affected by “if
this much is good then more must be better.” The process of player
development can be influenced by elements that are essential for
effective player development.
The Necessities
Training: The development of HABITS and a TRAINING MENTALITY.
To stimulate players to raise the level of response training needs to
balance demanding and challenging with motivating and interesting. Much
of a training mentality has to do with the development of concentration
and the responsibility within the players to coach themselves. While we
often hit the peak we’d like to in training --- the attitude and
intensity, we lack the ability to pick up in the next session where we
left off in the previous one. Transferring what’s been retained from
one session to the next is one indicator of learning. Even the simplest
aspects that are associated with mentality – punctuality, correct
equipment and attentiveness are huge in the whole process.
The additional aspect of training is to balance it with games. The
accepted ratio at U12 and older between competitive games and training
is 2:1 training to games. At U16 the ideal ratio is 3:1 training to
games. Too many games results in a poor mentality and attitude; “it’s
just another game”. The lack of training also creates the added
difficulty of fixing problems from competitive games. It is the basic
issue of QUALITY versus QUANTITY. There needs to be balance!
- Competitive Matches: Games of varying difficulty. Games that suffice for different priorities or purpose; Games that are player development opportunities (PDO) versus games that are result driven. Competition is important but games differ in importance of achieving a result versus player and team development. Ultimately competitive players must earn playing time in result oriented games. There’s also a necessary element of “fear free” playing time in games that are oriented towards player development versus a result. While the result is not the be all, end all, it allows for the necessary experience of “winning” or “losing” in games other those that are the most coveted to win in order to be successful in. There are those coaches who also believe that losing a “big game” while disappointing in the short run is beneficial in the long term of winning more important matches in the future.
- The “Political Pipeline” of administrators, politicians, coaches,referees and parents.
Parents are tremendous assets and necessary pieces of the youth sport
mosaic here in the United States. Parents can be tremendous during the
entire player development process or detractors. Parents can, and do
have, operated in what they believe to be the “best interests” of their
children. While parents can lend all the necessary financial support
and assistance they can’t do it for their youngsters. They can only
assume an ancillary role which is best described as supportive.
Sometimes the best and most realistic thing parents can allow
youngsters and teenagers to do is to learn to fail in order to decide
how important soccer, and learning to be an accomplished player is to
them. In the case of board members (club, league, state) they must
operate with the technical professionals in the mutual interest of the
players and the game. They must avoid being inclined to carry out the
aims of their own “technical plan” based on their presumptions and not
expertise. The coaches owe those in the positions of being “trustees”
explanations and the rationale for planning out technical and
competitive issues. The organization of recreational and competitive
playing environments need to come in line with the mainstream and
accepted rationale based upon what is tested , tried and definitely in
the best interest of players.
- Coaching: it is the one thing that interfaces MOST with the one product in the game; the players.
Coaching is responsible for more than 90 minutes of training or 90 minutes of game management.
In the youth game coaches are instrumental in communicating with parents;
articulating information in order to educate them. The club in concert
with the coaches is collectively responsible for the long term of
preparing players for collegiate opportunities. This includes working
towards academic requirements, matching players with institutions,
ensuring that players are working with guidance counselors at school
and networking with college coaches. In coaching older teams and
players this is an absolute necessity in the United States. There are
some older boys who are now by-passing college and transferring
directly into MLS. Dealing with this is also an important facet for the
coach and the club.
Coaching younger players under 12 years of age has become its own art
and science. Coaching these players involves putting experiences into
them that contribute to their development while investing in them for
the future.
There is no guarantee that every player will reach his or her potential.
Much happens outside of training and the club to distract
and deter individual players and their progress. But at least we must
give all of them the opportunity to “Become The Best They Can Be”.
Bobby Howe, former U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching remarked “Soccer is
as much art as science. 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. Neither should politics or alternative interests.”
“There is no magic formula or short cut to successful player
development,” added Howe. “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 players should be considered first when political, administrative,
and coaching decisions are being made”.
Good principles of business or enterprise are mainstays no matter what
continent or country. Good principles of player development are no
different. It’s a long term proposition in either case. Business and
enterprise is not a seasonal activity neither is soccer and player
development. It’s not a matter of convenience or chance in terms of
doing what will be best for achieving goals in the long term. It is a
matter of priorities, planning and design.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Out with the Old, In with the New: Academy Philosophy: A Step in the Right Direction
Out with the Old, In with the New
Academy Philosophy: A Step in the Right Direction
By Victor Satei – Technical Director, Power Soccer
Published in Inside Soccer Magazine 2007
As the number of children playing soccer in continues to grow, one might feel it is only a matter of time before we start gaining success internationally, or not. With the current system of youth development in this country, it seems unlikely. As proven over and over again on various occasions, our system is failing to produce players at the highest level. Most recent proof comes in this year’s Under 20 World Cup. The Canadian national team, in front of a home crowd, not only failed to win a game, but also failed to score a single goal! We had a perfect opportunity to put ourselves on the map and display ourselves as a booming soccer nation, instead (population 32,999,636) loses to (population 3,800,610) (population 8,199,783) and (population 16,284,741). Not to mention that the last time, and only time, our senior men’s team actually qualified for the World Cup was back in 1986.
How many times do we need to fail at the highest level before we realize that what our Country needs is change? And the change needs to be made at the root of the problem; development of our youth players.
