Getting players to pay attention



By Mike Woitalla

It's perfectly reasonable that children who show up to soccer practice might have a difficult time paying attention when the coach has something to say. They have, after all, spent an entire day at school listening to adults. And now it's playtime.

But even those coaches who follow the Three L’s -- “No laps, no lines, no lectures” -- must at times address the entire group.

So how do you get a group of chatty, fidgety youngsters to pay attention for a few seconds?

For young children, there are those methods used by elementary school teachers: “If you can hear me, clap once. … If you can hear me, clap twice, etc;” various clapping patterns for the kids to follow; “1-2-3 Eyes on me” …

“I just talk quieter until they realize they have to quiet down to hear the info,” says Julie Eibensteiner, coach at Minnesota’s Woodbury SC. “But I think how you carry yourself and your approach to practice usually commands attention. The more you say, the less value you have when you talk. If you only speak when you have something valuable to say, they will be waiting for it and tune in when you do talk.”

The coach’s positioning, posture and demeanor are crucial, explains Ian Barker, the NSCAA’s Director of Coaching of Education:

“Take off the sunglasses and baseball cap, so they can see your eyes,” Barker says. “Turn their backs to the sun. … Turn their backs to distractions (parents, other action, etc.)

“Get down to their level … squat or sit. Talk softly, so they have to listen harder. Tell a story or a joke to draw them in. Use first names or nicknames they respond to. … Sometimes I engage the most energetic child and his or her focus on me draws in the others.”

Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer’s Coaching Director, recommends initially making eye contact with all of the players, so that they know it's time to tune in.

Once you do get their attention, there’s the matter of retaining it.

“Older players also tune out during a coach monologue, they are just better at faking rapt attention,” says Snow. “When the players know the coach's talk will be just another long monologue their attention quite naturally wanders. By engaging the players with one or two questions at the halftime or at a natural stoppage during a training session activity, the coach has the players' attention.”

Michael O'Neill is the girls Director Of Coaching of New Jersey’s PDA.

“Keep it simple,” he says. “Quick and concise is the only way!”

To players, he stresses the importance of eye contact and that only one person can talk at a time. For his coaches: “Patience, tone of voice -- and eventually the good habits will take over.”

For sure, a coach's job with a bunch of 6-year-olds is mainly about creating an active environment for them to discover the joys of the game. But just because the players are older doesn’t mean the lecture is effective.

In his book, “The Talent Code,” Daniel Coyle investigated highly successful coaches and teachers. He reported that advice or instructions uttered by the great basketball coach, John Wooden, averaged four seconds: “No lectures, no extended harangues … he rarely spoke longer than 20 seconds.”

What the great coaches and teachers Coyle studied had in common:

“The listened far more than they talked. They seemed allergic to giving pep talks or inspiring speeches; they spent most of their time offering small, targeted, highly specific adjustments. They had an extraordinary sensitivity to the person they were teaching, customizing each message to each student’s personality. … They were talent whisperers.”

Further Reading: YouthSoccerInsider Lecture them not

10 tips for the well-organized coach: presentation matters

By Don Norton Jr.

One area of coaching that is occasionally overlooked is how we present ourselves to our players at training. I do believe in the old adage that you "never get a second chance to make a first impression." By present ourselves, I am referring to how we look, the words we use when speaking, and the overall preparation that went into our session. The coaching schools in the United States and across the world stress to their candidates the importance of being prepared for every session and never “winging it.”

Here are my 10 Rules for every training session:

1. Arrive 20-25 minutes before every session, well groomed and wearing appropriate soccer gear. I have always told my players that if they arrive on time, they are late. They know that means they need to get to training before it is scheduled. (I do realize young players don’t drive themselves ...) When I blow my whistle all my players have water, their socks are pulled up, shinguards on and their shirt is tucked in. They are ready to train.

2. Check the field to make sure that it is safe to train upon. I always walk around and check all areas of the field and make sure that the goals are properly secured and that there are no holes in the nets. The environment that my players train in must be safe.

3. Carefully empty the ball bag, bibs and lay out all my cones for that day’s session. I never waste time putting cones down during training. Having cones laid out makes for a smooth transition from one activity to another, saves valuable time, and shows my commitment to the session. We all ask a lot from our players and we must give back just as much. Being prepared for every session is a given. And yes from time to time I will stop play and quickly “adjust” the distance of the cones that I laid out.

4. I welcome every player with a smile and a handshake. I am a role model. The words I choose when speaking are important. I know that my player’s experience in training and in the games can have a lasting impact on them.

5. Start every session on time. I bring all my players together and they know that “if I can’t see your face, you are in the wrong place.” I take the sun and position my players so that there no distractions. I give a very brief age-appropriate talk about the day’s activities and off we go. “No lines, no lectures and no laps.” In every session we play small-sided games. I try to have a relaxed tone to my sessions, meaning players are never afraid to make mistakes and are encouraged to “try moves.” Training is where mistakes are made, confidence is born and a love for the game blooms.

6. Have my training session written down on a notecard that I carry with me. Coaches of all levels across the world carry them. If I need to refer to it, and I often do, it’s there for me.

7. Deliver coaching points to my players using the PIP method. Positive -- “I loved your run down the flank." Information -- “Don’t forget to lock your ankle and get your hips square when shooting.” Positive – “Keep up the good work.” I try to never “over coach,” meaning I don’t stop play often and strive to always have a theme and flow to training. I am always reminded ofAlex Ferguson’s quote that “talking too much is a big danger for a coach. The words get lost in the wind.”

8. Have our assistant coach lead parts of every training session. I value “my colleagues” knowledge and want him to know that I respect his talents. Former Scottish national team head coach Craig Brown spoke at my SFA course and said “I never referred to our assistants as my assistants, but as my colleagues as a sign of respect.” There is no better way to show him (and the players) your confidence in his abilities than to have your colleague lead parts of training. No egos allowed; it’s not about me, but always the team. The beauty of the game is that every coach brings his own style and unique perspectives to training and games. I believe that a player needs to hear different voices throughout his soccer career.

