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Post by oraclesfriend on Oct 15, 2020 21:03:17 GMT -5
While it probably won't help your son because I have girls at UFA Fowler we spent 30 minutes on average per practice on footwork at U9, U10, U11 for one kid. The other wasn't there until U12 and they spent 20 minutes or so per practice.
That being said my kids find it a bit boring by U11 because they have done a lot of that on their own and with their trainer. The trainer does a lot of footwork but they do combinations of it so it is less repetitive. They prefer to work on footwork 1v1 in practice (which the U11 coach does do for about 20 minutes once or twice per week).
I cannot tell you if the boys coaches do it much except to say that I do see them spend SOME time on it as I walk or run around Fowler. Personally for the little kids I think it is a great warm up.
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Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Oct 16, 2020 8:08:31 GMT -5
So, while I cant wait to move my 10 year old from his current abysmal academy, I am having him try out at different academies via training sessions. So far, I have noticed at these tryout sessions, the coaches do entire sessions on passing with a bunch sometimes over complicated passing excercises. I get it why they do it, yes its important, passing, possession, etc. Then I ask them how much footwork and technique drills they do......? and I hear the same thing: -We focus on possession and passing. -Work on it at "home". Well, I don't agree! It should be both passing and footwork/technique AT THE ACADEMY. (plus, yes, whatever the kid does at home). So, I want to know.... whom of you may have your kids where the coaches believe in footwork during training sessions, like at least 30 minutes at every training session? I cant tell yet if it varies by coach or academy philosophy? Thanks Interesting article: "In the best footballing cultures in the world, the cultures of development, the focus is first and foremost on technique, ball mastery and skill development. And that must be treated as core, not supplemental." www.developingthefuture.club/post/2016/06/13/its-time-to-overhaul-youth-soccer-clubsWhile I agree with you that they should work on this some each practice, the fact of the matter is that I've heard of no/few clubs that do this. They all say the same thing - "individual" skills that you reference are things you work on by yourself either at home or through private training. What I don't like about that is that there are some kids who will never have the desire to do those things at home unless it's emphasized as important at practice by the coach. If coaches would have these types of drills at practice, the girls who struggle with them will likely tend to work on them more at home, IMO. Kids who play club soccer are generally pretty competitive - the desire to beat their teammates or do something better than them will drive more kids to practice these things at home. And that brings me to another point - when coaches take this stance that practices are for team drills, not individual drills & footwork, it forces parents to push their kids to get outside and kick the ball around. Now, some kids just naturally love to get out and practice on their own. But let's be honest, they are rare. I don't want to be the pushy parent that makes their kid feel like they're not good enough by encouraging them to practice on their own. All we ever hear about is how often those types of parents lead to kids quitting sports. A good analogy is school/education - imagine a teacher never giving homework or encouraging kids to study at home. It's basically the same thing, IMO - coaches should be giving their players "assignments" - juggling, dribbling, shooting, sprinting, long runs, etc. |
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Post by oraclesfriend on Oct 16, 2020 8:33:13 GMT -5
So, while I cant wait to move my 10 year old from his current abysmal academy, I am having him try out at different academies via training sessions. So far, I have noticed at these tryout sessions, the coaches do entire sessions on passing with a bunch sometimes over complicated passing excercises. I get it why they do it, yes its important, passing, possession, etc. Then I ask them how much footwork and technique drills they do......? and I hear the same thing: -We focus on possession and passing. -Work on it at "home". Well, I don't agree! It should be both passing and footwork/technique AT THE ACADEMY. (plus, yes, whatever the kid does at home). So, I want to know.... whom of you may have your kids where the coaches believe in footwork during training sessions, like at least 30 minutes at every training session? I cant tell yet if it varies by coach or academy philosophy? Thanks Interesting article: "In the best footballing cultures in the world, the cultures of development, the focus is first and foremost on technique, ball mastery and skill development. And that must be treated as core, not supplemental." www.developingthefuture.club/post/2016/06/13/its-time-to-overhaul-youth-soccer-clubsWhile I agree with you that they should work on this some each practice, the fact of the matter is that I've heard of no/few clubs that do this. They all say the same thing - "individual" skills that you reference are things you work on by yourself either at home or through private training. What I don't like about that is that there are some kids who will never have the desire to do those things at home unless it's emphasized as important at practice by the coach. If coaches would have these types of drills at practice, the girls who struggle with them will likely tend to work on them more at home, IMO. Kids who play club soccer are generally pretty competitive - the desire to beat their teammates or do something better than them will drive more kids to practice these things at home. And that brings me to another point - when coaches take this stance that practices are for team drills, not individual drills & footwork, it forces parents to push their kids to