Sharks!

After the game I told them that they are the best team I've ever seen in their age group.  

They are.  They improved so rapidly over their play from last session and now show so much self-confidence that the transformation is almost hard to appreciate, as though when you see them play now you think, well, of course, they always play this way.  The truth is though that at the start of the last session things were rough for a few games and some of those games were hard to watch.  I don't mind the losses at all but watching the kids in games that they clearly aren't enjoying is difficult.   It's difficult when you see how hard they work in practice and how excited they are when they arrive for a game to then see them on the field with looks on their faces as though they are being punished.  They turned things around by the end of the session though and in this session, with the competition watered down a bit, the little Sharks and the big Sharks came together and developed a consistent style of play that served them well in every game (every victory).  These are great kids.  Thanks for letting me coach them.

Week Seven: Control.

The Sharks are a very strong team right now.   And I do mean "team".  The quality of their play as a group, their cooperation, anticipation and communication with each other is remarkable.  As strong as each of our individual players is they are, as a team, simply overwhelming because they play with such calm confidence and patience.  They control the game and dictate the pace and they know that they are doing that.  To see how far they've come from the somewhat panicked play of last session is wonderful.

I want to recognize the contribution that Drew and Owen make every week by setting such a great example of the style of play we want; that controlled, cool-headed style that allows them to stretch the field and and create opportunities.   And it's important to recognize that Drew and Owen and all the Sharks do this, not because we've harped on them to pass, pass, pass.  Rather it's because we've harped on them to develop their ball skills and to get comfortable with the ball at their feet.  When they begin to do that then everything else, from maintaining their spacing to seeing passing opportunities, can just fall into place naturally because they'll be playing with their heads up and their eyes taking in the whole game not just the small circle of turf right in front of them.  I'm so proud of how hard they've worked and of how fearless they are.

The big highlight of today's game had to be the goal for Daylon, his first.  That he just began playing and yet already plays with such poise is hard to believe.  If Drew and Owen set the tone for the team then Daylon has been the most conspicuous emulator of that tone.  He's as cool and un-panicked in the midst of the action as any player I've ever coached.

The Sharks have one more game together then it's Summer break and Drew and Owen will be moving up to U10.  I know those two have both relished their roles as the "big kids" on the team and they'll miss the little Sharks.  But who knows, in a few years they might all be back on the same team again.  In the mean time they'll just have to become the core of a new U10 version of the Sharks and get on with showing their new teammates how it's done.