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Post by soccermaxx72 on May 24, 2018 9:42:27 GMT -5
I have 2 players that have both been involved in academy/select level soccer for high level teams in Georgia sinnce 2013. They have very good technical coaches and their technical ability has dramatically increased, however I have some critical questions about practice that I would like to get others feedback and possibly an explanation.
When it comes to playing actual games as a team can someone explain to me why literally none of the coaches every practice set pieces, corner kicks, penalty shots. Heck, our teams probably only spend a few minutes a week in practice actually shooting on goals. I understand soccer is more of a free flowing, mental game where various scenarios are always changing and players have to think and react quickly on the field but I feel having dedicated plays on corners or set pieces give a team the distinct opportunity to take advantage.
Also, are there any coaches that use film review to help players understand positioning, decision making and game strategy? I have neighbors who play rec football that get cut game film each week provided by their league from their previous game and on their upcoming opponent. To me, a mental practice once a week could be a very useful tool.
To Clarify I'm only proposing this become a routine after the transition to 9v9 size field and bigger, so u11 and older.
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on May 24, 2018 13:02:11 GMT -5
I have 2 players that have both been involved in academy/select level soccer for high level teams in Georgia sinnce 2013. They have very good technical coaches and their technical ability has dramatically increased, however I have some critical questions about practice that I would like to get others feedback and possibly an explanation. When it comes to playing actual games as a team can someone explain to me why literally none of the coaches every practice set pieces, corner kicks, penalty shots. Heck, our teams probably only spend a few minutes a week in practice actually shooting on goals. I understand soccer is more of a free flowing, mental game where various scenarios are always changing and players have to think and react quickly on the field but I feel having dedicated plays on corners or set pieces give a team the distinct opportunity to take advantage. Also, are there any coaches that use film review to help players understand positioning, decision making and game strategy? I have neighbors who play rec football that get cut game film each week provided by their league from their previous game and on their upcoming opponent. To me, a mental practice once a week could be a very useful tool. Sad as it may sound, you are correct that almost none of the "Academies" teach the intangibles that could be the slight advantage a team needs to win a game. We have bellyached about this for years. The only club that I know of that does any set pieces, PKs, corners, etc. is NTH and that was what I heard from friends who have kids there. Otherwise, the only other time I've seen these taught during practice was by specific coaches. This unfortunately, is where one of the many hats you wear as a parents comes into play. If you don't have the know-how, then you may have to beg, borrow or pay someone else to teach it. I know for the mortgage it seems we pay in fees this would be included. I do know UFA Norcross does the finishing clinics but that's about all I know. I once asked this question of a couple of DOCs and the general consensus was it is up to the player to work on those skills. The coach does not have the time to dedicate to teaching that. Needless to say, we never joined those clubs. So I would find a field with a goal, or try to arrive late or stay after practice and have your child work on these skills. It could be the skill that separates yours from the pack. Look at Kratz on the AU first team
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Post by atlsoccer on May 24, 2018 13:13:18 GMT -5
Film would be a great start, something I think AFU is planning to do for every game this year, even rec games someone said? I am mixed about the corners and set pieces. While it is obviously important, if you have a team for 1.5 hours twice a week (especially if it is not DA, ECNL, NL) you may not have more than a few minutes in a session or two to dedicate to it. I would think that most teams would be better served with individual and technical development.
But, if you have a team that is already technically proficient, that may be a different story.
Almost every club has some sort of separate gk/finishing/skill training I believe as well.
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Post by soccerlegacy on May 24, 2018 13:20:02 GMT -5
I have 2 players that have both been involved in academy/select level soccer for high level teams in Georgia sinnce 2013. They have very good technical coaches and their technical ability has dramatically increased, however I have some critical questions about practice that I would like to get others feedback and possibly an explanation. When it comes to playing actual games as a team can someone explain to me why literally none of the coaches every practice set pieces, corner kicks, penalty shots. Heck, our teams probably only spend a few minutes a week in practice actually shooting on goals. I understand soccer is more of a free flowing, mental game where various scenarios are always changing and players have to think and react quickly on the field but I feel having dedicated plays on corners or set pieces give a team the distinct opportunity to take advantage. Also, are there any coaches that use film review to help players understand positioning, decision making and game strategy? I have neighbors who play rec football that get cut game film each week provided by their league from their previous game and on their upcoming opponent. To me, a mental practice once a week could be a very useful tool. Sad as it may sound, you are correct that almost none of the "Academies" teach the intangibles that could be the slight advantage a team needs to win a game. We have bellyached about this for years. The only club that I know of that does any set pieces, PKs, corners, etc. is NTH and that was what I heard from friends who have kids there. Otherwise, the only other time I've seen these taught during practice was by specific coaches. This unfortunately, is where one of the many hats you wear as a parents comes into play. If you don't have the know-how, then you may have to beg, borrow or pay someone else to teach it. I know for the mortgage it seems we pay in fees this would be included. I do know UFA Norcross does the finishing clinics but that's about all I know. I once asked this question of a couple of DOCs and the general consensus was it is up to the player to work on those skills. The coach does not have the time to dedicate to teaching that. Needless to say, we never joined those clubs. So I would find a field with a goal, or try to arrive late or stay after practice and have your child work on these skills. It could be the skill that separates yours from the pack. Look at Kratz on the AU first team I have basically found the same... When we do play against NTH, it is obvious that they practice it and I have seen it pay off for them in games many times. The thing is, it doesn't take THAT long to teach them how to set up for a corner or a set piece. I don't get the reluctance to spend 15 minutes every few weeks or so to go over it or refresh it in their minds... i.e. if you are practicing 12 hours in a month is it really hurting if you take 15-20 minutes of that time to do this?