get outside and kick the ball around. Now, some kids just naturally love to get out and practice on their own. But let's be honest, they are rare. I don't want to be the pushy parent that makes their kid feel like they're not good enough by encouraging them to practice on their own. All we ever hear about is how often those types of parents lead to kids quitting sports. A good analogy is school/education - imagine a teacher never giving homework or encouraging kids to study at home. It's basically the same thing, IMO - coaches should be giving their players "assignments" - juggling, dribbling, shooting, sprinting, long runs, etc. I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I also want to add to your comments about practicing at home or with a trainer. How about those kids that live in an apartment or with no yard or garage to work in? This is a hilly area of the country and many people don't have flat ground (if they even have ground). What about those kids whose parents can't afford a private trainer? We complain about pay to play and now this coaches are saying pay to do footwork??? Don't get me wrong. I agree that most of practice should be on team drills or at least game like scenarios, but 20-30 minutes out of 1.5 hours to work on individual skills is not bad. What I don't like to see with the under high school age kids is a lot of practice spent running. That is a waste of my money. |
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Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Oct 16, 2020 9:12:54 GMT -5
While I agree with you that they should work on this some each practice, the fact of the matter is that I've heard of no/few clubs that do this. They all say the same thing - "individual" skills that you reference are things you work on by yourself either at home or through private training. What I don't like about that is that there are some kids who will never have the desire to do those things at home unless it's emphasized as important at practice by the coach. If coaches would have these types of drills at practice, the girls who struggle with them will likely tend to work on them more at home, IMO. Kids who play club soccer are generally pretty competitive - the desire to beat their teammates or do something better than them will drive more kids to practice these things at home. And that brings me to another point - when coaches take this stance that practices are for team drills, not individual drills & footwork, it forces parents to push their kids to get outside and kick the ball around. Now, some kids just naturally love to get out and practice on their own. But let's be honest, they are rare. I don't want to be the pushy parent that makes their kid feel like they're not good enough by encouraging them to practice on their own. All we ever hear about is how often those types of parents lead to kids quitting sports. A good analogy is school/education - imagine a teacher never giving homework or encouraging kids to study at home. It's basically the same thing, IMO - coaches should be giving their players "assignments" - juggling, dribbling, shooting, sprinting, long runs, etc. I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I also want to add to your comments about practicing at home or with a trainer. How about those kids that live in an apartment or with no yard or garage to work in? This is a hilly area of the country and many people don't have flat ground (if they even have ground). What about those kids whose parents can't afford a private trainer? We complain about pay to play and now this coaches are saying pay to do footwork??? Don't get me wrong. I agree that most of practice should be on team drills or at least game like scenarios, but 20-30 minutes out of 1.5 hours to work on individual skills is not bad. What I don't like to see with the under high school age kids is a lot of practice spent running. That is a waste of my money. Agreed with you on the cost. We send our oldest to Toca a decent amount. But not everyone can afford that or afford private trainers. So soccer has become more and more of a sport for the "elite" in the U.S. That's not exactly a formula for success on the world stage, IMO. |
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Post by soccerparentx on Oct 16, 2020 11:31:35 GMT -5
You probably won't get what you want out of a single training session. It may be that what you are looking for and what the coach is looking for in that training session may be very different.
Our coach seems to plan his sessions for the week. For example, a session on a Monday may include a heavy dose of 1v1, 2v1, 3v2 with ball mastery. While a Wednesday may be focused on shape, passing, and movement off of the ball.
Outside of that, we also get links from the coach with ball mastery drills (7mlc on YouTube for example) from the Coach in the event practice is canceled or the players have an extended layoff period. So at least we know that it's an expectation.. getting the kid to actually do it -- different story.
There is a point where the coach is teaching his system and already expects the player to have fundamental skills and proper technique. I would expect that at the younger ages, the focus should be more on the fundamentals than a system. But I've observed that once you get into U11 / U12 -- you start to see a separation in in skills and talent-- so the coach may have a luxury of teaching the kids how to play a system because they have the skills required to execute it. (Crazy how early that is).
A good coach will either develop a system around the skills that he has on his team or he will recruit in kids that already have that skillset to fill in any gaps. A great coach does both.
I do agree with you that footwork and ball mastery is important -- no matter what the age. But it's extremely important to learn it proper at an early age. All the coach can do is introduce it, demonstrate it correctly, and create an environment that underlines how important it is. But ultimately, it's up to the player to run with it and be motivated enough to master their craft.
