Both the U10 and U8 games Sunday were high scoring affairs against teams with very good offensive attacks. I was happy with the way both teams handled themselves throughout. Neither team ever managed to hold a lead but they both played with courage and energy throughout. There's no quit in those Titans or Sharks.
The Titans were led in their attack by Justin, Drew and Morgan. Morgan has become more committed to using her ball control skills each week and in Sunday's game she had several quality runs where she beat opponents on the dribble to get into their half. And this is against a team with some very experienced and skilled players. Drew was patiently using his moves too and that paid off repeatedly. For Justin the key is his incredibly strong shot. He had two goals Sunday that were from very low angles but were hit so hard the keeper couldn't react quickly enough to get a hand on them.
The Sharks played with no subs against a team that had plenty of subs and they played with great energy throughout. Elizabeth was our scoring leader and Sam was our invaluable defender again. I'm really proud of how well they played and how they played without a word of complaint about having to stay in for every minute. I'm also proud of how disciplined they were. There were a few moments where they wanted to start playing kick-ball but overall they remained committed to using their skills and continuing to attack, even as the other team kept pressing us. Even late in the game when they were probably getting very tired Zach, Sam and Tyler kept trapping the ball then trying to dribble out of our half rather than just booting it. Lillian and McKenzie were doing the same and that was great to see. Great game Sharks.
Monday, November 12, 2012
U6 Week Three Highlights.
First I want to thank Hailey, Ava and Maddox of the U6 Bats for helping out one of the other U6 teams that was short a few players Saturday. Coach Petzelt told me they were a great help to his team.
Before the Bat's game Saturday I showed them a new move which is a variation on the "pull-back" move they've all mastered so well. It's called a Puskas after the player who made it famous but I also refer to it as a "fake pull-back". It's a simple step that you sometimes hear other coaches just referring to as an "L" move. You pull the ball back with your toe, rolling your toe down the back of the ball, but then instead of letting the ball roll past you and then turning with it as in a "pull-back", the player taps the ball out to their side with the outside of the foot and takes off running with it. You sort of draw an L with the ball. If done quickly it's very effective and a great first move in a combination with a second move like a "cut" or feint.
Everyone got the move pretty quickly in our warm up and then I asked them all to try and use it in the game once we got started. I was happy to see so many of the kids doing just that. It can be comical though as from an adult's perspective you see that they aren't always using the move at an appropriate time and so it's not always effective. The kids may even try their move when they are in open space and not being challenged by an opponent. That's good though. By setting them the task of demonstrating their moves in the game and then praising their use of those skills we get them in a situation where they focus on using the skill at game speed without being concerned about when the right time to use it is. They learn that on their own by being free to experiment with the move, to see how well it works against an opponent. Last week's Lion's game was a great example of this with all of the kids doing multiple, and mostly superfluous, pull-backs. Slowly as they do that sort of in-game experimentation they will grasp how the move affects the players around them. They slowly learn to take control of the situation, make their move first and even trick their opponent.
Ashley probably made a huge step in this regard in Saturday's game. In the second half I asked them to each try to use their pull-back in combination with another move. Maybe a puskas, maybe two pull-backs together. Whatever they wanted to try. At one point Ashley was coming up the wall and she stopped the ball with her toe and instead of making her move right away she paused with her toe on the ball. She was waiting for the defender to move to the ball. When he did she then executed her pull-back and with the defender now chasing the ball around her she was able to do a second pull-back and then be clear of the defender. If the memory of that sticks with her Ashley will have taken a big step in her development. Good attacking players don't wait to respond to what a defender does. They take control, move first and force the defender to commit. That's why I don't want the kids thinking about whether or not to use one of their moves in the game. I want them to keep it simple. Just get out their, get to the ball and try your move.
The parent of a player on another of the U6 team and I were talking about this and he was saying that it looks silly sometimes when his kid is out in the open with no one pressuring him and he just does a pull-back or step-over. But that's exactly what you want to see from them at this age. They've got to feel free to use those moves like that all the time, in any situation. You wouldn't teach a basketball player how to dribble and then tell them "but that's a special technique, save it for the right moment". Right now each of these "moves" we're teaching them looks like some fabulous new dance step but by the time they're playing in U14 these will all be just tools in the bag, commonplace parts of their ball control technique.
