Specifics

The last three weeks have been a source of monumental frustration for me (in part leading to little sleep and little desire to write when I have been caught up on sleep) in the ¨silly season¨ of tryouts.  Many of the failures of American soccer have been painfully evident, primarily that the people making footballing decisions (parents with little or no experience in the game) are also the least qualified to make decisions.  The coaching fraternity, who should be educating parents, instead pander to their biases (competition and winning) in an effort to get the best team.  Development models rarely enter into the equation -- clubs and teams use an exploitative model to reach for short-term results.

Structurally, a sea-change needs to occur to improve the conditions of the game and solve many of the problems.  Leadership needs to come from the Federation and not just the new Technical Document from Claudio Reyna´s study group, authored by Dr. Javier Perez (although it is certainly a good start).  Directives must be issued by fiat from those within the game and structural change enforced.  Certainly, there will be dissent (and mistakes) but a show of hands is no way to make expert decisions.  The experts, those that understand child psychology, skill acquisition, the technical, psychological, and emotional demands of the game, need to be making the decisions and the Federation enforce those decisions.  Having experts is useless if they are ignored. 

However, structural issues are not my concern today.  Ryan Knapp, Digital Manager at the NSCAA, and one of the ownership partners at NPSL club FC Buffalo said, ¨Getting a little tired of American soccer problems blamed on 'player development.' Let´s start getting specific.¨ Fair play: as a coach, I cannot change the structure of American soccer, though I can be a part of that change.  However, I can do very specific things within my club, my team, my training sessions to improve player development.  Here then, are my solutions in July, 2011.  I am sure some are off-base or inefficient, and I am confident that in July, 2012 my ideas will change.  Thus my first point:

1) Make a stand.  Find YOUR specifics, YOUR philosophy, and go with it.  You can (and should) change your mind, always be willing and ready to modify and adapt, but you must start somewhere.  It is far too easy to do nothing, to accept the status quo, because as a coach I can´t change the world, or I´m not 100% sure that everything I want to do will work.  Just because we lack wings to fly does not excuse us from the obligation to get up and walk.  It WON´T all work.  John Hackworth, now of the Philadelphia Union, is the best coach, best manager, I have ever seen.  He is clear and passionate on his ideas and implementation for youth development, and as deep a thinker about the game as anyone in this country, and likely the world.  But I can promise you Hack makes mistakes every day.  I know his approach changes every year.  Always seek perfection, but if even the best in the game comes short of perfect, don´t demand it of yourself before you begin.  This all segués into:

2) Never stop learning.  If you expect your players to be constantly improving, you must demand the same of yourself.  If going along and ¨phoning it in¨ is acceptable to you, you do not deserve the privilege of working in youth sports.

3) Create a curriculum.  Decide what you want to teach, and work with your club to establish a club-wide curriculum.  Youth coaches are paid more in the US than probably anywhere in the world, and yet less is demanded of us.  A club should have a clear development program from U6 to U19.  Ask the coaches of younger age groups what you should expect your players to know.  Tell coaches of the older age groups what you have taught. 

A few thoughts:
U9 and under -- mastery of the ball.  Teach the kids basic moves, encourage them to use them in game situations, and at U8/U9 begin working on first touch, always focusing on proper body shape.  Remember at this age the neural feedback mechanisms for correct foot positions are not necessarily on-line, but the awareness of which foot, knees bent, basic shape, and mobility of hips are.  Use lots and lots of 1v1 -> 3v3 to encourage touches on the ball and praise kids for trying the moves you are teaching in technical warmup.
U9 to U11 -- application of technique in  larger settings.  By the end of the U9 year, players should be able to control the ball, and begin to understand how to use the ball to control the game: when to pass, when to dribble, when to shoot.  The basic principles of play can be introduced as the players have developed the spatial awareness to have some sense of shape, and the technical ability to move the ball without struggle.  Lots of 4v4, and expect the players to begin to understand the tasks of each of the players in a 4v4 -- the sweeper providing support and distribution in possession, marking the striker and cover for the midfield in defense; the midfielders combining with the forward and creating space in the attack, tracking back in defense; the forward finding space and turning or bouncing the ball to a midfielder (and when each is appropriate) in the attack, making play predictable in defense by limiting options. 
U11 to U13 -- Depening understanding of the principles of play and introduce functional tasks in the game environment.  At this age, the players should have a fair understanding of what the game looks like, and you should be introducing the functional roles in 7- to 11-a-side.  Introduce phase play and basic functional work, but keep everything grounded in the principles of play.  Every player should have a basic understanding of every role on the park.  Pigeon holing players too early, even if you correctly pick their ¨natural¨ position, will result in uncreative players with limited understanding of what goes on around them.  At this age, do not be afraid to not have every player working every minute of a training session.  The tempo of every exercise should be high, but that may well mean players need breaks, so rotate players in.  If engaged in 5v5, demand the 6 players resting pay attention.  Don´t expect them to watch intently for half an hour, but during a five minute physical rest, the brain can stay active.
U13 to U15 refining basic tasks, and beginning to introduce situational play -- how the roles of a given position change depending on formation, organization, and game situation.  Begin to teach tempo of a match, and how to use possession as a defensive tactic.
U15 to U17 learning how to win games -- applying the technical skill, tactical insight, and collective understanding of function to outscore the opponent as they begin the competitive phase.  All training should be at match pace and full effort and attention should be demanded of the players.  Players should be fully aware of their responsibility for their own improvement and the responsibility to the others on the team to provide a challenging training environment.

4) Establish meaningful goals -- not number of wins, as that isn´t meaningful in youth soccer.  (If I play a TOPSoccer team two years younger, I should win without ever surrendering possession; if I play the national pool team in an age group older, I shouldn´t ever touch the ball after kickoff.  Neither result is meaningful.) Rather, what you expect of yourself and your players for the session, the week, the season, the year.  What will you improve and how will you know it?  (And that may be, especially at the older ages, something that is measured against a known opponent and reflected in a very objective way, even a scoreline.)

5) Have a session plan written down every day.  Don´t just wing it -- make each session meaningful and related to your curriculum, your goals, your observation of past matches, your anticipation of upcoming matches.  What do your players need to learn TODAY?  Write it down.

6) Take notes, and evaluate your players and yourself.  Even if it´s just 15 minutes, write something down after each training session.  What worked? What didn´t? Did you get all of your coaching points in?  Where did you deviate from the session plan?  Who surprised you?

And finally, getting back around to a larger philosophical notion: never settle.  Our ideal should always be perfection, but we always have to accept we will never quite reach it.  Don´t settle for less though -- demand more: of yourself, of your club, of your players.  If you don´t strive for more, the status quo is all you will ever get.  The game and most especially the kids, deserve better.


For more information and ideas on curriculum see U.S. Soccer Curriculum by Dr. Javier Perez, at: http://resources.ussoccer.com/n7v8b8j3/cds/downloads/Full%20U.S.%20Soccer%20Coaching%20Curriculum.pdf ; Soccer Awareness by Wayne Harrison, Reedswain, 2010 ; Coaching Soccer by Bert VanLingen, Reedswain, 1997 (especially for the roles in 4v4 and use of the game to teach the principles of play in a technically pressured and competitive, yet fun environment.)