This week everybody was relaxed. Excited to play but not nervous. The U4 Blue Lakers had a great game that was preceded by a very nice warm-up. They were quite focused during the practice time. I hope as we go forward they get more accustomed to the routine of practice so that we can get the most out of that time. Ruby is clearly the team leader right now. Her skills and instincts for the game are precocious, to say the least. During the game I was talking to the other kids, trying to get them to pay attention to how Ruby moved with the ball. They always seem to learn faster when following the example of another kid.
You might also have seen me explaining to them a little hand gesture I use where I point with two fingers at my eyes. That means "look at the ball, find the ball with your eyes". What you notice about kids of any age when they play is the difference between the ones who can maintain their focus on the ball for a long period and those whose attention drifts away easily. Just like proper kicking form or dribbling, attending to the game is a skill that most kids have to learn through repetition. It's always about repetition. So when you talk to them about soccer you might reenforce that idea, that they should always know where the ball is.
I was thrilled with how engaged everyone was generally. Max seems to think we're playing a combination of soccer and American football where sometimes we kick the ball but sometimes we need to fall on it as though it had been fumbled. William is very close to putting it all together and already has a very nice touch on the ball. I just have to get him to stay in the game for longer stretches. Ava was in and out of the game a bit but when she's in she has one of the best kicks I've seen. Mylie had a great run toward goal that nearly ended in a shot. She was showing some very good ball control there. And finally, I was happy to see Sammy get out on the field for a long period. It just takes time and we've got plenty of that.
The Polar Bears played well despite not getting a very good practice in. That was my fault. I'm also the league Administrator and sometimes I get approached by Coaches or parents who seem not to notice that I'm in the middle of working with my own team.
Jackson and Micah were the leaders on offense again this week, both of them playing tirelessly. Jackson has a great instinct for getting up field once his own keeper has the ball. Unfortunately he usually gets out of our keeper's range. Derron found himself in the right spot to get the Bears lone goal this week. I hope he remembers how that worked. Getting the kids to understand how to play away from the ball is hugely important and for most kids the revelation occurs when they get a goal because they were in the right position to receive a pass and then shoot.
There was a lot of complaining about being thirsty and sweaty and tired this week but the kids all seemed to be having fun and their complaints seemed to be meant to impress upon me that they were all working very hard. And they were.
The U6 Sharks were very impressive. There was a great deal of thinking going on in this game and that is something I love to see. After the game I spoke to the team about how well they played, how fierce they were in their attack. But I also complemented them on how often I saw them looking up from the ball to see where they were and where their teammates were. That is critical. The pressure of having the ball at your feet typically gives the kids tunnel vision. They don't see where they are going or who they might be fighting against. In this game I thought I saw each of the Sharks having flashes of real coolness, those moments of un-panicked confidence where they trust their skills and try to take control of the situation.
Diego, of course, is the prince of unflappability and had his two goals by calmly walking right up to the keeper for tap ins. The first was off of a great pass from Samuel. Samuel had tried to deliver to Diego several times prior to that and when Diego finally realized how that was working he got into the right position for an easy shot. Samuel too is unflappable, even inscrutable sometimes. He plays with speed and intensity then suddenly with patience and grace and through it all he rarely seems particularly excited.
Karolyn was the player who impressed me the most. Her play in goal during the first quarter was brilliant. She used her speed and she anticipated the action, making one good decision after another. Later in the game she came onto the field and was just unbelievably fast to the ball. We need to work on her ball control skills so that she can really take advantage of that speed.
Trey had a great game and again extended himself to be more in control of the ball, to trust himself more. Jagger had a great game in terms of his game awareness. He had some moments where he was clearly thinking a few steps ahead, anticipating the action. Great game Sharks!
The U8 Sharks managed a victory and was it a good one! We had solid play from everyone. After a bit of stiffness early in the first quarter that allowed a goal in the Sharks woke up and played with speed and determination for the rest of the game. We had goals from Kaleb, Owen, Zach and Aiden. Zach's was a beautiful rainbow that floated over the keeper and into the upper right corner. He took that shot from some distance too, maybe nine yards. Zach wanted me to count an earlier shot as a goal too, one that banged off the interior of the goal post but didn't go in. He was going crazy up front there for a bit.
Owen's goal was a nasty worm-burner that hugged the turf all the way in from about twelve yards out. Those are hard for the keeper to get his hands on. Aiden's goal was exemplary in that he got it by being in the right spot at the right time. We harp on this with the kids a lot: when a teammate has the ball near the goal you've got to get in there close to get a rebound or pass. Well, Aiden was just out of the box on the left when he collected a ball coming in from the right, took one more step and then easily chipped it into the net.
Kaleb was pounding the boards near the goal in the second quarter without getting one in. We were yelling at Sam E. to get in front of the goal to get one of those rebounds but he's still in ball-chasing mode. Finally he did break off the ball to get a rebound and had his best attempt on goal yet. On the bench he complained to us that he hadn't done it right. "I hit it here" he said pointing to his toe. "I wanted to get it here" he said sadly, pointing at his shoe laces. I tried to console him by telling him that he's the "dribbling dude" so don't give up on those skills yet. Just keep trying to get in closer and you'll get a goal. Sam then turned to Kaleb and said that they should do that thing again where Kaleb bangs it off the wall then Sam takes a shot. So now they're developing strategies together. And Kaleb finally did get one of those shots to go in.
Nathan was great in goal again and much more effective in the field too. Addie had a great game in defense but next game we'll get her up front for some attacking. Conner was solid in defense and deferred to everyone else as far as offense this week. I'll get him back up front next week. Austin looked good all game but didn't get a lot of touches on the ball with Sam E. and Kaleb pinching it from him repeatedly. Jackson took his first big-league turn in goal and was great. His outlet passes and kicks were casual and accurate as usual. He's always cool.
Sam A. was back! His first game jitters were gone and in this game he played with confidence and skill. He repeatedly thwarted the other teams efforts to break through and he brought the ball up the middle for his teammates over and over again. And Elizabeth was at full speed too this game. She was attacking with confidence, trying to use her skills. I have no doubt that she and the Sams and Jackson and Austin will all quickly adapt their ball moves to the new situation and begin getting free often. I just need to get them to keep moving toward the goal a few more steps before shooting.
Bonus highlight: You might have noticed that they usually have music on on the field at Midwest. Most of the time the kids don't seem to notice it but I'm pretty sure that at the start of the third quarter Elizabeth was getting her groove on a bit just before the kick-off. Keeping it cool.
No comments:
Post a Comment