U13 - Lots of footwork, touches then 4v4

Today we trained outdoor on a tennis court.  The weather has been nice but the fields are still closed.  Today was a bit chillier than previous days and there was a misty rain falling on us the whole time.  Once the mist turned to rain at 1.75 hours in, I called it off.  We don't want anybody getting sick.

Scheduling is still tricky because of hockey and basketball, but when both teams work together we get OK numbers.  Today we had 16 between both teams.   There was a regional science fair, basketball and hockey tournament and a few boys were sick.

We started training with a 12-minute run and five 40m sprints.

We then went on the tennis courts and did 45 minutes of moving with the ball including various sequences for footwork and practicing turns.

During this our coaching points were:

• Head up immediately after the turn and accelerate
• Balance before, during and after the turn so you can pass/move after the turn
• Keeping the ball close
• Executing the turn quickly
• Keeping the ball in a manageable area (not chasing it or digging it out from under you)

The balance thing is HUGE.  Some players throw themselves into a turn or a move but don't have the balance to finish the job.  It's about controlling your body's momentum at all times.  When we jump through agility ladders or over hurdles we stress landing under control because some players just throw themselves forward, losing their balance.

When we got into 4v4 on each tennis court we were looking for the boys to use their turns to keep possession.

To set up some kind of organization/structure for them to work within we said we were looking for :

• 1 player with the ball
• 1 supporting from behind
• 1 supporting wide
• 1 supporting forward

The player with the ball is never allowed to be the last one back, forcing players to move into support positions.  Now everybody has an idea for how they work within a 4v4 situation.

We set the shape hopefully setting the stage for success.  They were free to do as they chose within those guidelines.  They did not let us down and it was very entertaining to watch.


Of course, as with always, we stressed quick-early-accurate passes.

4v4 is a great practice tool, competitive,  and allows you to work on everything and anything, depending on what conditions you set.

Looking back, I came with a fully planned out practice and we got to the end of it.  Coaches Paul and John helped make it successful with good coaching points and the boys were in a working mood.

Next time I run a similar session I need to include more competition along the way.  Not just 4v4, but 1v1, 2v1, 2v2, races, anything that says "I win".

I felt good on my drive home, the feeling I am looking for.  I know I can feel good about a session while self-assessing what needs to change.

I look forward to our group fitness session on Thursday. 

U13 - Fitness session #1 (with U10/U11/U12/U17)

Acting on an idea from a senior member of our club, Al Edwards, I organized a group fitness session with our U13 boys, our other u13 team along with our U10, U11, U12, U17 teams.  Between all the boys and less the ones who were missing because of hockey and basketball , we had 70 players out.

Our session took place at the track of a local high school.  The set up was:

• 12 minute run
• 5 40m sprints
• training circuit of 15 stations, done twice.

The evening took a little longer than expected because we demonstrated each exercise and organization of players took a little bit.  But over all I was VERY pleased with how it went.  The boys all came out to work and were very co-operative.

The station exercises involved hurdles, agility ladders, some dribbling drills, pushups with and without a ball, 2 planking stations, situps/crunches, jumping on and off a bench, skipping and lunges.  Each station was 1 minute with 30 seconds to move between stations.

I was happy afterwards because I was able to get there a bit early to setup, the time of my day was such that I wasn't rushing and the boys all came in a great mood.  It was such a positive night and the parents and players were the reason.  The setup and organization might have set the stage, but the participants made the evening enjoyable.

A great positive to the night was being able to include parents into the session.  I want to include them more this season so they can be there as good examples for their kids.  Coaches have too much influence on a child and today I think kids need their parents (and vice-versa) as much as they ever did.

There were things that we could fix:

• More parents on stations so coaches can roam and watch their players.
• Assign a parent to do the stop watch and whistle
• Clearly marked out stations for those exercises that did not have equipment (pushups/situps)
• A first-aid kid on site (I forgot)
• Ensure everybody had a lot of water handy before we started
• Check for injuries

We had some experienced parents involved and hopefully they contribute by bringing ideas to the table.  One is a high school football coach and the other is a former fitness instructor.

Next up is Saturday morning, outdoor.  We are training on a playground as our fields are still closed and the weather is too nice to be indoor.  We're planning on lots of individual ball work and 1v1 .  it will be both teams together.

U17 - First Friendly Match

The U17 Welland boys had their first pre-season match today.  The venue was our indoor field in Welland, which still has boards from the American style of professional indoor soccer.  An example is in the photo below.  Ours is similar, without the 20,000 seats.