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Post by futdad on Oct 16, 2020 11:32:00 GMT -5
Good to hear others agree. Yes, its much easier for kids to do drills at practice than Dad pushing at home. DunwoodySoccerDad - what do they do at Toca? I considered it but $75 per hour.......and no packages for a lower rate. |
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Post by ball2futbol on Oct 16, 2020 11:48:04 GMT -5
In my experience there are definitely clubs that emphasize footwork at practice, it's been hit or miss within those clubs on the amount of time dedicated to those areas of the game by individual coaches. But it is clearly part of the development set forth by the DOC. No need to name them, these are the same clubs that seem to land towards the top of the standings in multiple age groups. I've also learned, what clubs emphasize during off-season camps will help you evaluate areas of emphasis. If the camp spends half the practice taking shots on goal, you've picked the wrong camp.
I agree with the earlier post. Once you're in season, if "take a lap" is a frequent statement uttered by the coach it's a waist of the kids time and your resources.
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Post by futdad on Oct 16, 2020 12:16:41 GMT -5
@ball2futbol. Can you name the clubs that are emphasizing footwork? That is what I am trying to find out.  |
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Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Oct 16, 2020 12:56:00 GMT -5
Good to hear others agree. Yes, its much easier for kids to do drills at practice than Dad pushing at home. DunwoodySoccerDad - what do they do at Toca? I considered it but $75 per hour.......and no packages for a lower rate. Toca's main concept is to help soccer players with the all-important "first touch". They do that with these ball machines: tocafootball-com.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trainer-isolated.pngA Toca trainer guides the player through a series of drills using the ball machine. We heard good things about Toca about a year ago and our daughter was really struggling at U13. We started going to Toca once a week and, after several sessions, noticed she had improved a lot. It helps them from a mental standpoint too - as they master that first touch, they grow more confident in their abilities and it really shows up in the games & practices. Yes, $75 is expensive. They do give you your first session free (or at least they used to). And you do have the option to do a dual session with another player if your kid has a friend that's interested. Believe they just split the fee in half. I would recommend it if you can swing it for about 2 months going once per week. That seems to be the common timeframe I've heard from folks about how long it takes to notice results. They work on a variety of footwork & first touch skills, it's not just them spitting out a million balls in one hour. They put the players into a variety of situations. And trainers will sometimes get some small-sided pickup games (2v2, 3v3, etc.) with trainers vs. kids at the end of sessions if they have the time. My daughter loves these. |
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Post by DunwoodySoccerDad on Oct 16, 2020 13:01:08 GMT -5
One more thing - the balls at Toca are smaller, I think a size 3 or maybe a 2? I can't remember, maybe someone else can set me straight. Helps with footwork.
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Post by ball2futbol on Oct 16, 2020 15:01:40 GMT -5
@ball2futbol. Can you name the clubs that are emphasizing footwork? That is what I am trying to find out. I'm a #girldad and know very little about club training styles on the boys side. Most of what I know about the boys side, which is very little, has come from this forum. In general, I'd recommend scouting out practices at central club locations then signing him up for winter camps which are generally open registration. Toca is a very good option especially around your sons age to get the repetitive touches on the ball. I think kids do age out of the setting and instruction as it is somewhat limited. Last few times we've gone my kid (U10) spent the last :30min doing a half hearted scrimmage against the coach, which can be "fun" but not what you're investing your time or money for IMO. |
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Post by oraclesfriend on Oct 16, 2020 17:07:03 GMT -5
I agree a bit on the aging out at Toca though I would say older. The trainers can challenge them with more than first touch and in a semi private you can have that machine spit out balls fast while you are making the players dribble, pass and shoot and keep it challenging. That being said my older kid has lost interest in Toca. She is more interested in working outside with long balls sent to her and sending long passes and shooting from well outside the 18. Working on accuracy on the ground and in the air over distances of 35 yards plus. It is very helpful for the academy age one though.
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Post by Shesakeeper on Oct 16, 2020 18:05:49 GMT -5
I like Toca a lot for my U10, his footwork and touch have improved drastically. He has a great coach there, he encourages me to send him video clips so he can target things he can work on, and he is so good with him, he is strict enough that my kid won't take advantage but still fun too. I was concerned that it would be limited at first as far as the types of drills but I've been happy with the variety. $75 is tough on an ongoing basis, but now that you can do sessions with 2 players, we bring a team mate every other time, and split the cost. They have a blast, and it's given them some good skills to bring back to the team. My u16 daughter is a keeper so she did some sessions to focus on her kicking and general ball skills but I don't think she needed it like my academy kid did. Overall we are very happy with it.
