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Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask
Coaches have to deal with all sorts of scenarios week in and week out. Each week we will address a question that has been sent in by a NR Soccer coach. If you have a question that you want answered please e-mail us.
This week's question is:
July 1, 2009
Question: Will working with a smaller ball improve your dribbling?
Answer: Yes, a small ball will certainly help your footskills, dribbling, and close control. Many brazilian stars say that they have played "futebol de salao" which is a type of futsal played with a smaller, non-bouncy ball that helps develop your footskills and control since the ball stays on the ground. Also, the great Franz Beckenbauer juggled a tennis ball to school often and worked with a tennis ball, and when he went back to playing with a normal size ball, he thought it was enormous, and he found it much easier to control.
June 1, 2009
Question: How to kick with the most power?
Answer: To kick with the most power possible, you must concentrate on achieving good technique. Establishing good technique comes with much repetition. Therefore, the rest is practice. Start out by using only 80% of your power, while keeping your accuracy, once you have the accuracy and then work your way up to maximum power. This will produce the hardest kick possible.
May 4, 2009
Question: I've heard a lot about water vs gatorade / sports drinks.
What really is the best?
Answer: Here is some good info from the US soccer website.
We have found that youth players should drink a diluted sports drink mix.
Buy the powdered version and diliute to 50 - 75%.
This is the BEST thing for youth players.
April 27, 2009
Question: Should defenders be pushing up at a young age?
Answer: It depends on the skill level, not really age.
If players understand the game and are progressing in skills, then yes this should be taught. If they can't even dribble a ball yet, it may be too early to be worrying about tactical deployment of your team.
April 20, 2009
Question: How do you cure the toe kick?
Answer: Here is an exercise that perhaps this will help your kids.
Take off your shoe and sock. Sit on the floor, with both feet on the floor... knees inside your arms...start by kicking the ball out of your hands (like a punt). But, just do it lightly so that the ball only goes up about 2 feet or so.
Make sure that your toe is pointed and that you keep your ankle "locked". Strike the ball with the "laces" part of the foot. If your ball goes up without any spin...or with a little "top" spin... then you are doing it correctly. If the ball comes back towards your face...then try again. Keep doing this over and over...it will develop a good feel for what it is like to hit the ball with your laces. After you have managed that...try hitting the ball twice with the foot. But, make sure that there is still a proper spin...ankle locked...toe pointed. When you get good control it is time to stand up.
Now, do the same thing… kick the ball out of your hands (like a punt) but have the ball only go up in the air about 6-7 feet high. Look for the ball going up with no spin again. Keep your foot in that good position. Your knee needs to be slightly bent as well. Kick the ball straight up in the air. Again, you are just trying to get a good feel for the ball. The ball's spin tells you if you are doing it correctly."
April 13, 2009
Question: What are the advantages of using training grids in soccer?
Answer: The training grid serves as an important organizational and instructional tool. The grid facilitates the most important aspect of learning which is "time-on-task." Professional soccer players, for example, may cover a distance of 6-7 miles during a typical game. However, they would have possession of the ball for two or less minutes out a 90 minute match. In a typical 40 minute game of U8 or U9 boys, most players barely touch the ball and the average total time of active ball possession is less than one minute.
Thus, the amount of learning that may be achieved during practice while using a regulation size or even smaller field as the practice field is very limited. Practice grids of various sizes and shapes allow the coach to accommodate the skill level and the time on task needs of her/his players. It also facilitates a more effective division of labor between the head coach and her/his assistants. The grid allows more kids to be active while closely supervised.
April 6, 2009
Question: How can I encourage parents to motivate their children and discourage them at the same time from coaching their children from the sidelines?