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Post by throughball on May 24, 2018 13:30:25 GMT -5
Sad as it may sound, you are correct that almost none of the "Academies" teach the intangibles that could be the slight advantage a team needs to win a game. We have bellyached about this for years. The only club that I know of that does any set pieces, PKs, corners, etc. is NTH and that was what I heard from friends who have kids there. Otherwise, the only other time I've seen these taught during practice was by specific coaches. This unfortunately, is where one of the many hats you wear as a parents comes into play. If you don't have the know-how, then you may have to beg, borrow or pay someone else to teach it. I know for the mortgage it seems we pay in fees this would be included. I do know UFA Norcross does the finishing clinics but that's about all I know. I once asked this question of a couple of DOCs and the general consensus was it is up to the player to work on those skills. The coach does not have the time to dedicate to teaching that. Needless to say, we never joined those clubs. So I would find a field with a goal, or try to arrive late or stay after practice and have your child work on these skills. It could be the skill that separates yours from the pack. Look at Kratz on the AU first team I have basically found the same... When we do play against NTH, it is obvious that they practice it and I have seen it pay off for them in games many times. The thing is, it doesn't take THAT long to teach them how to set up for a corner or a set piece. I don't get the reluctance to spend 15 minutes every few weeks or so to go over it or refresh it in their minds... i.e. if you are practicing 12 hours in a month is it really hurting if you take 15-20 minutes of that time to do this? Agree, on a previous team our coach spent minimal time on this but enough that our team had 4 different corner plays they would run effectively. It's better than the alternative we've experienced where everyone looks lost and no one even knows who is taking the kick.
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Post by setpieces on May 24, 2018 13:40:06 GMT -5
I have 2 players that have both been involved in academy/select level soccer for high level teams in Georgia sinnce 2013. They have very good technical coaches and their technical ability has dramatically increased, however I have some critical questions about practice that I would like to get others feedback and possibly an explanation. When it comes to playing actual games as a team can someone explain to me why literally none of the coaches every practice set pieces, corner kicks, penalty shots. Heck, our teams probably only spend a few minutes a week in practice actually shooting on goals. I understand soccer is more of a free flowing, mental game where various scenarios are always changing and players have to think and react quickly on the field but I feel having dedicated plays on corners or set pieces give a team the distinct opportunity to take advantage. Also, are there any coaches that use film review to help players understand positioning, decision making and game strategy? I have neighbors who play rec football that get cut game film each week provided by their league from their previous game and on their upcoming opponent. To me, a mental practice once a week could be a very useful tool. IMHO this is one of the major distinctions (detriments) between the U.S. and European training. I won't get into the whole pay to play and worry about W/L at the academy level, but many fundamentals of soccer are NOT taught by the majority of clubs. I understand that a coach doesn't have time to do individual technical training with each player to bring them up to speed, but that should absolutely be the focus for any player below U10. If you can't control the ball then you never have time to look up to pass. If you never look up to pass then you can't do critical decision making. If you can't do critical decision making then you can't be an effective player. Yada yada yada Same goes for set pieces, corners, and finishing. These are crucial parts of the game because execution can mean the difference between a draw and a 1-0 game. It's like never practicing field goals at football practice then expecting your kicker to go out and make the game winning 50-yarder. There absolutely is time to do these things if the clubs make it a priority. If I had my wish this is how U6 - U10 practices would be structured: - Day 1 - Technical training on the ball and fitness (on the ball) - Day 2 - Passing drills, 1v1, 2v2, 5v5 - Day 3 - Set pieces, corners, finishing drills, light scrimmage (with tactical instructions) As they get older you can start incorporating more strategy and film. However, at the younger ages executing on the basics are the most important things (along with not keeping score). This is one of the reasons the USNT ends up with a bunch of big, fast horses that are lacking technical skills and soccer IQ. If we don't start taking these things seriously with a different approach we will never catch up to the rest of the world. Edit: I should add that coaches should be REQUIRED to get to know their players individually. They don't have to be a psychologist, but they definitely should be required to take an interest in who each player is as a person. Coaches are teachers and role models and every kid is different. Nick Saban does a personality profile on EVERY player he recruits and brings in to his program. He does this so he can figure out the best way to coach the player and figure out what he'll be receptive to in terms of teaching style. I know our coaches don't have the resources and don't make the salary that Saban does, but personality and the emotional aspect of training has been proven to be a very big part of development. Okay, off subject somewhat but that's my $0.02.
