The following contains information about the weeks practice. The email will outline the sessions that have been completed and what the players worked on. We have a player centric, proactive curriculum which ensures the players will cover all the necessary mechanics, skill work, and give players a chance to be decision makers and creative players. Through the long-term development from U8 to U19, the players will pass through different stages and priorities as outlined in the program welcome meeting.

While during practice the players will be given the tools they need, if an individual wants to push on with playing at a higher level and performing to the best of their ability, practicing at home will always give them that extra edge, and we can’t encourage enough for those with passion for the sports to practice in their own time. This also avoids unnecessary over-training of structured practices continuously throughout the week.

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ADP Training Pool, U8 and Competitive Ages

• Shooting 1

Technical activity to start the session, static activity with high repetition for the initiation stage of the players development. Players strike towards each other looking for accuracy of their strike, and finding the players preferred technical mechanics in their body movement. Adding to the technique, players now move within the grid before striking at one of multiple goals, placing the individual player in to a situation or striking in a different situation every time to work on the coordination structure.

• Small Sided Games, Free Play

Free play is vitally important, and more of this is needed in youth sports. https://www.soccertoday.com/platini-soaf-let-youth-players-be-kids-they-are-not-pros-yet/ This gives empowerment to the individual player to perform with creative actions and to use the game situation to problem solve, not relying on the instructions from external sources outside of the games context.

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11’s to 08’s Competitive Teams

• Passing between the Units

Penetration through passing, using the pass to communicate with players on the direction and speed of play.  Important role for the 2nd attacker with their movement and distance of support to get in to seams and position between the defensive units. All players constantly checking their shoulder to see where the next pass will be played before receiving the ball. Body movement and position to have hips open to the field.

• SSG 1

A game with multiple scoring options. Small sided games allows for the player to be in a game situation, while experiencing different game scenarios through the constraints and conditions placed on the game. This optimizes the players cognitive and socio-affective structure.

• Thursdays Free Play

Free play is vitally important, and more of this is needed in youth sports. https://www.soccertoday.com/platini-soaf-let-youth-players-be-kids-they-are-not-pros-yet/ This gives empowerment to the individual player to perform with creative actions and to use the game situation to problem solve, not relying on the instructions from external sources outside of the games context.

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07’s to 05’s

• Dribbling to Possess

A small sided game where players are challenged to make decisions quickly while under the pressure of an opponent from multiple angles and under different scenarios. While starting with a ball each, as opponents recover possession of the ball and place the ball out of the playing area, attackers must now support those still in possession of their ball. This forces players to recognize danger, and also provide supporting angles best to receive the ball in open spaces. Decision making and problem solving is in an individual and group context.

• Attacking with a MF 3 and a Withdrawn Striker

Positional possession game to begin to introduce the objectives of the session, with players in game situations from the dimensions and numbers within the game to understand the game concept. A drill follows where players are in the game situation of finding the striker in a withdrawn position, dropping deep in to the onside space between MF and DF units of opponents. Players recognize channels to play in to depending on the movement of opposition players from the ball movement and off the ball movement of supporting players.

• Thursdays Free Play

Free play is vitally important, and more of this is needed in youth sports. https://www.soccertoday.com/platini-soaf-let-youth-players-be-kids-they-are-not-pros-yet/ This gives empowerment to the individual player to perform with creative actions and to use the game situation to problem solve, not relying on the instructions from external sources outside of the games context.

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04’s and Older

• Physiological Conditioning – Injury Prevention & Core Activation

A circuit of exercises to engage the core through hip hinge movements, and glute activation. A low intensity and low impact session for recovery purposes and re-entry in to the week of practice. A significant amount of time allotted to stretching, loosening up the posterior chain, and hip-flexor muscles.

04 and 02 age groups practice small sided rondos, in a low impact session for managing intensity following the weekend games.

• Playing out of the Back

Rondos and positional games to introduce the concepts of the playing style to the players. Cognitive and socio-affective structures of the players optimized, while game concepts of player mobility to open up passing channels and mutual assistance spaces to safely play from defensive areas, and utilizing short and long passes to play out of high pressure areas.