Our indoor soccer building was built in 1984 and has served the community well.  The artificial turf is on it's last legs but our new building should be done by next November. 

It was a good break from training and a good chance to get re-acquainted with each other in a game situation.  Have exhibition games for U16/U17/U18 is a tricky venture as it's difficult for them to not turn up the heat 100%.  As a coach you're looking for them to build some game fitness and chemistry and do some assessment for planning purposes.  Winning is nice, but it's not priority number one.

There were some instances of rough play and players hitting the boards, but everybody escaped relatively unharmed (one banged knee) and the boys now have a new focal point going forward.

There were a lot of notes I made for the coach to review ... but the biggies were:

• deciding when and when not to go forward, and having the support behind if you can't go forward
• 1v1 defending
• speed of passes in all directions

It's only their first game and they've been away from each other for 10 days so there was no need to beat on them for a lot of small sticky points that would probably be rectified by fixing the issues above.  As we continue to correct their shape in possession a lot of other problems will disappear at the same time.

Even though their 1v1 defending technique was poor, their desire to challenge and want the ball back is admirable and a great characteristic to build from.  And they are not afraid to shoot which is always helpful ... if you want to score goals.

At U17, mental toughness and physical durability will play a big roll as games get more physical and the verbal warfare moves up a notch.  That was also evident today.

Indoor Soccer Arena in Canton, Ohio, USA

Coaching Resources for LTPD

The Canadian Soccer Association and Ontario Soccer Association continue to produce quality resources for coaches as we all take this journey through Long Term Player Development together.

They have posted several brochures for coaches to help them plan and understand the development stage they are currently coaching.

Hopefully the soccer community continues to stay enthusiastic about LTPD and it's potential benefits.

Coaching your own child. Smart? Crazy?

Somebody said something to me once that I will never forget: "Everybody watches two kids during a game; their own and the coach's"

How true.

I have always enjoyed coaching my children, but there are a lot of potential issues accompanying the role of parent-coach.

Is it fair to you?  Is it fair to your child?  There is a cold hard fact that nobody can escape ... the coach's child is NEVER good enough or TOO strong.  Not even the greatest parent coach ever, Walter Gretzky, could escape the pressures that eventually caused his son Wayne to move to Toronto at the tender age of 14.

"Everybody watches two kids during a game; their own and the coach's"

Coaching when your son is not on the team is much easier to handle than when he is on the team.  That's a gimme.  And the juggling act you do with playing time, tryouts, etc is an art form that few have mastered.

But there is a great joy in coaching your child.  With all three of my sons, at one point or another, I was able to work with them and their friends to make them all better players and hopefully enjoy the game.  I took 21 boys to Europe in 2009 (including my 2 oldest sons) , as well as organized many weekend tournaments over the years.  I tried to attend those events as a "coach" and not a father.

For my sons, hopefully they have had a moment or two or more where they know or heard their friends enjoyed playing when I coached.

For me, I get to see my sons interact with their friends and play and, hopefully, I was able to leave my "dad" hat at home for that short time.

There is a reality and that is people who enjoy coaching and have children playing may not have the time to coach unless it is their child's team.  For a few years I coached 2 teams (district and club) while all three of my boys played travel soccer.  I am still standing (and married) but it wasn't easy.  I still coach programs where my children are not involved over and above my son's club duties.

There are things you expose yourself to when you coach your child:

• Your spouse having to hear grief in the cheering section.
• The possibility that your child may not belong in the group.
• Keep an even emotion when dealing with injuries or dirty play when your injured player may or may not be your child.
• Setting a terrible example for the kids, and embarrassing your child in the process.
• Discipline issues where your child is involved with other players.
• Your child being the one not working hard at training.
• Cutting your child's friends during tryouts.

In 24 years of coaching, only two players have ever quit my team after being signed.  One was my oldest son.  That was at U12.  He still played travel soccer (rec level) at U17.  For a few years I was coaching the first team in his age group and he was playing on the second.  When my youngest told me he was thinking of not playing I told him to ask his older brother how many times I tried to convince him to come back to which he quickly replied "zero".  They all know that I will continue coaching and there is no pressure on them to play if they don't want to.

Coaching my children has been a very positive experience for me.   The "you and your son" card has only been thrown at me a few times but I find ways to move on.  I coached before my boys started playing and will continue after they are done, but for the short time in my coaching career when they passed through the system I am glad I was on the bench for some of those years.