It's just about nice enough to play
outdoors! Please remember that we are not supposed to play on the outdoor
fields until they are officially opened by the city. Watch for an email
on that... as soon as we know, you'll know.
Barry
1. Upcoming Coach training
2. Upcoming Keeper training
3. website of the month
4. Lightning Safety
5. article of the month -
Encouraging the Pass ... When the Time is Right
1. Upcoming Coach Training
Sat. 4/18 8A-12P U10/U12 MYSA Y module sponsored by EVAA at Falcon Ridge
Sat. 4/18 1P-5P U8/U9/U10 MYSA Y module sponsored by VUSC at
Velocity
You have two choices for Y module training on Saturday 4/18.
You can even take both! The Y module is a short-duration training event
consisting of: 1 hr classroom; 1 hr coach field training, and; 2 hrs field
training with players. I highly recommend this training, particularly if
you have never taken a formal coach certification class. Each offers information that is applicable to general
coaching of all levels, so even if you coach older players this session will be
valuable.
To sign up for the afternoon session sponsored by VUSC, please
send me an email at bc@bjb.org.
This is free to all VUSC or VAA coaches.
Sign up information for the morning session is available at http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/
2. Upcoming Keeper training
Like last year, we will offer free club
keeper training on four consecutive Sunday evenings, Apr. 19, Apr. 26, May 3,
and May 10. Keepers U12 and younger should come from 5P-6P, and U13 and
older from 6P-7P. The trainers will be professional keepers and trainers
from the
Of course, this is also another great opportunity for coaches to
observe professional training! Please come out and watch what your
keepers are being taught so you can repeat these points or drills in your
practices.
3. Website of the month - Strong Soccer - http://strongsoccer.com/
A great side including videos of the
basic 1v1 dribbling moves and ton of keeper drills.
4. Lightning Safety
From the SOCRER-L mailing list:
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:28:48 -0500
Subject: lightning
easy for me. if you see it, flee it, if you hear it,
clear it. end of =
the story and I don't care who complains.
I have been caught out on an open field during a rugby game in a =
lightning storm, VERY frightning. I have ALSO
been whacked with =
lightning on a rugby sideline, bad stuff also. =20
and I have endured the parents, opposing coaches and spectators AND =
referees yapping at me as i kept my players in the
cars for 30 min after =
the last bolt.
don't care. see start
of this post and you'll be safe.
ront
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:44:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Lightning (WAS Rainy Turf)
In
position paper refers to thunder as a good back-up rule (see Sec. =
1.a.(1) if
interested), given 99.99% of us can't forecast weather, common sense =
should
prevail even if you only hear the thunder.
30-30 rule should apply if you see lightening OR HEAR THUNDER.
I cover the mechanics of this with my AR team when there is a chance of =
this
coming into play. "If you see/hear it, raise your flag, and when you
=
get my
attention, point to the sky, we are done."
USSF Position paper is here:
http://images.ussoccer.com/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:04:01 -0500
Subject: Re: lightning
I don't like me-too postings, but maybe I can re-state the good sense that
others have posted, and thereby save somebody from being killed or injured.
LIGHTNING IS DANGEROUS. A lightning bolt has as much force as a long,
moving freight train. A lightning bolt can burn you AND strike a crushing
blow.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE AS FAR AWAY FROM THE STORM AS THE THUNDER CAN BE HEARD.
Lightning is caused by rapid movement of air masses, especially ahead of
and around a storm, as well is within a storm. It doesn't need to be
accompanied by rain or other precipitation, or clouds.
IF YOU SEE IT OR HEAR IT, SUSPEND THE GAME INSTANTLY.
Quotes from <http://www.lightningsafety.
-- In the
each year by lightning. In 2008, 27 people died due to
lightning strikes. In 2007, 45 people were struck and
killed by lightning in the
were injured. ...
-- Each spark of lightning can reach over five miles in length,
soar to temperatures of approximately 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit,
and contain 100 million electrical volts.
-- [One type of lightning] frequently strikes away from
the rain core, either ahead or behind the thunderstorm.
It can strike as far as 5 or 10 miles from the storm,
...