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Post by jkdub1 on May 24, 2018 14:33:13 GMT -5
I have 2 players that have both been involved in academy/select level soccer for high level teams in Georgia sinnce 2013. They have very good technical coaches and their technical ability has dramatically increased, however I have some critical questions about practice that I would like to get others feedback and possibly an explanation. When it comes to playing actual games as a team can someone explain to me why literally none of the coaches every practice set pieces, corner kicks, penalty shots. Heck, our teams probably only spend a few minutes a week in practice actually shooting on goals. I understand soccer is more of a free flowing, mental game where various scenarios are always changing and players have to think and react quickly on the field but I feel having dedicated plays on corners or set pieces give a team the distinct opportunity to take advantage. Also, are there any coaches that use film review to help players understand positioning, decision making and game strategy? I have neighbors who play rec football that get cut game film each week provided by their league from their previous game and on their upcoming opponent. To me, a mental practice once a week could be a very useful tool. This is a great post and I've often wondered the same thing. Of the three academies I have knowledge of, only one does some decent practicing of corners, penalties, etc.. It's very apparent when the kids are facing a team that does practice these things so I'm not sure why this is. There are so many little maneuvers that place a team at advantage and a coach can't possibly cover them all but corners and penalties shouldn't be an issue.
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Post by olderthandirt on May 24, 2018 14:49:46 GMT -5
Technical training on the ball and fitness (on the ball) - absolutely. Passing drills, 1v1, 2v2, 5v5 - for sure FINISHING DRILLS - this is the one area of play where the majority of young players that I've seen play need more instruction. In my limited experience, most players just kick the ball as hard as they can at the goal. If they do look up before kicking the ball, they look directly at the goalkeeper - and guess where the ball goes ... right at the goal keeper.
At the very young ages (6-10 in your example), set pieces and corners are maybe a nice additional thing to work on occasionally, but technical skills with the ball, passing, defending, and shooting are essential.
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Post by soccermaxx72 on May 24, 2018 15:26:03 GMT -5
Technical training on the ball and fitness (on the ball) - absolutely. Passing drills, 1v1, 2v2, 5v5 - for sure FINISHING DRILLS - this is the one area of play where the majority of young players that I've seen play need more instruction. In my limited experience, most players just kick the ball as hard as they can at the goal. If they do look up before kicking the ball, they look directly at the goalkeeper - and guess where the ball goes ... right at the goal keeper. At the very young ages (6-10 in your example), set pieces and corners are maybe a nice additional thing to work on occasionally, but technical skills with the ball, passing, defending, and shooting are essential. To clarify, I'm only proposing that corners and set plays become a routine at about U11 and above
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on May 24, 2018 16:12:14 GMT -5
IMHO this is one of the major distinctions (detriments) between the U.S. and European training. I won't get into the whole pay to play and worry about W/L at the academy level, but many fundamentals of soccer are NOT taught by the majority of clubs. I understand that a coach doesn't have time to do individual technical training with each player to bring them up to speed, but that should absolutely be the focus for any player below U10. If you can't control the ball then you never have time to look up to pass. If you never look up to pass then you can't do critical decision making. If you can't do critical decision making then you can't be an effective player. Yada yada yada Edit: I should add that coaches should be REQUIRED to get to know their players individually. They don't have to be a psychologist, but they definitely should be required to take an interest in who each player is as a person. Coaches are teachers and role models and every kid is different. Nick Saban does a personality profile on EVERY player he recruits and brings in to his program. He does this so he can figure out the best way to coach the player and figure out what he'll be receptive to in terms of teaching style. I know our coaches don't have the resources and don't make the salary that Saban does, but personality and the emotional aspect of training has been proven to be a very big part of development. Okay, off subject somewhat but that's my $0.02. Well said setpieces. I would add to that the European model of teaching how move without the ball. I remember my coach always saying, there are 22 players and one ball. You may have two players making a play for the ball, if you're lucky three. So the other 19 should be looking to move to be in position to progress the play.
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Post by atlfutboldad on May 24, 2018 16:26:01 GMT -5
Let's add to this...goalkeeping. Playing WITH the keeper most academy defenders dont know how to utilize their keeper as a field player. IMO, you wanna make good players, teach them all the positions, including keeper (and I'm not talking about keeper instruction...because that doesn't involve defenders/teammates). If the defender and the keeper know what each other are supposed to do, they will make correct decisions more often. All too often goalkeeping is an afterthought at the academy level...usually resulting in losses to the team with the least experienced keeper.
