GP vs Nelson County, 4/1/2017

   



   

Nobody likes losing but I hope everyone can appreciate what a good game that was yesterday for Girl Power.  They played a good team that had a lot of very skillful players and they had a considerable size advantage too.  Girl Power never backed down, never fell into a panic defense, and they showed repeatedly how reliable dribble skills can be effective even when you're opponent is a little taller than you.  I hope everyone also noticed the team's efforts at moving the ball around more often with passing.
     At the end of my last post I highlighted a brief passing sequence involving Ava, Abby and Peyton.  I was trying to describe a moment where it was clear that the players involved were anticipating each other's movements in a way that allowed them to essentially decide what to do with the ball before they'd even received it.  In the situation I was describing from that game Peyton received a pass from Abby and made an immediate one touch pass back to Abby, not directly to her but rather to open space about five yards to Abby's right.  So before Peyton had received the ball she had already anticipated that possible pass, had already anticipated that Abby could follow a pass into open space past two defenders.
     The exercises we ran at training this week are meant to encourage more of that sort of thoughtful cooperative interplay between players.  We ran the familiar Hot Corners game and then we worked on learning a new pattern passing game that is somewhat more complicated than Hot Corners and that really emphasizes the concept of a "give and go" movement with the ball.  I'm very encouraged at the extent to which our players are picking up the idea of moving the ball cooperatively, especially their individual willingness to release the ball when their dribble options don't look so good.  Where we're lacking, and this showed in yesterday's game, is in their individual willingness to anticipate that a pass might be coming their way.
     A great example of what I mean happened right in front of me in the second half.  We were headed down hill in that half which I hoped would give us the same advantage it had clearly given the other team.  And it did as our attack certainly became faster and more penetrating.  So at one point Zoe is bringing the ball up the line after a brilliant tackle to repossess and she makes a beautiful hesitation move to dance around the biggest player on the other team.  But then as she continues her run along the touch line she looks up and sees three things: two more defenders closing on her; Peyton running with her about four yards to her right; wide open space up the line.  Zoe took one more dribble touch and to me her intentions seemed clear.  She was going to release the ball up the line for Peyton.  Zoe made that pass flawlessly with her left foot.  Well struck with just a little left to right hook on it so it hugged the line without going out.  Peyton made the effort to run onto the ball but unfortunately she had started about two steps too late.  She hadn't "read" Zoe's intentions early enough.
     That was typical of the whole team's performance yesterday and I don't want it to sound like a criticism.  Rather it's meant as an observation of how close they are to some really brilliant play.  There were many other instances of sequences of play where one or two of our players would demonstrate wonderful individual skill to regain and possess the ball.  We had lots of fantastic 1v1 victories.  But we also did have a lot of really great penetrating runs into the final third that did end with very smart through ball or crossing ball passes.  The problem was simply a matter of timing and of touch.  Sometimes the through ball was hit too hard and sometimes the intended target player hadn't taken off early enough.
     So I'm not disappointed by this performance in any way and as I told the team after the game I'm actually thrilled about the potential they're showing.  Their technical skills are solid and still improving so each of them is formidable in those 1v1 situations.  And now they're showing that on the tactical side, the cooperative aspect of the game, it's really just down to needing more experience so they can hone their timing.  Throughout the game yesterday I felt they were consistently only a knife-edge away from finding that first goal and they kept up the pressure right to the end.  We can go back to the training field knowing what we've got to focus on and knowing that we're at a point where a lot of what we're doing in training is fine tuning.

KSSL season opener for Girl Power.

