Kunena Site Syndication http://www.sccysa.org/ Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:23:02 -0500 Kunena 1.5.11 http://www.sccysa.org/components/com_kunena/template/default/images/english/emoticons/rss.gif http://www.sccysa.org/ Kunena Site Syndication http://www.sccysa.org/11-coaches-corner/637-goalkeepr-training-coming-forward-for-high-balls/Page-2.html#784 How to adapt coaching activities to suit the ability of your players If your children are having difficulty with a game or drill, you need to reduce the pressure on them by: Making the playing area bigger. Reducing the number of players involved. This should allow them to experience success. If it doesn't, the game or drill is probably pitched at the wrong level, so stop doing it and try something a bit easier. If your players are finding a game too easy you can: Make the playing area smaller. Introduce conditions such as limiting the number of touches on the ball. Swedish Handball (warm up, 10 minutes) Split your players into two teams. In a rectangular grid with a goal at each end, the players work the ball up the pitch by throwing it to each other. Don't allow any physical contact - the ball can only be intercepted when it is being passed. Players can carry the ball for two steps and score by throwing the ball into the goal. If you find the goals being blocked by a line of defenders, mark out a 'no go' area with flat cones five yards out from the goal. No one is allowed to step over this line. Play the first to five goals wins. Triangle goal game (15 minutes) Place three poles in the centre of a large square playing area to make a triangular goal. Place a goalkeeper in the goal. The same two teams try to score in any of the three sides of the goal (the player who gets the last touch scores). Again, it's first to five goals. This game is great for improving goalkeeper reaction times and encouraging quick repositioning. Color shooting (10 minutes) With thanks to jbgoalkeeping.com. Use a small-sided penalty area for this game or mark out a similar-sized playing area. Put four different-colored cones (or other objects) on the edge of the penalty area. At least one should be at an acute angle close to the goal line. Place at least one player and a few balls at each cone. You call out a color and the player at that cone shoots. The goalkeeper must quickly respond to the color called and find a good position. Keep calling colors until the goalkeeper has faced four shots. Then rotate goalkeepers. Tip: Make sure the goalkeepers check their posts as they move around to be sure of their positioning. For best results, goalkeepers need to stand off the goal line. 1v1 to goal (15 minutes) This game should produce plenty of shots for your goalkeeper to save. Remember, refer to newsletter 66 for coaching tips. This is a game for teams of three or four players at most, so set up two games if you have eight players. Use the same playing area as in the last game but place a small goal on each of the short ends. The teams line up at each end with a goalkeeper in each goal. Give each outfield player a number. Serve a ball into the centre of the playing area and call out a number. The players with that number challenge for the ball and try to score. The player who scores stays on. The player who doesn't score goes in goal. If the ball goes out of bounds, both players take the place of their goalkeepers and the game starts again. Tip: If one player keeps scoring, play 2v1. Finally, let your players play a small-sided game (SSG) with one condition. Rotate the goalkeepers every time the ball goes out. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:41:45 -0500 http://www.sccysa.org/11-coaches-corner/362-youth-players-information-thread/Page-5.html#783 Today’s topic deals with avoiding injuries. The reality is, people sometimes get hurt playing soccer. Not as often as some other sports but it’s still something that occasionally happens. Some injuries are unavoidable but many others are the result of one of three reasons: Poor conditioning Poor warm up Being afraid of injury The frustrating thing with these injuries are they are avoidable. If your coach doesn’t get you in shape with fitness work built into your training sessions, than you need to take responsibility and do this on your own time. There are many resources available for soccer fitness including http://www.worldclasscoaching.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=45 If your team doesn’t do a dynamic warm up, consider doing one on your own before training sessions and games (and if you don’t know how to do this, email me and I’ll help you find one) The third cause of unnecessary injuries is the fear of being injured. Players go into tackles softly because they are afraid they will get hurt and if they go in softly and the other player goes in hard, they are the ones most likely to get injured. If you shy away when a player in front of you is about to shoot, there is a greater chance the ball will hit you in the face than if you were to challenge for the ball and get closer. If you are a keeper and are afraid the dive will hurt you are more likely to put your hands down to break your fall and as a result, will more likely break your wrist. It’s ironic but when you are afraid to get injured, you are more likely to get injured. Be brave and be healthy! Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:53:08 -0500 http://www.sccysa.org/4-competitive-soccer/778-girls-needed-for-fall-league-9th-grade.html#778 We are in serious need of full time players for the SCCYSA fall outdoor league starting in Sept.We are the Blue Devils Soccer Club and are freshmen playing in the competitive U17-U18 division.We have several girls doing after school fall sports for high school and I am sure we will have conflicts with many of the games.We practice on Tues. and Thurs. nights from 4:30 to 6:30 in Weldon Springs.Please cal Dan at 314-503-3738 if you have any questions.Thanks,Dan Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:57:44 -0500 http://www.sccysa.org/11-coaches-corner/776-defending-teaching-zonal.html#776 Teaching Zonal Defending Progression Objective: Pressure, cover balance – working in a zone Setup – 3 vs. 3 – attacking players pass square – defenders work on transitioning between 1st, 2nd, and