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Meeting young people’s needs through football (soccer)

by Horst Wein

1. THE NEED FOR SECURITY
During training children need a familiar and intimate atmosphere which gives them security and confidence. It’s not recommended to change either the training site or the coach/educator frequently. Returning to games which they already know (but presenting variations) is welcomed by children so long as the contents of the training sessions link with something that they already know. Children demand stable relations like in their family. Besides, the coaching should take place in a safe environment (for instance on playing fields without stones or holes), applying specific rules which assure safety and avoiding any dangerous situations.

2. THE NEED TO GAIN NEW EXPERIENCES
Nothing can be understood completely if it isn’t experienced. Instead of telling children, the teacher should allow them to experiment with the task. Children need to discover on their own everything which surrounds them. This applies also to the world of sports and for soccer in particular. Instead of being instructed, children should get stimulated with simplified games and multilateral activities which are within their physical and mental capacities. Taught this way, children will develop their intelligence step by step through discovering.

3. THE NEED FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO BE RECOGNISED BY OTHERS
Children get highly motivated when they are praised for heir efforts to master a skill or a problem. Through praise they are encouraged to try even harder. For the under 12 years old children, the teacher, coach or parent is like a mirror in which they see their capacity or incapacity. That is why educators and parents have to learn to be positive, praise the children frequently and keep critical comments to a minimum.

4. THE NEED TO SHOW RESPONSIBILITY
Children prefer to do things on their own without depending too much on the adults. They like to reach as quickly as possible independence. The coaching methods and the behaviour of the educator should consider this need, making sure that the children find frequently on their own the solutions to the problems which they present. The educator only should interfere when the problems can’t be solved by the pupils.
Putting down or collecting cones, modifying the rules of a practise game or choosing players for demonstrations or certain tasks should become also a task of the children. Their need to demonstrate responsibility can be stimulated by allowing children to choose freely for 10 minutes what to practise, how to do it, where and with whom to execute a determined skill or game.

5. THE NEED TO PLAY
Playing games is as vital for children as sleep: necessary for the health of their body and their mind. As children learn by playing, the central part of each training session is the practise and understanding of a simplified game. The art of coaching is to always adapt it to the children’s ability and capacity level and not vice-versa. Playing games, communicating with others and decision making are stimulating. Playing without thinking is like shooting without aiming.

6. THE NEED TO SOCIALIZE WITH OTHERS
Instinctively children look for communication with others. The older they are, the more they need company of a similar age. They love to be associated to a group and to identify themselves with a group or team with the aim to achieve common objectives.

7. THE NEED TO MOVE
Nature wants the child to be active. He is no patience to wait in queues until his turn arrives. Standing isn’t child-like. Rules of the adult games have to be modified to allow the children to play the ball more often. Games with few players assure active participation.

8. THE NEED TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT
Generally speaking, neither the past nor the future interests the children very much. Their sense of time is completely different to that of the adults. A child lives the present moment with intensity without worrying about tomorrow or yesterday.

9. THE NEED FOR VARIETY
More variety, less boredom and fatigue. Without varying the method of presentation and the contents of soccer coaching sessions, the attention of the children usually wanders. It’s also necessary to vary the intensity of the exercises and games. Variation can also be assured through mixing the specific with the general or multilateral preparation, through switching from the global to the analytic method or from individualised training to group practise.

10. THE NEED TO BE UNDERSTOOD BY ADULTS
Children seem to live in a different world to adults. They have different problems to adults, learn in a different way and don’t think as logically as adults do. Their ideas, thoughts or reasoning are lacking coherence. Their emotional constancy depends in a high degree on their speed of biological growth. Generally they don’t know to manage their energy and therefore get tired very easily. They behave in the way they feel.

For all these reasons, adults who live and work with children, should be well-prepared in order to be able to stimulate and guide them well in their search for personality and identity.

Horst Wein has worked for many top clubs such as Real Sociedad, Leeds Utd, Sunderland, Inter Milan and is currently at the Centre of Research and Development of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He has also written numerous books on soccer, offers regular coaching courses and recently ran a session for the English Football Association.

Make your child a winner!

by Gary Williamson, NTSSA State Coach, reproduced by permission of the North Texas Soccer Organisation

I often hear the comment “Oh well it’s just a game!”

I wonder?

Playing on a soccer team can be an important experience in your child’s life. Participation can help your child physically and personally. However, placing your child on a soccer team does not guarantee a beneficial experience.

As a parent you can help your child have a positive experience in playing soccer.

The type of support you give your child can make soccer fun and rewarding or the cause of anxiety and stress. You can motivate your child and help to develop a healthy, positive self-image.

Here are some suggestions:

Children play soccer to have fun.

They also play to learn and improve their skills, to enjoy exciting times, to be with friends, and to stay in shape. In order to maintain or improve your child’s motivation for playing soccer, find out why they like to participate and support their reasons for playing.