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Post by Keeper on Oct 16, 2020 19:43:34 GMT -5
So, while I cant wait to move my 10 year old from his current abysmal academy, I am having him try out at different academies via training sessions. So far, I have noticed at these tryout sessions, the coaches do entire sessions on passing with a bunch sometimes over complicated passing excercises. I get it why they do it, yes its important, passing, possession, etc. Then I ask them how much footwork and technique drills they do......? and I hear the same thing: -We focus on possession and passing. -Work on it at "home". Well, I don't agree! It should be both passing and footwork/technique AT THE ACADEMY. (plus, yes, whatever the kid does at home). So, I want to know.... whom of you may have your kids where the coaches believe in footwork during training sessions, like at least 30 minutes at every training session? I cant tell yet if it varies by coach or academy philosophy? Thanks Interesting article: "In the best footballing cultures in the world, the cultures of development, the focus is first and foremost on technique, ball mastery and skill development. And that must be treated as core, not supplemental." www.developingthefuture.club/post/2016/06/13/its-time-to-overhaul-youth-soccer-clubsTotally get what you’re saying but you’re in the small minority. By U11/U12 it’s win now, and win often so the switch from technical to tactical is needed to keep that other 80% of parents happy. Wins matter at the upper level teams by U11 and certain parents will just pay extra for their kid to get the specialized training like footwork. Goes back to the rush to get to 11v11 and the big field, while in reality we should stay 7v7 and 9v9 until Hs age / U15 to keep the focus on footwork. |
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Post by bogan on Oct 16, 2020 19:55:55 GMT -5
“Totally get what you’re saying but you’re in the small minority. By U11/U12 it’s win now, and win often so the switch from technical to tactical is needed to keep that other 80% of parents happy. Wins matter at the upper level teams by U11 and certain parents will just pay extra for their kid to get the specialized training like footwork. Goes back to the rush to get to 11v11 and the big field, while in reality we should stay 7v7 and 9v9 until Hs age / U15 to keep the focus on footwork.”
Agree with the rush to 11v11-kids need more touches.
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Post by oraclesfriend on Oct 16, 2020 21:06:58 GMT -5
“Totally get what you’re saying but you’re in the small minority. By U11/U12 it’s win now, and win often so the switch from technical to tactical is needed to keep that other 80% of parents happy. Wins matter at the upper level teams by U11 and certain parents will just pay extra for their kid to get the specialized training like footwork. Goes back to the rush to get to 11v11 and the big field, while in reality we should stay 7v7 and 9v9 until Hs age / U15 to keep the focus on footwork.” Agree with the rush to 11v11-kids need more touches. Totally agree! However the whole win, win, win mentality means they just take shots from midfield to score by U12 so they don't work on footwork anyway. Now if you could reverse the build out line for U13 and up on a small field and say they had to be closer to the goal than that line to have their goal count then I think yoh would see footwork be the king instead of long shots...just a thought |
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Post by total90 on Oct 16, 2020 21:41:19 GMT -5
I disagree. The game is not made up of technical parts. A lot of parents and coaches still think that way but luckily a lot of good coaches have gone away from that. Not saying that there isn’t a place for it, but I think the culture is the problem for not having that. Playing pick up outside will develop this technical side to players all day long. I’ve taken my kid to play pick up in different neighborhoods where they play every day all day in any open area. Heck we found a good one that converted their tennis court to a Futsal court. 30 kids come out and play pick up. The best technical training you’ll get is by playing futsal in my opinion And that root comes from “street soccer”.
Yes private training is great if you can afford it, but there is nothing like a pick up game. The culture you put your kid in is what needs to change. I’ve seen some very technical kids that can juggle for days, do every move they’ve learned from dribbling to cones, but lack their own creativity and the application of when to execute with precision in the moments that the games demand quick solutions.
It’s not the parents fault for thinking this way, a lot of it comes from other American sports and perhaps a wrong perspective of the game. The game is multi dimensional and requires a high level of solution minded thinkers that can execute a pass, shot, or dribble in real time with real opponents. So when we have a team show up, it’s absolutely important to take advantage and train the thinking and not waste 30 min on brainless ball mastery.