9. Bring all players together at the end of training and very briefly summarize a few points about the session and make some “house-keeping” points if needed. I always want to leave my players on a positive note. Coming to training and playing the world’s greatest game should always be something that all players relish. I am the last person to leave the field.

10. Evaluate the session in my Log Book later that day. I grade myself regarding what went well during the session, were my objectives achieved and what could I have done better. We all learn from our mistakes and every coach has had training sessions that they wish they could do over. Even though we have a plan for our training being flexible is important. Sometimes our players lead training in a different direction that is to be expected. I begin to prepare for the next training session.

(Don Norton Jr. is the men’s assistant coach at Rowan University. He has the USSF “A” license, FA Ireland “A” license (UEFA “A” License), Scottish FA “A” Certificate, NSCAA Premier Diploma and USSF National Youth License. He is a NSCAA associate national staff coach and a USSF state coaching school instructor for the New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Associations. His writings have been published in various soccer magazines. He has a BA from Gettysburg College and a MA from Rowan University.)

youtu.be/yTwsV5JaHC8

The fastest double booking in Real Madrid history, 30 seconds of video forever alters the benchmark for lazy refereeing, and Brazilian superstar Neymar gets a ridiculous red card.

Our twitter friendly analysis of these arbitrator-laden films boasts: rapidly unlucky, deserving of scorn, and utterly baffling.

Sergio Ramos header made it 2-0 in the 12th minute of Sunday’s win in Madrid over Rayo Vallecano, and five minutes later he was shown two yellow cards in 44 seconds.

Hands in pockets, feet shuffling, clock watching, this teen has been ridiculed worldwide as his scene stealing apathy siphoned buzz from the Moroccan youth soccer genre.

Finally, Neymar’s fame, fortune, and style of play have seen him typecast in action scenes like the one at Ponte Preta on Sunday, and improved his composure. How this warrants a straight red is well beyond me, for it’s our readers who are the real connoisseurs of cinema referee.

Artur, who smacks and grabs Neymar’s face, twice, was also sent packing. The entire altercation is in slo-mo at 1:30…

Preventing Lopsided Scores



By Randy Vogt

It's the youth soccer game that I cannot wait to end. And nobody seems to be having a good time. The game that I am writing about is the one with two teams of very different abilities playing one another and the better team scores a lot of goals.

Hopefully, the better side will put a limitation on going to goal but often the losing team gets very discouraged, sometimes very frustrated, and stops trying to play.

I tell newer referees that the best refs are the ones who can concentrate throughout a rout partly since it shows a great level of discipline. And if you do not concentrate, especially when you have a frustrated team on the field, the game could spiral out of control if you miss a deliberate foul.

As somebody who has refereed too many routs, I would like to offer some suggestions for youth soccer organizations:

Leagues, tournaments and coaches need to be better aware of the abilities of the teams as competitions are being structured. Obviously, this is easier said than done. But it does not help anybody when a Division 6 team is grouped with a Division 1 team in a tournament or an indoor or summer league. If there are not as many teams entered, my suggestion would be to combine two age groups (such as Under-13 and Under-14) and have one division of the top teams and the other division of the less skilled teams.

Competitions should not use goal differential or goals scored as a tiebreaker. Most competitions in the United States are aware this encourages teams to run up the score. The only competition that I have refereed where the goal differential actually affected the standings was a foreign tournament. The top two teams in the group tied one another when they played. One squad, which wound up in the championship game, ran up the score against overmatched opponents while the team that wound up in the third place game did the sporting thing instead.

Better tiebreakers would have been head-to-head competition (a tie score in this case), goals conceded and even discipline record of yellow and red cards.

Coaches need to put limitations in place before games with overmatched opponents instead of putting them in place when the score is 5-0. As a referee, I can tell when the game is going to be a mismatch just by watching the teams practice before the match. The coaches should be in an even better position as they probably know the scores of previous games vs. common opponents better than I do.

It’s discouraging when the starting team goes up 5-0, then the coach puts in the subs with limitations. It’s as if the players on the same team are not being treated equally. For me, a better idea would be to put a limitation on the starting team from the kickoff. If the game is more competitive than believed, the limitation can be eased.

The best limitations that I have seen work are:

• Can only shoot with weaker foot.
• Can only score from inside the goal area, also known as the six-yard box.
• Own goalkeeper must touch the ball before an attack can be initiated.

Seven to 10-year-olds... what are they like?
It's vital that you pitch your coaching sessions at the correct level.

If you deliver a session that is too easy or difficult for your players, they will quickly become bored and/or frustrated. And bored, frustrated children are not having fun!

And having to deal with a dozen or so dissatisfied "customers" is not going to make the session much fun for you either.

This article describes the physical and mental characteristics of players in the seven to 10-year-old age range - essential knowledge if you are to plan age-appropriate coaching sessions and keep your customers satisfied!

Children in the seven to 10-year-old age range:
Have a limited attention span. They will listen to you for longer than four to six-year-olds but you still need to use simple games and drills and play activities for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes.
Seek out adult approval - so be supportive when they ask about their performance or try to show you their skills. They need reassurance. If you are dismissive or off-hand with them, they won't have the confidence to try new things.
Are able to take another's perspective - they now have a sense of how others are feeling. This means you need to consciously treat all your players in exactly the same way. If you don't, your players will think you have favourites.
Can pace themselves - many seven to 10-year-olds have incorporated a speed or two between stopped and as fast as possible.
Are still unable to think abstractly - most children in this age group cannot conceive anything they cannot see or touch. For example, "space" is an abstract concept. It does not have physical form and you can't touch it. It follows that you are unlikely to be able to teach techniques such as the through pass or zonal defending to children in this age group. So put that tactics board away!
Much prefer playing to watching - keep everyone active and do not use drills that involve children standing in lines for more than a few seconds.
Are more co-operative than six-year-olds - they tend to play well in pairs so 2v2 games are popular. But it's a good idea to set up the pairs yourself. If you ask players to pair up by themselves, a) it can take a very long time and b) there will be personality problems.
Have less active imaginations than players at U6 level - seven to 10-year-olds still have active imaginations by adult standards, but some of the silliness that six-year-olds enjoyed will not be appreciated by this group. So games that require your players to imagine they are pirates or elephants may not work so well any more.
Begin to become aware of peer perception - a social order is beginning to develop. Be sensitive to this.
Begin to show competitive tendencies and they will keep score. So you should use coaching games that have winners and losers. But continue to minimise the importance of the result on match days.
Still don't have very efficient cooling systems - you still need to plan for frequent breaks during your training sessions.
If you bear these limitations in mind when planning coaching sessions for seven to 10-year-olds, both you and your players will have a great time!

