This was a very good game for us. We had goals from Nate, Owen and Camden. The goal by Camden was especially sweet as he had to fight his way through a crowd. Good stuff. I was also really impressed by the effort I saw from Luke. He ran hard and made some good defensive stops. Kendra, McKenzie and Maddie were also keen to get to the ball, at least at kick-offs. Karolyn is still warming to the game. No worries. Her brother, Kaleb, did his usual solid job as goalie for us.
You may have noticed that the other team had two or three really strong players and that they didn't always face our most experienced team. Going the other way, when I had Nate and Owen on the field they weren't always facing the other team's best lineup.
I spoke to the other coach after the game and next time we play we'll be sure to arrange our lineups so as to give our experienced players a chance to compete against each other and to give our newer players the space to get a better feel for the game.
Thanks to the Schwartz's for the snack.
See you Tuesday.
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 26th U9
Excellent game! I'm really happy with the effort everyone is showing. We did a much better job this week of playing our positions effectively and it paid of with two great goals for Paisley and a handful of really good attempts from Erin. We had great goal keeping all around again including from our newest goalie, Avery, who seems comfortable just using her feet. We'll work on that. I'm lucky to have so many eager goalies.
I had told the kids before the game that if we could get two goals I'd get them a snack after the game. They definitely earned it.
See you Tuesday.
I had told the kids before the game that if we could get two goals I'd get them a snack after the game. They definitely earned it.
See you Tuesday.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
U9 Games 1 and 2
Game One was great fun and everybody really played well. We kept it close and with a little better defense we should be able to handle any team. I was thrilled to see some really tough goal keeping from Nicholas and Justin. Fearless! Christian gave us everything he had, running all over the field. Maddie and Madison played very tough, energetic defense. By the second game Jordan was really getting back into the soccer groove and when she went in on offense she was all over the field attacking the ball. Liz, Erin, Avery and Helen, being the players who have played with each other previously naturally form the core of our offense and Erin had two sweet goals in game one. But the obvious spark to the offense was Paisley with her speed and determination. Just a great game all around.
In game two it was obvious that everyone was getting tired and despite some great play including some very well coordinated attacks on goal we just couldn't keep up enough to prevent the opposition from dominating. I'm proud of everyone though. They all wanted to play the whole game and only came off the field when I insisted.
Tuesday in practice we'll work on a few basics of the various field positions in order to build on some of the good team work we saw today. See you then.
In game two it was obvious that everyone was getting tired and despite some great play including some very well coordinated attacks on goal we just couldn't keep up enough to prevent the opposition from dominating. I'm proud of everyone though. They all wanted to play the whole game and only came off the field when I insisted.
Tuesday in practice we'll work on a few basics of the various field positions in order to build on some of the good team work we saw today. See you then.
U5 First Game
Today's game was a lot of fun. Our more experienced players, Nate, Owen, Kaleb and Camden showed some amazing teamwork today and managed some beautiful goals because of it. Kaleb had two of those goals and they both looked easy thanks to good passes from Nate. Among our newer players Kendra, Maddie and McKenzie all showed great enthusiasm. One thing I like to impress on the kids is that soccer isn't a game where you have to wait to take a turn. When the game is on you go get the ball. So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I always ask them just before kick-off "whose ball is it" and the right answer is "mine". At the very start of the game today I asked the question to the kids I had on the field and all of them but McKenzie knew what I expected them to say. When I tried to explain to McKenzie that in soccer "it's always your ball and you just have to go get it" she walked up to the center spot, picked up the ball and brought it back to me. I think she'll get the idea quickly.
Our youngest players, Karolyn and Luke aren't getting the idea yet but every minute on the field is part of the process. They'll get it.
See you Tuesday night at 6:30 for practice.
Our youngest players, Karolyn and Luke aren't getting the idea yet but every minute on the field is part of the process. They'll get it.
See you Tuesday night at 6:30 for practice.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
First Practice
U5
Practice was a bit chaotic at times but thanks to a lot of help from my wife Chris we were able to keep things moving. The goal in our practices will be simple. You'll see us do simple drills that look like a game of kick ball over and over again to work on the kids' kicking technique and get them used to running into the ball. I know it gets boring to watch but it's the one drill the kids all get and they really do benefit from the repetition. When I can I'll add in some dribbling and settling practice. And we'll run a lot.
First Game Sunday at 1:00 PM. See you there.
U9
This is a great group of kids with a lot of energy. During practices we'll mostly work on endurance with a lot of running. The remainder of the time I'll try to focus more on game IQ than on the particulars of ball handling technique. That is, I'll be spending most of the time trying to teach them to understand the field and their positions on it so that they can effectively work together as a team. I ran them a lot this first practice but they all seemed to have more than enough energy left. So next time we'll run more.
First Game Sunday at 3:00 PM. See you there.
Practice was a bit chaotic at times but thanks to a lot of help from my wife Chris we were able to keep things moving. The goal in our practices will be simple. You'll see us do simple drills that look like a game of kick ball over and over again to work on the kids' kicking technique and get them used to running into the ball. I know it gets boring to watch but it's the one drill the kids all get and they really do benefit from the repetition. When I can I'll add in some dribbling and settling practice. And we'll run a lot.