Before the Bat's game Saturday I showed them a new move which is a variation on the "pull-back" move they've all mastered so well. It's called a Puskas after the player who made it famous but I also refer to it as a "fake pull-back". It's a simple step that you sometimes hear other coaches just referring to as an "L" move. You pull the ball back with your toe, rolling your toe down the back of the ball, but then instead of letting the ball roll past you and then turning with it as in a "pull-back", the player taps the ball out to their side with the outside of the foot and takes off running with it. You sort of draw an L with the ball. If done quickly it's very effective and a great first move in a combination with a second move like a "cut" or feint.
Everyone got the move pretty quickly in our warm up and then I asked them all to try and use it in the game once we got started. I was happy to see so many of the kids doing just that. It can be comical though as from an adult's perspective you see that they aren't always using the move at an appropriate time and so it's not always effective. The kids may even try their move when they are in open space and not being challenged by an opponent. That's good though. By setting them the task of demonstrating their moves in the game and then praising their use of those skills we get them in a situation where they focus on using the skill at game speed without being concerned about when the right time to use it is. They learn that on their own by being free to experiment with the move, to see how well it works against an opponent. Last week's Lion's game was a great example of this with all of the kids doing multiple, and mostly superfluous, pull-backs. Slowly as they do that sort of in-game experimentation they will grasp how the move affects the players around them. They slowly learn to take control of the situation, make their move first and even trick their opponent.
Ashley probably made a huge step in this regard in Saturday's game. In the second half I asked them to each try to use their pull-back in combination with another move. Maybe a puskas, maybe two pull-backs together. Whatever they wanted to try. At one point Ashley was coming up the wall and she stopped the ball with her toe and instead of making her move right away she paused with her toe on the ball. She was waiting for the defender to move to the ball. When he did she then executed her pull-back and with the defender now chasing the ball around her she was able to do a second pull-back and then be clear of the defender. If the memory of that sticks with her Ashley will have taken a big step in her development. Good attacking players don't wait to respond to what a defender does. They take control, move first and force the defender to commit. That's why I don't want the kids thinking about whether or not to use one of their moves in the game. I want them to keep it simple. Just get out their, get to the ball and try your move.
The parent of a player on another of the U6 team and I were talking about this and he was saying that it looks silly sometimes when his kid is out in the open with no one pressuring him and he just does a pull-back or step-over. But that's exactly what you want to see from them at this age. They've got to feel free to use those moves like that all the time, in any situation. You wouldn't teach a basketball player how to dribble and then tell them "but that's a special technique, save it for the right moment". Right now each of these "moves" we're teaching them looks like some fabulous new dance step but by the time they're playing in U14 these will all be just tools in the bag, commonplace parts of their ball control technique.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Titans Get Win in High Quality Game.
This week the Titans got a big boost in their offensive threat from a strong performance by Morgan. She played much more comfortably with more control, driving confidently toward the goal throughout the game. With Drew and Justin coming up in support of her repeatedly it wasn't hard for the team to get plenty of shot opportunities. Jaden was our rock in defense, frequently playing back there on her own as the rest of the team was crashing the opposition goal. Danielle spent most of her minutes playing a kind of attacking midfielder position, getting back well on defense but then getting up into the other half when the opportunities presented themselves. I really like to see that sort of free play from my team. I don't want them just aimlessly chasing the ball but if they are seeing opportunities and anticipating the action I don't mind if they get out of position.
The other team gave us a really good game and I tried to get some of our players to watch the way some of the girls on Coach Ridener's team were playing. One of my coaching points this session is "posture" and the importance of being in the right stance when receiving the ball or when moving with it. One player on Coach Ridener's team had a particularly good stance over the ball, almost exaggerated, like a baseball infielder crouching to make a play. As a result she had an amazingly soft touch on the ball and over and over again she was able to settle passes and outlet punts right at her feet then quickly move with the ball with great control. I'd like our players to imitate that more.
