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coach's
corner
League Information
- Note to coaches: Conduct good sportsmanship: Keep goal difference
to five goals against opposing teams; The referee's are young,
learning, and what they say goes (do not yell at them). If the
coach disagrees with a call bring it up to the referee during
half time or after the game.
- Coach
Contact Information
- Reporting
Scores Note to coaches:
Each coach that has on time scores for the entire fall season
will get an extra ticket to the Revolution's game that CYS attends
in spring of 2008.
- U8
Division Rules
Coaching
Tips, Points, and Information
The Board
of Directors of Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association and the leaders
of the affiliated leagues are concerned about the conduct of all
coaches and referees during games at all levels, from recreational
to premier to ODP.
We want
to ensure that games are fair, positive and enjoyable for all of
the children and adults involved. A soccer game should be friendly
and unifying - a spirited social and athletic occasion for players,
coaches, referees and spectators.
To clarify
expectations of coach conduct, we jointly expect all coaches to
confirm to this code of conduct.
-
Before,
during and after the game, be an example of dignity, patience
and positive spirit.
-
Before
a game, introduce yourself to the opposing coach and to the
referee.
-
During
the game, you are responsible for the sportsmanship of your
players. If one of your players is disrespectful, irresponsible
or overly aggressive, take the player out of the game at least
long enough for him/her to calm down.
-
During
the game, you are also responsible for the conduct of the
parents of your players. It is imperative to explain acceptable
player and parent behavior in a preseason meeting. Encourage
them to applaud and cheer for good plays by either team. Discourage
them and you may need to be forceful and direct from yelling
at players and the referee.
-
During
the game, you are also responsible for the conduct of spectators
rooting for your team.
-
During
the game, do not address the referee at all. If you have a
small issue, discuss it with the referee calmly and patiently
after the game. If you have a major complaint, or if you think
the referee was unfair, unbiased, unfit or incompetent, report
your opinion to your league. Your reactions will be taken
seriously if they are presented objectively and formally.
-
After
the game, thank the referee and ask your players to do the
same.
We stress
two points:
Referees
- especially young and inexperienced ones - are like your players
and yourself, in that they need time to develop. You can play an
important role in helping them to improve by letting them concentrate
on the game. You can help by encouraging them, by accepting their
inevitable, occasional mistakes and by offering constructive post-game
comments. On the other hand, you could discourage and demoralize
the referees by criticizing their decisions, by verbally abusing
them and inciting - or even accepting - your own players overly
aggressive behavior.
Your example
is powerful, for better or worse. If you insist on fair play, if
you concentrate on your players enjoyment of the game and their
overall, long term development, and if you support the referee,
your players and their parents will notice. If you encourage (or
allow) your players to play outside the rules, and if you criticize
the referee harshly, your players and their parents will also notice.
Think about
what you re doing during a game! Uphold the Spirit of the Game!
If you follow the expectations described above, the spirit of the
game will be alive and well in Massachusetts and will grow, along
with the enjoyment of all.
Coaches
who don t follow the expectations described above will be disciplined
or removed.
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Massachusetts
Youth Soccer Association Coach Instruction
Program
This
is a description of the first few coaching courses offered by MYSA
which all Clinton Youth Soccer Association (BYSA) coaches are encouraged
to participate in. BYSA s policy is to reimburse 100% of the cost
fees for coaches training.
Resourceful,
confident knowledgeable coaches are vital to the development of
young soccer players and to the advancement of the sport. Whether
you are a novice coach with no background in soccer or an experienced
coach who seeks to refine your craft, the MYSA has a program to
help you.
We stress
the same ideals in our coaching courses and with players: enjoyment,
positive spirits, enthusiasm, and creativity. If you want to improve
your grasp of the elements of the game and learn about organization
and coaching methodology at practice and during games, consider
on of these MYSA coaching courses.
Please take
a few moments to consider which course will be most appropriate
for you. The G and F courses are intended for coaches of younger
players, the E and D for coaches of older, more experienced teams.
You may begin with the concise G course or the full day F course.
The F course is a prerequisite for the E; the E is a prerequisite
for the D.
-
The
G and F courses are "introductions": elementary presentations
for first time coaches or those with little experience. Our
intention in these two courses is to help you to become a more
resourceful and confident "activity leader" - to combine
your enthusiasm and commitment to children with the basic theory
and many practical exercises which we ll provide.
