For a team to really have the best possible soccer experience as youngsters, there needs to be communication between all parties involved. Players, coaches, administrators and parents need to understand exactly what it takes, from each other, to create the learning environment that suits the development of the children the most.

For a brief insight of how we can each take small steps towards achieving this positive environment with the players, check out the fantastic educational 'mini-quiz' which our U14B Dragons Assistant Coach, Paul Jakobson, and his wife put together after a recent NYSWYSA workshop on the topic.

Thank you Paul and Kath, much appreciated!

Click here to take the quiz

Offside. It's the one law in soccer that causes more confusion than all the others put together. With a seemingly infinte number of different factors to consider, it is not surprising that unless you have been involved in the game for a long time, offside can be a difficult concept to comprehend.

Luckily, help is at hand!! The aptly named company 'Dynamic Thought' have put together a short animated video on their website to explain the law, step-by-step. This is a great tool for parents, coaches and players to get a better understanding of, if nothing else, exactly what is going through those referees' minds with every defence-splitting pass made during a game.

Click here to see 'Dynamic Thought's' animation, explaining the offside law.

Thanks Carl! 

I was recently sent an e-mail which, after a seemingly rough day for me, made me just sit back and slowly let things fall back into perspective. I felt that I would share it with the good people involved in our club in the hope it may help many of you in the same way:

I recently received my quarterly newsletter from the English FA. It had a completely new look and was packed full with very useful tips on nutrition, coach education, practices to use with young players, etc. There was one article in particular that caught my eye; with a new FA Learning video set for release soon to aid coaches at all levels, the FA have adopted a more player-centered approach to coaching with development and learning at its core.  Below is what Alistair Smith of the English FA has to say on what coaches should understand about development and learning:

One

“Football at all levels is about problem solving. At the highest level the problems posed by opposing players and teams are more complex, more demanding and less predictable. Top players and top teams pose more problems and find faster solutions. It’s as simple as that! Great learning involves problem solving. This can be informal – such as working out how a ball will bounce back off a wall – or formal, with a coach setting you a similar problem in a 3v3 game about angles.”

Two

“No one ever learned anything of lasting value without being actively engaged in the process. Great learning requires the active engagement of the learner. Sustaining active engagement requires the coach to sell the benefits of the session to players, link it to their longer term development needs and give them variety: Vary the conditions, the way you convey your message and the activities themselves. Most importantly of all, involve the players.”

Three

“The best learners ask the best questions. Great players ask ‘what if?’ Again, this happens informally – ‘what if I step over the ball and drag it back?’ It also happens informally when a coach suggests some tweaks to a player’s repertoire. Supplying all the answers in a pre-packaged way kills curiosity – so limit your interventions. Too few coaches are prepared to ask the ‘what if?’ question.”

Four

“No one ever got better without trying to! Structured practice is essential. According to Professor John Howe, an educationalist, it takes about 10,000 hours of structured practice to even begin to consider a future as a concert level pianist. Disabuse young players and their parents that it is all about being ‘gifted!’ Being gifted is not enough. Rehearsal of the basic skills through a progression of varied challenges will be necessary. However, space out and revisit the rehearsals. Apply the little and often is best principle.”

“The great coaches combine all of the above. Don’t be fooled by the public image of abrasive, noisy and aggressive touchline coaches seen on TV screens. Great coaches are developers and learners.”

So, when you are next out on the field at Eldridge Park with the kids, see if you can incorporate some of what Alistair is saying here into your session. Soccer is a player’s game and our kids should be encouraged to be creative and not worried about failing. We as coaches should set a positive learning environment and watch the magic unfold. This creative, ‘trial and error-esque’ approach will result in solutions to problems becoming almost automatic when match-day rolls around!

• U6 players are all about themselves. That's not to say they are selfish. It's just how they learn best at that age. We should do primarily individual activities because of this. 
• U8 players are very excitable, enthusiastic and sensitive. They also have a limited understanding of the concept of space (how many times have you seen two teams of U8 players ALL follow the ball no matter where it goes on the field when playing against each other?).
• U10 is seen as the golden age of learning, so players are often more keen than ever to ask questions (and answer your ones!). These players also really enjoy a challenge and we should stretch their minds as much as possible because of this.
• U14 players are arguably the most competitive. They are starting to understanding their own and their peers' strengths and weaknesses and are more fully aware of what it means to be part of a team.
• As children grow mentally, their decision making skills improve, but to begin with we should start games at 3v3 for U6 (less people on the field means less possible options, therefore decisions are slightly easier) and slowly progress to 4v4 at U8, to 6v6/7v7 at U10 when they are more aware of others and the risks/benefits of the different options available (dribble, pass, shoot).

So these are just a fraction of the factors we should be aware of with our players in order to meet their soccer needs. And as much as their are differences between age groups, some rules should reign true throughout a player's soccer life, for example:

• The children are more important than the activity they are involved in (adapt your session to meet their needs)
• Enthusiasm and experimentation should never be stifled. We should want all of our players to be able to solve problems themselves so that come game-day, they are not coach-dependent in their ability to perform on the field.
• Mistakes are a necessary part of learning. The kids should never be worried about failing. Thierry Henry (one of the world's greatest ever strikers) has a great slogan "I hate to lose, but I am not afraid to fail". The most memorable moments in most sporting events are from experimentation and trying something audacious.
• Young players are very sensitive to criticism (particularly from their peers). As a coach, we can set the standard by finding ways to positively encourage all of our players. This will rub off onto your players and the way they interact with one another, especially when things aren't quite going as planned.

Above all, have FUN with the players, no matter what their age. This is the world's most beautiful game and to see kids smiling while playing soccer is certainly the most rewarding part of my coaching. And I hope it is the same for many of you.