The other team gave us a really good game and I tried to get some of our players to watch the way some of the girls on Coach Ridener's team were playing. One of my coaching points this session is "posture" and the importance of being in the right stance when receiving the ball or when moving with it. One player on Coach Ridener's team had a particularly good stance over the ball, almost exaggerated, like a baseball infielder crouching to make a play. As a result she had an amazingly soft touch on the ball and over and over again she was able to settle passes and outlet punts right at her feet then quickly move with the ball with great control. I'd like our players to imitate that more.
U8 Sharks Week Two. Scoring Frenzy!
Late in the third quarter of the Sharks' game Elizabeth got to a loose ball in the midfield then carried it down along the left wall into the corner. When that ball came loose initially she had yelled out repeatedly "I got it! I got it!" Then when she got down into the corner she started yelling something else. She was loud enough but I couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Then she did a quick cut move to get free of the defender and quickly shot the ball across field into the goal area. Zachary was there waiting and easily put the ball in the net. He told me later that he almost missed it because the ball was high enough for a moment that he might have headed it in and so he hesitated. But then he moved into position to catch it on his foot and take the easy shot. As they were running back to the circle for the kick-off I asked Elizabeth what she had been shouting down there in the corner. With a slightly embarrassed look on her face she said "get in the middle. I was saying get in the middle." What can you say to that but "wow". Our six year old point guard running the floor for the team.
Elizabeth ended up with three goals I think. Zachary had at least two and was playing with so much energy up and down the field that he really set the tone for us. Jackson had a couple too and Sam was the model of patient, confident ball control. He isn't perturbed by elbows and contact and he seems to have learned that working in close on the defender has advantages.
Everyone played so well and showed so much good fundamental skill. I couldn't have been happier. Lillian and McKenzie were both taking huge strides this game in their confidence and intensity level. Wyatt was still kicking it away too quickly sometimes but he was so solid in at keeper for us in the one quarter where the opposition managed their most sustained attack. Tyler had another great game too, again taking big strides in the development of his basic control skills.
One last story from this game. On another run down the left wall Elizabeth had just one defender between her and the goalie. By the time she closed on the defender she was up to full speed but with the ball totally in control, just a step in front of her. Now I'm always encouraging the kids to use a move in any one-on-one situation. Commit to trying some deceptive step or trick to get around the defender. Don't just rely on your speed or a strong kick. In this particular instance Elizabeth's move, and it was perfect, was to do nothing. With the ball right in front of her, running at nearly full speed, she didn't seem to do anything more than just think about making a cut to her right into the center of the field. The defender picked up on some subtle hint in her posture that she might do that and so he leaned just a bit to his left toward the center of the field and then he was frozen as, without altering her path at all, Elizabeth zoomed by him on his right then into the goal. It was like she faked him out by simply staying cool.
Elizabeth ended up with three goals I think. Zachary had at least two and was playing with so much energy up and down the field that he really set the tone for us. Jackson had a couple too and Sam was the model of patient, confident ball control. He isn't perturbed by elbows and contact and he seems to have learned that working in close on the defender has advantages.
Everyone played so well and showed so much good fundamental skill. I couldn't have been happier. Lillian and McKenzie were both taking huge strides this game in their confidence and intensity level. Wyatt was still kicking it away too quickly sometimes but he was so solid in at keeper for us in the one quarter where the opposition managed their most sustained attack. Tyler had another great game too, again taking big strides in the development of his basic control skills.
One last story from this game. On another run down the left wall Elizabeth had just one defender between her and the goalie. By the time she closed on the defender she was up to full speed but with the ball totally in control, just a step in front of her. Now I'm always encouraging the kids to use a move in any one-on-one situation. Commit to trying some deceptive step or trick to get around the defender. Don't just rely on your speed or a strong kick. In this particular instance Elizabeth's move, and it was perfect, was to do nothing. With the ball right in front of her, running at nearly full speed, she didn't seem to do anything more than just think about making a cut to her right into the center of the field. The defender picked up on some subtle hint in her posture that she might do that and so he leaned just a bit to his left toward the center of the field and then he was frozen as, without altering her path at all, Elizabeth zoomed by him on his right then into the goal. It was like she faked him out by simply staying cool.
Week Two U6 Highlights.