Recycle the ball
By Tony Carr
Younger players tend to want to attack the opponent's goal at every opportunity. This enthusiasm is a good quality in young players but it can often affect the team's rhythm because each player that receives the ball wants to immediately dribble or run forward in search of a goal.

To combat this, you should teach your players to remain patient in possession and wait for the correct space and time to attack. Young players often try to force their way through pressure rather than turning away and quickly passing back to a team mate in space.

By passing the ball from side to side, your team will keep its opponent on the run. This will eventually tire them or create attacking opportunities.



How to play it
Use half of your normal pitch with four players and two servers, as set out in the top picture.

The players work continuously at turning away from the direction they are attacking and playing the ball across the field to remain patient and keep possession of the ball.

This process is known as "recycling" the ball - when a team turns away from an opponent and looks to attack in a new area.

To start, one server passes to a wide defender and runs to pressure, the defender turns away from pressure and passes across the defence.

Defenders continue to pass across until the defender on the opposite wing receives the ball. This defender passes to the server on his side.

The server repeats the process of passing back to the wide defender and running to pressure.

How to develop it
Split your players into two teams.

In this example, we have seven-a-side in the area which has two end zones - as shown in the middle picture - but adjust the area size according to player numbers.

Each team attacks the opposition end zone while defending its own.

Goals are scored by dribbling into the opponent's end zone with the ball.

When in possession, the team must constantly keep the ball on the move in order to tire the opponents and create an opportunity to attack.

You can use various rules to improve the team's patience and possession of the ball.

Reduce the number of touches for the player in possession.
Include a neutral player, which gives the team in possession an overload.
Give a free kick to the opposing team if a player fails to turn away from pressure to keep possession.
Game situation – 15 mins
Play a small-sided game in an area split into three zones, as shown in the bottom picture.

Each team has a "free zone", which is its defensive area. Players cannot be tackled by opponents here.

Play is restarted with a pass-in when the ball goes off the pitch. This rule is in place to encourage the teams to "recycle" the ball by remaining patient and playing backwards to keep possession away from the opposition.

Small Group Defending to Improve Anaerobic Capacity
Posted on September 24, 2012 by Michael Saif
By Justin Cresser
Today’s activity focuses on a number parameters, including individual and small group defending; 1 v 1 attacking; speed of reaction; and anaerobic endurance. It is an exercise I like to use during the competitive or in-season as it allows me to ‘kill many birds with one stone’.
Set-Up and Directions:
Divide your players into groups of 4 (or 8) and set up the following station for each group: Create a grid 20 yards wide and 20 yards long. Place a small goal (1.5 yards wide) on each side of the grid so that the goals are in line with the centre of the area. Have one player stand beside each goal with a ball at their feet. Give each player a different number between 1 and 4 (Figure 1).

When ready, the coach will call two numbers. The first number called will be the attacker and the second number called will be the defender. In the example shown, the coach has called number one and then number three. The attacking player (player 1) must dribble their ball into play and attempt to score by dribbling the ball through any of the two small goals where the other two players are standing (Figures 2 and 3).


If the defender (player-3) wins the ball, they score by dribbling the ball through the goal where the attacker was initially standing (Figure 4).

As soon as the play is finished, have the players return to their starting positions and then repeat the process. Continue this activity for 2 to 3 minutes and then have the players rest for 2 minutes. If you have two groups per station, have the second set of players go while the other set rests.
Note: You should vary the order in which you call the numbers, but ensure no player goes more than 2 repetitions in a row.
Coaching Points:
All players must maintain a good ready position (low centre of gravity, slight forward lean) and react as quickly as possible after the numbers are called
The attacker must keep the ball close to their feet and use a variety of turns and fakes as well as a change of speed in an attempt to beat the defender. Once they have gained space/beaten the defender, they must attack the open goal at speed.
The defender must maintain a low centre of gravity and use good footwork in order to prevent the attacker from scoring. They should be no more than an arms-length away from the attacker. They must also resist jumping in, but tackle when appropriate
The exercise also incorporates speed of reaction and decision making, as the players have to process and respond to the different numbers called and the order they were called in. They also have to remember what goals they can score in.
Progression:
You can progress this exercise by adding an additional defender. However, the attacking player is now allowed to score in any of the goals except the one where they were standing (Figure 5). If one of the two defenders win the ball, they can score by dribbling through any of the goals that is not their own.

A main coaching point for this progression is communication between the two defenders to make the play of the attacking player predictable. They must also decide (and do so quickly) who the pressuring defender is.
Best of Luck,
Justin.
Justin Cresser has coached soccer at various levels both in North America and abroad (Hong Kong and Africa). He is currently the Assistant Technical Director at the Soccer Club of Toronto. He has his Advanced National Diploma from the NSCAA and is also a certified strength and conditioning coach.

Soccer Tough
This article is provided by Dan Abrahams and is from his new book – Soccer Tough.