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Post by fan on May 24, 2018 18:48:44 GMT -5
My kids seem to get the most practice with set pieces, corner kicks and PKs with their high school teams. I'm guessing it's due to having the luxury of time (practice or games 5 days/week) and knowing that some of the toughest region games are likely going to go to PKs.
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Post by jkdub1 on May 24, 2018 22:11:43 GMT -5
Let's add to this...goalkeeping. Playing WITH the keeper most academy defenders dont know how to utilize their keeper as a field player. IMO, you wanna make good players, teach them all the positions, including keeper (and I'm not talking about keeper instruction...because that doesn't involve defenders/teammates). If the defender and the keeper know what each other are supposed to do, they will make correct decisions more often. All too often goalkeeping is an afterthought at the academy level...usually resulting in losses to the team with the least experienced keeper. As a parent of a goalie, this strikes home with me. I'm going to be brutally honest here so forgive me if I offend. At younger ages, typically the goalie is a slower kid with not as much athletic ability as their teammates or coaches rotate field players in and out until something clicks. When a good goalie comes along or a player is discovered that has decent goalie skills, he or she is planted there, not so much as a seed, but more like a pylon. They are forgotten yet expected to perform at top notch. Little training is offered and it is hard for the defenders to trust them as the "11th player", understandably. This should be corrected as the goalie is literally the last line of defense. My goalie has had to play with multiple other unofficial teams (Sunday League, indoor, rec, etc..) just to get some grass time to keep up with his footskills as he hasn't been out of the goal in 4+ years with academy teams, regardless of the score. This started at U10 which is a shame. Talking to other goalie parents, this is pretty typical and not "development" in my books.
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Post by setpieces on May 24, 2018 22:15:58 GMT -5
Technical training on the ball and fitness (on the ball) - absolutely. Passing drills, 1v1, 2v2, 5v5 - for sure FINISHING DRILLS - this is the one area of play where the majority of young players that I've seen play need more instruction. In my limited experience, most players just kick the ball as hard as they can at the goal. If they do look up before kicking the ball, they look directly at the goalkeeper - and guess where the ball goes ... right at the goal keeper. At the very young ages (6-10 in your example), set pieces and corners are maybe a nice additional thing to work on occasionally, but technical skills with the ball, passing, defending, and shooting are essential. To clarify, I'm only proposing that corners and set plays become a routine at about U11 and above I'll revise my statement since headers are forbidden at these ages anyway. I do think set pieces and corners should be a part of practice in moderation. The players need to understand the tactical reasons for certain formations and movements during these game situations. Kids learn at a much faster rate and retain more new things at the younger ages. What to do in these situations should become second nature by the time the kids are U12 and mastered by U14.
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Post by Shesakeeper on May 25, 2018 9:06:50 GMT -5
I totally agree. My daughter is a rising U14 gk, and until she was U12, there was very little specialized training for her. Currently the club we are playing with has one night per week of goalkeeper training for U11 and up. They just committed to Southern Crescent and are now providing up to four nights per week training for the goalkeepers, you can pick which nights to attend and then practice with your team the normal nights. Most parents are choosing to send their goalkeepers to two sessions per week and then two sessions with the team. I was initially a bit taken aback by it, but after thinking it through I like the flexibility. I believe they are adding u10 into the mix as well, step in the right direction. Let's add to this...goalkeeping. Playing WITH the keeper most academy defenders dont know how to utilize their keeper as a field player. IMO, you wanna make good players, teach them all the positions, including keeper (and I'm not talking about keeper instruction...because that doesn't involve defenders/teammates). If the defender and the keeper know what each other are supposed to do, they will make correct decisions more often. All too often goalkeeping is an afterthought at the academy level...usually resulting in losses to the team with the least experienced keeper. As a parent of a goalie, this strikes home with me. I'm going to be brutally honest here so forgive me if I offend. At younger ages, typically the goalie is a slower kid with not as much athletic ability as their teammates or coaches rotate field players in and out until something clicks. When a good goalie comes along or a player is discovered that has decent goalie skills, he or she is planted there, not so much as a seed, but more like a pylon. They are forgotten yet expected to perform at top notch. Little training is offered and it is hard for the defenders to trust them as the "11th player", understandably. This should be corrected as the goalie is literally the last line of defense. My goalie has had to play with multiple other unofficial teams (Sunday League, indoor, rec, etc..) just to get some grass time to keep up with his footskills as he hasn't been out of the goal in 4+ years with academy teams, regardless of the score. This started at U10 which is a shame. Talking to other goalie parents, this is pretty typical and not "development" in my books.
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