The "Bats" faced a good challenge this week but they were up to it and came away with a nice 3-3 draw. We had a goal from Abby and then a beautiful shot-and-redirect combination for Ashley and Micah. Then finally Maddox (I think) put one in. On our first goal Abby carried the ball through a lot of traffic and came in from the left side for a very low-angle shot. It was well struck and hugged the ground, giving the keeper no chance on it. On that second goal Ashley made a very good run, taking the ball off another players feet then dashing out into the open and heading to the goal with the ball just a touch ahead of her. She really maintained her composure on this run and had control the whole time. When she let loose the shot it was pounded and might have found the goal on its own but Micah was there in the box and he cleverly gave the ball just a tap to redirect it a bit. That took it completely out of the keeper's range and into the net. Great team work on that one.
The whole team played very well and they were working hard on using their ball skills for me. I saw a lot of pullbacks and cuts and zig-zags out there. Henry was getting the hang of playing the sort of attacking-midfielder that his brother Sam likes to play. Always concerned about letting the other team get off a shot, Henry doesn't like too stray to far from his own goal. But he knows that when the ball does come to him back there he can make a soft touch on it then head out into the open space to either attack the other goal on his own or make a good pass up-field for a teammate. Right now he prefers the pass but I'll keep working on him to get up there and find his shot. Ava likes to work from the back line forward like that too and she was really the key to our success in this game. The other team had a lot of good opportunities taken from them because of Ava's tireless efforts to dig the ball out of the corner and then dribble it out of the opposition's reach.
The Lions played beautifully, especially Diego. I lost count of his goals but his patience and deft control on the ball are unforgettable. Most kids are hoping to find a path to the goal that skirts their opponents by a wide margin but Diego is perfectly happy to be elbow to elbow with the defense, patiently pulling the ball along with him, cutting left then right and waiting till the shot is really there. Saturday he repeatedly made a move to pass the keeper at the post so that he'd get in front of the goal for a better shot. That just shows amazing patience and confidence. Most players would want to shoot the moment they see a chance at the goal but Diego knows that from the low post angle the keeper has the advantage. So Diego goes ahead and makes another move to get out around the keeper and then square to the goal for a much better shot. Fantastic!
Jagger was fabulous in as keeper this week and I think he faced some of the toughest competition he's ever seen. One player on the other team, Joshua, made his way into the goal area repeatedly and did a great job of holding his shot till he was really right on top of Jagger. But over and over again Jag stopped him. He was like a Kung Fu master in there.
I was really pleased with how the rest of the team played too. We had no subs, which was really a good thing since they all got so many touches on the ball. Then I gave them all an assignment at half-time, letting them know that I needed to see at least one pullback from everyone if they were going to get a snack after the game. They all did it too! Anna and Gunnar were getting close to ten each by the end of the game and Anna even managed a few with her left foot. What I tell them is that even if the move doesn't "work", that is, if the other team ends up getting the ball, that's okay because I just want them to try it until they figure out how to make it work. If they feel free to just do a pullback every time they're on the ball eventually they figure out on their own how to use that move to get free and head to the goal. Great work Lions.
The whole team played very well and they were working hard on using their ball skills for me. I saw a lot of pullbacks and cuts and zig-zags out there. Henry was getting the hang of playing the sort of attacking-midfielder that his brother Sam likes to play. Always concerned about letting the other team get off a shot, Henry doesn't like too stray to far from his own goal. But he knows that when the ball does come to him back there he can make a soft touch on it then head out into the open space to either attack the other goal on his own or make a good pass up-field for a teammate. Right now he prefers the pass but I'll keep working on him to get up there and find his shot. Ava likes to work from the back line forward like that too and she was really the key to our success in this game. The other team had a lot of good opportunities taken from them because of Ava's tireless efforts to dig the ball out of the corner and then dribble it out of the opposition's reach.
The Lions played beautifully, especially Diego. I lost count of his goals but his patience and deft control on the ball are unforgettable. Most kids are hoping to find a path to the goal that skirts their opponents by a wide margin but Diego is perfectly happy to be elbow to elbow with the defense, patiently pulling the ball along with him, cutting left then right and waiting till the shot is really there. Saturday he repeatedly made a move to pass the keeper at the post so that he'd get in front of the goal for a better shot. That just shows amazing patience and confidence. Most players would want to shoot the moment they see a chance at the goal but Diego knows that from the low post angle the keeper has the advantage. So Diego goes ahead and makes another move to get out around the keeper and then square to the goal for a much better shot. Fantastic!