Think about your football in a helpful, positive way
How you think about your football on a day to day basis determines how you feel about your football, and how you feel about your football heavily influences how quickly you learn in training and how well you perform on matchday.
I spend many hours every week teaching Premiership footballers how to think effectively after training and before matchday. Here is one technique you can use that I talk about in ‘Soccer Tough’:
I want you to write down your 3 best ever games. Write them in detail just as we’ve discussed before. This will give you something to come back to every day that can help build and maintain a strong soccer image. It will help you take control of the memories you have of your football.
When writing down your 3 best games remember key moments such as the runs you made, the tackles, blocks, passes and headers you won. Add feelings to your story – “I felt strong, confident and powerful” and “I felt like I was unbeatable” – these are exciting images to remember and to reinforce. If your friends or loved ones were watching you what do you think they would have seen? Write their viewpoint down as well.
When you spend time off the pitch reminding yourself of the times you perform at your very best you feed your brain and body confident pictures and images. The footballer who commits to this technique on a daily basis will build self-belief and feel great going into his training session and matches – giving himself an improved chance to learn quicker and play better with more consistency.
Practice with a purpose
Having an abundance of ability in football is nice to have, but however talented you are it is the quality of your training that determines the trajectory of your football. In fact, so important is this that I advise clients to stop using the word training and start calling it practice. And any old practice isn’t enough – it is deliberate practice that is important. As I describe in Soccer Tough:
Deliberate practice isn’t easy and it begins in the brain. It’s not a soccer player doing an hour of training, doing a bit of five-a-side and having fun with mates. It’s mentally and physically taxing. It is a kind of focused, repetitive practice in which you are always monitoring your performance, correcting, experimenting, listening to immediate and constant feedback, and always pushing beyond what you have already achieved.
When you next go and practice make sure you set yourself a goal, preferably a specific area you’d like to improve. Concentrate fully and push yourself out of your comfort zone by attempting the things you don’t find easy on the pitch.
Control the controllables
The biggest killer in football is distraction. Taking your mind away from the game can lead to hazardous consequences. A correct focus of attention in football starts with an understanding of what you can and can’t control. There are plenty of things in football you can’t control and if you play your focus on them you can easily get distracted as you play. As I point out in Soccer tough:
The most obvious ones are the weather and the state of the pitch. It’s fairly evident that you can’t control those aspects. And yet how many soccer players place their focus on them? Many times I’ve walked onto a pitch with the team before a game and heard someone say “I can’t believe how bad the pitch is. How can we play well on this?” Where do you think this soccer player’s performance focus is going to be during the match? Do you think he might be easily distracted?
Similar to the state of the pitch I’ve heard footballers moan about the weather. Last season a player came up to me on Thursday and said he hoped it wasn’t going to be raining during the game on Saturday because he had decided he was rubbish when playing in the rain. I, of course, pointed out that if he wanted a career in professional football in England he was probably going to have to get used to playing in the rain (it rains a lot in England!). Joking aside do you think this player’s thinking going into the game was helpful? His performance focus was inevitably going to be damaged if it rained – something he couldn’t control.
Before the next time you play jot down some the things you can control like your ‘body language’ and ‘how confidently you execute your role’ and try to focus on these. Avoid placing your attention onto the things you can’t control – they will only direct your mind away from what is important during the game.

This is a match between Bayern Munich and Napoli. Klose of Bayern and on the German national team is one of the world's great goal scorers.
He uses his hand to direct a corner kick into the goal, then tells the referee he did so and the goal is called back. What would you do?

youtu.be/HTfYDHFJwKg

Klose admits to handball, Lazio goal disallowed
Football Italia
Uruguayan Edinson Cavani's hat trick for Napoli in its 3-0 win over Lazio was overshadowed by Miroslav Klose's confession to having using his hand to score for Lazio.

The incident took place after just three and a half minutes when Klose used his hand to score on a corner from five yards out. Napoli players were furious as replays showed Klose's deed. A scuffle ensued but Klose admitted to the handball, prompting referee Luca Banti to disallow the goal.

Napoli players then surrounded Klose and patted him on the back to thank him for his display of fair play. (Video)
Cheers,

The problem with Brit-style chatty refs


By Paul Gardner

Toward the end of the first half of the Olympic final there was an intriguing short episode featuring the English referee Mark Clattenburg and Marcelo, the Brazilian defender. Marcelo had recklessly tackled Mexico's Oribe Peralta, and Clattenburg had immediately shown him a yellow card. Marcelo had spread his arms in that universal gesture of innocence and bewilderment to show -- quite mildly, there were no dramatics -- that he disagreed with the call.

Clattenburg got the call right and acted decisively, Marcelo showed his displeasure. Nothing unusual in any of that. Then came the odd bit. As Marcelo walked away, shaking his head in disbelief (though surely mock disbelief), Clattenburg called him back and for the next 12 seconds proceeded to give him a face-to-face lecture. Again, all very calm and correct; Clattenburg was not shouting, while Marcelo simply stood there, nodding his head occasionally.

Now, what was that all about? For a start, which language was Clattenburg, who did all the talking, using? Does he speak Portuguese? Or does Marcelo speak English? I don’t know, but I’d take a bet that the answer to both questions is no. Clattenburg could claim that English is all he needs, because FIFA has ruled that English is to be used by referees at international games. Which is quite a good idea, but not really of much use if you’re dealing with a player who does not speak English.

So Clattenburg’s lecture was simply a charade? I’d say so. Which leads on to the bigger question: Would things have been any different had Marcelo understood every word Clattenburg was saying? I doubt it. Because, whether or not there is a language barrier, the little chats that referees have with players -- and they are a particular specialty of British referees -- always contain a substantial element of farce.

Clattenburg’s warning (I’m assuming that’s what it was -- what else could it have been?) came after he had issued a yellow card. But most of these chats seem to be designed to take the place of a yellow card. A verbal, or oral, caution. Is there any allowance for such tolerance in the rules? Not that I’m aware of. If a player commits certain offenses, as outlined in the rules, he should get a yellow card. Period.

Is a referee permitted to soften that mandate by substituting a verbal caution, a sort of pre-yellow-card caution? I would say no -- but they do it all the time. Tune in to any EPL game -- Sunday’s Wigan vs. Chelsea game, for instance, refereed by Mike Jones, a fully-paid-up member of the chatting-referee fraternity. When Wigan’s James McCarthy visited a nasty -- and dangerous -- foul on Juan Mata, Jones called the foul, and gave McCarthy a brief verbal warning, but no card. Three minutes later McCarthy was at it again with a late -- also dangerous -- tackle on Eden Hazard. And again Jones called the foul but didn’t give a card. Later in the game, Chelsea’s Frank Lampard went in hard -- and landed on the ankle of Jordi Gomez. Lampard got the brief verbal warning -- and no card.

