HOW PARENTS CAN LOOK TO DEVELOP YOUNG SOCCER PLAYERS

[johnydep]

The question is this: Why do some parents feel the need to move their child from soccer club to soccer club year after year in the hopes of joining a 'winning' team?

Let me start by explaining where I'm coming from with this question. I view the education of young soccer players – from the time they start kicking a ball to the time they are fully grown adults – as very much like the education of young children in school.

We send our children to school in order for them to learn -- at the appropriate stages of their development -- the skills they need to succeed in their education and, by extension, in their life.

We do not expect kids in grade three to be able to do calculus, nor do we expect them to be able to go on job interviews. We do not judge them by adult standards – we judge them by age and ability specific standards for children. Our goal, every year, is for our children to progress with their peers to the next level of their education.

Some of those peers are more advanced for their age, and some are a little behind. That doesn't change the objectives of the school, nor does it change the objectives of the teachers. Their job is to challenge every child to advance in their education, so that they can go on to achieve long-term success.

Would a parent of a young child change schools if that child came home with poor grades? Would they blame the teacher, or shop around for a teacher at another school who would tell them what they want to hear, that their child is, in fact, a genius that is simply misunderstood?

While some parents may very well do that, I think most reasonable parents would instead sit down with their child's teacher to discover what they can do as parents to help their child achieve success in school. That discussion would likely involve the parents spending more time working with their child at home on the concepts that their child is struggling to understand. It would likely also involve the parents teaching their child the importance of commitment and dedication to learning.

So how does education in school relate to young players learning soccer? Just as teachers are partners with parents in the education of their children, soccer coaches are partners with parents in the education of their soccer-playing children.

While many parents understand that the goal of a student in grade three is to learn enough to graduate to grade four, many parents fail to understand what the metrics are for success as a young soccer player.

Many parents have only one metric for success when it comes to youth soccer – winning.

Because of this, these parents fail to understand that their child embarks on a learning process when they begin to play soccer, just as they embark on a learning process at school. It begins with learning the physical literacy skills of running, kicking and jumping, and progresses to more advanced skills like kicking a ball with multiple surfaces of both feet, dribbling the ball against opposition and interacting with teammates to attack and defend.

These parents are so desperate for their child to succeed in soccer – which, due to the parents' limited understanding, means winning games – that they fail to understand that their child first needs to learn the fundamentals of the game.

Young players need to learn to be comfortable with a ball at their feet, to pass and receive the ball, to shoot the ball with both feet. Those are some of the core fundamentals young players need in order to achieve long-term success in the game. There is no shortcut to success in soccer; there isn't a player in the world who reaches the highest level of the game without first acquiring those skills.

To put the process of skill acquisition into the context of education, consider this: Teachers do not ask children to compose essays before they are first taught to write the letters of the alphabet, followed by words, followed by sentences, followed by paragraphs, etc. There is a structured learning process that children go through in order to reach the stage where they are able to write complex topical essays.

Yet when it comes to soccer, many parents fail to understand that the very same process is required. How can a child be expected to be successful in the game before they are first taught to kick a ball with both feet, to dribble the ball, to pass and receive the ball - the very skills through which games can be won?

One often hears parents on the side lines yelling instructions to their children. Those parents believe that they are supporting their child's learning, and that their child will learn faster if they are given vocal encouragement. In reality, more often than not, this encouragement only serves to confuse the child.

Picture it in a different context. If a child were asked in school to add the numbers four and five, would a parent yell out from the back of the classroom, "Nine! Nine is the right answer! Say nine!"

This is essentially what those parents are doing on the sidelines of a soccer field. They are taking away their child's opportunity to learn through guided discovery, a process whereby young players experiment with new skills under the guidance of their coach, thus involving them in the learning process. When a parent is barking orders at a child from the sidelines, they are actually detracting from their child's learning opportunity.

Not all parents are like this, of course. The vast majority are very supportive of their children's soccer education, and understand that it isn't all about winning. But how do we go about changing the culture of soccer in our country, so that all parents understand that the process of developing young soccer players doesn't lie solely in the win column?

Clubs and Academies across Canada must work to educate parents, so that those parents understand that the soccer field is their child's classroom -- where they go to learn the game. The onus is on the teacher (the coach) to make learning the game fun for the students (the players.)

As parents, you must understand your job is to support the learning of your child, not hinder it. You can play a big role in emphasizing the lessons that your child's coach is trying to teach them. Develop a comfortable relationship with the coach, so if you have any concerns about your child's understanding of those lessons, you can speak freely with the coach so you can work together to help your child learn.

If your child has a season where the losses outnumber the victories, ask yourself these two important questions, "Did my child have fun this year? Did they learn more fundamentals?" If you can answer 'yes' to both of these questions, there is a good chance your child is in a good learning environment.

And finally, don't get fixated with wins and losses. They aren't nearly as important as you might think. When it comes time for your child to try out for an elite team, be it at the university, provincial, national or professional level, trophies count for nothing. Fundamentals are what really matter; if your child has mastered those, there is a very good chance they will find the success that they desire.

And that is something that every parent wants.

[Con M]

The question is this: Why do some parents feel the need to move their child from soccer club to soccer club year after year in the hopes of joining a 'winning' team?

Let me start by explaining where I'm coming from with this question. I view the education of young soccer players – from the time they start kicking a ball to the time they are fully grown adults – as very much like the education of young children in school.