Success in Soccer is more than just winning.

Young children equate winning with success and losing with failure. If children win a game, they feel good or worthy. If they lose they feel incompetent or unworthy. This attitude toward winning can be discouraging to children, unless they are always winning. One of your most important roles, therefore, is to help your child keep winning in proper perspective. Try to redefine success in terms of the actual performance or how well your child and the team played. Focussing on the performance rather than the outcome helps keep the game in perspective.

Your child may also need guidance in how to deal with success. I n winning, two things can happen. Long run success may come to easily that the competitive game loses its challenge. Your child may become complacent and/or arrogant. Conversely the pressure to win may result in a lack of motivation if your child dreads playing in fear of failure. Your child may not be able to perform well and may want to quit. Give encouragement and positive support if this is the case. It is important that you assist your child in understanding their contribution to the team’s overall performance

Winning is fun

Your child needs to know that striving to win is important. Being successful in soccer also means making improvements and striving to do one’s best. You can help develop this winning attitude in your child by encouraging maximum effort during practices and games, rewarding their improvements in mastering skills, and supporting your child to try their best. The will to win is important but the will to prepare to win is of greater value.

Losing is inevitable if your child plays soccer.

Your child must learn to accept themselves after a loss, this is an important part of participation in the game. Instead of finding excuses it is important for your child to understand the reasons why the team lost. Such reasons may include superior competition, too many mistakes, poor preparation to compete at this level, or maybe the players have a poor attitude. Whatever the reasons your child needs to regroup. Focus on better preparation physically and mentally for training and the next game so he/she can do better next time. This is a valuable lesson.

Realistic goals will help your child.

Compare current performances with past performances to determine whether your child has been successful. Your child must experience success at a level that demands his/her best effort. When your child’s skill level improves they realize that effort equals success, and will feel a sense of accomplishment.

Encourage skill improvements, good plays, and good behaviour.

Remember to praise effort—not just good performance—this will motivate your child to try hard. The best way to encourage is by praising or with physical response: a pat on the back, thumbs up, or smile. Try to avoid giving money or other material rewards, which may turn play into work and have a negative effect.

Mistakes are part of learning the game of soccer

Your child will make plenty of them. When your child makes a mistake, they know. They do not need reminding by you. That’s when they need your encouragement: “Great try!” “Good run!” “You’ll get it next time!” “Super game!”. You cannot play the game for your child. Let them make decisions and learn through trial and error. Be patient and assist. If your child displays continual frustration, you can help by giving ideas, or practicing with your child on his/her skills to correct mistakes.

Avoid criticizing and punishing your child for mistakes

If you do your child may fear failure. In turn this could lead to stress and worry about not performing well and to dread the possible disapproval of parents, coaches, and teammates. Never be negative to someone else’s child. It hurts the child and parents. It also creates unwanted tension. Negative criticism hinders rather than improves performance for the individual and the team.

Fulfil your responsibility

As the number and variety of soccer teams flourish, it becomes increasingly necessary for you to investigate the suitability of the different programs for your child. You have the right and responsibility to ask questions before allowing your child to participate on a soccer team. Seek to find a compatible match between the philosophy of the program and the reason why your child wants to participate in soccer.

Words of caution

Identifying with your child is perfectly natural

You want your child to be successful. Be careful not to live out your own dreams through your child. Seeing a child’s performance in sports as a reflection of one’s self-worth and success can result in parents setting unrealistically high goals for their child. This can place pressure to perform beyond their capability, a major cause for stress in soccer for children.

Be a good role model

Be mindful of your behaviour at games. You expect your son or daughter to show good sportsmanship and self-control. As the parent you need to exhibit appropriate behaviour yourself, no matter how frustrating it may be to see a poor call or bad play.

Let the coach….COACH

During games and practices, leave the coaching to the coach. It confuses players when they receive instructions from more than one source. Your child has the ball, their mind is racing, here comes a defender or two, a split second decision is necessary. Then suddenly from the sidelines: “Shoot!”, “Pass!”, “Cross!”, “Kick it!”

“Hustle!”. Confused your child hesitates and is stripped of the ball. Then we hear from the sidelines: “Why didn’t you shoot?”. Children go out on the field to do their best, and they expect their parents to do the same.

Many of the adult leaders are unpaid volunteers. As a parent, you should be realistic in your expectations. However, the adult leaders that your child is associated with should possess some basic characteristics, which are favourable to the development of young people. Adults you would like to see your child imitate.

Failure

Avoid punishing your child when their team loses. If you do, losses are viewed as personal failures, a blow to their self worth. Teach your child how to cope with failure. Help your child to understand that no one does everything well. Show your child that failure presents a challenge and provides an opportunity to learn. Allow your child “space” to do things alone. This may require more patience on your part, but it will pay off in the long run. Respect your child’s feelings and thoughts.