For years now, the scenario has been some or all of the following……….various leagues form competitive rep teams, which can begin as young as age 7 and having players compete in leagues and weekend tournaments for the ever so glorious plastic trophy. Parents and coaches yelling on the sideline for the child to kick the ball up the field. The children chasing the ball from end to end until the referee blows the final whistle, the winning team runs onto the field to celebrate, while the losing team walks off, heads in their hands, while their parents continue to yell, some at the referee, some at the coach for his poor use of substitutes and some at their own child for “missing the golden chance”.
Youth players are training once or possibly twice per week with volunteer coaches who, in some cases, have never experienced or played the game themselves. Game time overrides training time and instead of focusing on development, players are encouraged to focus on winning the game at hand. When recruiting or conducting try-outs, coaches look to select only the strongest, fastest and biggest kids in order to achieve the goal of winning. Some coaches attempt to coach three or four teams during a season, spreading themselves out so thin that they do not have the time needed to properly develop a team. When game time arrives, the coaches proceed to yell out instructions on the sidelines due to the fact that his players are unable to do what he wants them to.
Let us look at Ontario as our prime example, Ontario represents 45% of ’s soccer playing population. In Ontario , at the age of twelve and thirteen there is the ‘selection process’ where players are selected for the regional program. These regional teams face off against each other one weekend in September in front of the provincial staff where the twenty-five players are selected for the under 14 provincial squad. Twenty-five players! What happens to the players with potential that are perhaps late bloomers? The players who weren’t on their game that weekend? How about the players who perhaps have the potential but have not received proper coaching? The rest are back to their clubs, demoralized and now must continue to train with a coach who is many times unable to take them to the next level. The twenty-five that do get selected then train for approximately seven months out of the year with the provincial program. The other five months they are back with their club, where again, winning becomes the focus and bad habits are often picked up. As a former provincial team player, I have had first hand experience of this myself. The amount of talent that is left out of the selection for these teams is inexcusable, and the lack of consistent high quality training does not prepare these players properly for the international level. Then we wonder why that player with tons of potential ends up dropping out of the game?
It must be noted that countries with a fraction of ’s population and half the resources are qualifying for World Cups and producing international stars. Perhaps it’s time to take a step back and look at what some of these successful countries are doing. By emulating top soccer countries and informing ourselves on how they develop youth players, we can learn something ourselves. We should not be afraid to change, especially when the current system has failed on so many occasions.
Two years ago, the Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada (SAAC) was established in order to take an initial step into transforming our country’s concept of youth player development into one that is modern. SAAC has put many standards in place that mirror those of top World Academies. Below are some of the standards that SAAC has put forward and many of the newly formed Academies have already found early success by enforcing them:
* Every Academy must have a Technical Director with a minimum National B License. The TD is responsible to oversee the Academy while at the same time making sure the Academy is following SAAC guidelines.
* All team coaches must have a minimum Provincial B License.
* Under 10 players play seven-a-side soccer and Under 12 play nine-a-side soccer, this enables players at the early ages to be more involved in the game.
* Standings begin to be kept at the Under 16 level. No standings are kept for any age groups below that. Of course teams want to win but this is not the main focus. The game itself is used as a learning tool and players are not afraid to make mistakes and are free of feeling the consequences of ‘pressure’. In many Academy games you will see teams trying to maintain possession using short passes, goalkeepers being encouraged to roll the ball out rather than kicking long and players not afraid to take opponents on one on one. You will not see teams at the young ages stacked with big players who use the kick and run tactic to win at all costs. However, you will see players of various strength, speed and size with great skill and vision.
* Academy reviews are done throughout the season. The SAAC board of directors sits and reviews the programs that various Academies are offering. Any Academies that are not up to SAAC standards are not permitted to reenter the Academy league the following season.
* Rules and Regulations are in place that prevent spectators from yelling criticism at officials or from instructing players. Spectators are welcome to cheer. This allows for a great atmosphere that enables officials, coaches and players to work and play comfortably.
Academy coaches are paid professionals with varying degrees of qualifications. Each Academy has it’s own philosophy that it follows. Most Academies set short and long-term goals for their teams that allow them to monitor their progress. The established goals are performance driven as opposed to results driven. SAAC has implemented a 3:1 training to game ratio, which means a team should train at least three times for every game it plays. This 3:1 ratio helps keep a healthy perspective on player development. Some Academies train more than three times per week with the older age groups. In contrast, for example, Barcelona’s youth academy in Spain, players aged 8-9 train twice per week, players 10-12 train three times per week, 13-16 train four times per week and 17-21 train five to six times per week.
Many of the Academies that are associated with SAAC train eleven months of the year, allowing one month for rest and recovery. Academy teams do not participate in indoor leagues, but rather continue their usual training schedule, using the indoor season as post season and pre season training. Nearly all training is done on turf fields indoor, gyms are used for futsal.
In many top World Academies coaches meet with players two or three times per year in order to give them individual feedback, both verbal and written. It is very important that coaches give feedback to the players in order to let them know what aspects of the game they excel in and where improvement is required. Social events and time away from the pitch is also important and implemented. This allows players to develop not only their soccer skills but their socio/psychological skills as well. As many top World Academies feel, the game should be used to help develop today’s youth into socially responsible adults of tomorrow.
Taking a quote from Rinus Michels (FIFA coach of the Century) “A player should move up immediately when he is ready.” And this, it seems, is where the focus is missing. The next step is to bring these players that will eventually graduate from these Academies to the next level, professional soccer. Some Academies in Ontario have already been exposed to European clubs and as the new Academy system grows and develops they will gain even more exposure. Not only that, but hopefully the Provincial programs and National programs will realize a change is what we need, and they will welcome the new Academy system rather than refuse to sanction them. It is only a matter of time before these Academies will be producing players that are at the international level.