There is no question, in the three instances I’ve cited, of the referee playing the advantage rule. In each case, the foul was called. And in each case the foul was worthy of a yellow card. OK, that’s my opinion -- I saw them as reckless. And I can see no reason why a player who commits a reckless physical foul should escape the yellow card that the rules mandate.

Referees can argue that the rules are too harsh, that they are reluctant to give that first yellow for fear that they may later be required to follow it with a second yellow and an expulsion. Referees do not like forcing a team to play with 10 men, and keeping 22 men on the field is seen as a virtue. I have some sympathy for that position, but it is an altogether different argument, one that needs a drastic rule-revision to correct.

What would really help in assessing the value of the chats would be for us to be allowed to listen in. Not live -- but later. The chat tapes could be released for our inspection and/or delectation. It has puzzled me for a long time -- what can the referees be saying? Something like “Now see here, Mr. Snodgrass, that was a bad foul but I’m going to let you off this one time. If you do it again, I’ll book you. Now stop being a naughty boy, get back to the game, and behave yourself.” Accompanied, of course, by that laughably emphatic arm gesture that is presumably meant to let us all know that this is one tough ref.

Or does the referee feel it necessary to explain the rules? “Listen, Snodgrass, you may not know this, but under Rule (or in Brit parlance, Law) 12 what you just did is classified as Unsporting Behavior and you should get a yellow card. Just this once, I’ll overlook it. But try not to use your hand again.”

If the real chats are a lot more sensible than my virtual chats, then there should be no difficulty in letting us hear them. If they are not, then the referees should shut up and just give the cards.

One wonders, too, what the players might be thinking about all this. On the whole, I’d say they’d be inwardly smirking at the thought that they’ve got away with one. And that goes double when they realize that, even when they do get a yellow card, they can get away with another bad foul because of the referee’s reluctance to give that second yellow.

It is quite possible that players may actually not know the rules, but that can never be an excuse to overlook their transgressions, certainly not for pro players. That’s their responsibility -- to know the rules.

As things stand, I don’t see that the verbal warning is justified by the rules, and it certainly flies in the face of an obligation (I always hope that referees do feel such an obligation) to protect players. If the referee is in doubt about the severity of a foul, he should give the benefit of that doubt to the victim, not to the perpetrator. He should give the yellow, not the chat.

This matter of using chats to soften the rules has recently saddled MLS with an awkward problem. On the one hand, MLS has let it be known that it is clamping down on violent play -- to this end we now get regular reports from its Disciplinary Committee decreeing extra punishments -- suspensions and fines -- for players who, in the DisCom’s opinion, were not sufficiently punished by the referee at the time of a foul, or for players who might have escaped punishment altogether.

Alongside that, MLS has hired ex-EPL referee Peter Walton as the man to show American referees how to do their job. An English referee straight from the heart of the very chat culture that aims to reduce the punishment for fouls -- surely a philosophy directly opposed to that of the DisCom.

The thought that Walton might not be on the side of the chatters had occurred. But the Brits are usually pretty certain they’ve got everything right in soccer and, sure enough, Walton let us know how he feels about this in a recent interview on ESPN’s web site.

It makes interesting reading -- though not, I should think, for the MLS DisCom and its backers: “When a player makes a challenge that endangers an opponent's safety and everyone in stadium just goes ‘Ouch!’ the law dictates ‘Red Card.’ But if the player already has a caution and the challenge is merely worthy of a second yellow, I would prefer to see a referee employ a management technique: talk to the player, calm him down and let everyone know that he will get another card if the offense is repeated.”

Extraordinary. This is a statement from a high-ranking MLS employee. So far, MLS has issued no disclaimer, no disavowal of Walton’s words, which make a mockery of what its own DisCom is trying to do.

By Randy Vogt

Abuse from the sideline is a very sad component of some youth soccer games. Many soccer refs quit during their first two years of officiating with verbal abuse from the touchline being the No. 1 reason for quitting.

If all of us understood that referees are human beings who make mistakes and have feelings like everybody else, plus that coaches and spectators are role models for their own children, so many of the discipline problems associated with youth soccer would go away. And your league’s Arbitration Committee would be about as busy as the Maytag repairman.

My Soccer America column in August 2010 was on how referees control the coaches who need to be controlled. Coaches only have the ability, per the Laws of the Game, to give tactical instruction from the technical area and that is it. It goes on to state that coaches “must behave in a responsible manner.” Certainly, for a ref to allow a coach to give a running criticism of the officiating hurts game control. Allowing constant criticism from a coach (or anybody else) contributes to an environment in which the players stop playing soccer and begin to focus on what the ref is whistling, which leads to more robust challenges and more vocal dissent.

I have also learned that referees who control problem coaches have a much easier time with that same coach should their paths ever cross again as the coach knows that he or she will not be allowed to dissent much at all.

Coaches are part of the equation of touchline abuse but what about abuse from the spectators? Many spectators have absolutely no idea what the rules say, especially in youth soccer, and the only soccer games that they have ever seen are their son’s or daughter’s. The great majority of problems with parents are avoided by officials who hustle, smile, are approachable, get calls correct plus briefly explain decisions that need to be explained.

Over the course of an officiating career, a referee will come across that rare human being who has very little experience with the game yet thinks he or she is an authority on the rules and does not respect the ref’s decisions or whatever brief explanation the ref may give. Just smile and move on.

But what if that spectator continues to yell? Once the ref figures out which team the spectator is rooting for, he or she could seek that coach’s help to control the spectator. Many youth leagues now require that the coach control unruly spectators. When a coach has been instructed by the referee to quiet the team’s parents, the coach can send over an assistant to deliver the message or be forced to deal with the parents while the game is stopped.