Jagger was fabulous in as keeper this week and I think he faced some of the toughest competition he's ever seen. One player on the other team, Joshua, made his way into the goal area repeatedly and did a great job of holding his shot till he was really right on top of Jagger. But over and over again Jag stopped him. He was like a Kung Fu master in there.
I was really pleased with how the rest of the team played too. We had no subs, which was really a good thing since they all got so many touches on the ball. Then I gave them all an assignment at half-time, letting them know that I needed to see at least one pullback from everyone if they were going to get a snack after the game. They all did it too! Anna and Gunnar were getting close to ten each by the end of the game and Anna even managed a few with her left foot. What I tell them is that even if the move doesn't "work", that is, if the other team ends up getting the ball, that's okay because I just want them to try it until they figure out how to make it work. If they feel free to just do a pullback every time they're on the ball eventually they figure out on their own how to use that move to get free and head to the goal. Great work Lions.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Indoor Season Begins
It's good to be back inside playing when the weather becomes winter-like. The field house can be cold in the early morning but it's a warm refuge compared to the rawness of the elements outside. The space is filled with the noise of kids excited to get back to the game and parents getting reacquainted with their "soccer friends" and the first weekend of the session is a sort of reunion.
All of our teams had great opening games. There was lots of energy and some very good quality of play. I don't get as much practice time with the kids as I'd like during the indoor session and I don't want their joy in playing to be burdened by a lot of coaching instruction from me. So, I try to keep it simple and focus on the very basics of the soccer skill set. You'll hear some Coaches yelling to their teams about spacing and passing and "staying in your positions". You won't hear that sort of coaching from me. I'm going to coach each of them on the development of their individual skills using the little time we have as efficiently as I can and then I'll let them figure out how to play together as a team. I'll offer advice on that sort of thing when appropriate but a lot of what a player needs to understand about how to use the space on the field and how to anticipate the action must be learned through experience. I'll let them know that I trust them to figure it out and then during breaks or after games we'll talk about what we learned. In the menu to the right is a link to a short list of things I told the U10 team I'd be looking for this session. These points will apply to the other teams as well.
As for everyone's performance this weekend, here's some of what I saw:
The U4 team got off to a very good start. We've got some real players in that line-up. There was the usual mix of energy, silliness and occasional bruised feeling that you expect from U4 in the beginning but I'm really happy with the level of focus the players showed. I think this group will progress quite quickly.
Unfortunately I was only able to work with one of the U6 teams this week. Chris took the other. The group I had includes our insanely strong "girl power" line-up. We had Abby back with us joining Ava, Ashley and Hailey. When these girls are on the field they bring a constant, energetic attack that eventually wears the other side down. They don't concede the ball ever and they don't seem to be afraid of anyone. I saw a lot of very good skill from each of them with sharp changes of direction and good ball control. But I also saw a lot of very smart play off the ball with Ava and Abby especially showing that they can anticipate the action and get to where the ball will end up rather than always chasing behind it. We had Henry and Luke returning from the outdoor team and they played very well too. Henry is quickly developing some very good skills with the ball and he's got his brother Sam's sense of the field. Luke took a good turn in at keeper, making a couple of good stops. The team was also joined by three players we hadn't seen since last indoor season, Derron, Cole and Maddox. All three were full of energy and ready to go and Maddox was showing some amazing development as a control player since his last session on the team. By putting some finesse together with his great speed Maddox becomes a real threat to score whenever he has the ball.
I was so proud of those U8 Sharks this Sunday. The team we played against is coached by Eric Henderson who is the director of the Legends soccer club and hearing his compliments for the beautifully controlled, fearless and imaginative style of play the Sharks have was very gratifying. And it was a tour de force too. Everyone seemed to have their best game face on and we saw every player showing solid fundamental skills throughout the game. Elizabeth, Jackson, Zach and Sam seemed to really enjoy their new rolls as senior players on the team and all of them were setting a wonderful example for their teammates. Elizabeth managed two goals, one of which she just hammered. Her sense of how to get open in the middle when the Sharks are attacking is amazing and that led to her first goal off a nice pass from Tyler. For the second one she was on her own, dribbling through traffic to that powerful finish.