Realistic expectations

You must be sensitive to your growing child as they develop physically, mentally and socially. You must realize that your child is not a miniature adult, and they have a right to play in an environment that is developmentally appropriate to their age and ability.

It’s Just A Game!

There is no guarantee that soccer can instil self-discipline or build character. There are plenty of good lessons mixed with soccer instruction and participation. Experiencing “the game” is of greater value than cheap trophies. Success comes from self-discipline, perseverance, paying the price, and playing within the rules. Adversity builds resilience. Teamwork brings rewards. Unique individual talents and achievements are also highly valued. As a parent I hope you are teaching your child more than just the ability to run faster or kick the ball harder or winning the game at all costs.

Playing the game of soccer is fun, but there are times when we must ask, at what cost? Do you want to win so badly that your family turns out to be the losers? If recreational soccer adds to the stress it should relieve because you focus on the score, the game has become more important than the children who play it.

For example, when the youth coach defeated their arch rivals at the local league game, it cost them one red card and five yellows. Moreover, one player was “taken-out” (injured for the season), and three players will miss the next game through injury. All this in addition to the referee’s report of unsporting behaviour and verbal abuse by players and adults who constantly berated the opposition and officials during the game.

After the game one of the parents congratulated the coach on his victory, and the coach replied, “Another such victory, and we are ruined.”

Levels of competence

How to recognise the level players are performing at and use that information to guide their development

“It’s not a question of expecting more. It’s more a question of “can he do it?” We give him a chance and either he takes it or he doesn’t. It’s in his hands.”
Johan Cruyff

“Where do we go from here?”

Every soccer team, player, coach and parent has to deal with this question sooner or later. At the heart of it is the question “what level is best?” Unfortunately, the concept of levels is usually introduced to those least prepared to deal with them.

Levels can be overt, such as a division structure for an age group or a travel player vs. a house player. Or they can be covert, a first division team in one league won’t be at the same level as a first division team from a different league and two coaches in the same division can be at different levels. But whether it is as obvious as a label or as subtle as an opinion, levels are one of the biggest problems facing coaches, children and their parents in youth soccer.

When children and their parents are first exposed to soccer, (assuming around 4 or 5 year old level) most leagues are formed on democratic principles where every child gets equal playing time and results mean nothing. This is to promote the game, encourage the children and their parents and to help find future coaches. It isn’t long before levels become apparent. Some of the children simply have better motor skills or are keener on playing the game. Others have less athletic ability or interest. The levels are subjective, based on observations of the children’s play and what is for them, the norm. The concept of levels is born.

The next stage is the “competitive results” stage. The children are now (around 6 or 7 year old level) competing in a structure where scores and standings are kept. Here an objective quality enters the picture. The level can now be quantified. But winning can be confused with mastery. Possession of a trophy can hide the inadequacies that the children and coaches have while a team that finishes in the middle of the pack can be closer to mastering a much higher level of play. Suddenly, everyone is in an environment where the success of the group is directly related to the success of the individual. One child in one moment can decide the fate of the entire team. The coach can be a “bonehead” for playing a certain child in the goal. A child can be labelled “talentless” because he isn’t successful in 1v1. On the other hand coaches can be carried to fame and adulation on the shoulders of their charges and a six year old becomes a “soccer prodigy, the future saviour of the game.” The addition of the objective criteria, winning and losing, at this stage can lead to incorrect evaluations of talent. This is especially true when the evaluators, parents and coaches, do not have much experience with the current and future possibilities for the children. “They win so they must be good” or “they lose so they must be bad” isn’t necessarily valid at this stage.

This brings the up the third stage – the move from recreational to select soccer. Now the children, parents and coaches are faced with a whole new set of expectations. For some it will be viewed as an achievement. For others it’s just another step in the journey. At this level team development can become confused with recruiting prowess.

Competitive soccer, like all competitive athletics, is most enjoyable when everyone is at, or close to, the same level for the participants. To continually play against inferior opposition or to continually face getting schooled isn’t fun. Likewise, to play with lesser talents can also de-motivate more talented players who will feel that they are being held back. When the difference in levels is too great the enjoyment of the activity and the opportunities to grow are limited.

And levels don’t stop there. They permeate every stage of soccer. Varsity and Junior Varsity, State ODP and DDP programs, starters and substitutes and at the professional level you find national team players. While each stage represents an arrival it is also a departure point for the next one. Some players and coaches will move on, some find a home and some are in over their heads. What is important for youth development is to be realistic with the expectations and to find the appropriate level. The greatest enjoyment in the game is found when the challenges just stretch the abilities. This margin is a fine line, and individual to each participant. Each player, coach and team has an optimum level. Recognizing it can be a difficult task and involves an experienced and objective point of view.