-
The
E course is for those who want to learn more about the techniques
and tactics of the game and more about leading experienced youth
teams.
-
The
D course is for coaches who want to refine their understanding
of technique and tactics and their effectiveness as a trainer
of youth and adolescent players. Our aim here is to help you
to prepare yourself to improve, actively and dynamically, individual
and team performances.
Details
about the courses:
The G
Course Duration: 4 Hours Cost: $15
Materials
given to the coach: MYSA Zipper Bag containing the MYSA G Manual
and soccer Coach Training Packages as well as numerous pamphlets
that will be very helpful.
For whom:
Novice coaches, or coaches with little experience of U8 and U10
players.
Course
content: Ideas about how to organize practices and game days,
lots of practical activities and stimulating games for practice,
brief demonstration of basic techniques.
The F
Course Duration: 8 Hours Cost: $40
Materials
given to the coach: MYSA F Manual and Coaching the Goalkeeper
by Tony Waiters
For whom:
Novice coaches, or those with some experience, of U8, U10, or
U12 teams.
Course
content: Ideas about how to organize practice and game days, many
games and exercises for practices, a more through demonstration
of basic technique, elementary goal keeping techniques, some basic
tactical ideas.
The E
Course Duration: 16 Hours - to be taken after completing
the 8 hour F course, which is a prerequisite for the E course.
Cost: $80
Materials
given to the coach: MYSA E Manual and Coaching the Team
by Tony Waiters. Youth Sports Injuries by John F. Duff.
M.D.
For whom:
Coaches, with some experience, of U10, U12, and U14 teams.
Course
Content: System of play, laws and restarts, more games and exercises
for practices, more tactical ideas, including the tactics of 2
versus 1 situations, more on goal keeping.
During
the course, each participant will have the opportunity to lead
a short coaching session, with constructive reaction by the instructor.
There
are no performance or written tests involved in the G, F, or E
courses. None of the three courses is particularly rigorous physically;
participation in the practical, active sessions (about half of
each course) is strongly encouraged but not required.
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SMALL
SIDED GAMES: The Heart of the Practice
By Dean Conway,
MYSA Director of Coaching
Thoughts on the Practice
Environment from the MYSA Instructional Staff
"In
simplified, modified games, players learn to be aware and to improvise,
to concentrate, and to recognize the situation. Skills are important,
of course, but the value of skills is to be able to use them efficiently
in a fraction of a second. Our practices should be one quarter
skill training and three quarters applying those skills in endless
situations."
The Instructional
Staff of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association believes that
small-sided games, in many configurations, should be the heart of
soccer practices. We offer this brief overview of small-sided games
to clarify the intentions and methods of utilizing small-game forms.
Almost all of this material is contained in one or another of the
MYSA coaching manuals which accompany the G, F, or E Courses. We
present it here in condensed form.
We confine
our attention here to practice environments, but we also support
the use of small-sided forms on weekend game days. There are many
game day possibilities, to be discussed and determined by towns
and leagues. There are local issues to consider, even within our
small state. For example: U-9 s could play 4 v 4, U-10 6 v 6, and
U-12 7 v 7 or 8 v 8.
The essence
is that the longer the players are engaged in small-sided game day
forms, the better. We wholeheartedly support the principle, which
is followed in most of the "advanced" soccer nations:
"Eleven after eleven". That is, eleven players on a team
after eleven years of age.
Our ideas
about the value of small-sided games are based on several observations
and convictions:
-
Our
most important aim is to develop, patiently and with a view
to the long-term future, each child in our care - both as a
soccer player and as a human being.
-
Children
do not have the same capacities as adults. This would seem to
be self-evident, yet many coaches treat their players as if
they were small adults. Most children from five to eleven years
of age:
-
Gravitate
to small, short lasting social groups.
-
Can
not judge distances and speeds as well as adults. They are
sill developing their visual skills.
-
Are
concrete and immediate thinkers who pay attention to one primary
task at a time.
-
Have
a great need for and desire for physical movement.
-
Want
to participate more than anything else.
The average
U-10 player weighs less than half as much as a full-grown player
and has only a fraction of their strength.