Answer: We are all well aware of the term "back seat driver" and not too many of us manage to avoid becoming one for a very good reason -- our life depends on the front seat driver’s performance. The enormous physical and emotional energy parents invest in their child and her/his sporting experience inevitably leads some to the "back seat coaching" trap. As long as both parent and coach share a mutual understanding of their roles and responsibilities, unintentional disruptive parent behavior and energy may be redirected to provide a positive contribution to the league experience.
March 31, 2009
Question: Why should one always first warm-up before stretching?
Answer: The elasticity of ligaments, tendons, and muscles is directly related to blood saturation. Blood saturation in ligaments, tendons, and muscles increases as the body's core temperature increases. Low blood saturation in cold tissue makes the tissue more susceptible to injury. Increases in core temperature are also associated with increases in muscle contraction speed due to increase in dissociation of oxygen from hemoglobin, decrease in muscle viscosity, increased elasticity of connective tissue and increase in conduction velocity. Warmer muscles not only contract but also relax faster since muscle relaxation time is more dependent on temperature than force development. It is, therefore important to always warm-up before stretching.
March 24, 2009
Question: What Should A Coach Avoid?
Answer: Laps, Lines, & Lectures - First let's talk about "laps" - not the most original method of fitness training and one of the least effective for soccer players- better yet, play high intensity games with a ball that encourage "fast play" of short duration. A heck of a lot more fun than running laps! Lines - Name one line you enjoy waiting your turn. Since kindergarten we've been trained to "line up." One of the reasons kids like to play soccer is the continuous action - let's not spoil the attraction of the sport by making them wait! Any longer than thirty seconds until their "turn" and you've lost them! Using game activities rather than "drills" creates a realistic approach to teaching soccer. Lectures? Brings up memories of school. Sitting. Listening. Passive. Non-participatory. Please! Our players come to play! Use the "Thirty Second Rule" - Quick, concise information and get them moving! You cannot improve your skills listening to someone talk about soccer!
March 16, 2009
Question: How do I teach strategy?
Answer: We do not teach algebra to first graders and we don't teach strategy to them either! Youth coaches who attempt to teach strategy or team tactics are doing so in the mistaken belief that it will help their team. Youth players must develop ball skills and individual play before they can grasp team concepts. The best planned strategy fails if a player lacks the skill necessary to play the game.
March 9, 2009
Question: Why will my players not stay in their positions?
Answer: Soccer is not like baseball or football where players have a "geographic" or "static" position. Soccer positions are dynamic- your position as it relates to the ball and other players. Yet many new coaches attempt (with little success) to "plant" defenders on a spot to "protect" the goal! Think more along the tactics of basketball- if you play 4v4 or 3v3 ALL players should attack or defend depending on who has the ball.
March 2, 2009
Question: Why do the Under 12's and younger not play 11 a side like older kids and adults?
Answer: Playing small sided games allows younger players more touches on the ball, a less crowded field, more actual playing time, they must play offense and defense - developing a more complete player.
February 24, 2009
Question: What can I do with a player that doesn't show up for practice, but comes to games?
Answer: Players not coming to practice. Coach, it is what it is. I want you to remember the mission statement of the New Richmond Soccer Association — to provide world class youth soccer programs that enrich children’s lives. All sports, all programs, all age divisions have the exact same problem that you are dealing with coach — players not showing up at practice, but coming to the games. Don’t make yourself crazy. You can only control what you can control. Don’t spend your time beating yourself up that your players aren’t coming to practice. Here is what you need to do. You be on time, you be prepared, and remember the things you can’t control, don’t try and control. It will only make you crazy. Your job is to enrich children’s lives, not to pad your win and loss record. Players coming to practice or not coming to practice and still wanting to come to the games—it is what it is.
February 17, 2009
Question: There is a player whose birthday designates her to play in the U-10 division; however, she is skilled enough to play in U-12. When the girl plays in her own age division she can score at will and the coach usually benches her after two periods or just has her play defense. The parents enjoy playing in the NRSA league but feel her daughter is being punished for being skilled. Is there anything that can be done?