• Build Up Play with a Goalkeeper and Back 4

Continuation of the concepts worked on in the early session of the week. Session starts with a positional game to reinforce the concepts and playing style, then progressing to a drill for high repetition and variability of the playing out of the back situation. Conditions are applied to the opponents to ensure that when they regain possession,  there is a quick turnover in possession so the objective of the session can remain the focus and be repeated. Player recognition of open channels within the playing field to attack forward at the earliest opportunity and to transition from Zone A to B safely without giving away possession of the ball.

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Every session is structured to facilitate all four pillars of the players development, and to include challenges, targets, and competition to get players to push themselves further. We are a program that heavily focuses on the players individual development, and not to get caught up in the race for trophies and excessive travel to unnecessary tournaments. If you ever have any questions about the Fremont YSC philosophy, and the proactive curriculum, we are always available to answer.

Breakdown of mechanics in technique – https://www.fremontyouthsoccer.com/technical-tactical/

 

We are just a day away from the start of the Fall season, we are now at a time that is equivalent to waiting inline for a roller-coaster ride!

Before we get stuck in to the playing of the games, it is important that we cover some very important issues, making sure we are all pulling in the same direction, expectations are managed, and we make sure the experience is about the youth player and not the adult.

The focus must remain on the individual player, the progress and development primarily with the ball at their feet, the comfort to be in possession of the ball, and the willingness to try and at times ultimately fail. Youth soccer (not adult), is an individual sport within a team context.

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As soon as we lose sight of the big picture and only focus on the scoreline, it is the child that misses out, and the adults take over. Here are a few important factors to keep in mind.

A Good Coach Does Not Joystick

Joy-sticking is killing the game, stifling youth development, and wrecking the interpretation of what a good coach is.

Joy-sticking is the constant shouting of instruction at the player. While shouting at the player so they make your decision from the sideline on the field, the worst of all joy-sticking is when giving instructions to the player in possession of the ball. The kids are not mini-PlayStation’s living out FIFA in real life. This is not coaching.  A good coach will be looking away from the ball, providing guidance to players and not telling them what to do, but providing information to help them find the answer.

Here is a great article to help understand what joy-sticking is – https://www.stack.com/a/what-is-joysticking-the-coaching-tactic-killing-youth-sports?fbclid=IwAR2dgs-CuL6oRLZPBFyy1dpIsDWsup35ak-5IAS9AOXtse_NEFXNFbICyJ8

Shouting at players is not coaching

Shouting at players is sadly a cultural thing, which for so long has been the benchmark of what is a good coach. The louder and more often the coach shouts, the better that coach must be. This is so painfully wrong.

When we put this in to context, we have an adult shouting at a child while they are playing, and trying to learn, when we break it down to this it’s easier to see why it is so inappropriate. If another child was to shout at a child like this while playing we would consider it bullying, so why is it O.K. for a ‘coach’ to do this. There is a huge dropout rate at 14 years old of youths playing sports, from pressure and abusive adults. Changing the Game Project highlights why this form of coaching is so toxic – https://changingthegameproject.com/abusive-coaching-tolerated-sports/?fbclid=IwAR3YFbXwpaPSzUPD9XDYO74GfLq5D6tWh1kv09IhyNelI6QZyUevcJLrBUc

Silent Sideline

We ask that parents remain silent on the touchline. We understand you are passionate about your child, we completely get that, and there is nothing wrong with clapping. However, instructions being shouted on are definitely not tolerated, as this has a negative affect on the players development. A player is learning to observe and interpret their surroundings within the game, and not take instructions from sidelines. Its the process of looking, observing, interpretation, decision making, then action, that develops the fast player. A parent or coach shouting on to the field does not benefit the player, and in fact hinders the player.

The modern element of pedagogical communication is for the coach to be the facilitator of learning, and the not the ‘doer’. The coach must refrain from being the protagonist of an action, and is is even more important for the parent to understand, and therefore be supportive from the sidelines without the influence of decision making.

Psychological Development is an Important Pillar

More and more we are hearing about retired professional players suffering from mental illness. This is the result of their career as an elite professional, and the experience of the old ‘hair dryer’ treatment they would receive from coaches. As research and coach education has developed over the recent years our understanding of player psychology has taken on a greater role. When we put this into the perspective of youths playing sports, the more we reflect the adult game on to children the more damage we are doing. The following is a great little clip from TalkSport where there is an example of an older coach still not considering the impact a coach has on the mental health of a player.

TalkSport – Bullying