Using Levels As Guidelines For Development

Levels can assist the youth educational process by providing players, parents and coaches with a set of guidelines to help prepare for the future. These guidelines will be some of the new standards and expectations that a “step up” will require. By being aware that each stage in the journey brings a new, and possibly unique, set of problems a little preparation can help to ease the transition. “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” Some examples:

Youth players that are moving into high school soccer find a new standard would be the incorporation of several different ages in the team. A fourteen year old ‘big fish’ in their club team might be a ‘small fish’ in the high school pond. This change has as much to do with understanding their position in the pecking order as it does in their play on the field. They go from calling the shots, to taking orders. The education for these children can involve having them practice or play up an age level or two for short periods. Very talented 12 year olds can train with 13 or 14 year olds on a regular basis. This not only helps them to adjust to the increased speed of play, but helps them to understand their limitations and lowered expectations when ‘playing over their heads.’ (The same thing can be done for high school age players making the transition to college. This select group is passing from the world of youth soccer into the adult game. By training with senior amateur teams, talented youth players begin to get a taste of the demands of the college/adult game.)

Parents can find that a change in levels can have a dramatic effect inside the family. Sibling rivalries can develop as one child has more success or gets more attention then another. Higher levels of play usually means more traveling, greater distances, fewer free week ends, spending major holidays in motels at tournaments, greater financial obligations all wrapped up in a questionable return on the investment. Often the increased time and money doesn’t bring anyone any increased enjoyment. In fact it can bring the opposite. When the expectations aren’t quickly met it doesn’t take long for the whispering to start, fingers to point and excuses to be made. A good club structure is the best way to work through these problems. Talk with parents who have already gone through the scenario or club officials like the DOC.

Coaches should be aware of and prepared for changes in the demands that they face. Two common situations that often ‘break the back’ of well meaning parent coaches are taking a rec. team into select play and moving from small sided games to a larger size in the competitive phase. In the first case the star players that carried the rec. team may become very average in this new environment. This means that going in everyone, parents, coaches and players have increased expectations only to find that they are far from being met. Also, parent coaches who enjoyed success at the rec. level will be going up against paid trainers and will be routinely out coached. This can lead to high levels of frustration and self doubt. Coaches also need to be prepared to deal with the selection process, an unavoidable part of select play. This means making hard decisions that until now were largely handled by an administrator.

Moving from 3v3 to 4v4 and 7v7 or 8v8 to 11 a side brings a new set of problems. The complexity of the game and how to organize training to meet the new demands are two areas that can take years to adjust to. The best course of action for coaches to avoid these situations is to invest time in their own education. The State level coaching courses are the best place to start. They provide a structure to hang onto and a frame of reference for the new found problems. Short of that, seek out experienced help and be patient enough, both with yourself and with the children.

Jumpers for goalposts

Recent investigations into the state of our youth football (soccer) academies triggered a massive response from managers, coaches and players. Here, TOM STATHAM, who has coached for the last 13 years at Manchester United’s academy and is director of football at Repton School, gives his personal view on where we are going wrong….

Sir Trevor Brooking says we must start getting things right with the youngest children if we are to produce players who are not lagging behind the other major European countries when it comes to technique and skill levels.

I agree, but the question is — how do we do it?

The heart of the problem is that adults run kids’ football in this country and they bring with them adult ideas, rules, values, tactics and pressures.

Many children only experience football at an official club training session where enthusiastic, well-meaning coaches deliver complicated drills, instructions and team talks. These look and sound great, and impress parents, yet they leave kids confused, frustrated, bored and asking: ‘When can we play a game?’

Conventional coaches and coaching are appropriate much later in a child’s development.

Our youngest kids need facilitators and helpers to guide and support their progress.

Why do I hold such views?

Firstly, I have researched what some of the great players did up to the age of 11 and found that, without exception, these early years were free of adult intervention, formal coaching and structured matches.

Skilful, exciting, creative players like Matthews, Puskas, Pele, Best, Maradona and Zidane developed on the streets, parks and waste grounds close to where they lived.

They played with older and younger kids, with balls of various shapes and sizes, many home made. They played on their own, one against one, three on three, 10 v seven — anything. They just played for hour after hour, day after day.

Secondly, by watching and interacting with kids for many years, I have developed ideas about how they learn and have fun. They copy, pretend, experiment, take responsibility and risks, make decisions and mistakes, use their imagination and dream.

They don’t need to be put under pressure, or told what to do and what not to do. Children need to be free to play! The key to developing happy, active, healthy, stimulated children — and the answer to the problem of technically poor players — is free-play.

This produced great players in the past and is still happening in Brazil, Portugal, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, where many of today’s most technically and physically able players come from.

Sadly, free-play, where children design and adapt games to fit their age and environment, away from the influence of adults, is virtually dead in modern Britain.

The real issue and greatest challenge today for all football lovers involved with kids is: how can we get our children to play football freely, without adult interference, for hours and hours every week?

When some of the country’s best under-10 footballers come to me at Manchester United, they bring an enthusiasm and a love for the game that is pure and very precious. If I harm this in any way, I have failed.

So I give them what they want.