We cannot change our history in the game, but we can look towards a brighter future. The first step is to change the attitude of individuals in the current system who are involved at the highest level. They must realize that the focus must be on long-term development rather than short-term goals such as winning a game. The youth soccer players in our Country are no different than those in any other; it is a matter of nurturing their talent and allowing them to develop with a modern philosophy that has been proven to work.
Academy Philosophy: A Step in the Right Direction
By Victor Satei – Technical Director, Power Soccer
Published in Inside Soccer Magazine 2007
As the number of children playing soccer in continues to grow, one might feel it is only a matter of time before we start gaining success internationally, or not. With the current system of youth development in this country, it seems unlikely. As proven over and over again on various occasions, our system is failing to produce players at the highest level. Most recent proof comes in this year’s Under 20 World Cup. The Canadian national team, in front of a home crowd, not only failed to win a game, but also failed to score a single goal! We had a perfect opportunity to put ourselves on the map and display ourselves as a booming soccer nation, instead (population 32,999,636) loses to (population 3,800,610) (population 8,199,783) and (population 16,284,741). Not to mention that the last time, and only time, our senior men’s team actually qualified for the World Cup was back in 1986.
How many times do we need to fail at the highest level before we realize that what our Country needs is change? And the change needs to be made at the root of the problem; development of our youth players.
For years now, the scenario has been some or all of the following……….various leagues form competitive rep teams, which can begin as young as age 7 and having players compete in leagues and weekend tournaments for the ever so glorious plastic trophy. Parents and coaches yelling on the sideline for the child to kick the ball up the field. The children chasing the ball from end to end until the referee blows the final whistle, the winning team runs onto the field to celebrate, while the losing team walks off, heads in their hands, while their parents continue to yell, some at the referee, some at the coach for his poor use of substitutes and some at their own child for “missing the golden chance”.
Youth players are training once or possibly twice per week with volunteer coaches who, in some cases, have never experienced or played the game themselves. Game time overrides training time and instead of focusing on development, players are encouraged to focus on winning the game at hand. When recruiting or conducting try-outs, coaches look to select only the strongest, fastest and biggest kids in order to achieve the goal of winning. Some coaches attempt to coach three or four teams during a season, spreading themselves out so thin that they do not have the time needed to properly develop a team. When game time arrives, the coaches proceed to yell out instructions on the sidelines due to the fact that his players are unable to do what he wants them to.
Let us look at Ontario as our prime example, Ontario represents 45% of ’s soccer playing population. In Ontario , at the age of twelve and thirteen there is the ‘selection process’ where players are selected for the regional program. These regional teams face off against each other one weekend in September in front of the provincial staff where the twenty-five players are selected for the under 14 provincial squad. Twenty-five players! What happens to the players with potential that are perhaps late bloomers? The players who weren’t on their game that weekend? How about the players who perhaps have the potential but have not received proper coaching? The rest are back to their clubs, demoralized and now must continue to train with a coach who is many times unable to take them to the next level. The twenty-five that do get selected then train for approximately seven months out of the year with the provincial program. The other five months they are back with their club, where again, winning becomes the focus and bad habits are often picked up. As a former provincial team player, I have had first hand experience of this myself. The amount of talent that is left out of the selection for these teams is inexcusable, and the lack of consistent high quality training does not prepare these players properly for the international level. Then we wonder why that player with tons of potential ends up dropping out of the game?
It must be noted that countries with a fraction of ’s population and half the resources are qualifying for World Cups and producing international stars. Perhaps it’s time to take a step back and look at what some of these successful countries are doing. By emulating top soccer countries and informing ourselves on how they develop youth players, we can learn something ourselves. We should not be afraid to change, especially when the current system has failed on so many occasions.
Two years ago, the Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada (SAAC) was established in order to take an initial step into transforming our country’s concept of youth player development into one that is modern. SAAC has put many standards in place that mirror those of top World Academies. Below are some of the standards that SAAC has put forward and many of the newly formed Academies have already found early success by enforcing them:
* Every Academy must have a Technical Director with a minimum National B License. The TD is responsible to oversee the Academy while at the same time making sure the Academy is following SAAC guidelines.
* All team coaches must have a minimum Provincial B License.
* Under 10 players play seven-a-side soccer and Under 12 play nine-a-side soccer, this enables players at the early ages to be more involved in the game.
* Standings begin to be kept at the Under 16 level. No standings are kept for any age groups below that. Of course teams want to win but this is not the main focus. The game itself is used as a learning tool and players are not afraid to make mistakes and are free of feeling the consequences of ‘pressure’. In many Academy games you will see teams trying to maintain possession using short passes, goalkeepers being encouraged to roll the ball out rather than kicking long and players not afraid to take opponents on one on one. You will not see teams at the young ages stacked with big players who use the kick and run tactic to win at all costs. However, you will see players of various strength, speed and size with great skill and vision.
* Academy reviews are done throughout the season. The SAAC board of directors sits and reviews the programs that various Academies are offering. Any Academies that are not up to SAAC standards are not permitted to reenter the Academy league the following season.
* Rules and Regulations are in place that prevent spectators from yelling criticism at officials or from instructing players. Spectators are welcome to cheer. This allows for a great atmosphere that enables officials, coaches and players to work and play comfortably.