     It is so hard to be focused when you're cold.  When you play in the heat you may be uncomfortable and it can sap your strength but you can have long stretches in a game where you're so caught up you just don't notice the weather.  But the cold nags at you, pulls you down, makes you feel smaller.  And it hurts.  In Saturday's KSSL season opener for Girl Power I saw girls with hands and ears as red as an apple but rather than being weighed down by that they played beautifully and energetically and with a wonderful gamer's attitude.
     Best of all, despite the cold and wind they largely did maintain their focus.  You've probably heard me say to them before that there are three things they have to know "where-it's-at" all the time in a game: the ball; the goals; the players (both teams).  That's a lot to keep in focus all at once and raw weather conditions make that even tougher but our girls were doing their best and it showed in their play.  Their defense was organized and smothering.  Their attack was a great combination of individual skill and cooperation.  It's been a long process to get to where they are as a team now and I'm really proud of their progress but in this last game I was most proud of their toughness and grit.  Despite the weather they came out anxious to play and they were upbeat and supportive of each other from start to finish.
    I was really happy to see that the FC Kentucky team we faced seems to have adopted a training strategy similar to ours.  When we faced them last season they were kicking the ball a lot but in Saturday's game I heard their coach frequently admonishing them to dribble rather than kick it away.  Possession of the ball certainly made the difference in the game and Girl Power's combination of good first touch and good dribble skill meant we had the ball more often than they did.  We only managed two goals, one for Hailey and one for Abby, but I feel like we had a ton of good chances.  Both the goals were the result of some really fabulous skill too.  Hailey beat a couple of defenders to get into the box and then held the ball right until the keeper stepped out for it then she took a calm touch to her right and put it away.  Abby's goal was off a corner kick and she received the ball with her back to goal then made a lovely turn to beat two players before firing the ball into the net.
     I also want to note a beautiful little passing sequence we saw in the first half where we had a throw-in from Ava to Abby who then made a quick pass up the line to Peyton.  Peyton then brilliantly one-touched the ball splitting two defenders to put Abby open and headed into the penalty area.  It happened too quickly for Peyton to have time to think about what to do with the ball after it came to her.  Rather she'd already seen the situation unfolding before Abby sent her that pass so when the ball arrived to her she'd already decided what to do next.  That ability to anticipate, to see the situation so that you know what you're going to do with the ball before you get it is something that will be a point of emphasis in our training this season.
 

Enjoy the wins, endure the losses and always love to compete.

     A few years back I started telling all of my players that there are three things they need to be aware of at all times while playing.  I introduce the concept by asking "what are the three things that you need to know where-it-is all the time while you're playing?"
     Players usually get the first one easily.  It's the ball.  The second is the goals.  That's your basic orientation for the play of the game so you've got to know all the time where the goals are and which end is which.
     The third "where-it-is-all-the-time" is the players...your team and the opponent.  So, as players we have to keep these three things in the front of our mind at all times.
   
     I have to know where the ball is, where the goals are and where all my teammates and my opponents are...all the time.  And my coach is yelling to me to remind me of that...and to remind me of what position I'm playing...and to remind me of what's behind me...and to demand that I use a particular skill.  And then it's cold...and snowing a bit...and windy.  Or it's hot and this one girl on the other team keeps grabbing my shirt from behind...and then there's my mom or my dad...what are they saying?  Are they mad?  Now, what was I supposed to be remembering all the time again?  

     It's a lot to ask of a ten year old to remain focused enough to be aware of all three of the where-it-is-all-the-time things simultaneously and the ultimate goal is to get them to have that focused awareness as their default position, as simply the way they approach the game naturally, reflexively.  It takes a lot of time, a lot of patient development to get players from their precocious "me and the ball" phase to a more subtle team oriented understanding of how to play.  Keeping in mind of course that as players develop more of a team mentality for the game they aren't shedding that early "me and the ball" selfishness but rather finding a way to incorporate that into the team effort.
     As with the players and their where-it-is-all-the-time attitude, the coach also has to have a sort of default position for approaching the game.  It's patience.  The arc of player development is long and there are no shortcuts.  Every minute of training and game time my players get is part of that development and it's all valuable, even the failures and at the most basic level a coach's job is to let the players have those experiences and then to let them "percolate" on them, as it were.
     So this past weekend one of my teams came away with a lot to percolate on.  Their opening game for the KSSL season was a tough one played in raw conditions.  Despite the score it was a good game for them and I was generally happy with the level of skillfulness and the overall commitment to energetic play.  Then in the evening they played their final indoor game of the season and, again, took a tough loss.   But again, they played with good energy the whole game, constantly pressing to come back.  And there was plenty of great skill on display.  The team had, throughout both games, what I'd call a "gamer's" attitude, meaning they played like they were there for the love of the competition, regardless of the outcome.  As a coach I can't ask for more.  If I watch them compete with real commitment and even some joy but they finish with a loss I cannot go into the post-match chat with them with anything but a positive attitude.  The moment the final whistle blows in a situation like that I have to immediately let go of any disappointment I might feel at the loss and begin thinking about how to talk to the team positively about how they played and how we can build on it.
     My comments to the team after that evening game ended with me telling them that I was glad to be their coach, that I love watching them play and I love training with them.  I told them that being a select player means you've made a commitment to the game, to your teammates and to your own longterm development.  "That development is a long arc" I said.  "And if you're committed to following it I'm committed to guiding you.  I'll be with you all the way."