Jackson was showing his swagger in as keeper. Then on the field he was using his moves, trying to always keep the ball close. He had some great runs and then did manage a couple of goals. Like Elizabeth, he's got a pretty good sense of when to come in and crash the goal.
Sam made perfect traps followed by quick steps to the open field over and over again. Nothing super flashy, just rock-solid consistent competence with the ball. The ball would come to him, he'd glance up the field, make a soft touch of the ball to his right or left then take off. Sometimes he'd pass up right away, sometimes he'd try to take it in himself. Just beautiful stuff.
Then we had Zachary and his new-found speed. Is it the shoes? The dude can fly and he's always got the ball at his feet, making some sort of feint move. He did a little "fast-slow-fast" move late in the game yesterday that was just crazy smooth. With the added dimension of Zach's speed and finesse the Sharks' attack is really balanced and I think other teams will have a hard time containing them.
Tyler looked very good and is progressing rapidly toward having ball control skills to match his incredible tenacity and toughness. Our other returning player is McKenzie who had a very good game. She was in the thick of the action constantly and showed no fear of being in the crowd with bigger kids. She made some good moves with the ball too.
The new players who joined us were Lillian, Reagan and Wyatt. Lillian is fresh up from U6 and so she's just getting used to the speed of the U8 game but she played very well really, including a good turn in at keeper. Reagan too seemed a bit overwhelmed at first but she warmed up and played with good energy. Wyatt came into the game ready to play, showing some good ball skills and a powerful left foot that led to a goal for him. Great first game all around.
The U10 team chose the right name for themselves: The Titans. They played like it, with a great combination of speed, finesse and power. The only returning players are Drew, Jaden and Owen and they all played very well. Drew's skill with the ball is remarkable and now he's really tireless in his commitment to trying to beat opponents one-on-one rather than booting the ball away. I think he really relishes that challenge now. Jaden was solid in defense for us and showed some very nice ball skill.
Among the new players are Michaell Michelle and Kailey who don't have much soccer experience between them but they showed a lot of good energy and were trying their best to get into the action. A very good first game for them. We were also joined by Morgan and Danielle, more experienced players who show great promise in becoming skilled attacking players. I'll be pressing them both as the session goes on to try to play more often with the ball at their feet and to try to work through traffic using their dribbling skills. I'll be doing the same with Addison, a player with a very strong kick who just needs to get in the habit of trapping the ball first, looking around then moving with it before letting loose with that big kick.
The final addition to the team is Justin, a very polished player with great speed. He's a great compliment to Drew and Owen on the attack. Prior to the game he seemed nervous about being put up in the striker position but he is new to indoor and I think he quickly realized that on the smaller, faster field you are really in an attacking position wherever you are on the field. He took advantage of that and had at least a pair of goals. I lost track.
Great work from everyone for the first week. Do your toe-taps! I'll see you next weekend.
All of our teams had great opening games. There was lots of energy and some very good quality of play. I don't get as much practice time with the kids as I'd like during the indoor session and I don't want their joy in playing to be burdened by a lot of coaching instruction from me. So, I try to keep it simple and focus on the very basics of the soccer skill set. You'll hear some Coaches yelling to their teams about spacing and passing and "staying in your positions". You won't hear that sort of coaching from me. I'm going to coach each of them on the development of their individual skills using the little time we have as efficiently as I can and then I'll let them figure out how to play together as a team. I'll offer advice on that sort of thing when appropriate but a lot of what a player needs to understand about how to use the space on the field and how to anticipate the action must be learned through experience. I'll let them know that I trust them to figure it out and then during breaks or after games we'll talk about what we learned. In the menu to the right is a link to a short list of things I told the U10 team I'd be looking for this session. These points will apply to the other teams as well.
As for everyone's performance this weekend, here's some of what I saw:
The U4 team got off to a very good start. We've got some real players in that line-up. There was the usual mix of energy, silliness and occasional bruised feeling that you expect from U4 in the beginning but I'm really happy with the level of focus the players showed. I think this group will progress quite quickly.