If the spectator(s) continue the poor conduct, the coach receives a yellow card (should the league want coaches to be shown the actual card) and later a red card if the poor conduct continues. Before it gets to that point, the ref explains to the coach that the game could be terminated if the conduct persists. Should the poor conduct persist, the referee terminates the game and files a report.

The referee should not confront the spectator as this will only add fuel to the fire. Thankfully, spectator behavior rarely gets to that level. I can only recall abandoning one of my games because of poor spectator behavior.

The league might have adopted a Zero Tolerance policy, which governs the behavior of coaches and spectators toward game officials. It is imperative for the ref to know if a Zero Tolerance Policy is in force for the game and how that league interprets zero tolerance.

Yes, some people take youth soccer way too seriously and one unfortunate consequence of this verbal abuse leads to the referees remaining often being overworked on weekends. I started refereeing when I was 16 years old and obviously stuck with it. But it struck me as odd when some adults 2-3 times my age at that time showed less maturity at a soccer game than the players a few years younger than me. I still see this lack of maturity in some of the adults today.

As Jim Tunney, who officiated in the NFL for 31 years, once stated, “My definition of a spectator is a person who yells at me for missing a subtle hold in the interior line and, after the game, cannot find his car in the parking lot.”

(Randy Vogt has officiated over 8,000 games during the past three decades, from professional matches in front of thousands to 6-year-olds being cheered on by very enthusiastic parents. In Preventive Officiating, he shares his wisdom gleaned from thousands of games and hundreds of clinics to help referees not only survive but thrive on the soccer field. You can visit the book’s website at www.preventiveofficiating.com/)

Running with the Ball
A topic I don’t see coaches cover very often is running with the ball. We all spend a good bit of time on dribbling sessions but running with the ball is a different skill. When you’re dribbling the idea is to have the ball close to your feet and under tight control. When you’re running with the ball you’re trying to take space quickly so you get the ball out of your feet and run after it.
I’ve used this session with teams as young as U10. It’s been most effective as a progression from a basic session that covers the technique of running with the ball properly.
Running with the Ball
Play 5 v 2 with the objective of keeping possession.
Pass the ball around and look for good movement off the ball and good communication.Can you split the defenders and pass through the middle, so taking out two players with one pass?Can you run the ball through the defenders?
coaching Points
• Decision making
• Be positive
• Good first touch
• Accelerate through the middle
Emphasize points of either passing through defenders, or by your movement, encouraging defenders to come close to create space.
Play two 5 v 2 games of keep-away. Organize the players to make X amount of passes. Once achieved, one player can run the ball across the middle area into zone B and start again.Work as a team to get players to escape zone A.

Try to make a quick break. “A” zone players support escaping player by pushing up. “B” zone players support escape player by spreading and using space. Escape players need to ensure they carry the ball at speed and be composed to make the right decision when entering zone B.

Now introduce phase of play game. Play open game waiting for the ball to be fed into GK from wide player A. As the ball is caught by GK, midfield players move to clear area in front of the defense Defenders spread the width of the field, with wide players prepared to receive, central players also ready to receive. As the ball comes from the GK’s left, they should bring the right back into action utilizing the entire width of the pitch.
The worst case scenario would be 4 v 3, but normally be 4 v 2. Fullbacks look to run the ball into space provided by midfield pushing on. Run with speed and keep head up as practiced in technique and skill sessions.
Coaching Points
• Work on running with the ball; teammates creating space for their own players
• Let players play and get the right attitude to run the ball into space
• Utilizing good technique – ball out of feet, balanced body, at speed, head up, awareness of options


• Let players gain confidence then talk about decision making when, where, how, why
• Keep asking open questions to assist the players’ understanding of the situation and develop their skill

By Randy Vogt

A soccer player's basic uniform consists of a shirt, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear. All players should have their shirts tucked into their shorts, including goalkeepers, and shinguards must be completely covered by the socks. A preventive officiating technique is to make sure that the goalies are wearing shirts that contrast with both teams before the match, rather than realizing it at kickoff.

The footwear will generally be cleats, and the referee must check the bottoms to make certain that they are not dangerous, such as having sharp edges. Players may not participate without footwear. However, a goal counts if scored by a player who temporarily lost a cleat.

According to the rules, shinguards must “provide a reasonable degree of protection.” Players cannot use shinguards that have been cut in half.

For improper equipment, such as earrings, the referee hopefully spotted any jewelry before the game while checking the teams and no player is wearing it on the field. But if a player wears jewelry on the field, play does not need to be stopped. Instead, the ref waits until the next stoppage in play, then tells the player to leave the field to correct equipment. A substitute can replace the player wearing jewelry. The player with jewelry is allowed to reenter the field when the ball is out of play and the ref has checked that the equipment has been corrected.

Medical alert jewelry or clothing required by a player’s religion may be worn only if the referee does not consider it dangerous and it does not give the player an unfair advantage while playing. Medical alert jewelry can often be made safe by wrapping it with tape with the necessary information still showing.

Regarding uniforms, should a player remove his jersey when celebrating a goal, that player is cautioned for unsporting behavior. For the caution to be given, the shirt need not be completely taken off; all that is needed is that the bottom of the shirt to be raised to the bottom of the chin. Players who raise jerseys to display slogans, advertising or messages are cautioned as well.

Regarding arm and/or hand casts, they must be properly covered in sponge and not be dangerous to others for that player to participate.

For complete knee braces, manufacturer’s padding comes with each brace and should be worn over it so that there are no sharp edges, which can be dangerous. Some players do not like to wear the padding as they believe it limits their mobility. Have them wear the manufacturer’s padding over the brace so they can play.

Some leagues, especially youth ones, prohibit players with casts or knee braces from participating. Ask about this before going to the field.

Instructions to Teams?
When checking the teams, many referees, particularly new ones, make the mistake of telling them how the game will be called.

Saying things such as “When the goalkeeper has the ball, you leave her alone, otherwise I’m going to call a foul” or “Gentlemen, I heard that you don’t get along with the other team so I’m going to call a tight match” or any other such instructions is a bad idea and can open a can of worms.