Spring 2017 training goals

One of the training goals I have for Ninjas and Girl Power this season is to help everyone perfect the "roll-over" dribble touch.



I think most of my players can execute this skill but very few of them will use it in games so that's what I'll be focusing on this season, getting them to adopt that skill as a regular part of their game.  This dribble skill is valuable for two reasons.  First it allows a player to move quickly with the ball in a way that keeps the ball moving at the same speed the player is running.  Secondly, it can be used as a simple and effective deceptive dribble skill too.

Tactical Thinking and the Three Questions

     I've been reading a wonderful little book on coaching called Soccer IQ by Dan Blank, a coach for the women's squad at the University of Georgia.  In each brief chapter of the book Coach Blank shares his observations on what constitutes the "soccer iq" that good players have in common.  You might think this "iq" would include a lot of technical skills, things like having a good passing stroke or having mastered some particular deceptive dribbling skills, the sorts of things I work the most on with my players.  But for Coach Blank those skills are the tools you have to have in order to make and execute tactical decisions in games and it's in that decision making that we find the soccer iq that separates great players from good ones.  It's qualities like speed of thought, empathy and anticipation and developing a habit of observing the game closely even as you're playing.

     For some time now anyone attending one of my teams' games would be able to hear me calling to my players to "use your eyes" as I encourage them to know what's going on around them.  So I was tickled to get to chapter 10 of Soccer IQ, and find Coach Blank emphasizing just how important it is for players to really learn to use their eyes.  Here are a few passages from the chapter which is entitled Three Questions:

     "A soccer player's most important body part is her pair of eyes.  Your eyes are your very best way of collecting information...Your eyes prepare you to make the decisions that enable you to play quickly and keep the ball for your team.  And too many players don't utilize them very well.
     In a ninety minute soccer game you will probably spend between two and three minutes on the ball.  That means that 87 minutes, roughly 96% of your day, is spent off the ball.  Smart players understand that when they don't have the ball, they've got to plan for those moments when the ball finds them.          

     A smart player is constantly asking herself, "What if?" and "What's next?"
     What if the ball comes to me?
     What's next when I get it?
     What if we give the ball back to them?  What's next?
     What if they give the ball back to us?  What's next?
     And she is always asking, "What's behind me?"
      

Average soccer players make their decisions after they've already received the ball. That's not a good thing...Smart players make 90% of their decisions before the ball ever gets to them.  Even if that decision is to face up a defender and take her on the dribble (1v1), the smart player already knows that's what she's going to do before the ball gets to her."

     Share that with your player if you can.  I think all of the players I coach are capable of understanding what this is about.  If you're interested in hearing more of Coach Blank's ideas on Soccer IQ you can go to his website www.soccerpoet.com and he's also got a SoccerPoet channel on YouTube where he actually talks through and illustrates some of the book's chapters.  Good stuff.

Fusion Girls Are All About Attack!

