Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Youth soccer IQ training
You may or may not know that I am an active youth (and very shortly high school) coach based in Northern Virginia. Currently I coach a U13 girls team in WAGS, and as the girls' skills and maturity have reached a point to where game tactics can have a lot to do with results, we've begun really focusing on improving their "Soccer IQ". I've written about this before, but in short, Soccer IQ refers to the things about the game beyond specific skills and athleticism. Players with good Soccer IQ can tell you why they made a decision on the field, not just what that decision was. Understanding the "why" in their heads, leads to a dramatic improvement in their decision making and the efficiency of the learning.
While I've always encouraged our players - and their parents - to watch as much soccer live and on TV as possible, this winter we made it mandatory. Before our indoor games a Dulles, we all get together at someone's house and watch a game using a DVR so we can pause it and discuss the "why" behind what they're seeing the pros do. We also have assignments to watch at home, and then the players send me 100+ word emails describing what they watched. It is working really well, and has the whole team really thinking about what they're doing on the field and in our training sessions. In training, they're making connections between what I'm teaching and what they remember seeing on TV. When that connection - or should I say "recognition" - takes place, I feel like what I'm teaching is absorbed 300% more than trying to teach in the vacuum of "because Coach said so".
If you coach youth soccer, I hope you're focusing on Soccer IQ too. Your players are never too young to start learning the why behind the what in your teachings. Of course, if you've never played the game a decently high level yourself, odds are you'll have almost as much Soccer IQ learning to do as your players. Let's face it, there just wasn't that much opportunity to watch pro soccer live or on TV when most of today's coaches were growing up. No matter what your own Soccer IQ is today, watching, reading, and playing more yourself - with an analytical antenna hoisted - will do wonders for the effectiveness of your training sessions. Personally, I've become a far better player tactically and emotionally since I started coaching and studying the game. I only wish my youth coaches in the 80's had worked on my Soccer IQ as much as they did screaming "run faster, kick harder".
I'll leave you with one of the first 100-word reports I received last week from two of the players on our U13 girls team after watching Chelsea v Hudderesfield in FA Cup action last week. Needless to say both these players started in our first full-sided pre-season scrimmage yesterday! This is the kind of passion for the game that drives players to work hard on their own, away from formal training. That is the key to becoming a great player!
Enjoy, and remember, they're just 13, so have a very unique view of some things (and little idea what the FA Cup is).
Coach Chris,
C---- and I watched the Chelsea vs. Huddersfield Town game. The game was for the FA cup round 5, Chelsea was blue and Huddersfield Town was black. They played in Stamford Bridge London, England. Chelsea played in a 4-3-2-1 formation, in Chelsea’s formation, number 17 Sinclair played my position and number 20 Ferreira played C----’s position. Huddersfield Town played in a 3-4-1-2 formation, in Huddersfield Town formation, number 7 Brandon played my position and number 6 Clark played C----’s position. Huddersfield Town had the first shot and the first foul of the game. We noticed many small things that they did during the game, for example, they didn’t have any pressure when they were passing in defense, they did many drop passes, and used the whole field. Also they kept the ball under control almost the whole time, they headed the ball whenever they could, and they attacked all the balls and did a lot of slide tackling. During the game they took a lot of corners but not many throw ins goal kicks. The first goal scored was by Chelsea’s Frank Lampard number 8, Sinclair number 17 crossed it in from out wide and Lampard finished. Next goal was by Huddersfield Town’s Collins number 4 he controlled the ball out of the air and scored. Following that goal Chelsea scored again, Lampard 8 shot but the goalie got it and he followed his shot and scored. Another goal scored by Chelsea was by Pazzio, he dribbled through all the defenders and number 13 scored but it was called off sides. The last goal was scored by Chelsea, again, number 21 Kalou cut the ball past the defenders and megged the goalie. Chelsea dominated the game in possession and the ending score was 3-1 Chelsea.
RANDOM FACTS:
Birds flew on the field!
