From: weymouth@bandts.enet.dec.com (Don Weymouth)
Subject: Re: US Soccer News (help developing hi-level play in kids)
Reply-To: weymouth@bandts.enet.dec.com (Don Weymouth)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 14:19:55 GMT


In article <C0I60B.55v@ra.nrl.navy.mil>, skip@sloth.nrl.navy.mil (Skip Kovacs) writes:
|>Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
|>Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!news.crl.dec.com!deccrl!caen!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!ra!usenet
|>From: skip@sloth.nrl.navy.mil (Skip Kovacs)
|>Subject: Re: US Soccer News (help developing hi-level play in kids)
|>Message-ID: <C0I60B.55v@ra.nrl.navy.mil>
|>Sender: usenet@ra.nrl.navy.mil
|>Organization: Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC
|>References: <1993Jan5.175201.24194@sequent.com>
|>Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 16:21:46 EST
|>Lines: 44

|>I agree, with both the accessment of "sandlot" play in S.Am, and of U.S.  
|>coaches, (please don't say "American", there ARE alot of non-US Americans). My  
|>problem is how to develop the players.  Most US coaches don't know, and the  
|>USSF coaching courses, at least to the "D" level don't cover coaching strategic  
|>movement.  (At all!  The classes still are worrying completely about coaching  
|>3v3, 2v2, 1v1 and how to build better drills for these, purely tactical levels  
|>of play and movement).  I'm an assistant coach of a local U-13 select team of  
|>really smart, talented players, (3 have probably made the state ODP team, 3  
|>more could have if they'd tried out; half the team are in the local middle  
|>school "scholars" programs (top 1-2% of their academic class)...I could go on  
|>and on (proud dad & coach :-)).  

Well, the D License is quite different state to state. In Massachusetts, much
of the work is on strategic development of plays and building those little
games up to support those strategies. They could do a lot more, though.

|>Anyway, the kids are ready for more complex, strategic play.  They overlap and  
|>exchange at the drop of a hat, but it's all tactical (e.g., aimed at getting  
|>open for a pass), not strategic (e.g., moving to draw other players out of  
|>position so a teammate can break free down the opposite side).  How do you  
|>coach that?  I'm in the middle of the indoor season here (6v6 games) where  
|>numerous restarts provide opportunities for small sided restarts that can  
|>perhaps teach this, and I've developed some plays with this in mind.  But it  
|>really seems against the spirit of the game.  Or is that what you have to do?   
|>Let the kids see strategic movement work in the set pieces, and then develop  
|>the game related movement on their own once they get the concept from that?
|>

You might want to consider doing what my club (Bandits Soccer Club) in 
Massachusetts does. Once the team reaches a basic level of "awesome" in skill
and teamwork play, we hire a professional coach, usually someone from Europe
who went to college in the US and stayed, and have them work with the team.

I have a U-13 Boys team as well, and we used Ben Brewster, an ex-pro from
Boston Bolts and Baltimore Blast, three years ago. Last year we moved on to 
Geoff Anthony, who has his full FA Badge from England, and now we use Nick
Gates, who came here from England for college, and now runs a soccer store 
here.

The kids have learned advanced strategies from these pros, while getting
fast footwork skills, aggressive stress training, muscle toning and development,
and a lot of practice from yours truly.

Don

Internet:                           	Donald G. Weymouth           
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|>If this seems like a good new thread please keep your comments public.  Thanks.
|>
|>skip kovacs
|>
--
Internet:                           	Donald G. Weymouth           
WEYMOUTH@BUFFER.ENET.DEC.COM	    	Digital Equipment Corporation
					Law Enforcement & Justice Integration
						Services
					U.S. Services
Fax:                                	40 Old Bolton Road - OGO1-2/W11
(508)496-0308                      	Stow, MA 01775-1215
					(508)496-8735