And not all coaches that don’t do ball mastery are good either, there are good and bad everywhere. I encourage parents to dig deeper
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Post by soccerfan30 on Oct 16, 2020 22:41:57 GMT -5
@ball2futbol. Can you name the clubs that are emphasizing footwork? That is what I am trying to find out. NTH- especially the ones at Buckhead under Ted |
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Post by oraclesfriend on Oct 17, 2020 5:15:02 GMT -5
I disagree. The game is not made up of technical parts. A lot of parents and coaches still think that way but luckily a lot of good coaches have gone away from that. Not saying that there isn’t a place for it, but I think the culture is the problem for not having that. Playing pick up outside will develop this technical side to players all day long. I’ve taken my kid to play pick up in different neighborhoods where they play every day all day in any open area. Heck we found a good one that converted their tennis court to a Futsal court. 30 kids come out and play pick up. The best technical training you’ll get is by playing futsal in my opinion And that root comes from “street soccer”. Yes private training is great if you can afford it, but there is nothing like a pick up game. The culture you put your kid in is what needs to change. I’ve seen some very technical kids that can juggle for days, do every move they’ve learned from dribbling to cones, but lack their own creativity and the application of when to execute with precision in the moments that the games demand quick solutions. It’s not the parents fault for thinking this way, a lot of it comes from other American sports and perhaps a wrong perspective of the game. The game is multi dimensional and requires a high level of solution minded thinkers that can execute a pass, shot, or dribble in real time with real opponents. So when we have a team show up, it’s absolutely important to take advantage and train the thinking and not waste 30 min on brainless ball mastery. And not all coaches that don’t do ball mastery are good either, there are good and bad everywhere. I encourage parents to dig deeper No doubt pick up is great. I think the skills need to be present for them to be used in pick up though. They don't tend to learn them there unless they do it all the time and are willing to try things others do. One place you are 100% correct on is that you can be great against cones but not against players. The application of skill can only be learned playing with people. That is why I like coaches that make them do 1v1 and 2v2 in practice. Some kids don't really learn from pick up either. My kids are too concerned about the "team" wherever they play and won't be selfish enough in pick up to train their footwork. They will figure out who is the best player there and send the ball to that person or stand by the goal to poach and score. Pick up is fun but my kids don't get better there because they will still make the safe play. It is all about mentality. |
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Post by futdad on Oct 17, 2020 14:33:11 GMT -5
Pick up helps but wont teach technique/muscle memory.
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Post by justwatching on Oct 19, 2020 7:57:43 GMT -5
Pickup is great...a club that focuses on technical ball mastery is great and better than those that don't spend time on it every session...having both incorporated into a player's routine is even better.
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Post by mistergrinch on Oct 19, 2020 8:19:25 GMT -5
I was told by a DOC many years ago 'we expect them to do technical work on their own'. However, nobody ever told the parents that. No coach ever told parents 'hey.. your kid should be doing this at home or with a trainer'.. they had to figure it out when the kids fell behind.
Honestly - the biggest thing is having a coach who encourages you to USE those skills even if it means losing the ball 100 times. Go out and make the mistakes without consequences.
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Post by total90 on Oct 19, 2020 9:33:00 GMT -5
I agree to some extent. I think at the really young ages it definitely matters more. U11 and up I personally believe it should be done outside of a team training. Having a good touch and being able to touch the ball with all parts of the foot depending on what is needed is important. That can be taught without doing ball mastery. Not that most kids will even pull them out regardless of how much they have done them in an isolated setting. 1v1, 2v2’s are definitely great. Ball mastery may have its place but not in a team training. Now a days a coach will teach a kid how to do the Cruyff turn but how did Cruyff learn it? He had never practiced it, it happened because he needed a solution in that second and only had the foot available to touch the ball to get away. Not the case all the time but I think most kids won’t do a “skill” in games regardless. Kids need to learn to be solution minded and you only teach that by being put in situations that the game demands.
I think pick up is good when the environment is good. Going a couple times doesn’t do the trick. It’s a good topic for sure
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Post by justwatching on Oct 19, 2020 10:45:36 GMT -5
And I also agree with you to some extent but even those players in say basketball, because in the states that is what we can compare most directly in my opinion to pickup/street soccer in other countries. Those kids that developed from "just playing in the parks" also spend a lot of time by themselves working on crossovers, behind the back moves, between the legs, jump shots, fade aways, etc. This is all done outside of any pickup games and is the equivalent to "ball mastery" drills to me which is why when they need to problem solve it is in their repertoire. They don't just play pickup and all of a sudden become good at those skills. I also somewhat agree with the emphasis of "ball mastery" to be put at the younger ages but even the older ones need it as well. Those that continue working on it in training are noticeable. They are typically much more composed on the ball with and without pressure. Some of the ball mastery stuff executed in games may not be used exactly as the skill is drawn up but because the player has the "ball mastery" they can combine those skills and create their own combinations in real world situations without thinking about it. This is where pickup and 1v1s and 2v2s helps to make all the theoretical moves in space and on cones real and useful. It is the practical application of those skills that sets them up for success. One without the other is ok but you need a level of both (skill development and free play) to be beyond OK in my opinion. That goes for pretty much all sports not just soccer.