Owner of Chelsea is a fat Billionaire!
Avrum Grant, the coach of Chelsea, looks like a troll!
Side ref looks like a giraffe!
Williams blocked a goal like lessh did!
They had balloons!
NUMBER 29, PAGE AKA BALDY!!!
love your favorite players,
While I've always encouraged our players - and their parents - to watch as much soccer live and on TV as possible, this winter we made it mandatory. Before our indoor games a Dulles, we all get together at someone's house and watch a game using a DVR so we can pause it and discuss the "why" behind what they're seeing the pros do. We also have assignments to watch at home, and then the players send me 100+ word emails describing what they watched. It is working really well, and has the whole team really thinking about what they're doing on the field and in our training sessions. In training, they're making connections between what I'm teaching and what they remember seeing on TV. When that connection - or should I say "recognition" - takes place, I feel like what I'm teaching is absorbed 300% more than trying to teach in the vacuum of "because Coach said so".
If you coach youth soccer, I hope you're focusing on Soccer IQ too. Your players are never too young to start learning the why behind the what in your teachings. Of course, if you've never played the game a decently high level yourself, odds are you'll have almost as much Soccer IQ learning to do as your players. Let's face it, there just wasn't that much opportunity to watch pro soccer live or on TV when most of today's coaches were growing up. No matter what your own Soccer IQ is today, watching, reading, and playing more yourself - with an analytical antenna hoisted - will do wonders for the effectiveness of your training sessions. Personally, I've become a far better player tactically and emotionally since I started coaching and studying the game. I only wish my youth coaches in the 80's had worked on my Soccer IQ as much as they did screaming "run faster, kick harder".
I'll leave you with one of the first 100-word reports I received last week from two of the players on our U13 girls team after watching Chelsea v Hudderesfield in FA Cup action last week. Needless to say both these players started in our first full-sided pre-season scrimmage yesterday! This is the kind of passion for the game that drives players to work hard on their own, away from formal training. That is the key to becoming a great player!
Enjoy, and remember, they're just 13, so have a very unique view of some things (and little idea what the FA Cup is).
Coach Chris,
C---- and I watched the Chelsea vs. Huddersfield Town game. The game was for the FA cup round 5, Chelsea was blue and Huddersfield Town was black. They played in Stamford Bridge London, England. Chelsea played in a 4-3-2-1 formation, in Chelsea’s formation, number 17 Sinclair played my position and number 20 Ferreira played C----’s position. Huddersfield Town played in a 3-4-1-2 formation, in Huddersfield Town formation, number 7 Brandon played my position and number 6 Clark played C----’s position. Huddersfield Town had the first shot and the first foul of the game. We noticed many small things that they did during the game, for example, they didn’t have any pressure when they were passing in defense, they did many drop passes, and used the whole field. Also they kept the ball under control almost the whole time, they headed the ball whenever they could, and they attacked all the balls and did a lot of slide tackling. During the game they took a lot of corners but not many throw ins goal kicks. The first goal scored was by Chelsea’s Frank Lampard number 8, Sinclair number 17 crossed it in from out wide and Lampard finished. Next goal was by Huddersfield Town’s Collins number 4 he controlled the ball out of the air and scored. Following that goal Chelsea scored again, Lampard 8 shot but the goalie got it and he followed his shot and scored. Another goal scored by Chelsea was by Pazzio, he dribbled through all the defenders and number 13 scored but it was called off sides. The last goal was scored by Chelsea, again, number 21 Kalou cut the ball past the defenders and megged the goalie. Chelsea dominated the game in possession and the ending score was 3-1 Chelsea.
RANDOM FACTS:
Birds flew on the field!
Owner of Chelsea is a fat Billionaire!
Avrum Grant, the coach of Chelsea, looks like a troll!
Side ref looks like a giraffe!
Williams blocked a goal like lessh did!
They had balloons!
NUMBER 29, PAGE AKA BALDY!!!
love your favorite players,
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