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| I couldn't resist :) |
If you're reading from outside North America, it's that time of year in Canada. Soccer season is starting and ice hockey tryouts started for next fall.
This fall, some soccer tryouts will happen while hockey is getting rolling. In the spring more soccer tryouts will happen while hockey is in playoff mode.
In today's soccer environment, where heavy recruiting is rampant, some coaches feel they need to jump the gun and get started early or risk losing players. That is an understandable attitude considering the environment
and I have seen coaches run a
few "intro" sessions and early tryouts in October then close down the shop for a few months. I've done that too, if, for anything, to gauge interest and re-enforce that the team is alive and well for next season. In the land of soccer rumours, you may need to show you are coaching and the team is on for next season.
Then we have the new scenario of the 12 month soccer program and winter/summer hockey.
But 12 months of training with the same coach? Not for me.
In soccer we have the same problem as most travel other sports; many children play more than one sport at the rep/travel level.
On top of that, winter parents are worried about their kid's spot, so they will sign up for summer camps. I have travel hockey and basketball players in my winter development soccer sessions. They come huffing and puffing having just gotten off the ice, or rushing out to get to basketball
When does it end? When do they stop? Does your child have a chance to call a friend and just hang out, climb trees, go knick-knocking or just walk and chat?
Don't kid yourself, burnout does and will happen. I've seen kids drop everything at once and quit sports altogether. For some, their body quits before they do.
Let's be real. A break is not going to happen. Some parents want their kids to stay busy and sports groups would NEVER co-operate to organize a common break. If you play house league level at all sports then you will have a break. Can you imagine if all sports agreed that there be no sports twice/year during the same weeks?
The only rest a kid gets is one initiated by the parent. And there are some who don't.
Do you have the nerve to just tell all coaches "We are gone for 2 weeks"? We've done the unthinkable and gone away during the travel hockey season, several times. Many people do, but a lot are afraid to. One coach told me once if he knew we were going to Florida in November he would not have picked our son. Really?
If you've taken any advanced theory courses in coaching that involve season planning, you know how important an off-season is. The science behind the physiological and mental importance of an "off-season" is being ignored. As a coach, give your kids some time off away from you and let them explore other activities.
Occasionally, in smaller centres, you have another twist to the 12 month issue. A winter and summer rep level sport might be coached by the same person.
This presents two possible scenarios.
Your child plays soccer and a winter sport. Your soccer coach is also the winter coach and 8 players from your team are on the winter team. All seasons overlap. Now what? Are you getting half a soccer schedule because the winter coach is still in that mode? Are the winter sport kids who don't play soccer waiting in the wings for a coach who is too busy with soccer in the fall?
What if your child has the same coach for both? When do they get a break from that coach? Would you be happy if your child had the same teacher for 36 straight months and no break? When does your child get a break from the pressure of their judgement? If a child has a bad winter season, does it affect that coach's opinion of him as a soccer player? Are some kids afraid to leave the winter sport for fear of losing their spot in soccer? Or vice-verse? Might a coach use a roster spot at the other sport to tighten his grip on an athlete and their family? Socially, are the kids who don't play both sports "outsiders". Do clubs even consider these issues when handing out coaching jobs?
You might think you're tightening your grip on an athlete and increasing retention by coaching them for 12 months, but my experiences with most people has been the effect is opposite. Not all, but many.
My advice:
- If you coach a club team, take a break from each other. You can continue coaching in other environments if you want to keep coaching.
- If you have a child who wants to play soccer for 12 months, find a different place for them for a few months. A different voice or philosophy might be very refreshing. But still encourage they try another sport/activity.
- If you have a coach who forbids your child from working with another coach, you need to find a new coach.
- If possible, have your child try something else during the off-season, especially at younger age groups.
- If your club is offering winter sessions, do your best as a club to ensure those kids see a different coach for a period of time.
- If you do insist on running a 12-month program, be brave enough to bring in guest coaches. I am an opponent of the 12 month program.
- A 12 month program should have several pre-determined breaks through the year. Occasional and pre-planned weeks off for no reason are welcomed, and a smart thing to do.
Anyway, I am beating an already beaten horse here ... the topic is debated heavy on the internet, on both sides of the equation. I supplied a few links below. You can Google the rest.
http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/general-safety/program-safety/the-importance-of-taking-time-off-from-sports
http://www.canadiansportforlife.ca/ten-key-factors/specialization
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130423172601.htm
http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/2412.cfm
http://theperformanceu.com/5-myths-when-will-youth-soccer-learn
