From the Evansville Courier Press, May 16, 2010
We're in the height of spring and summer youth soccer. Between Indiana State Cup championship preliminary matches, tournaments, and league games in travel and rec leagues, it is hard to drive by a park and not see a little league soccer game going on.
Here's what I've observed watching players, coaches and parents:
— The lost art of the cross: With flank play so important, I have been surprised at the lack of quality of crosses and wide service at the youth level. Be it at the little league level or high school aged players, coaches need to stress that players pick out a target when they attempt to pass the ball into the box from wide spaces. Whether it be passed on the ground or crossing through the air, players can't be allowed to just kick the ball into the box (or out of bounds) without method.
— Feedback from coaches during the game: It's surprising how distracting coaches are to their own players. Any feedback during the game that prompts a player to turn away from either the ball or field of play is more of a hindrance than help. Keep your feedback to 5 seconds or less, and don't distract your players during the run of play.
— Feedback from coaches at halftime: It is one thing to list what items went wrong during the first half, but the art of coaching is identifying the problem and offering a solution.
— Distracting parents: While parents sometimes take their own child's performance personally, this is less about a parent's own ego and more about their child's enjoyment. Any parent who thinks their child needs them to shout instructions during the game is kidding themselves. Leave the coaching to the person on the bench, and don't distract your child while they are playing. I was surprised how many times I heard a parent shout the wrong instructions at their child.
— Critical parents: I was amazed at how much criticism I heard parents direct at their own child, teammates or coach. All that does is make everyone around you uncomfortable, starting with your own child. The reality is that you are watching little league soccer, and spectators need to have realistic expectations. Little league soccer is not high school soccer; high school soccer is not college soccer; college soccer is not professional soccer. Find out what your child's coach expects and that should give you a realistic idea of how they are performing. In most cases, the critical parent has never played the game themselves, and don't understand the real demands. The parent who yells at their child for not running fast or hard enough probably couldn't complete that act themselves.
—Expectations from coaches: I was surprised at how infrequently coaches were encouraging players to keep possession of the ball. One of the hardest things to teach is how to share the ball. I always try to stress to young players that you should never just kick the ball without method — if you have the ball at your feet, you should either be dribbling, passing or shooting. Coaches need to be more conscious of teaching players to value keeping possession. If you don't expect and demand these items, players won't place value on it themselves.
It's a great time of year for youth soccer that can be enhanced by players, coaches and parents who understand their roles
Here's what I've observed watching players, coaches and parents:
— The lost art of the cross: With flank play so important, I have been surprised at the lack of quality of crosses and wide service at the youth level. Be it at the little league level or high school aged players, coaches need to stress that players pick out a target when they attempt to pass the ball into the box from wide spaces. Whether it be passed on the ground or crossing through the air, players can't be allowed to just kick the ball into the box (or out of bounds) without method.
— Feedback from coaches during the game: It's surprising how distracting coaches are to their own players. Any feedback during the game that prompts a player to turn away from either the ball or field of play is more of a hindrance than help. Keep your feedback to 5 seconds or less, and don't distract your players during the run of play.
— Feedback from coaches at halftime: It is one thing to list what items went wrong during the first half, but the art of coaching is identifying the problem and offering a solution.
— Distracting parents: While parents sometimes take their own child's performance personally, this is less about a parent's own ego and more about their child's enjoyment. Any parent who thinks their child needs them to shout instructions during the game is kidding themselves. Leave the coaching to the person on the bench, and don't distract your child while they are playing. I was surprised how many times I heard a parent shout the wrong instructions at their child.
— Critical parents: I was amazed at how much criticism I heard parents direct at their own child, teammates or coach. All that does is make everyone around you uncomfortable, starting with your own child. The reality is that you are watching little league soccer, and spectators need to have realistic expectations. Little league soccer is not high school soccer; high school soccer is not college soccer; college soccer is not professional soccer. Find out what your child's coach expects and that should give you a realistic idea of how they are performing. In most cases, the critical parent has never played the game themselves, and don't understand the real demands. The parent who yells at their child for not running fast or hard enough probably couldn't complete that act themselves.
—Expectations from coaches: I was surprised at how infrequently coaches were encouraging players to keep possession of the ball. One of the hardest things to teach is how to share the ball. I always try to stress to young players that you should never just kick the ball without method — if you have the ball at your feet, you should either be dribbling, passing or shooting. Coaches need to be more conscious of teaching players to value keeping possession. If you don't expect and demand these items, players won't place value on it themselves.
It's a great time of year for youth soccer that can be enhanced by players, coaches and parents who understand their roles
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