U10 Boys Fearless in Brilliant Draw.

     "Wait...did we win?"  One of the boys asked me that as they came off the field after Saturday's game.  I realized that he was asking earnestly because even though the game ended 2-2 it certainly felt like we were in control throughout.  The boys played with so much grace and patience and excellent ball control that it did seem odd that the game ended up being a draw.  But no one was disappointed.  The boys were effervescent after the game, and throughout, really.  They were clearly feeling the freedom and confidence that their commitment to skill gives them.  The game is simply more fun when you can play with sound fundamental skill and they were clearly enjoying themselves.  I know I loved every minute of it.
     From my spot on the sideline I saw so many beautifully executed turns and feints, so much smart ball control and aggressive defense.  But what I was most thrilled about was their new sense of how to play smartly away from the ball.  Something seems to have clicked for them.  My goal is to have each of them feel they can confidently possess the ball even when pressed but at the same time to be open to finding a teammate, to be open to other attacking opportunities.
     I've used the phrase "all strikers" before but I think a better way to understand what we're trying to do would be to say that we want "all point guards".  We want every player on the field to be able to create opportunities both with their ability to penetrate and shoot and with an ability to distribute to teammates.  The problem we've had consistently is that while all of the boys on this team play confidently with the ball they don't always play smartly away from the ball.  Saturday was a new story though.  In practice Thursday we'd worked on getting the concept of "shadowing" your teammate when he has the ball; giving him space to work while still being close enough to support.  That seemed to have stuck with them as not only did we see them more effectively "shadowing" each other but I even heard some of the boys using that phrase on the field and talking to each other about who was who's shadow.  What a leap forward!
     Quinn put in our two goals and he was just on fire in this game.  His ability to dribble around defenders, sometimes using complex moves but sometimes using nothing more than a deft hip fake, all showed amazing confidence.  His elation after the second goal, that triumphant "Yes!" as he turned back to his teammates, it was wonderful to see.  That little guy is a straight up baller!  Here's some video showing exactly the sort of "fake" that Quin has now mastered:

    

 There were too many highlights from this game to cover.  They all played so well.  Thanks for the great game boys.