Answer: The question implies, coach, that the great little scorer was being punished because she was asked to play defense. I think I would look at it differently as a coach or parent of that little great scorer. I would probably thank that coach for not only allowing her to play up front, but also to learn both sides of the ball. The attacking and defending side of the ball. Who knows, someday this great little scorer might find another player just as good as her, or better, and she may not be able to beat that person for a job up top, so she’ll be playing in the back or midfield on the defensive side of the ball. I would not look at it as being punished for playing defense. I would look at it as becoming a much more well rounded player. Talk to the parents and make sure they understand that the coach is doing the right thing by their daughter. He’s teaching her to play both sides of the ball.
February 10, 2009
Question: How can I get my team to communicate during game day?”
Answer: It doesn’t start on game day. It must start at training sessions. One of the things I recommend coaches to is that at every training activity, put some type of communication in it. Even if it’s as just simple as calling a player’s name that they are going to pass to or if they are going create space to say “space.” Whatever the objective of the activity is—going to go goal, down the line, if they are going wide—say, “play the ball wide.” Again, I like the player’s name being called. Pressure on, pressure off, time—those kinds of communication in training sessions lead into getting to the actual playing field when its game day.
February 3, 2009
Question: How can I teach my kids to be more aggressive?
Answer: Aggressiveness can be inherited. It can’t be learned, but it can be trained a little bit. Let me give you this recommendation—play as much one-versus-one as you can. When you play one-versus-one, make sure that you work the number one player, number one being your most skilled player, against number two, your second most skilled player. It goes all the way through your lineup when you get to 14 versus 15. Play as much one-vs.-one, balancing that training group, and that will pick up the aggressiveness of your players from your one player to your seven player to your fifteen player. When you start playing two-vs.-two or four-vs.-four, do the same kind of math. Make sure you place number one against number two. And when you play four-vs.-four, one plays with 15 and two plays with 14. They will break it up and who to mark, who to play against. It will make them a little more aggressive and it goes through the entire training session. I think this will work for you, just make sure you balance those training groups.
January 27, 2009
Question: How should I deal with U-12 players playing soccer for the first time? My more experienced players are getting frustrated at times with the new players?
Answer: U-12 players playing for the first time should be considered outstanding. We’ve gotten them off the couch; we’ve gotten them out of the house, and they’ve come to play soccer for you. Now you need to coach. You have to make sure you maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. When you get brand new players, think of things like substitution. Do I have all the new players in one quarter? When do I put them? Do I put them in by a very strong player? Those are issues that a coach can coach when they get brand new players. The other thing you can consider when you have brand new players is changing the system of play. You said that your experienced players are frustrated. Remember, your players that are brand new are also frustrated, so what we want to do is minimize their frustrations and maximize their enjoyment of the game, so consider changing the system. You may be up two goals. You may not have to go as forward as much, so you hunker back in the back, and bring your least experience players in, and maybe put them in a little less dangerous location, which weakness can be exposed. It’s all about maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses.
January 20, 2009
Question: What should I do if a parent confronts me?
Answer: Coach, that happens to all coaches if you coach long enough. One simple thing is to take a breath and say to the mom or dad, or whoever it might be, “See, this is going no where, can we take this off line.”
Never, ever do this in front of players. Never, ever have these types of confrontations in front of other parents. Get yourself a league official and then take it to the side and discuss. Coach, one thing I do want you to do again is take a deep breath and let them talk. Many of us coaches if we have been coaches for a long time, we just want to tell our side.
Often if you let them vent, remember it’s their cub, they see their kid. Let them get it all out, and then once you take one more deep breath talk about them being late to practice, them not coming to practice, them wanting to play in the position that they want to play. Talk about team goals, and were you are trying to go as a coach and organization. What our vision and mission statement are. Once you let everyone vent, it will probably work out. But, again never make it public, take it off line and stay as calm as you can, and you’ll be in great shape.