     My Fusion U11 teams were in action for the kick-off of indoor season this Saturday and the two games, played back-to-back, were fantastic.  Most of the girls hadn't played since early November so while I'd expect them to be really anxious to take the field I wouldn't expect the quality of their play to be great.  A bit of kick-ball, at least in the opening half of each game wouldn't have been surprising.  The games we got though were far from that, featuring some really skillful individual play and a lot of great cooperative ball movement.   
     I've thought in the past that many players benefit from time away from the game in that it seems to give them a chance to "percolate" on what they learned in the previous training season.  I've seen players who had trouble with some particular skill at the end of one season show up for the next season with that same skill now being readily available to them as just part of their game.  There seemed to be plenty of examples of that sort of off-season development in the two games I saw Saturday.   Prior to the Ninjas game I let the players know that the two skills I'd be specifically looking for from them in the game would be their Cruyff turn and their roll-over touch.   I keep track of that sort of thing using what one of my players named "The Tallies".  Here is the tally sheet from the Ninjas game:

     I noted a few things on this tally sheet that I wanted to be sure to remember, like Kylee earning a new nickname.  "The General" was totally in charge when she was on the field and I think her ability to communicate clearly and in the right tone of voice to her teammates was a big factor in their ability to hit the ground running in this game.  In addition to putting the first goal in for us Kylee was setting a great example with the quality of her first touch on the ball.  In particular, she had two opportunities to trap balls out of the air and in each case she got the ball to the ground as smoothly as a pro would have.  I frequently say to my players in training that of all the skills we work on first touch is the most important, the most indispensable and you could see that in Kylee's performance.   

     The team as a whole seemed to have a really excellent first touch in this game and I hope that's a trend that they can maintain.  Every time you successfully trap a ball to maintain possession you're gaining time for creating shooting opportunities.   The other skills we work on are all important in this regard too.  To score you've got to have the ball so we should never take possession casually.   I would say that it was that overall attitude toward possession of the ball that impressed me most from the team.  Sometimes teams can be stuck in an attitude toward the game where they are content to keep trading possession, as though the two teams were taking turns.  But Saturday the Ninjas were playing with a more commanding attitude, owning the ball most of the time and pressing hard to win it back when they had to.   They were on the attack for the entire game and it was awesome.

     Girl Power managed a draw against a very tough opponent in their game and I was most impressed by how our girls were able to match the pace of play the other team was setting.  I've been planning on having "pace of play" be a theme during the upcoming training season and I'm happy to see that the Girl Power squad are ready for that.  We saw the sort of deft ball control skill we expect from this team but we also saw them much more willing as a group to attempt that sort of control in a higher gear.  

     One great example was Anna executing her typically smooth "scissors" move but at a faster speed than I think I've seen before.  Emily was using her roll-over touch faster.  Zoe was doing that crazy-legs step over of hers faster.  Ashley and Hailey were not only playing fast but also they seemed to have improved their timing on those subtle cut moves they prefer so that they would work even against taller, faster opponents.

     In the first half we had outstanding work in keeper from Natalie who even did the splits like a hockey goalie!  Then in the second half Eileen and Ava were rock solid under the pressure of facing a barrage of well struck shots.  Jolie got too goals for us in the first half, including one off her left foot (I know because she told me three times).  In both halves Abby and Olivia were tying our midfield together.  Olivia got loose down the sideline repeatedly and Abby was playing that field commander role I mentioned Kylee taking for the Ninjas...not as vocal but still in charge.  Our new team member, Payton, seemed most comfortable covering in defense the whole game but she wasn't shy about challenging hard to the ball and her play contributed a lot to the team's ability to frustrate what looked to be a very strong opponent.   

Finding "The Killer Ball"

     While driving to a Fusion game this past Saturday I heard a great phrase used to describe the style of play of my favorite English Premier League team, Arsenal.  One of the London teams, Arsenal under head coach Arsene Wenger play the kind of creative, flowing style of attacking football that can be immensely entertaining...even when they don't score.  Scoring wasn't a particular problem in the game I was listening to as Arsenal defeated Sunderland 4-1 but one of the radio commentators noted that as beautifully as they play it can still seem sometimes that Arsenal wait too long to take the shot.  "Sometimes" he said "they just keep passing it around, searching for the killer ball."  
     That is a fair description of how Arsenal play.  They pass and dribble and pass again, overlapping and interweaving, until finally the last pass puts the ball in a position where the goal is undeniable.  The first goal of the game, a header for Alexis Sanchez, came at the end of a run that included more than twenty-five  completed passes.  That's something like 20 seconds of continuous possession!
     Here is a nice compilation video of Arsenal highlights showing their signature style of "possession football"