For the GOTG
5. Encouraging the Pass ... When the Time is Right
By Mike Woitalla, Soccer America,
Friday, March 20, 2009
One of the biggest mistakes
youth coaches can make is to force a passing game on children too early.
Discouraging dribbling in the early years is like telling
toddlers to shut up when they're learning to speak. Young players should
dribble as much as possible -- because dribbling is the first step to mastering
all ball skills.
Coaches should resist temptation to shout at young players to pass the ball.
U.S. Soccer's Best Practices Player Development Guidelines stress that coaches
should "Encourage the dribbler at the younger ages ... Dribbling, at the
younger ages, is the child's attempt to gain control over the ball. Controlling
the ball is the primary skill that every other skill in soccer depends on. ...
Do not expect him or her to look to the pass or to pass with any level of
competence or awareness, until he or she has mastered this skill."
Of course, passing is an integral part of soccer. So how can coaches encourage
passing without impeding their players' development?
BE PATIENT. Children will naturally, but slowly, begin to comprehend the
benefits of sharing the ball. Even if the adults do nothing to encourage
passing, players will begin to ask each other for the ball. They will learn
from each other and from the game.
PLAYING ALONG. When coaches play along with
their teams at practice, they can constantly demonstrate passing. And when
coaches pass the ball back to the player they got it from, they send the
message that sharing pays off. A coach, or an older player invited to take part
in practice, can play a neutral role in games. The neutral player doesn't
defend or score, but gives his or her team a better chance of keeping the ball.
POINTS FOR PASSING. Scrimmaging and
small-sided games should be the main part of practice sessions. Demonstrate the
wall pass - or give-and-go - and tell the children that whenever they complete
a wall pass, it counts as a goal.
TEAM HANDBALL. Now and then
during scrimmages, switch from soccer to team handball, which is like
basketball with soccer goals.
It is very difficult for novice players, while they're trying to control the
ball with their feet, to see where their teammates are. In team handball, they
can look around when they have the ball in their hands for a teammate to throw
it to. The player with the ball and those who wish to receive a pass start
becoming aware of positioning.
The rules can vary. It can be that players are allowed three seconds and three
steps whenever they get the ball. You can let them throw the ball into the goal
when they have a scoring opportunity, or require that they drop it and shoot.
For older kids, it can be that when players in possession are tagged, they must
turn the ball over to the opponent.
5-v-2. One of the standard warm-up games
is the 5-v-2, or some variation of numbers in a loose circle playing keepaway from the players in the middle. When this is too
difficult for novice players -- one sign is that players want to be in middle
because it's so easy to get the ball -- use a variation in which it is "Keepaway from the Coaches." The coaches make
half-hearted efforts to cut off a possible avenue for the player with the ball
so that he looks for a passing option. "Keepaway
from the Coaches" can be played without the circle but in the confines of
the penalty area or a cone grid.
TWO-TOUCH IN MODERATION. Limiting players to
two touches during scrimmages or small-sided games might be the most popular
method of encouraging passing and has its benefits. But don't incorporate it in
practices when your players aren't skillful enough to cope with just two
touches. It is extremely difficult to make a good first touch, see where
teammates are, and execute a well-struck pass. Just as teachers don't teach
children algebra before they can add and subtract, coaches should always
consider their players' stage of development.
If a couple of minutes go by and the players struggle to complete passes, you
know it's too early.
And when it seems the right time to introduce some two-touch play, don't overdo
it.
You don't want to discourage individual creativity or risk-taking. Imagine how
many thousands of times Lionel Messi or Marta tried to dribble past other kids
and lost the ball before mastering their amazing dribbling moves.
Also, remember that you want the majority of your practices to simulate game
situations. It's unreasonable to restrict a player from using a few extra
touches if it's effective.
Two-touch serves some valuable purposes. It forces players to focus on their
first touch. It's crucial for players learn that trapping a ball dead is not as
effective as a first touch that positions the ball so that they can pass,
shoot, or embark on a dribble with the second touch.
But two-touch should be used sparingly and not at all before the players master
the ball skills to cope with its challenges.