Academy coaches are paid professionals with varying degrees of qualifications. Each Academy has it’s own philosophy that it follows. Most Academies set short and long-term goals for their teams that allow them to monitor their progress. The established goals are performance driven as opposed to results driven. SAAC has implemented a 3:1 training to game ratio, which means a team should train at least three times for every game it plays. This 3:1 ratio helps keep a healthy perspective on player development. Some Academies train more than three times per week with the older age groups. In contrast, for example, Barcelona’s youth academy in Spain, players aged 8-9 train twice per week, players 10-12 train three times per week, 13-16 train four times per week and 17-21 train five to six times per week.
Many of the Academies that are associated with SAAC train eleven months of the year, allowing one month for rest and recovery. Academy teams do not participate in indoor leagues, but rather continue their usual training schedule, using the indoor season as post season and pre season training. Nearly all training is done on turf fields indoor, gyms are used for futsal.
In many top World Academies coaches meet with players two or three times per year in order to give them individual feedback, both verbal and written. It is very important that coaches give feedback to the players in order to let them know what aspects of the game they excel in and where improvement is required. Social events and time away from the pitch is also important and implemented. This allows players to develop not only their soccer skills but their socio/psychological skills as well. As many top World Academies feel, the game should be used to help develop today’s youth into socially responsible adults of tomorrow.
Taking a quote from Rinus Michels (FIFA coach of the Century) “A player should move up immediately when he is ready.” And this, it seems, is where the focus is missing. The next step is to bring these players that will eventually graduate from these Academies to the next level, professional soccer. Some Academies in Ontario have already been exposed to European clubs and as the new Academy system grows and develops they will gain even more exposure. Not only that, but hopefully the Provincial programs and National programs will realize a change is what we need, and they will welcome the new Academy system rather than refuse to sanction them. It is only a matter of time before these Academies will be producing players that are at the international level.
We cannot change our history in the game, but we can look towards a brighter future. The first step is to change the attitude of individuals in the current system who are involved at the highest level. They must realize that the focus must be on long-term development rather than short-term goals such as winning a game. The youth soccer players in our Country are no different than those in any other; it is a matter of nurturing their talent and allowing them to develop with a modern philosophy that has been proven to work.
Ten Tips for Soccer Parents
By Liam Power, President Power Soccer
Published in Durham This Week, July 2004
Your child should be playing, not sitting on the bench, regardless of the level they participate in. Coaches who pick players should play them.
Avoid placing your child with youth coaches whose main objective is to win games above all else. Youth soccer is not professional soccer.
Up to the age of 15/16, players need to develop their skills, body strength and experience. They need to play and gain experience doing so. At ages 15-16, young adults have a better understanding, appreciation and desire to win. Up to that point they need to have had the opportunity to develop.
Soccer should build self esteem in your child, not the opposite
Listen to the coach, is she praising in public and doing the critique in private?
If you cannot say something positive to your child after the game, then say nothing.
Soccer is more than learning technical skills, it is about life skills: team building, communication, participation, discipline and commitment. Look for coaches who see the whole picture. Ask coaches about their philosophy but remember than actions speak louder than words.
Don’t criticize the coach, offer to help. Communicate your positive comments or concerns with him or her. She/he is likely a volunteer.
Be realistic about your child’s’ ability. Do not push your child into a level that is too advanced for her.
Encourage your son or daughter to stay in soccer. The social, physical and emotional benefits are life lasing. Soccer is a great game!
Published in Durham This Week, July 2004
Your child should be playing, not sitting on the bench, regardless of the level they participate in. Coaches who pick players should play them.
Avoid placing your child with youth coaches whose main objective is to win games above all else. Youth soccer is not professional soccer.
Up to the age of 15/16, players need to develop their skills, body strength and experience. They need to play and gain experience doing so. At ages 15-16, young adults have a better understanding, appreciation and desire to win. Up to that point they need to have had the opportunity to develop.
Soccer should build self esteem in your child, not the opposite
Listen to the coach, is she praising in public and doing the critique in private?
If you cannot say something positive to your child after the game, then say nothing.
Soccer is more than learning technical skills, it is about life skills: team building, communication, participation, discipline and commitment. Look for coaches who see the whole picture. Ask coaches about their philosophy but remember than actions speak louder than words.
Don’t criticize the coach, offer to help. Communicate your positive comments or concerns with him or her. She/he is likely a volunteer.
Be realistic about your child’s’ ability. Do not push your child into a level that is too advanced for her.
Encourage your son or daughter to stay in soccer. The social, physical and emotional benefits are life lasing. Soccer is a great game!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Football Federation of Australia... concerns might sound familiar.
A strategy for youth soccer player development
The article below makes interesting reading.
It suggests that the problems facing junior soccer player development in Australia are the result of "a poor football philosophy inherited from England, which values fast play over good".
In the article, Craig details a simple eight point strategy for improving the quality of youth soccer coaching.
For example, point 5 of the strategy is that we should....."discourage young keepers in kicking the ball long unless there is no other option (and even here one can almost always be manufactured) and at all times have the keeper roll the ball to a team-mate so the team can begin to play immediately from the back".
A little further on in the article, Craig suggests that "at youth levels, the only suitable training sessions should be completely with the ball, with every player....learning the game principally by playing in small games of 2 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 4, 5 v 5 and overload practices such as 4 v 2, 4 v 3, 5 v 2."
This is excellent, easy to follow advice that if implemented in a consistent and wholehearted way would improve player development immeasurably.
There is also a link to a video that, in the words of a contributor to the footy4kids forums is "brilliant.....and so, so true!!! Every youth coach from u6 to u14 should be required to view this."