First Game Sunday at 1:00 PM. See you there.
U9
This is a great group of kids with a lot of energy. During practices we'll mostly work on endurance with a lot of running. The remainder of the time I'll try to focus more on game IQ than on the particulars of ball handling technique. That is, I'll be spending most of the time trying to teach them to understand the field and their positions on it so that they can effectively work together as a team. I ran them a lot this first practice but they all seemed to have more than enough energy left. So next time we'll run more.
First Game Sunday at 3:00 PM. See you there.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Schedules Are Out
The schedule for the Green U5 team is here.
And the schedule for the Green U9 team is here.
Please note the following about the schedules:
The U5 team does not play on May 10th or May 24th but does play on May 16th which is a Saturday! We play at 9:35 AM that day.
You will also notice that the schedule has the early and late games separated by only a few minutes. Since we have practice times available during the week this session the game schedule has been compressed a bit. When we have a late (1:35) game we will have a quick pre-game warm-up but no practice. For the 1:00 PM games we can probably show up a little early and practice some if we like but the games will start at 1:00 PM.
The U9 team has two Double Header days, April 19th and May 31st. That will be fun.
Also, we play a game on Saturday May 9th at 9:00 AM in order to avoid playing on Mother's Day. The last weekend of the season, June 14th, their will be a tournament. We'll get the schedule for that later.
And the schedule for the Green U9 team is here.
Please note the following about the schedules:
The U5 team does not play on May 10th or May 24th but does play on May 16th which is a Saturday! We play at 9:35 AM that day.
You will also notice that the schedule has the early and late games separated by only a few minutes. Since we have practice times available during the week this session the game schedule has been compressed a bit. When we have a late (1:35) game we will have a quick pre-game warm-up but no practice. For the 1:00 PM games we can probably show up a little early and practice some if we like but the games will start at 1:00 PM.
The U9 team has two Double Header days, April 19th and May 31st. That will be fun.
Also, we play a game on Saturday May 9th at 9:00 AM in order to avoid playing on Mother's Day. The last weekend of the season, June 14th, their will be a tournament. We'll get the schedule for that later.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Gear
I've received some questions from parents of first time players about the necessary gear for soccer. Sorry I didn't think to address that earlier.
The only indispensable equipment is a pair of shin guards and a pair of soccer socks to wear them in. As for shoes, any comfortable pair of athletic shoes that you can run in will do fine. Indoor or outdoor soccer shoes will work great on the Pleasure Isle field surface. No football or baseball cleats, please. Any sort of athletic shorts are good. The league provides the t-shirts and hopefully I'll have those at the first practice. Good sources for gear are Meyer, Biggs, Dick's, KMart and Play it Again Sports.
The only indispensable equipment is a pair of shin guards and a pair of soccer socks to wear them in. As for shoes, any comfortable pair of athletic shoes that you can run in will do fine. Indoor or outdoor soccer shoes will work great on the Pleasure Isle field surface. No football or baseball cleats, please. Any sort of athletic shorts are good. The league provides the t-shirts and hopefully I'll have those at the first practice. Good sources for gear are Meyer, Biggs, Dick's, KMart and Play it Again Sports.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Welcome the the Spring session
Hi, U5 and U9 parents. On the Blog here you'll find weekly updates on our games and practices. To the right you'll find a permanent list of links to rosters, schedules and other useful information.
If you received my e-mail you saw my comments regarding the NKYA code of conduct. Hopefully you have followed the link to the published version of the code and read it over. If you have any questions about it let me hear them. I want to elaborate a bit here on the code and NKYA's mission as well as the rules of the game and how the Referees enforce the rules during a game.
Here are some things to remember:
NKYA soccer is a recreational/instructional league. Our first priority, especially for the younger divisions is to teach the game. U5 parents need to keep this in mind. We are not looking for wins, we're looking for improvement. Be patient. U9 parents need to remember that this isn't select soccer. We don't have try-outs. We take anybody who wants to play. So please temper your expectations about the level of competition with that in mind. I'll work to get the kids to give the game everything they've got and really put their hearts into it. If we get that, win or lose, we should be happy.
The Referees in NKYA games are typically kids themselves. Part of what we do at NKYA is train Referees. Be patient with them. Our Referee administrator does monitor their performance closely and we are looking for constant improvement but no matter how young and inexperienced a Ref is we all need to show the proper respect and be sure the kids see us setting that example. If you have a concern about the way a Ref worked a game bring it to me and I'll discuss it with the Administrator. What you should be most concerned about is that the Refs are doing what they can to keep the game safe not how they call every handball you see.
The Referees are instructed by the league to consider both "intent" and "advantage" when calling fouls. The foul most people are familiar with is the "handball", where a player touches the ball with some part of his arm from about the armpit down. When watching a game keep in mind that the Ref may not call every handball he sees and this is for two reasons. If the Referee judges that the foul was unintentional and does not affect the immediate course of the game he will hold his whistle and let the game play on. If the Ref judges that a handball or any other foul actually works out to the "advantage" of the opposing team, the team that didn't commit the foul, he will let the game play on rather than interrupt that advantage. So if you see a handball but don't hear an immediate whistle take note of how the game is playing out and consider whether or not stopping the game for a penalty kick would actually be to our advantage.