I set up — or give them responsibility to create — games and challenges where they can dribble, turn, run, shoot, tackle, score, have fun, get lots of ball contact and, importantly, compete.

So what do I do? I cheer, encourage, congratulate, laugh and enjoy watching fantastic football played by happy, motivated children. I also give them firm boundaries regarding standards of effort and behaviour.

Within these boundaries they can express themselves in a safe, secure, positive environment where they are not penalised or criticised for failing.

They reward me by playing high risk, attacking football. They do incredible things, not because they have been coached and told how, but because they have never been told they can’t.

They have never been told they are incapable and they have never been told they are not allowed.

Each child is at the centre of their learning — not me, the ‘coach’. Their natural instincts are far greater and more powerful than anything I can tell them.

It has taken me many years to reach this point and it is not an easy thing for a competitive adult like me to do, but I would recommend it unreservedly.

Leave your ego behind, chill out, back off and let the kids play!

HOW I LEARNED TO PLAY…

RONALDINHO
“I spent a lot of time training at Gremio. After training I went to play futsal. After that I’d play with my friends in the streets and when I got home I played with my brother. My life is football and always has been.”

ZINEDINE ZIDANE
“Everything I have achieved in football is due to playing in the streets with my friends.”

DIEGO MARADONA
“I guess we were potrero (waste ground) children more than anything. If our parents were looking for us, they knew where to find us. We would always be there on the potrero, running after the ball.”

RONALDO
“Every time I went away, I was deceiving my mum. I’d tell her I was going to school, but I’d be out on the street playing football. I always had a ball at my feet. In Brazil, every kid starts playing street football very early. It’s in our blood.”

STANLEY MATTHEWS
“I’d make for a piece of waste ground opposite our house, where the boys from the neighbourhood gathered for a kick-about. Coats would be piled for posts and the game would get under way. In fine weather it would be as many as 20 a side, in bad weather a hardened dozen or so made six a side. We didn’t need a referee. We accepted the rules of the game and stuck by them. It taught us that you can’t go about doing what you want and if you don’t stick to the rules, you spoil it for everyone else. Those games prepared us for life. When I wasn’t playing football with my pals, I’d play by myself. I had a rubber ball I spent hours kicking against the backyard wall.”

FERENC PUSKAS
“I am grateful to my father for all the coaching he did not give me.”

CRISTIANO RONALDO
“It’s all down to street football.”

In praise of futsal

My goal in writing this article is to share some of the benefits my team and others have gained by adding futsal to our regular winter soccer program.

Futsal has been such an effective development tool that we have replaced the conventional US walled indoor soccer game with it this winter. Our soccer week follows a pattern of one formal skill session on Tuesday using the futsal format, outdoor pick-up games on Saturday, and organized league play in futsal on Sunday. We are not using the walled indoor soccer game to train players at all this winter. The cost of court time and available space makes this prohibitive. I believe that when given a choice for player development, futsal does it better and more economically.

Futsal may be new to some coaches, so I’ll describe it briefly here. This is a court soccer game. Its origins are credited to Uruguay some 30 years ago. This game is common in certain areas of Brazil where the shortage of open space encourages short-sided court games and beach soccer. Because of it’s availability and small-sided format, Futsal has impacted on the early development of some of Brazil’s finest football (soccer) players. It is also played in parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and is the indoor game favoured by FIFA and the English FA.

Quick definition: the name ‘Futsal’ simply combines the Spanish words for ‘Hall’ – Sala and ‘Football’ – Futbol into Futsal. It is a five-a-side game, played with hockey sized goals and a smaller ball with a reduced bounce.

Futsal is played with a goalkeeper and four field players. The character of this game is outdoor soccer played indoors. It is played in soccer’s fundamental shape, which the 4 vs. 4 format is so good at presenting. The futsal ball is smaller and heavier than the outdoor soccer ball and has dampened bounce. Players, U12 and under, play with a ball about the size of a No. 3 outdoor ball. U13 players and above, play with a ball approximating a No.4 outdoor ball. Since the court surface is usually fast and the space small, these modified balls scale the game to the size of the court remarkably well. The smaller circumference makes precision touch and the sweet spot on the ball more challenging to hit.

The rules of the game are similar to the outdoor game with some friendly modifications that fit the game to the smaller space. Throw-ins are replaced by kick-ins and the goal kick is replaced by a goal clearance. The goal clearance is a restart by the keeper using his hands to put the ball back in play with restrictions similar to those of the outdoor soccer goal kick.

Substitutions are made on the fly, including the keeper. Most importantly, the game is played with touchlines and goal lines, with all the consequences that go with them. Simply put, a bad play with the ball may result in the ball leaving the field of play with the resulting loss of possession being the consequence. This game also emphasizes skill and control. Rough play is discouraged. Shoulder charges and slide tackles are forbidden. Fouls are tracked and teams penalized for playing too roughly. As in basketball, a sanction is placed on a team after 5 fouls have been assessed in each half. In futsal, this sanction takes the form of a revised free kick process. Only the goalkeeper may defend the goal during the taking of the kick. The offending team loses the privilege of their wall and the ball is spotted on the second penalty spot 10 meters from the goal. As you can see, this is a strong deterrent to rough play. I have rarely seen a game get to this point with young players.