Enough said!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possess the ball - a new philosophy
by Craig Foster
One of the challenges facing this country, and particularly the FFA in their quest to make improvements in the long term to Australian football, is to develop a culture of football, which is almost the complete opposite to where we are at this point in time.
A culture, which values the ball over the athlete, skill over strength, and football intelligence over graft and effort.
We will need to develop intuitive players who are adaptable during a game by instinct not input, and the natural precursor to this of course is first to develop intelligent coaches.
As Johan Cruyff once said, how can the student be better than the teacher?
So, to produce outstanding players we need excellent coaches who have an understanding at the highest technical level.
This is indeed a long-term project requiring tremendous improvement in our licences and methodology, but in the meantime one area that can be addressed is to continue to advance the understanding of the football community, particularly at the grass roots level, of what represents ‘good football’, and of the importance of a philosophy of play based on possessing the ball.
Yet when we talk about a culture of the game and particularly a philosophy of play, all those reading this with a good understanding of the game will know that all around us are signs that at present our national philosophy is deficient.
For instance, visit any junior club around the country and you will see more running than playing, and most players being encouraged to play the ball forward as soon as possible, regardless of the quality of the pass or any evaluation of the option chosen.
In other words, there is a predominance of lumping the ball forward for big, quick and usually strong kids to chase, to the detriment of players who prefer to hold the ball and build up play in a slower and more intelligent manner.
This is a by product of a poor football philosophy inherited from England, which values fast play over good, and which manifests itself in poor youth coaching.
But this is a short sighted strategy which is anti player development since, whilst this may win games for now, this style of play produces technically deficient players who will be learning nothing about how to play the game which is precisely, and only, what junior football is for!
And not only is it boring for the players, enforces results over fun and enjoyment and therefore arguably produces a larger drop out rate of youngsters in the early teens, it is in fact also ineffective once the players mature and their physical strengths converge as adults.
Every junior club in the country should be teaching their coaches to appreciate that until the very late teens, the total focus must be on producing players who understand and can play the game, that is to say they can control and manipulate the ball with great skill, maintain possession both individually and collectively, intelligently construct an attack and respond well in defense, and that teaching these principles of play fundamentally must take total precedence over results.
And we will only be starting to improve when every youth coach is judged on the quality of players he produces, not on the amount of trophies he wins.
We must all recognize that effort and running alone don’t win football matches, technique, skill, and intelligent players do. That is why Brazil and Italy have nine World Cups between them, Germany three and Argentina two. Because their football cultures, and their philosophy of play, are based on these characteristics.
If you want absolute confirmation of the need for change, this year take a look at the Under 14 or 15 National championships where tour best juniors come together, and you will see that I am right.
These championships are shockingly low on teams that are both technically (that is the individuals are capable), and tactically (the team works together, demonstrates good cohesion, and can solve problems collectively), competent at keeping the football for long periods.
Or, better still, take a look at our national teams.
Both the Joeys and Young Socceroos who failed at even the earliest Asian pre-qualifying stage could not keep the ball, clearly neither could the 17 girls. In fact the only team that played with any reasonable tactical skill was the Under 20 Young Matildas, as yet our only youth age team to qualify though Asia, who were intensely trained to do so and proved, as did the Socceroos, that when our teams are well coached they are capable of adaptation.
This inability to play to a high level is a factor of both culture and philosophy.
And it remains a fundamental problem even at the highest senior levels of our game.
In the last few weeks you might have noticed Sydney FC struggle for long periods to keep the ball against pressure, likewise Adelaide United against the Vietnamese, and the best sign of what our poor philosophy of football and no insistence on playing from defense at junior levels produces, is to see Australia struggle to play under defensive pressure against China in the second half of the recent international.
So, enough of where we are, let’s explore some key elements of a good philosophy of football.
Here is a start for any youth coaches and parents interested to know where they now stand, and in what direction they should be heading:
1. To play the ball on the ground at all times, which requires both supporting play and good technique;
2. To play short passes, which requires players to support each other in attack and defense, and is harder to defend and anticipate;
3. To play only longer balls in response to a movement by a team-mate not in the hope of one - to move and ask for the ball after which the pass is delivered;
4. To play longer passes, and particularly those in the air, predominantly only when there is no closer option and always into the feet of an attacker, never just into space for them to chase;
5. To discourage young keepers in kicking the ball long unless there is no other option (and even here one can almost always be manufactured) and at all times have the keeper roll the ball to a team-mate so the team can begin to play immediately from the back;
6. If, at any time, a youngster has no option to find a team-mate, they should be encouraged always to keep the ball. This may mean shielding it, keeping it moving to wait for a pass, or to dribble forward to attack an opponent. At no time should they be told to kick it away regardless of the position they play or where they are on the field, and if the child loses the ball they should be encouraged to try again;
7. To encourage players to express themselves through their football and recognize that everyone is not the same, and shouldn’t play so. Some play fast, others slow, some play simple, others read situations and find more complex solutions, and some have enough skill to individually dominate a game, while others can only dream of doing so, but all should be allowed to find their own game not forced to conform to a uniform way of playing;
8. And, to SLOW DOWN, or more specifically, vary the speed of play during a game, which requires a team to hold the ball. After working to recover possession, every young team should break forward only if they have an advantage in attack, otherwise they should slow the play down and possess the ball, back and across the field, resting and starting to position themselves in attack to take advantage of overloads in numbers, or weaknesses in defense. Youth coaches need to understand that the object of football is to keep the ball and to score goals through breaking down a defense with passing and skill, not by booting the ball forward hoping for a defensive mistake.