In NKYA indoor soccer leagues there are no "direct free kicks" meaning that if we get a penalty kick, even within the goalie box, the ball can not be kicked directly into the goal for a score. The ball must touch another player first to count as a goal. Now if you are familiar with professional soccer you know that a penalty kick from anywhere within 40 yards of the goal is considered a scoring opportunity. David Beckham has made a career out of such kicks. But since penalty kicks in our league are nothing more than changes of possession (turnovers) it is very unlikely that any one bad call or even series of bad calls could affect the outcome of the game. Even if I thought a call had affected the outcome you would never see me demonstrating that in front of the kids. My goal is to be sure that they never feel the outcome is out of their hands. I want them to play knowing that the outcome of the game will be determined by the effort that they put forth. Coaches and parents who constantly snipe at the Ref about missed calls are sending a clear message to their kids: "the game isn't in your hands". I'm not interested in that. What I'll be looking for from the Referees is that they keep the game safe while letting the kids play hard. I'm satisfied that that is what we normally get with NKYA.
Ok, enough pontificating. I'll see everybody at practice Tuesday the 14th.
If you received my e-mail you saw my comments regarding the NKYA code of conduct. Hopefully you have followed the link to the published version of the code and read it over. If you have any questions about it let me hear them. I want to elaborate a bit here on the code and NKYA's mission as well as the rules of the game and how the Referees enforce the rules during a game.
Here are some things to remember:
NKYA soccer is a recreational/instructional league. Our first priority, especially for the younger divisions is to teach the game. U5 parents need to keep this in mind. We are not looking for wins, we're looking for improvement. Be patient. U9 parents need to remember that this isn't select soccer. We don't have try-outs. We take anybody who wants to play. So please temper your expectations about the level of competition with that in mind. I'll work to get the kids to give the game everything they've got and really put their hearts into it. If we get that, win or lose, we should be happy.
The Referees in NKYA games are typically kids themselves. Part of what we do at NKYA is train Referees. Be patient with them. Our Referee administrator does monitor their performance closely and we are looking for constant improvement but no matter how young and inexperienced a Ref is we all need to show the proper respect and be sure the kids see us setting that example. If you have a concern about the way a Ref worked a game bring it to me and I'll discuss it with the Administrator. What you should be most concerned about is that the Refs are doing what they can to keep the game safe not how they call every handball you see.
The Referees are instructed by the league to consider both "intent" and "advantage" when calling fouls. The foul most people are familiar with is the "handball", where a player touches the ball with some part of his arm from about the armpit down. When watching a game keep in mind that the Ref may not call every handball he sees and this is for two reasons. If the Referee judges that the foul was unintentional and does not affect the immediate course of the game he will hold his whistle and let the game play on. If the Ref judges that a handball or any other foul actually works out to the "advantage" of the opposing team, the team that didn't commit the foul, he will let the game play on rather than interrupt that advantage. So if you see a handball but don't hear an immediate whistle take note of how the game is playing out and consider whether or not stopping the game for a penalty kick would actually be to our advantage.
In NKYA indoor soccer leagues there are no "direct free kicks" meaning that if we get a penalty kick, even within the goalie box, the ball can not be kicked directly into the goal for a score. The ball must touch another player first to count as a goal. Now if you are familiar with professional soccer you know that a penalty kick from anywhere within 40 yards of the goal is considered a scoring opportunity. David Beckham has made a career out of such kicks. But since penalty kicks in our league are nothing more than changes of possession (turnovers) it is very unlikely that any one bad call or even series of bad calls could affect the outcome of the game. Even if I thought a call had affected the outcome you would never see me demonstrating that in front of the kids. My goal is to be sure that they never feel the outcome is out of their hands. I want them to play knowing that the outcome of the game will be determined by the effort that they put forth. Coaches and parents who constantly snipe at the Ref about missed calls are sending a clear message to their kids: "the game isn't in your hands". I'm not interested in that. What I'll be looking for from the Referees is that they keep the game safe while letting the kids play hard. I'm satisfied that that is what we normally get with NKYA.
Ok, enough pontificating. I'll see everybody at practice Tuesday the 14th.
Monday, April 6, 2009
No Game Schedule Yet
Going forward I'll be using this blog for both U5 and U9. I still don't have the game schedules in hand but I expect them soon. I do, though, have a practice schedule. NKYA has managed to secure some weekly practice times at Pleasure Isle for the U5, U7 and U9 teams (Thanks, Andrea.) I have the U5 team set up for Tuesdays at 6:30 PM. U9 will follow immediately, Tuesdays at 7:30 PM. First practice will be next Tuesday the 14th.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Watch This Space!
The coach's meeting in preparation for the spring session is this Sunday so I should have the game schedule up by Monday morning.
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