Hi All,
   I hope your indoor training is going well.

1. MYSA coach training.
   there are still openings in the White Bear and Eagan "D" classes.  The Eagan "E" is full, but there is a class in Coon Rapids.  The "Y" module classes in White Bear still have room and classes have been added in Chaska.   See the MYSA Coaches Clinic page for more info - http://mnyouthsoccer.org/coaches/clinics.cfm

2. VUSC coach training
   we have a number of things in the works:
4/12 Coaching Clinic plans are firming up.  This is tentatively scheduled for 9A-12P at the Community Center and will include classroom instruction, demonstration in the gym and coffee and donuts.

3. VUSC player training
   Two items are in the works.  We are finalizing the club keeper training for four Sunday evenings in April and May.  There will be two hours of training, the first for U9-U12 and the second for U13-U19.  More information will be sent once this is finalized.
   NSC would like to put on a 1-day striker/keeper "In and Around the Box" camp for late April.  This camp would have a fee paid by the player.  More info will be coming soon, but the tentative date is 4/26, 9:30A-2:30P.
   For both of these, coaches can come and watch even if you don't have players there (another way to learn)!

4. And speaking of watching and learning...
   My BU13C2 and the GU13C2 teams are being training by NSC professional coach Jason English during March.  If you'd like to watch Jason at work you can see the boys at 6:30P (not 3/11) or girls at 7:30P (not 3/18).  Jason is only hired to train the kids, so please watch only and allow him to focus on the team, but you can inquire about his availability for your team if you are interested.  The NSC has other trainers as well.

5. For the geeky... Stats!
   I like to keep stats on my team and players.  KwikGoal has a stats book that you can use to track the team in each game.  You can have a coach or team parent keep the stats.  Last season we started with the KwikGoal book, but it wasn't meeting my needs.  So I modified my lineup form so I could keep stats by making simple marks on the form while watching the game.  You can find my lineup forms and a sample of the stats I've collected on my coach education page at http://www.bjb.org/soccer/coachinfo/lineup.html.  These are certainly not perfect.  For example, while I track things like how many times we give the ball away or have the ball taken from us, I don't have a good way to track where or why this happens.  For instance, it would be very interesting to know if a team consistently loses the ball in a certain area of the field or in a certain circumstance (such as just after winning it back).  If anyone has ideas on this please let me know.  If there's interest, it could perhaps be a subject of a future Coaches Coffee Talk.

6. Article - Provide a "problem" and let the players figure out a solution
from: http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/

Too many coaches of young children tell their players where to run, when to pass the ball, and where to pass the ball to. Making decisions for your players may result in short term wins for the team but it stifles player development. Players from a young age who are encouraged to make decisions for themselves, to experiment and not worry about the consequences will turn out to be more skilled and capable players in the long term .
Even 5 and 6 year olds can be taught simple ideas and encouraged to think about their options with regard to passing and moving without the ball.

The approach of using guided discovery is used during this practice session. It is a simple process - begin by asking questions and then encourage the players to work out the answers for themselves. This is a proven and more effective method of learning than simply telling children where and how to pass the ball.

A word of warning - guided discovery requires you to really know and understand what you want to get out of the training session. You need to think carefully about the type of questions you need to ask.

   read the whole article at: http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/training_thoughts.htm

   As always, if there are any comments, questions or suggestions, please let me know.

   Barry