And of course a change in philosophy has ramifications for youth training.
It means that at youth levels, the only suitable training sessions should be completely with the ball, with every player touching the ball between 500 and 1000 times, refining technique and 1 v 1 skills, learning the game principally by playing in small games of 2 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 4, 5 v 5 and overload practices such as 4 v 2, 4 v 3, 5 v 2.
In this way good coaches can coach the key moments when in possession, the opponent in possession or the changeover, build awareness in the players to aid understanding and decision making, and allow the players to develop a fee for the game that comes only from thousands of hours playing it.
But at the same time the uneducated coach - such as the voluntary parent supervisor - can, by playing these games, give the players a structure, which aids their learning process without having to coach specific points of play.
All fairly straightforward, but a long, long way from where the bulk of our young teams are at right now.
So, how do you know where your club or coach stands from a philosophical point of view? One of the best ways is by their instructions to the players.
If the coach encourages players to slow down and relax on the ball, to take their time, to possess the ball, to support each other, to play together, to take opponents on, to take up positions at angles to each other, to circulate the ball quickly around the team, to play one and two touch football, to create triangles and diamonds in their play, to pass backwards when no forward option is rational, to use the goalkeeper to maintain possession, to read game situations and play away from pressure not into it, and to recognize and create numerical overloads, they are on the right track.
If you hear a coach telling players to ‘get rid of it’, ‘clear their lines’, ‘get it in the box’, ‘get stuck in’, ‘don’t play at the back’, ‘don’t take risks’, telling a keeper to kick the ball long or players to ‘hit the channels’, run a million miles.
Your child is in danger of becoming a boring and uninventive player, and is most unlikely either truly to discover the joy of playing the ball, or to even excel in the game against other players who have spent a decade or more possessing the ball.
And as to the physical aspect and all those coaches who want to make their young players run instead of learning to manipulate the ball and the game itself, yes, at the elite level players are very strong and often gifted physically like Thierry Henry and Kaka, but just like these two the best are footballers before athletes, and value technique over physique, because they recognize that runners don’t make it to the top any more in football.
And don’t forget that Australia has always been physically strong, but we only started to improve when Guus Hiddink finally told the players to keep the ball, to play out from the back (or in his words, ‘to start the attack from defense’), to use space more intelligently through better positional awareness, to stop hitting the ball forward in hope or desperation, to understand how to utilize the team’s spare man to keep possession, to support the ball possessor in attack, and to be patient and play in all directions in the build up phase until in a position to strike at the opponent.
These are the principles, which underline the correct philosophy of football, and the very ones every junior club and coach should be required to teach.
The article below makes interesting reading.
It suggests that the problems facing junior soccer player development in Australia are the result of "a poor football philosophy inherited from England, which values fast play over good".
In the article, Craig details a simple eight point strategy for improving the quality of youth soccer coaching.
For example, point 5 of the strategy is that we should....."discourage young keepers in kicking the ball long unless there is no other option (and even here one can almost always be manufactured) and at all times have the keeper roll the ball to a team-mate so the team can begin to play immediately from the back".
A little further on in the article, Craig suggests that "at youth levels, the only suitable training sessions should be completely with the ball, with every player....learning the game principally by playing in small games of 2 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 4, 5 v 5 and overload practices such as 4 v 2, 4 v 3, 5 v 2."
This is excellent, easy to follow advice that if implemented in a consistent and wholehearted way would improve player development immeasurably.
There is also a link to a video that, in the words of a contributor to the footy4kids forums is "brilliant.....and so, so true!!! Every youth coach from u6 to u14 should be required to view this."
Enough said!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possess the ball - a new philosophy
by Craig Foster
One of the challenges facing this country, and particularly the FFA in their quest to make improvements in the long term to Australian football, is to develop a culture of football, which is almost the complete opposite to where we are at this point in time.
A culture, which values the ball over the athlete, skill over strength, and football intelligence over graft and effort.
We will need to develop intuitive players who are adaptable during a game by instinct not input, and the natural precursor to this of course is first to develop intelligent coaches.
As Johan Cruyff once said, how can the student be better than the teacher?
So, to produce outstanding players we need excellent coaches who have an understanding at the highest technical level.
This is indeed a long-term project requiring tremendous improvement in our licences and methodology, but in the meantime one area that can be addressed is to continue to advance the understanding of the football community, particularly at the grass roots level, of what represents ‘good football’, and of the importance of a philosophy of play based on possessing the ball.
Yet when we talk about a culture of the game and particularly a philosophy of play, all those reading this with a good understanding of the game will know that all around us are signs that at present our national philosophy is deficient.
For instance, visit any junior club around the country and you will see more running than playing, and most players being encouraged to play the ball forward as soon as possible, regardless of the quality of the pass or any evaluation of the option chosen.
In other words, there is a predominance of lumping the ball forward for big, quick and usually strong kids to chase, to the detriment of players who prefer to hold the ball and build up play in a slower and more intelligent manner.
This is a by product of a poor football philosophy inherited from England, which values fast play over good, and which manifests itself in poor youth coaching.
But this is a short sighted strategy which is anti player development since, whilst this may win games for now, this style of play produces technically deficient players who will be learning nothing about how to play the game which is precisely, and only, what junior football is for!
And not only is it boring for the players, enforces results over fun and enjoyment and therefore arguably produces a larger drop out rate of youngsters in the early teens, it is in fact also ineffective once the players mature and their physical strengths converge as adults.