Futsal is great for young players.

It provides numerous ball touches in a short period of time and it presents many of the fundamental tactical patterns of the big soccer game. The game contains many of the challenges faced in the final third of the field and provides repeated opportunities to finish. As a requirement of all teaching, futsal provides repetition and recognizable consequence for poor execution. Conversely, it also reinforces good play with tangible results, mostly shots and goals. In most coach’s training sessions, the 4 vs. 4 format is often used. Its effectiveness in teaching players both skill and tactics is widely recognized. The 4 vs. 4 game can present all the primary combination plays. It emphasizes both offensive and defensive support, but most importantly – immediate transition.

Futsal can be a brutally honest game. It will isolate and expose your team’s deficiencies. It will also showcase your teams strengths. The game is fast and numerous finishing opportunities are offered when played well. Technical and tactical speeds are emphasized. A bad touch or a slow recovery will almost always result with a loss of possession. Quite frequently the lesson is driven home with a goal scored by the opposition. These lessons learned hard are not easily forgotten. The satisfying thing about this game is that these lessons are quickly learned and that players readily adjust themselves to the game’s demands. Coaching clinicians have often stressed that the game is the best teacher. By putting players in learning situations, the results of the decisions and their technical execution will educate them with a minimum of coaching involvement. In futsal, you can see this happen.

When teaching young players, I think some coaches struggle with getting effective player movement off the ball. Players tend to feel that their work is done after they deliver the ball to a teammate or when a shot is taken. In this game, supporting movements and management of space are keys to success. Slow transition and lazy supporting play will result in turnovers and goals to the opposition. This game requires strong play in these areas. If not shored up, the score can get ugly. Team success requires good spatial management, patience, and poise. Goalkeepers must be more than an obstacle standing in front of the goal, they must also play in the field and support the attack. A good futsal goalkeeper plays is a sweeper and a goalkeeper. Because of the speed of the game, communication and anticipation are necessary and are usually rewarded with ball possession and finishing opportunities. Finishing opportunities generate enthusiasm and reinforce quality decisions and execution. This is a position-less game (excluding the goalkeepers). Players must continually rotate between defensive positions in the back and attacking runs to the front. Players must organize themselves to maintain both defensive and attacking shape.

I think futsal’s advantage over 5 a side is that it naturally teaches good habits. My experience with 5 a side is that it doesn’t punish bad play or bad decisions. In some cases, a bad decision can turn into an assist with a lucky carom off the wall. Since the ball is kept in play by the boards, players don’t have a consequence for a misplayed ball or for bad tactics. A player in trouble can be redeemed with a kick off the wall that sometimes results in an accidental assist or an opportunity to maintain possession. I have watched my young player’s movement and work rate diminish steadily over a 9-week season in walled soccer. Sometimes the game declines into a long kick and chase game where possession and control lose importance. Futsal demands play to feet or to playable space. Players learn good possession habits, how to make space, and how to attack space.

Futsal’s most powerful selling point to players is that they get more playing time and shots on goal.

“In a 40 minute Futsal match, a field player on a team using a dynamic system of play…will touch the ball once every 29.5 seconds . . . that’s just over 80 possessions per player per match, if the player plays the entire match. This compares to only 30 to 40 possessions per player in a full 90 minute outdoor soccer match.”

4futsal.com

Because of futsal’s smaller pitch, touches and shots per minute are also increased. Possession and shots in futsal are more frequent. This playing time differential sells the game to kids.

One of the powerful attributes of this game is its accessibility. Any basketball gym will work. Any open warehouse space will do. You can even play futsal on grass or concrete!

Bottom line? Futsal is a great training tool for developing soccer players. It is also a very fun and safe game to play and an excellent alternative to traditional 5 a side indoor soccer.

How your players think

As any soccer coach will tell you, understanding the game of soccer is a piece of cake compared to understanding the children who play it!

But if you want to keep your children interested at practice sessions, help them to learn and keep misbehaviour to a minimum you must at least try to understand what’s going on inside their heads.

My observations lead me to believe that the main reason why children fail to learn or misbehave at soccer practice sessions (or quit soccer altogether) is that they are being coached by someone who:

a) Doesn’t understand why children want to participate in soccer or

b) Expects her children to do things they are simply not capable of doing.

Failure to take these psychological factors into account when designing practices doesn’t just result in disinterested, ‘difficult’ children. The coach will feel frustration (and could even feel angry) when their children insist on messing about when they have spent ages designing what they thought was a perfect practice session!