"Kids
get tied up in the emotional level of the game. A little one playing
11-a-side says, "We won!", but he touched the ball three
times today. Our responsibility is DEVELOPMENT! So we must play
4 v 4 and 7 v 7 with plenty of time and space - to learn combinations,
skills, awareness, "smartness". Rinus Michels
"The
game is the greatest teacher." Children learn to play soccer
most enjoyably and effectively and well by PLAYING freely
(as they do when young in virtually every other country in the
world), by encountering the game s many situations in real contexts,
and by being free to make mistakes.
"As
adult coaches we sometimes want the smallest players to be busy
learning something every minute. We should just let them play.
The only duty that you have is to ensure that they enjoy themselves
as much as possible. This means that you have to be able to empathize
with them, to join in their play and fun, and to create soccer
situations without their noticing it, so that they all have a
good time, no matter what their level of ability."
For the
sake of perspective, here are some ideas from other associations
or countries:
The Scottish
Football Association:
Ages 6
to 9: The Fun Stage
Ages 10
to 12: Individual Skill Stage
Ages 12
to 14: Small Group Play Stage
The Association
of Football Coaches and Teachers (based in Leeds, England):
Ages
5 to 10: Falling in love with the game, plenty of the ball, plenty
of fun.
Ages 10
to 15: Developing talent and technique.
Ages 16
to 19: Decision time - continued development; making a team player.
Ages 20+:
Open competition; improving team play and tactical awareness.
"We
could drastically improve the standards of English football immediately
if we made small children play on small pitches with small goals,
so that they can be in the vicinity of each other and learn to
pass the ball to each other instead of having to hoof it. They
should ban playing on big pitches until children get to 13 or
14."
The Royal
Dutch Football Association:
In the early
80 s, the staff of the KNVB (The Royal Dutch Football Association)
studied how children learn to play soccer and how coaches should
teach soccer. As their point of departure, they took street soccer
- not the abstract "street soccer" term which is used
widely here now to denote a vague sense of pickup soccer - but the
literal reality of soccer played in the streets of Holland s cities
and villages. Kids a ball a space a GAME! From observations of kids
playing freely and eagerly in the street (which they acknowledged
was rapidly becoming a thing of the past) and from reflections on
the realities of life in modern Holland, the KNVB formulated ideas
about modern youth training.
The KNVB
has this idea about youth and soccer:
Ages
5 to 6: Master the ball with games of direction and precision.
Ages 6
to 11: Basic game maturity - technical skills and game insight.
Ages 12
to 16: Game maturity - team functions in zones and positions.
In 1986
the Dutch introduced a program of 4 v 4 play as part of their comprehensive
youth training play, which is widely recognized as "The Dutch
Vision". Here are some elements of that vision:
-
Kids
learn best by doing something a lot and enjoying it. Good learning
relies on many repetitions.
-
Soccer
is most enjoyable when there are lots of chances to score; on
a full size field, kids don t have enough chances, nor are they
often enough in "soccer situations".
-
Play
involves trial and error, seeking personal solutions, and experimenting.
-
Kids
at different ages experience soccer differently - and kids soccer
should not necessarily be compared to the look of an adult soccer
game.
-
For
kids, we must SIMPLIFY the game.
-
Soccer
techniques (dribbling, shooting, etc.) are not ends in themselves
- and therefore should not be taught "in isolation".
-
Techniques
are tools that serve the intentions of the game.
-
Soccer
has to do with the brain and with perceptions. So: soccer with
the brain - not just the feet!
-
"Techniques
have an aim: they are the means to an end. We must bring controlling
the ball into a context. When you bring in defenders, players
show another technique. Soccer should not be simplified into
movements, but into intentions." Bert van Lingen, director
of youth soccer development and coach training, KNVB)
A note
of gratitude: For all the ideas and guidance about 4 v 4, we are
profoundly grateful to our friends and colleagues at the KNVB. The
Dutch have gained a worldwide reputation for their excellence of
their youth training program. We have been honored in the last several
years to have welcomed several of the KNVB coaches to our Symposiums
(Hans Mewiss, Jan van Loon, Bep Timmer, Aart Korenhoff, Vera Pauw,
and Bert van Lingen). For their inspiration and for generously sharing
their ideas - particularly about 4 v 4 - with us, we offer them
our thanks.
Top
(Copied
w/ permission from John Smith s Soccer School)
ATTITUDE:
The coach s attitude counts for everything!
Keep things simple and clear.
Be positive and use positive language. Applaud good
play.
EXUDE ENTHUSIASM
Be organized.
Keep things in perspective: You are the adult.
Let them play.