third defender Coaching Points Role of the 1st defender – pressure the ball to deny penetration Role of the 2nd defender – provide cover Be in a position to travel and transition into 1st defender As you transition into the 2nd defender – don’t recover in a straight line – recover on a diagonal line to deny penetrative pass Recovery run should be in line with the near post Communication Choose which way you are going to funnel the player – covering players need to communicated which way to funnel the players Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:17:32 -0500 http://www.sccysa.org/11-coaches-corner/744-basics-of-coaching/Page-2.html#775 Pre-season training - the basics Your pre-season training programme has to be focused on what your players need for the new season. It may be that you want to improve their shooting skills, defensive play or work on set pieces. But don't neglect the basics. All players need to be able to dribble and run with the ball. So planning a session or two that works on these essential skills will pay dividends. And it doesn't matter how old your players are. Five-year-olds and 15-year-olds need the same basic skills! You can find more details on how to plan a good youth soccer coaching session by clicking here. 1. Dribbling Dribbling is, perhaps, the most important skill for any soccer player. Dribbling the ball makes young players feel good, it gives them confidence and can demoralise the opposition. Young players are never in the wrong place to try to dribble the ball. Defenders should be encouraged to dribble or pass their way out of their own penalty area rather than kick the ball into touch at the slightest sign of danger. If you want to see attractive, skilful soccer you must encourage your players to take risks and accept they may sometimes give a goal away as a result. A goal conceded because a defender tried to dribble the ball instead of passing or kicking it into touch is a learning point, not a disaster! So no more shouting 'kick it out!' please. Key coaching points Encourage your players to use all parts of either foot when dribbling. The soles, toes, inside, outside, instep, even the heel, can and should be used. Tell players to keep the ball close to their feet at all times. How to practise dribbling Have your players move around a grid while touching the ball with every step they take. Allow them to look at the ball to begin with, but as soon as they are confident ask them to keep their head up. You can work on this essential skill by holding a coloured cone in the air. Tell your players that if you hold up a red cone they must stop with their foot on the ball. A green cone means 'go faster'. A yellow cone could mean 'slow down' or 'turn'. 2. Running with the ball Running with the ball is not the same as dribbling. Instead of keeping the ball close to their feet, your players should kick the ball ahead of them and run after it. Key coaching points "Move the ball out from your feet quickly." "Run in a straight line using big strides." "Keep your head up." "Know what you are going to do with the ball when you stop running!" How to practise running with the ball Split your players into two groups (team A and team B) standing at opposite ends of a 40 yards by 40 playing area that is divided into four 40 yards by 10 yards channels. Team A players have a ball each. Players from team A run down channel one and channel three with a ball each. Players from team B start running down channels two and four at the same time. Team A players pass the ball to the team B player who is running towards them in the adjacent channel as soon as they are within passing range. The team B players collect the passes and continue their run. When they approach the other end of the playing area they pass the ball to the next player to run down the channel and continue. Note: The playing area can be expanded to provide more channels if you have a lot of players. Coaching tip: Challenge your players to perform this drill at pace and without making a mistake for five minutes. Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:12:47 -0500 http://www.sccysa.org/11-coaches-corner/646-coaches-referees-parents/Page-2.html#772 Today’s topic deals with making a difference as coaches, with your players. Recently I was working at a soccer camp running the goalkeeping part of the camp. Over an 8 day period I worked with over 60 keepers (2 groups of 30 for 4 days each). While working with groups this size, it’s difficult to really get to know them as people. Typically, there are 2 training sessions per day plus games in the evening. Many coaches would meet their groups at the field (either walking separately or driving to the field) spend the 1 1.2 or 2 hours with them and then go back separately. To me, if a coach really wants to make a difference in their players lives, it’s the opportunities in between these sessions that will allow you to do so. In this case, it was walking to and from the field with the players that allowed me to get to know them better. It’s not a case of wanting to be their friends or get to close to them in some other way but rather, a case of finding out other ways to help them. For example, in this one camp, while walking to the field to a training session, I was able to find out that one of the keepers was interested in a particular school to both attend and hopefully play soccer at. The coach of this school was also working at this same camp but they had never spoken (she didn’t know how to contact the coach from a marketing standpoint and he didn’t think she had any interest in his school). By having this simple conversation with the keeper, and learning what she was interested in, I was able to make a connection between the two. Later on that day, another keeper was talking to me about colleges and mentioned one school she was interested in but said she wasn’t sure of any alternatives (that were the size and location she was interested in and had the major and religious beliefs that were important to her). It ends up, there was a high school coach at this camp (from her high schools big rival), who was only a few years out of college, had majored in the same thing she was interested in and had the same general religious beliefs. I asked this other coach if she would mind speaking