This often leads into a vicious circle of children trying to do things they just can’t do, the coach getting frustrated and criticising the children for not ‘concentrating’, children trying even harder to do things they can’t do, the coach getting even more frustrated, etc., etc.

This sequence usually ends with the children switching off and amusing themselves by throwing mud, kicking each other or chatting amongst themselves.

Has this ever happened to you? It has certainly happened to me a few times!

But it SHOULDN’T happen to you and it won’t – if you plan your coaching sessions with an understanding of why kids play soccer and what they can and can’t do at various ages.

How to use small sided games (SSGs)

4v4 can be misused as a tool.

It is not just a matter of putting eight children on a small field and making some random comments. Even with a properly constructed game learning can be left to chance. The following are some ideas, which help to insure that proper learning takes place. In the end though it is the coaches knowledge of the game, the children, the learning process and his role in it that will make the most out of any practice.

Have a clear topic. A correct analysis of the soccer problem must be in mind. This brings into focus certain players at a specific moment in a clear-cut situation.

The starting point leads into the learning point. In small sided games there are numerous restarts. Most of them should lead back into the learning moment. For example, the soccer problem is the sweepers poor distribution out of the back. The rules of the game are that all throw-ins, kick-offs and corners for his team will restart with a goal kick. The sweeper may dribble or pass out the goal kick. This way the coaching moment will be repeated often giving him many chances to succeed or fail and to learn.

Stay on the topic. When things go wrong outside of the topic ignore it if possible. Fix what you came to fix, don’t get distracted.

Freeze the moment. When the problem occurs have the players freeze. Address it with questions. Was that a good pass? Why did you run there? What could you do better? Ask for solutions. Demonstrate. Begin again. You capture the moment and present them a snapshot. After all a picture is worth a thousand words.

Don’t over coach. Experience teaches the coach when to step in. Over coaching kills the game and ruins the fun. Avoid language that the children don’t understand or don’t need. Slogans and mottos work well. Over coaching hinders the development of concentration. Constant stoppages relieves the pressure that is necessary for developing the proper mentality.

Coach those that need coaching. Mass explanations generally waste time and fall on deaf ears. Addressing comments to the parties involved is much more effective and efficient. After all it’s their problem.

Don’t argue against success. If a team has just scored a goal don’t try to tell them how to do it better. In objective based training it’s the result that counts. Wait for the opportunity when the problem presents itself, then it is real.

Ask questions avoid statements. If I say it they tend to doubt it, if they say it, it’s true. Get them to tell you what is wrong and how to fix it. They can’t argue against themselves. Also, by asking them questions they have to think for the answer as opposed to waiting for it to be given to them. They are an active part of the problem solving.

Coach what is real. If the topic doesn’t present itself adjust the game. If it still doesn’t then drop the topic. Don’t coach a coach’s problem, it must be the players problem. Coach the children that are playing the game, not what is convenient at the moment. Coaching must be relevant to the picture and the problems.

Stand where you can see. If you’re interested in the sweeper, stand behind the goal. Try to see the picture from their perspective.

Bring the game to life. The colour of the coach. Enthusiasm, humour, emotion and timing all play a part in making the practice enjoyable.

Think of three stages. First, get the game going. Give just enough direction and instruction to start play. Boundaries, goals, any rules specific to the game. They can learn the game by playing the game. This introduction might take a whole practice.

Next, what are the big mistakes?

Do they understand the soccer problem?

If they don’t, provide clues to the answers.

Finally, by fine tuning you can introduce new demands that require new solutions.

Energising a lazy team

or how to invigorate and restore discipline to youth soccer coaching sessions

Increasing the pace of your practice
Increasing the work rate in your training
Making everything competitive and publishing results regularly
Teach through games instead of line drills wherever possible
Tailoring the psychological profile of your training sessions
Identifying and encouraging your true believers
Reward good practice effort with more starts and more playing time
Replace non-believers with harder working players at the next tryout

Details:

1) Get them moving immediately on arrival, each player with a football, give them a series of 60 second technical exercises. Keep them moving the whole time except for short breaks. Award push-ups and sit-ups for foot draggers who deliberately delay getting on to the next exercise. Do not allow this and clearly state that you will not accept this. Since you have realized that they are not your friends, send lectures home on paper to read later, and don’t let them waste time socializing once they step on the field on your time.

2) Break down exercises into greater numbers of groups with fewer players so that the action / rest ratio is increased. For each individual exercise, add extra physical work or skill work to add to the effort. For example, instead of having two players one touch passing at 5 yards, have each player check away 3 steps after each pass and come back hard to one touch the next pass. Instead of 6 v 6, play two 3v3’s if appropriate. While group one plays group two, group three can orbit the playing area completing plyometrics, stretching, jumping, skipping, backwards and side to side running, and other specialized physical work.