Unfortunately I was only able to work with one of the U6 teams this week. Chris took the other. The group I had includes our insanely strong "girl power" line-up. We had Abby back with us joining Ava, Ashley and Hailey. When these girls are on the field they bring a constant, energetic attack that eventually wears the other side down. They don't concede the ball ever and they don't seem to be afraid of anyone. I saw a lot of very good skill from each of them with sharp changes of direction and good ball control. But I also saw a lot of very smart play off the ball with Ava and Abby especially showing that they can anticipate the action and get to where the ball will end up rather than always chasing behind it. We had Henry and Luke returning from the outdoor team and they played very well too. Henry is quickly developing some very good skills with the ball and he's got his brother Sam's sense of the field. Luke took a good turn in at keeper, making a couple of good stops. The team was also joined by three players we hadn't seen since last indoor season, Derron, Cole and Maddox. All three were full of energy and ready to go and Maddox was showing some amazing development as a control player since his last session on the team. By putting some finesse together with his great speed Maddox becomes a real threat to score whenever he has the ball.
I was so proud of those U8 Sharks this Sunday. The team we played against is coached by Eric Henderson who is the director of the Legends soccer club and hearing his compliments for the beautifully controlled, fearless and imaginative style of play the Sharks have was very gratifying. And it was a tour de force too. Everyone seemed to have their best game face on and we saw every player showing solid fundamental skills throughout the game. Elizabeth, Jackson, Zach and Sam seemed to really enjoy their new rolls as senior players on the team and all of them were setting a wonderful example for their teammates. Elizabeth managed two goals, one of which she just hammered. Her sense of how to get open in the middle when the Sharks are attacking is amazing and that led to her first goal off a nice pass from Tyler. For the second one she was on her own, dribbling through traffic to that powerful finish.
Jackson was showing his swagger in as keeper. Then on the field he was using his moves, trying to always keep the ball close. He had some great runs and then did manage a couple of goals. Like Elizabeth, he's got a pretty good sense of when to come in and crash the goal.
Sam made perfect traps followed by quick steps to the open field over and over again. Nothing super flashy, just rock-solid consistent competence with the ball. The ball would come to him, he'd glance up the field, make a soft touch of the ball to his right or left then take off. Sometimes he'd pass up right away, sometimes he'd try to take it in himself. Just beautiful stuff.
Then we had Zachary and his new-found speed. Is it the shoes? The dude can fly and he's always got the ball at his feet, making some sort of feint move. He did a little "fast-slow-fast" move late in the game yesterday that was just crazy smooth. With the added dimension of Zach's speed and finesse the Sharks' attack is really balanced and I think other teams will have a hard time containing them.
Tyler looked very good and is progressing rapidly toward having ball control skills to match his incredible tenacity and toughness. Our other returning player is McKenzie who had a very good game. She was in the thick of the action constantly and showed no fear of being in the crowd with bigger kids. She made some good moves with the ball too.
The new players who joined us were Lillian, Reagan and Wyatt. Lillian is fresh up from U6 and so she's just getting used to the speed of the U8 game but she played very well really, including a good turn in at keeper. Reagan too seemed a bit overwhelmed at first but she warmed up and played with good energy. Wyatt came into the game ready to play, showing some good ball skills and a powerful left foot that led to a goal for him. Great first game all around.
The U10 team chose the right name for themselves: The Titans. They played like it, with a great combination of speed, finesse and power. The only returning players are Drew, Jaden and Owen and they all played very well. Drew's skill with the ball is remarkable and now he's really tireless in his commitment to trying to beat opponents one-on-one rather than booting the ball away. I think he really relishes that challenge now. Jaden was solid in defense for us and showed some very nice ball skill.
Among the new players are Michaell Michelle and Kailey who don't have much soccer experience between them but they showed a lot of good energy and were trying their best to get into the action. A very good first game for them. We were also joined by Morgan and Danielle, more experienced players who show great promise in becoming skilled attacking players. I'll be pressing them both as the session goes on to try to play more often with the ball at their feet and to try to work through traffic using their dribbling skills. I'll be doing the same with Addison, a player with a very strong kick who just needs to get in the habit of trapping the ball first, looking around then moving with it before letting loose with that big kick.