After all, as soon as the ball is legally in play near the keeper and you don’t call a foul, the keeper’s team will complain that you contradicted yourself. Or as soon as you don’t call a perceived foul in a game that you said that you were calling tight, players will complain. Besides, who told you that those teams do not get along?

(Randy Vogt has officiated over 8,000 games during the past three decades, from professional matches in front of thousands to 6-year-olds being cheered on by very enthusiastic parents. In Preventive Officiating, he shares his wisdom gleaned from thousands of games and hundreds of clinics to help referees not only survive but thrive on the soccer field. You can visit the book’s website at www.preventiveofficiating.com/)

How to make your soccer players LISTEN!
Experienced coaches use a few simple strategies to keep their players focused and attentive during coaching session and the tips below will help you get your messages across more effectively.

But remember that your players are children – not mini adults – and if you are running a midweek coaching session, they've probably been at school all day being forced to sit and listen to their teachers. Once they're out in the fresh air with a goal to shoot at, the last thing they want to do is listen to more lectures.

Tip 1: Keep it short

When you're explaining a game or drill to children, try not to speak for more than 15 seconds and never talk for more than 30 seconds.

Give just one or two instructions, check understanding ("are we all OK with that?"), get into the action quickly, ("right, lets go!") and correct errors as you go along.

Tip 2: Silence is golden

Never start talking until you have your players' complete attention. Make sure balls are left to one side and keep quiet until your players are quiet too. Even if it takes several minutes.

Tip 3: Avoid distractions

Face your players away from other games or activities that are going on around you and don't stand with the sun behind you.

Tip 4: Get down to their level

Don't tower above your players. Get down on one knee if you need to and make eye contact with every player as you speak. Don't wear sunglasses.

Tip 5: A picture is worth a thousand words

Demonstrations are a key part of soccer coaching so show your players what you want them to do.

If you can't do it, find someone who can! Ask for volunteers or get an older or more experienced player to show the others the skill or technique.

Tip 6: Have rules... and apply them

It is essential to have team rules that are discussed and agreed with your players. My number 1 rule is simple: "No talking while I'm talking."

But don't be too quick to apply sanctions – if you do, you'll come across as a sergeant major instead of a coach – but if a quiet word doesn't do the trick you will have to tell the player concerned to sit out until they are ready to listen.

There's nothing to be gained by making a player sit out a game or drill that they didn't really want to do anyway but making talkative players sit out the first few minutes of the end-of-session scrimmage is a powerful deterrent.

Summary

These tips will help you avoid being embarrassed by players who refuse to listen and you should expect and encourage your players to pay attention to what you are saying.

But be lenient with players who are under eight. What you may perceive as discipline problems are really personality tendencies common to that age group: short attention spans, high energy, sociability and an inability to understand detailed explanations. Don't expect six-year-olds to act like 26-year-olds.

And remember that all children come to coaching sessions to have fun and play soccer which, ultimately, is just a game. Taking it too seriously, or making practice too much like school, will result in your players switching off altogether and, in the end, they'll just stop coming.

Finishing In a Competitive Environment
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s activity involves finishing in a competitive environment.

Start with a 30 x 30 grid with two full sized goals and a keeper in each goal. It’s 2 v 2 in the middle and in each attacking half there is a player on each sideline and a player on each part of the end line


In the diagram above the black team is attacking the top goal and the yellow team is attacking the bottom goal.

The players on the field play unlimited touch and can go anywhere on the field. The players on the sideline can’t go past the cones so they must stay in their attacking half of the field.

The game starts with a field player getting a ball from goal and passing or dribbling into play


The field players can pass to themselves or to any of the outside players on their team. If a player on the outside receives a pass they can pass to either of the players on the field or to any of the other attacking players on the outside but they are limited to one touch.


If a team scores one of their players sprints back to the goal, gets another ball and starts back up.

If a team is scored upon, the two field players sprint off the field, the two players on the sideline become the field players, the two players on the end line go to the sidelines and either two new players go to the end line or the two field players go to the end line (depending upon how many players you have available.


This is a very competitive game and everyone has to be alert at all times because if a goal is scored the scoring team grabs another ball and starts right up and if the defending team hasn’t rotated yet, they go and score again.

By Randy Vogt

The referee can overrule the assistant referee but the assistant can never overrule the ref. The assistant is to assist the referee and not insist instead.

We have a situation in which the ball has gone over the touchline near the assistant referee, who indicated that it is blue’s throw-in. However, the AR did not see the last bounce off a blue leg so it should be red’s throw-in instead. The referee should blow the whistle and indicate that it’s a red throw by pointing the direction that red is going. The ref should also say something nice to the assistant such as, “Thanks, Bob, but you were screened when the ball last came off blue so it is red’s throw.” The assistant should then point the flag in red’s direction.

A referee should not overrule the AR often, otherwise the officiating crew will not be working as a team and the players will realize that the ref has no confidence in his or her assistant -- so why should the players?

While overruling the assistant may be necessary on one or two occasions during the match when the ball is out of play, it is absolutely dangerous when the ball is in play.

When an assistant’s flag goes up to signal an offside or foul, players tend to stop, even if they have been told to play the referee’s whistle, not the assistant’s flag.

It’s a lesson that I learned the hard way while refereeing a college game two decades ago. A red player headed the ball in the general direction of a teammate in an offside position. The assistant made the mistake of raising his flag immediately and the blue defender momentarily stopped. From my angle, I could see that the red player was probably dribbling the ball rather than passing it so no offside should have been called. My interpretation was in conflict with the assistant’s.

The player recovered the ball without his teammate playing it, dribbled to the goal and scored. A relatively easy game became difficult from that point on as the blue team thought that I allowed an offside goal. Clearly, the assistant and I did not work as a team on this important call.

As soon as the flag was raised, I should have blown the whistle and given the offside as it was not clear whether it was a pass or dribble at that point. I should have gone with the AR’s interpretation rather than telling him to lower the flag.