3) Juggling, relays with ball control and speed required, 1v1 to cones, penalty kicks, and all kinds of other competitions can be done on a regular basis as a productive part of practice, and you can easily keep records, publish them by keeping standings and sending these home on a regular basis. Sprints of various distances, and other measures of aerobic fitness are also appropriate. If you are alone and don’t have a helper to write down results, buy a hand held tape record at Office Depot and you can record your results without even losing sight of your training session. (Side note: hand held tape recording onto micro cassette is an excellent method for taking notes about team and player fixes needed during the match. Coaches who spend a lot of time writing paper notes are at a disadvantage because they are head down too much.) Nearly everything you do can be made competitive. For example, if you are teaching an elevator settle with the instep of the foot, start with partners with a ball, one partner providing an underhanded serve to the partner. Quickly move to a situation where the server will pursue down the line of play, and the settler must move the ball off the line of play quickly. Then perhaps play two in the middle and two servers on the ends, alternating server and receiver. Let the second player in the middle push and provide back pressure when it’s not her turn, make it a battle. Have winners and losers, and move winners to play winners.

4) For every technique or tactic you’d like to teach, try to find a game that works as well as the line drill that comes to mind at first. Line drills have the advantages that everyone gets the same number of tries, and, because there is only one person or pair going at a time, it is easy for the coach to organize and observe. However, you are better off if it’s less convenient for you and more people are in on the action at once. This means that you have to coach the team as they play, and freeze them to correct or compliment and reinforce. For example, we were working on shooting to the far post today. We started with some basic unpressured shooting, added a little time and angle pressure, added a defender. Getting more competitive, but still less than thrilling, I can see a lot of players at the back of the shooting line talking about the football game Friday night. Finally, we simply played 6 v 6 to full-size goal and goalie, team winning the ball to play it outside the 18 before shooting, goalie always covering near side, only shots to far post counting. We did not have the same number of shots for every player, but we had a lot of shots under pressure conditions, and we did get people shooting to the far post, and everybody was in the game.

5) Tailoring the psychological profile of a training session is overlooked by most coaches. It means working, monotonically, from low concentration to high concentration, low pulse rate to high pulse rate work, and from low competitiveness to high competitiveness activity. If you warm-up and go to playing 2v2 to small cone goals, the action is intense and competitive, and the physical demands are great. If you then followed this with some boring tactical walk-through for a new free kick play, you’ll have a lot of your players zoning out or wrestling behind your back. So, go through boring stuff after your warm-up, or skip the warm-up and do boring stuff as the warm-up, then stretch before your technical activities.

6) Reference William Warren’s Book “Coaching and Motivation”, he’s right on this subject. (Some nice coach already mentioned the Positive Coaching book. John Sheperd, an old friend from Pleasanton, sent me a copy recently, and it looks pretty interesting.) Warren says build a new team around the true believers who are willing to share their feelings with you and work hard to achieve their goals. He says you will convert some of the others over time.

Now, reference me on the rest. First, every team will have perhaps a neighbourhood core that experienced some early success, and then you have a third of the team who drive more than 45 minutes to reach your training facility. Usually, the core is a clique and the outer perimeter kids are a separate group who bring a lot of skill, competitiveness, scoring, and earnest ambition to the team. If there is one pushy parent, it’s more likely to be with a perimeter kid, but, on the whole, they are a nice bunch and often easier to motivate than the neighbourhood clique, who have an club you will never join. Instead, you will be bringing some of these kids into your club. If your team has real stars, it’s often from the perimeter kids. You need to go visit their home, find out how they live, eat dinner at their home, and meet their brothers and sisters. Find out what ambitions these kids have, and work to help them plan and reach their goals. Keep them close and communicate with them, encourage them, and work to join more of the other kids into your circle of dedicated players. You can give a subtle benefit to the dedicated kids in your circle by thinking in terms of their needs first as you write and update your team development plan, including your training schedule (like scheduling training to allow perimeter kids time to arrive), your competitive schedule (make sure that your true believers have the day off from school for that big tournament), and your budget for development. Talk to all your players and families, just talk with your true believers first, and don’t make it a secret.

7) If your players are indeed gamers, than you have the biggest carrot. You decide who starts games, you decide who plays, and you decide how long they play, within the guidelines of your club, association, or state association. No matter how much you preach to the players that starting is not important, the kids believe starting is very important and filled with meaning. I would recommend that you keep a detailed training record for each training session, not only recording attendance, but location, times, topics, injuries, weather, and lot of other stuff. Advise your players that training attendance, attitude, and effort will are important and that they will control playing time. After practice, note in your training record performance for each player, and use this to assign starters and playing time in the next match. If you are pretty much trying for equal time for all, fine. Just take some match minutes aside, and make them bonus minutes for hustle. So, everyone gets 20 minutes in the 40 minute half, except a few players go an extra 10 minutes for excellent hustle at practice. Make sure your true believers and hustlers, and any new converts, get more starts. Tell the players why they are starting so there’s no confusion.