Every junior club in the country should be teaching their coaches to appreciate that until the very late teens, the total focus must be on producing players who understand and can play the game, that is to say they can control and manipulate the ball with great skill, maintain possession both individually and collectively, intelligently construct an attack and respond well in defense, and that teaching these principles of play fundamentally must take total precedence over results.
And we will only be starting to improve when every youth coach is judged on the quality of players he produces, not on the amount of trophies he wins.
We must all recognize that effort and running alone don’t win football matches, technique, skill, and intelligent players do. That is why Brazil and Italy have nine World Cups between them, Germany three and Argentina two. Because their football cultures, and their philosophy of play, are based on these characteristics.
If you want absolute confirmation of the need for change, this year take a look at the Under 14 or 15 National championships where tour best juniors come together, and you will see that I am right.
These championships are shockingly low on teams that are both technically (that is the individuals are capable), and tactically (the team works together, demonstrates good cohesion, and can solve problems collectively), competent at keeping the football for long periods.
Or, better still, take a look at our national teams.
Both the Joeys and Young Socceroos who failed at even the earliest Asian pre-qualifying stage could not keep the ball, clearly neither could the 17 girls. In fact the only team that played with any reasonable tactical skill was the Under 20 Young Matildas, as yet our only youth age team to qualify though Asia, who were intensely trained to do so and proved, as did the Socceroos, that when our teams are well coached they are capable of adaptation.
This inability to play to a high level is a factor of both culture and philosophy.
And it remains a fundamental problem even at the highest senior levels of our game.
In the last few weeks you might have noticed Sydney FC struggle for long periods to keep the ball against pressure, likewise Adelaide United against the Vietnamese, and the best sign of what our poor philosophy of football and no insistence on playing from defense at junior levels produces, is to see Australia struggle to play under defensive pressure against China in the second half of the recent international.
So, enough of where we are, let’s explore some key elements of a good philosophy of football.
Here is a start for any youth coaches and parents interested to know where they now stand, and in what direction they should be heading:
1. To play the ball on the ground at all times, which requires both supporting play and good technique;
2. To play short passes, which requires players to support each other in attack and defense, and is harder to defend and anticipate;
3. To play only longer balls in response to a movement by a team-mate not in the hope of one - to move and ask for the ball after which the pass is delivered;
4. To play longer passes, and particularly those in the air, predominantly only when there is no closer option and always into the feet of an attacker, never just into space for them to chase;
5. To discourage young keepers in kicking the ball long unless there is no other option (and even here one can almost always be manufactured) and at all times have the keeper roll the ball to a team-mate so the team can begin to play immediately from the back;
6. If, at any time, a youngster has no option to find a team-mate, they should be encouraged always to keep the ball. This may mean shielding it, keeping it moving to wait for a pass, or to dribble forward to attack an opponent. At no time should they be told to kick it away regardless of the position they play or where they are on the field, and if the child loses the ball they should be encouraged to try again;
7. To encourage players to express themselves through their football and recognize that everyone is not the same, and shouldn’t play so. Some play fast, others slow, some play simple, others read situations and find more complex solutions, and some have enough skill to individually dominate a game, while others can only dream of doing so, but all should be allowed to find their own game not forced to conform to a uniform way of playing;
8. And, to SLOW DOWN, or more specifically, vary the speed of play during a game, which requires a team to hold the ball. After working to recover possession, every young team should break forward only if they have an advantage in attack, otherwise they should slow the play down and possess the ball, back and across the field, resting and starting to position themselves in attack to take advantage of overloads in numbers, or weaknesses in defense. Youth coaches need to understand that the object of football is to keep the ball and to score goals through breaking down a defense with passing and skill, not by booting the ball forward hoping for a defensive mistake.
And of course a change in philosophy has ramifications for youth training.
It means that at youth levels, the only suitable training sessions should be completely with the ball, with every player touching the ball between 500 and 1000 times, refining technique and 1 v 1 skills, learning the game principally by playing in small games of 2 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 4, 5 v 5 and overload practices such as 4 v 2, 4 v 3, 5 v 2.
In this way good coaches can coach the key moments when in possession, the opponent in possession or the changeover, build awareness in the players to aid understanding and decision making, and allow the players to develop a fee for the game that comes only from thousands of hours playing it.
But at the same time the uneducated coach - such as the voluntary parent supervisor - can, by playing these games, give the players a structure, which aids their learning process without having to coach specific points of play.
All fairly straightforward, but a long, long way from where the bulk of our young teams are at right now.
So, how do you know where your club or coach stands from a philosophical point of view? One of the best ways is by their instructions to the players.
If the coach encourages players to slow down and relax on the ball, to take their time, to possess the ball, to support each other, to play together, to take opponents on, to take up positions at angles to each other, to circulate the ball quickly around the team, to play one and two touch football, to create triangles and diamonds in their play, to pass backwards when no forward option is rational, to use the goalkeeper to maintain possession, to read game situations and play away from pressure not into it, and to recognize and create numerical overloads, they are on the right track.
If you hear a coach telling players to ‘get rid of it’, ‘clear their lines’, ‘get it in the box’, ‘get stuck in’, ‘don’t play at the back’, ‘don’t take risks’, telling a keeper to kick the ball long or players to ‘hit the channels’, run a million miles.
Your child is in danger of becoming a boring and uninventive player, and is most unlikely either truly to discover the joy of playing the ball, or to even excel in the game against other players who have spent a decade or more possessing the ball.