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Post by BubbleDad on Oct 23, 2020 8:38:21 GMT -5
Daughter had one year of academy at NTH where I felt pleased with the practices. Went to Select Athena B team where NO TECHNICAL was worked on. I was PISSED b/c I knew of other coaches that did. Found a teenager who could help my daughter for $25 per hour coupled with 30 min sessions at Toca on top of holding her phone until she did her soccer drills for the day and now she's in the last stages of trying out for ODP.
When they are young/academy ... have an affordable teen that plays on a good level to help them improve individually and make sure they practice at home. You never know what Coach you'll get and what they like to focus on ... the story of my daughter's select career.
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Post by onekickpop on Oct 23, 2020 14:45:05 GMT -5
Some good comments above. Just want to reiterate the use of 7MLC, Progressive Soccer, Beast Mode, etc. great supplements to individual training. Add to this a rebound wall, cones and a ladder. More and more of these coaches are teaching team dynamics more than individual skill, and I don’t feel that everyone seeking 1:1 training or TOCA type training is always ideal.
From soccer to basketball, to hockey, to BMX, to parkour type activities, to skateboarding I think the best way to hone your skills is repetition and imitation. Watch EPL or Bundesliga, study players in your position and put the work in out in your yard or down at the fields. I see 10 year olds out at various parks with people like Kevin Kratz and Mikey Ambrose at 8am on Sundays and Saturday afternoons working thru drills so there are options at every level.
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Post by bogan on Oct 23, 2020 15:00:06 GMT -5
Some good comments above. Just want to reiterate the use of 7MLC, Progressive Soccer, Beast Mode, etc. great supplements to individual training. Add to this a rebound wall, cones and a ladder. More and more of these coaches are teaching team dynamics more than individual skill, and I don’t feel that everyone seeking 1:1 training or TOCA type training is always ideal. From soccer to basketball, to hockey, to BMX, to parkour type activities, to skateboarding I think the best way to hone your skills is repetition and imitation. Watch EPL or Bundesliga, study players in your position and put the work in out in your yard or down at the fields. I see 10 year olds out at various parks with people like Kevin Kratz and Mikey Ambrose at 8am on Sundays and Saturday afternoons working thru drills so there are options at every level. Kevin makes me feel tall.😬 |
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Post by BubbleDad on Oct 24, 2020 6:03:40 GMT -5
on the girls side at NTH ... the higher up teams have technical drills incorporated in their warm ups. Unfortunately that gets lost the lower you go.
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Post by soccerfan30 on Oct 24, 2020 15:40:36 GMT -5
on the girls side at NTH ... the higher up teams have technical drills incorporated in their warm ups. Unfortunately that gets lost the lower you go. Not true at all, depends on the coach at NTH |
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Post by dadofthree on Oct 25, 2020 8:02:50 GMT -5
This is a great topic. I have been told by several coaches who are well respected throughout Atlanta that if you dont have the technical basics down by u12 or u13 then the player will be technically behind the rest of their soccer career (this doesnt mean they still cant be great, just that from a footskills side they will be behind). The reason being is this is when their inital motor skills are forming and you want this to be just part of how they play. We were fortunate that our daughter who is a U19 now loved doing all the coever drills early on and consiquently her technical side is on the better side of almost anyone she goes up against. Seeing her against others the stepovers, rollover, cryffs, all just look natural and not rehersed or stiff giving them even more impact on the 1v1s. As for Toca one poster mentioned they didnt feel it was as good for older kids. Our u19 does it and so do a number of college girls. What they do is change both the speed and how quick the balls spit out and whether it is high, low or medium height making it that you have to do your touches quicker and more exact in shorter time frames. She has been doing it for about a year since she was introduced to it and I believe it helps with the first touches espically those that are theigh high and chest high which alot of times are forgotten in practice. She says that because the ball is smaller and is actually alot lighter it bounces off the foot more which make it if she doesnt do her techniques just right it bounces away.
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