 
      But while it's true that Arsenal do play to find the killer ball I don't think that it's much of a criticism of a team to say that they are too patient.  My own feeling watching most games, whatever teams are playing and at whatever level, is that far too often the players aren't patient enough.  Teams and individual players try to play too directly rather than taking the time to find an opening or even create one by drawing the defense out.  I want my players to have that patience, that confidence in their individual skills and their teammates' skills to know that they can take time and a longer path to find the goal.


     Girl Power played the final two games of their season this Sunday and the girls were brilliant in both games with the first match bringing a flurry of goals.  The second game was a hard fought 1-1 draw against a very tough FC Kentucky side.  In both games I was particularly impressed by the new level of competence the team is achieving in playing "positionally".  Specifically, we're seeing more of our players understanding how to be patient in their particular role and let the game opportunities come to them rather than getting drawn into chasing the ball.  The result of that is that you see many more opportunities created where a player is in just the right position to receive that final pass.  I think this achievement is for them a combination of having the experience to read the flow of the game better and of having confidence in each other, knowing that they are working together.
     There was one run of play in the second game that particularly stands out for me.  I think the players involved were Olivia and Eileen with Liv being in the #2 fullback position and Beanie being ahead of her in the #8.  Liv brought the ball up after recovering it in our half and made a quick pass up to Eileen.   Eileen found her path blocked by two defenders so she quickly turned back and dropped the ball to Liv who then immediately sent it right back up past those defenders so Beanie could run around them and back onto the ball.  It was brilliant but the best part was that they executed it with a kind of casualness, like it was the easiest thing in the world to take a moment out of the soccer game to play a little "monkey in the middle".
     Girl Power displayed a lot of that sort of play in that game and it was beautiful but late in the second half their style changed a bit.  FC Kentucky had managed a goal finally on one of their rare shooting opportunities and in response our squad seemed to become a little more desperate. We saw less quality passing and more efforts by individual players to dribble-penetrate through the FC line.  The girls seemed to be taking turns picking the ball up in midfield and dribbling straight into the heart of the defense, usually with good success until they got to that last defender.  No one seemed to be able to break through.
     Obviously it can often seem like the girls have more success when they pass the ball around, when they break through a defense as a team rather than as individuals.  The truth is though that as both their game coach and their trainer I have to have two different views on the games.  As a coach working within the games to teach the players a tactical perspective I naturally want every player to recognize the passing opportunities.  I want them to see how they can exploit the openings in a defense by cooperating.  But as their trainer I also want to see everyone putting their 1v1 skills to the test.  As the trainer I still want them to be fearlessly, even selfishly, pushing forward with the ball. So when I see a player dribble into traffic rather than releasing the ball I see two things.  I see that they missed a tactical opportunity that I'd want them to be aware of but I also see a technical deficiency that could be addressed.  If a player chooses to dribble into a crowd in an effort to get to goal on their own and they lose the ball does that mean that getting through the crowd was impossible, a bad decision?  Or does it mean that they didn't execute technically?  As the trainer it's the later that I see.  I see players who actually might have gotten through if they'd just used that one move we've worked on so many times...if they'd tried a fake shot...or shielded the ball.  So even as the other players and even the parents might be thinking "she should have passed the ball"  I might be thinking "yes, maybe...but maybe she could have gotten past that last defender if she'd tried something else."
     My feeling is that we still have to let players at this age have the option of dribbling.  I don't want players who are merely competent dribblers in 1v1 situations, players who can dribble but who prefer to pass.  I want players who are excellent in 1v1, who can reliably dribble-penetrate with confidence and who can then choose their options calmly and with patience, exploiting whatever weaknesses they can discover.  A team full of players like that can then find many paths to the goal.  They can work together patiently relying on the combined quality of their individual skills as they search for the killer ball.