The bottom line is that the only time that a referee overrules the AR while the ball is in play is if all 22 players on the field know that the AR is clearly wrong.

Let’s take this a step further and mention a boys under-16 game in which I was the AR and the shoe was on the other foot. Both the other assistant and I were well positioned with the second-to-last defender throughout the match to flag for offside. Yet, the referee decided to whistle for offside when we kept our flag down on five different occasions -- two in my half of the field, three in the other AR’s half. The game became an absolute disaster! Three players of the losing team were sent off near the end of the game for using abusive language when they cursed the referee.

Let me also describe two instances during college games from a number of years ago in which MLS refs (who should know better) created problems for the officiating crew by overruling ARs during the course of play, giving the impression that they did not have the confidence in that AR.

The first example is a ball was played at midfield to an attacker who was onside. But she could not get to the ball as the defender pushed her 10 yards from me as soon as the ball was passed. I twirled the flag in my right hand, signaling the defense committed a foul. The ref signaled for me to lower the flag, which I did. The defender who intercepted the pass after the push played the ball upfield and the ball was in the back of the net 10 seconds later. Loud dissent followed from the other team, who had seen my flag. At halftime, we talked about my decision and the other assistant referee, with a more panoramic view of the field, had seen the foul too and questioned the ref why he had overruled me. The ref’s answer was that he did not think a foul had occurred. He apologized.

The second example involved a pass inside the penalty area. At the time the ball was played by an attacker, the ref standing nearby thought all attackers were in onside positions. The ball deflected off a player to an attacker near the goal. The other AR’s flag went up for offside. The ref told him to lower the flag as the defense questioned why the ref overruled the AR. Thankfully, the shot was saved by the keeper. The ref and AR discussed it later and the ref thought that the ball deflected off the defender and since he believed all attackers were onside at the time the ball was originally played by an attacker, offside should not be given. Yet an attacker was standing next to that defender so it certainly could have been played by an attacker to a teammate in an offside position near goal.

In both games, goals were later scored in tight offside situations with the overruled AR and loud dissent followed. Not simply because the disallowed goal was incorrect -- replay would prove it was right. But because the ref had shown no confidence overruling that AR in close decisions before the goal.

(Randy Vogt has officiated over 8,000 games during the past three decades, from professional matches in front of thousands to 6-year-olds being cheered on by very enthusiastic parents. In "Preventive Officiating," he shares his wisdom gleaned from thousands of games and hundreds of clinics to help referees not only survive but thrive on the soccer field. You can visit the book’s web site at www.preventiveofficiating.com/.)

3v3v3 defend from the front
By Michael Beale
Closing down opposition defenders in their half is a job for your forwards and midfielders to do.

If your attackers work together, they are more likely to win the ball back nearer to the opponent's goal and have a greater chance to score.



How to set it up
Use an area 40 yards by 30 yards with two goals and two goalkeepers.

Split into teams of three. The black team defends one area, the white team defends the other, and the grey team plays as attackers in both areas.

How to play it
The goalkeeper rolls the ball out to the defending white team which must make three passes in a 3v3 situation against the grey attackers before passing to the team in the opposite half of the pitch (black team).

If a successful pass is made to the opposite team then the grey attacking team must advance into the other half of the pitch to pressure the black team who must make the three passes.

If the grey team wins possession they should try and score in the goal they are facing.

Change team roles every three defensive moves, so grey defends the black end, black defends the white end, and white become the pressing team in the middle.

Penetrating Passes
Penetrating passes in a game environment.

In the diagram below we have a 5 v 5 game with a neutral player in white. The size of the field can vary but something in the 40 x 30 range works well.


This is a typical small sided game but goals count as 3 points. A team can earn 1 point by making any pass that splits 2 defenders.

As an example, in the diagram below the black player makes a pass to a teammate but no defenders are split so no point is won.


In the diagram below a pass is made that successfully splits two defenders so a point is won.


This activity is designed to encourage going to goal and to encourage looking for penetrating passes while not discouraging safe passes.

This game will also encourage the teams work on a nice compact shape defensively which will make it difficult to get scored upon and to get split.

By adding the neutral player, who is always on offense, it gives the attacking team more options

Beckenbauer group proposes rule changes
Reuters


A task force led by former German international Franz Beckenbauer has recommended changes in the offside rule and punishments for red cards. Beckenbauer said definitions of active and passive offside are too confusing, and sending off a player for a penalty-area offense that also mandates a penalty kick is too severe. Both proposals are likely to go before the next meeting of the IFAB, soccer's rule-making committee, in March.

"We have a situation with active and passive offside at the moment, I think we should stay away from complicated expressions, we should go back to making it more simple, not like it was at the beginning but somewhere in between," says Beckenbauer, who won a World Cup with West Germany in 1974 and coached West Germany to its triumph in 1990.

"In my time it was very simple, offside was offside, it didn't matter where the ball was. It's a nonsense, it's too complicated."

Beckenbauer believes only a deliberate handball on the goal line or a violent foul should be punished by a red card if a penalty kick is awarded, "If it's a simple foul in the penalty area, where you try to get the ball but are a second late, a penalty and yellow card are enough," he said. "If it's a violent foul, which would have been a red card anywhere on the field, then it this case its a penalty and a red card."

GOALKEEPING TRAINING
Change of Direction and Diving
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on explosiveness, change of direction, diving and shot blocking.
Start with a keeper in the center of the goal with a hurdle one yard in front of each post. The hurdles are facing the sidelines. A server is at the top of the 18 with some balls

The keeper starts by sliding, side to side, toward one of the hurdles and jumping over it sideways.

As soon as the keeper lands on the outside of the hurdle he immediately jumps back over toward the middle.

Upon landing the server plays a ball to the center of the goal. The keeper will have to dive and make the save.

The keeper would then get up and do the same thing in the other direction.
The keeper would do this 5 times in each direction.
By adding the movement and the 2 quick jumps before each dive it’s adding in fitness work, explosiveness training, working on change of direction, diving and shot blocking.