The final addition to the team is Justin, a very polished player with great speed. He's a great compliment to Drew and Owen on the attack. Prior to the game he seemed nervous about being put up in the striker position but he is new to indoor and I think he quickly realized that on the smaller, faster field you are really in an attacking position wherever you are on the field. He took advantage of that and had at least a pair of goals. I lost track.
Great work from everyone for the first week. Do your toe-taps! I'll see you next weekend.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Fall Outdoor Session Wrap-up
I apologize to everyone for becoming so lax in my efforts here at the blog. The combination of my coaching schedules and administrator duties this session have made it near impossible for me to even take a moment to reflect on how the kids are progressing let alone write anything about it. But the session is over and my schedule is less hectic so now I can take a moment to look back on the work we did this Summer/Fall and think about where our various Sharks are. And I promise that from here on out I'll get back to regularly reporting on what I'm seeing in practices and games.
Hopefully you noticed during the course of the Fall session that the focus in practice was always on individual ball control skills. I occasionally threw in a passing/shooting drill, mostly for the aerobic aspect of it, but the bulk of our time was spent working on ball control. With the younger kids the idea was always to just keep them focused on having the ball at their feet and getting a feel for moving around and taking the ball with them. For the older kids I was trying to introduce them to some more complex deceptive moves while always emphasizing to them that the most important thing is to develop a soft touch on the ball and learn to be confident with the ball at your own feet. Kicking it away is rarely the best first option.
What I saw by the end of the session was a lot of very good progress with many players showing remarkable improvement and growing confidence. During the indoor sessions we'll continue in that direction, always focusing on developing those individual skills that make it possible for a player to feel comfortable on the field, even in a crowd. The indoor sessions give us a great opportunity to work on really sharpening those close-in technical skills, the pull-backs and play-behinds and all the other great moves you can use to deceive your opponent. The turf conditions outdoor can be unforgiving but indoor it's all smooth so you have the chance to really work on that fine ball control you need to win in one-on-one situations. I'm really looking forward to it. And, as I've said before, I'm not looking for wins. I'm looking for constant improvement and growth. I'm looking for the kids to be fearless and feel that they're free to try anything. When we see them doing that, when we see them trying to throw a step-over or scissors or Cruyf turn or whatever in to a game situation, we need to celebrate that as much as we would a goal. To succeed you can't be afraid to fail. Check out the video below. It shows a professional team in pre-game warm ups. When one of the players, Juan Mata, executes a move that just looks impossible his teammates celebrate with him like he'd scored a goal in competition. That's how I'd like my teams to be...all the players pulling for each other and pushing each other to try harder and go farther.
Hopefully you noticed during the course of the Fall session that the focus in practice was always on individual ball control skills. I occasionally threw in a passing/shooting drill, mostly for the aerobic aspect of it, but the bulk of our time was spent working on ball control. With the younger kids the idea was always to just keep them focused on having the ball at their feet and getting a feel for moving around and taking the ball with them. For the older kids I was trying to introduce them to some more complex deceptive moves while always emphasizing to them that the most important thing is to develop a soft touch on the ball and learn to be confident with the ball at your own feet. Kicking it away is rarely the best first option.
What I saw by the end of the session was a lot of very good progress with many players showing remarkable improvement and growing confidence. During the indoor sessions we'll continue in that direction, always focusing on developing those individual skills that make it possible for a player to feel comfortable on the field, even in a crowd. The indoor sessions give us a great opportunity to work on really sharpening those close-in technical skills, the pull-backs and play-behinds and all the other great moves you can use to deceive your opponent. The turf conditions outdoor can be unforgiving but indoor it's all smooth so you have the chance to really work on that fine ball control you need to win in one-on-one situations. I'm really looking forward to it. And, as I've said before, I'm not looking for wins. I'm looking for constant improvement and growth. I'm looking for the kids to be fearless and feel that they're free to try anything. When we see them doing that, when we see them trying to throw a step-over or scissors or Cruyf turn or whatever in to a game situation, we need to celebrate that as much as we would a goal. To succeed you can't be afraid to fail. Check out the video below. It shows a professional team in pre-game warm ups. When one of the players, Juan Mata, executes a move that just looks impossible his teammates celebrate with him like he'd scored a goal in competition. That's how I'd like my teams to be...all the players pulling for each other and pushing each other to try harder and go farther.
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