And as to the physical aspect and all those coaches who want to make their young players run instead of learning to manipulate the ball and the game itself, yes, at the elite level players are very strong and often gifted physically like Thierry Henry and Kaka, but just like these two the best are footballers before athletes, and value technique over physique, because they recognize that runners don’t make it to the top any more in football.
And don’t forget that Australia has always been physically strong, but we only started to improve when Guus Hiddink finally told the players to keep the ball, to play out from the back (or in his words, ‘to start the attack from defense’), to use space more intelligently through better positional awareness, to stop hitting the ball forward in hope or desperation, to understand how to utilize the team’s spare man to keep possession, to support the ball possessor in attack, and to be patient and play in all directions in the build up phase until in a position to strike at the opponent.
These are the principles, which underline the correct philosophy of football, and the very ones every junior club and coach should be required to teach.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Where there's a Wall, there's a Teammate
By Claudio Reyna
A player can always improve his fitness by working out hard. He can comprehend certain tactics by studying the game. But how far he goes will be determined mainly by how well he has mastered ball skills. Those are acquired by playing, day after day, year after year.
A player who really wants to excel will spend as much time as possible playing small-sided games when he has playmates, and juggling and kicking against the wall when he's on his own.
I spent a lot of time hitting the ball against the side of the house when I was a growing up. If my mother complained about the noise, I'd hop down the retaining wall at the end of our property to the office-building parking lot.
I'd use that wall -- hitting the ball with both feet, seeing how long I could return the wall's passes without losing control. I found out later that so many pros spent lots of their childhood doing that.
Dennis Bergkamp, the great Dutch striker who scored and set up hundreds of goals for Ajax Amsterdam, Arsenal, and the Dutch national team, said that when he was a youth player at Ajax, they had little three-foot-high walls. He would knock the ball against the walls for hours. Every time he hit the ball, he'd know whether it was a good touch or a bad touch. He'd do it over and over, trying to establish a rhythm.
Whenever I saw Bergkamp slotting a perfectly placed ball past a goalkeeper or making a precise pass, I thought of him practicing against the wall.
Kicking against the wall is an excellent way to work on improving your weaker foot. You can back up and practice shots on goal, or move close to the wall and work on passing, because where there's a wall, there's a teammate.
You can practice trapping and work on your first touch by controlling the ball before you kick it, or hit it back first time.
Passing the ball against a wall from close distance takes timing and coordination. Hit the ball faster, and you've got to react faster and get a rhythm going. It almost feels like you're dancing.
Practicing the correct striking of the ball over and over helps it become second nature. It has to be, because in a game a player doesn't have time to think about his form or approach. Under pressure, everything is more difficult. Mastering technique while playing on your own is the first step to being able to do it right in a game.
(Excerpted from "More Than Goals: The Journey from Backyard Games to World Cup Competition" by Claudio Reyna, courtesy of Human Kinetics.)
(Claudio Reyna was named the U.S. Soccer Federations's Youth Technical Director in April 2010. Reyna played nearly 13 years in the top-tier leagues of Germany (Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg), Scotland (Glasgow Rangers) and England (Sunderland, Manchester City). He represented the USA in four World Cups, and captained the Americans to a quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup, where he became the first American selected to the FIFA World Cup all-star team.)
A player can always improve his fitness by working out hard. He can comprehend certain tactics by studying the game. But how far he goes will be determined mainly by how well he has mastered ball skills. Those are acquired by playing, day after day, year after year.
A player who really wants to excel will spend as much time as possible playing small-sided games when he has playmates, and juggling and kicking against the wall when he's on his own.
I spent a lot of time hitting the ball against the side of the house when I was a growing up. If my mother complained about the noise, I'd hop down the retaining wall at the end of our property to the office-building parking lot.
I'd use that wall -- hitting the ball with both feet, seeing how long I could return the wall's passes without losing control. I found out later that so many pros spent lots of their childhood doing that.
Dennis Bergkamp, the great Dutch striker who scored and set up hundreds of goals for Ajax Amsterdam, Arsenal, and the Dutch national team, said that when he was a youth player at Ajax, they had little three-foot-high walls. He would knock the ball against the walls for hours. Every time he hit the ball, he'd know whether it was a good touch or a bad touch. He'd do it over and over, trying to establish a rhythm.
Whenever I saw Bergkamp slotting a perfectly placed ball past a goalkeeper or making a precise pass, I thought of him practicing against the wall.
Kicking against the wall is an excellent way to work on improving your weaker foot. You can back up and practice shots on goal, or move close to the wall and work on passing, because where there's a wall, there's a teammate.
You can practice trapping and work on your first touch by controlling the ball before you kick it, or hit it back first time.
Passing the ball against a wall from close distance takes timing and coordination. Hit the ball faster, and you've got to react faster and get a rhythm going. It almost feels like you're dancing.
Practicing the correct striking of the ball over and over helps it become second nature. It has to be, because in a game a player doesn't have time to think about his form or approach. Under pressure, everything is more difficult. Mastering technique while playing on your own is the first step to being able to do it right in a game.
(Excerpted from "More Than Goals: The Journey from Backyard Games to World Cup Competition" by Claudio Reyna, courtesy of Human Kinetics.)
(Claudio Reyna was named the U.S. Soccer Federations's Youth Technical Director in April 2010. Reyna played nearly 13 years in the top-tier leagues of Germany (Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg), Scotland (Glasgow Rangers) and England (Sunderland, Manchester City). He represented the USA in four World Cups, and captained the Americans to a quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup, where he became the first American selected to the FIFA World Cup all-star team.)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
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