with this keeper and she was excited to help (the issue of them being at rival schools didn’t mean anything to them at all). There were a number of times during this week when, while walking to or from the field, or sitting in the cafeteria, keepers would approach me with questions they hadn’t thought of while in the actual training or were afraid to ask in front of everyone else (the fear of not knowing something all the others know is so strong that they don’t realize if they didn’t understand something, chances are at least some of the others didn’t either). By making myself available to them, it allowed them to ask the questions in an environment they were more comfortable. Sadly, at the club level, many coaches can’t do this because as soon as one practice or game is over, they are off to the next one (a coach can make more money coaching multiple teams but at what expense?). I can’t emphasize enough there is a very fine line to making yourself available to the players and crossing the line into inappropriate behaviour. I believe the time spent walking to and from fields (in large groups) or sitting in a cafeteria (with others around), or being at the field with coaches, trainers and other players are great opportunities to make a difference in a player. On the other hand, being in a private room with a player, or any where there is only one player and the coach, would be inappropriate Teaching a player how to shoot a ball, or receive a ball or head a ball can make them a better soccer player. However, we as coaches, have an opportunity to do much more. It’s just a matter of wanting to do so and also being willing to do so. Just something to think about. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:07:49 -0500 http://www.sccysa.org/11-coaches-corner/770-referees-info.html#771 How Referees Keep Coaches Under Control By Randy Vogt In the early 1990s, the college referee chapter in which I am now a Vice President, NYMISOA (New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association), started a sportsmanship award. Each official was sent a ballot. The instructions said to grade the coach of that team of squads we officiated during the season on the scale of one to 10 -- one for none or a very small amount of sportsmanship and 10 for much sportsmanship. I read the instructions incorrectly and started grading the players of the teams instead. After nearly completing the form, I realized my mistake so I crossed out my answers. In now grading the coaches, my points mimicked what I had written for the players of those teams. In nearly all cases, the points were exactly the same! So if I had given a seven for the players of State U., the coach received a seven as well. The lesson to be learned here is how much coaches influence the conduct of their players. And these were college players, most of whom had been playing soccer for a decade or more. Youth players with less experience playing plus in life in general should be even more impressionable. Therefore, the conduct of coaches is an extremely important factor in controlling the game. So how do the officials control coaches who need to be controlled? Soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, says that the coach is not to be shown a yellow or red card, unlike the players. A coach can simply be dismissed. What I would do in this case is if the coach starts yelling at or constantly complaining to any of the officials, nicely and calmly tell the coach, “Coach, let us concentrate on officiating the game and you concentrate on coaching your players. Otherwise, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Should the coach continue, dismiss the coach. No exceptions! If you do not dismiss the coach, you will most likely lose control of the match, in part because you did not do what you said would happen. Plus that coach will think that he or she can yell at officials with impunity and will probably do the same to the officials at the team’s next match. In fact, you could be receiving the effects of a coach who is a yeller and possibly a referee-baiter but who has gone unpunished up to this point. Upon dismissal, the coach must leave the field area for the duration of the match. The locker room or a distant parking lot would be a good place for the coach to go. Should the coach refuse to leave the field area, simply tell him or her, “Coach, if you refuse to leave the field area, I will be forced to terminate this match because of your actions.” Then terminate the match if the coach still refuses to leave. Write a report about why the coach was dismissed and send to the appropriate authority for their review, including any inappropriate comments or actions by the coach after dismissal. Most leagues have passes. With these leagues, it’s likely that a coach is sanctioned by a referee displaying yellow and red cards, just like the players. Check with the league or your referee association first before officiating the game. In these leagues, follow this protocol: Verbally warn a coach in a nice and calm voice after he or she starts yelling at an official or constantly complaining about the calls. Some coaches will stop at this point. If the coach continues, display the yellow card for dissent. The great majority of coaches will stop after that. Yet a few coaches are not going to keep control of themselves. Should any coach continue yelling, display the yellow card, then the red card for receiving a second caution in the same match. Should a coach curse at an official, the other coach, an opposing player or one of his own players or a spectator, the coach is immediately dismissed for using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures. Most coaches will be very well behaved. A small percentage of coaches will not be and they need to be controlled. Control them, control the game. Don’t control them, the match will most likely become out of control. Follow and enforce the rules, and you will be surprised how much support you receive. The league, after reading your game report, will suspend the coach. You might also receive support from people at the field. After all, people do not like it when others curse or constantly complain, especially if it’s in front of their own children. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:17:25 -0500