Show them how to have good, honest fun.
Earn their respect: SPORTSMANSHIP
If you do
not plan your practice session it will turn out haphazard at best.
The players will develop haphazard playing habits. A whole raft
of problems will begin to arise that seem to have little to do with
practice and much to do with things like enthusiasm, discipline,
attendance, respect and interest.
The enthusiasm
of the entire group is strongly affected by the manner in which
the coach sets about things.
Being well-organized
and able to move a practice briskly to its conclusion improves the
atmosphere. It encourages good playing habits and will positively
affect the team s performance in many ways - (enthusiastic players
are seldom injury-prone and almost never present discipline problems.)
Being well-organized
is not difficult in this context and requires little more than fifteen
minutes thought at sometime before you arrive at the practice site.
Planning
a successful practice is a skill. As with any skill it will take
some time to develop. Each time out should be a learning experience
- it is for the most experienced coaches!
COMMANDING
ATTENTION
Commanding
the attention of players is a vital coaching skill. The quality
of your activities, the ability to interest players and positively
command their attention are the pillars upon which the success of
your training will rest.
Anybody
can command attention negatively by intimidating the players. That
will backfire every single time.
1)
The Soccer Coach
a)
Philosophy
i)
Proper goals for a youth soccer coach.
(1)
Define success:
(a)
How well the team plays.
(b)
How many play the next season.
(c)
Reaching individual performance goals.
b)
Ethics
i)
Commitment to a high standard of conduct.
ii)
League standards.
c)
Soccer: The Player s Game - The Game is the Teacher
i)
Meet the demands of the game, not the coach.
ii)
Learn from playing, not from drills.
iii)
Playing at speed is necessary to acquire skill.
iv)
Players must have maximum number of ball touches.
v)
Train players by using small number games.
d)
Coaching
i)
Identifying problems:
(a)
What did and did not happen in the game?
(b)
Is the problem technical or tactical?
(c)
Is the problem individual or team?
ii)
Correcting problems:
(a)
Tell why the problem is occurring.
(b)
Show how the problem can be corrected.
(c)
Coaching correction sequence.
(i)
Identify mistake/problem.
(ii)
Recognize teachable moment to interrupt play.
(iii)
Stop/freeze the play.
(iv)
Make the coaching point to correct.
(v)
"Paint" the correct picture by having the
coach demonstrate and then having the player perform the correct
picture while the action is stopped.
(vi)
Restart the exercise with correct movement to ensure
success.
2)
Components of Soccer Coaching
a)
Techniques - best taught in small numbers
i)
Fundamental
(a)
No pressure from opponent; add movement as quickly as possible.
(b)
Towards execution at top speed: technique to skill.
(i)
Technique is the absolute ability to perform a motor
skill.
(ii)
Skill is the application of technique in a game setting.
ii)
Game Related
(a)
Pressure is introduced from an opponent.
(b)
Add incremental pressure by changing:
(i)
Size of the space.
(ii)
Number of players in the space.
(iii)
What players are permitted to do in the space - restrictions.
(iv)
The time permitted.
iii)
Game Condition
(a)
All restrictions taken off defender.
(b)
Involves counter attack to goals with goalkeepers.
(c)
Does not have to be 11 vs. 11 or even numbered exercise.
b)
Tactics - usually taught in thirds of the field
i)
Individual tactics - 1 vs. 1
(1)
Player with the ball versus the pressurizing defender
ii)
Group Tactics - 6 vs. 6 (5 vs. 5 + goalkeepers)
(1)
A soccer game is a series of group tactical situations in
the immediate area of the ball, tied together by changes in the
point of attack.
(2)
Groups can be organized as 2 vs. 2, 2 vs. 3, 3 vs. 2, etc.,
or by players combining in specific areas, e.g., the right wing,
right midfielder and center striker.
(3)
Group tactics are usually taught in stages, which become
more game like in each stage.
(a)
In a confined space where the first objective is possession.
(b)
To a target within the confined space.
(c)
To one goal (preferably a large goal).
(d)
To one goal with a counter attack option to a second goal.
(e)
Team Tactics - 7 vs. 7 to 11 vs. 11
(4)
Imprint positioning, emphasizing the principles of play as
it affects the team as opposed to the individual player.
(5)
Counter attack if possible, if not, build through possession.
(6)
Go forward if possible, if not, go backwards and change the
point of attack.
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