We send our children to school in order for them to learn -- at the appropriate stages of their development -- the skills they need to succeed in their education and, by extension, in their life.

We do not expect kids in grade three to be able to do calculus, nor do we expect them to be able to go on job interviews. We do not judge them by adult standards – we judge them by age and ability specific standards for children. Our goal, every year, is for our children to progress with their peers to the next level of their education.

Some of those peers are more advanced for their age, and some are a little behind. That doesn't change the objectives of the school, nor does it change the objectives of the teachers. Their job is to challenge every child to advance in their education, so that they can go on to achieve long-term success.

Would a parent of a young child change schools if that child came home with poor grades? Would they blame the teacher, or shop around for a teacher at another school who would tell them what they want to hear, that their child is, in fact, a genius that is simply misunderstood?

While some parents may very well do that, I think most reasonable parents would instead sit down with their child's teacher to discover what they can do as parents to help their child achieve success in school. That discussion would likely involve the parents spending more time working with their child at home on the concepts that their child is struggling to understand. It would likely also involve the parents teaching their child the importance of commitment and dedication to learning.

So how does education in school relate to young players learning soccer? Just as teachers are partners with parents in the education of their children, soccer coaches are partners with parents in the education of their soccer-playing children.

While many parents understand that the goal of a student in grade three is to learn enough to graduate to grade four, many parents fail to understand what the metrics are for success as a young soccer player.

Many parents have only one metric for success when it comes to youth soccer – winning.

Because of this, these parents fail to understand that their child embarks on a learning process when they begin to play soccer, just as they embark on a learning process at school. It begins with learning the physical literacy skills of running, kicking and jumping, and progresses to more advanced skills like kicking a ball with multiple surfaces of both feet, dribbling the ball against opposition and interacting with teammates to attack and defend.

These parents are so desperate for their child to succeed in soccer – which, due to the parents' limited understanding, means winning games – that they fail to understand that their child first needs to learn the fundamentals of the game.

Young players need to learn to be comfortable with a ball at their feet, to pass and receive the ball, to shoot the ball with both feet. Those are some of the core fundamentals young players need in order to achieve long-term success in the game. There is no shortcut to success in soccer; there isn't a player in the world who reaches the highest level of the game without first acquiring those skills.

To put the process of skill acquisition into the context of education, consider this: Teachers do not ask children to compose essays before they are first taught to write the letters of the alphabet, followed by words, followed by sentences, followed by paragraphs, etc. There is a structured learning process that children go through in order to reach the stage where they are able to write complex topical essays.

Yet when it comes to soccer, many parents fail to understand that the very same process is required. How can a child be expected to be successful in the game before they are first taught to kick a ball with both feet, to dribble the ball, to pass and receive the ball - the very skills through which games can be won?

One often hears parents on the side lines yelling instructions to their children. Those parents believe that they are supporting their child's learning, and that their child will learn faster if they are given vocal encouragement. In reality, more often than not, this encouragement only serves to confuse the child.

Picture it in a different context. If a child were asked in school to add the numbers four and five, would a parent yell out from the back of the classroom, "Nine! Nine is the right answer! Say nine!"

This is essentially what those parents are doing on the sidelines of a soccer field. They are taking away their child's opportunity to learn through guided discovery, a process whereby young players experiment with new skills under the guidance of their coach, thus involving them in the learning process. When a parent is barking orders at a child from the sidelines, they are actually detracting from their child's learning opportunity.

Not all parents are like this, of course. The vast majority are very supportive of their children's soccer education, and understand that it isn't all about winning. But how do we go about changing the culture of soccer in our country, so that all parents understand that the process of developing young soccer players doesn't lie solely in the win column?

Clubs and Academies across Canada must work to educate parents, so that those parents understand that the soccer field is their child's classroom -- where they go to learn the game. The onus is on the teacher (the coach) to make learning the game fun for the students (the players.)

As parents, you must understand your job is to support the learning of your child, not hinder it. You can play a big role in emphasizing the lessons that your child's coach is trying to teach them. Develop a comfortable relationship with the coach, so if you have any concerns about your child's understanding of those lessons, you can speak freely with the coach so you can work together to help your child learn.

If your child has a season where the losses outnumber the victories, ask yourself these two important questions, "Did my child have fun this year? Did they learn more fundamentals?" If you can answer 'yes' to both of these questions, there is a good chance your child is in a good learning environment.

And finally, don't get fixated with wins and losses. They aren't nearly as important as you might think. When it comes time for your child to try out for an elite team, be it at the university, provincial, national or professional level, trophies count for nothing. Fundamentals are what really matter; if your child has mastered those, there is a very good chance they will find the success that they desire.

And that is something that every parent wants.

Brilliant article! Can FFSA, E & D and Southern Districts operatives please please print off a concise précis of the above post and distribute to all the parents/guardians of these children.

ps, love the analogy of a parent/guardian shouting out 5 + 4 = 9 to their youngster...

[Steve#4]

Well done johnydep....A few article you have posted I have reposted on our clubs facebook page, keep up the good work.

[Mourinho]

Some very valid points in there however if we are making a comparison to school teaching would you be happy sending your child to a school where the teachers do not have the relevant qualifications necessary to teach...?

[matty2323]

Some very valid points in there however if we are making a comparison to school teaching would you be happy sending your child to a school where the teachers do not have the relevant qualifications necessary to teach...?

very valid point. I coach believing development is essential. But i have also learned that a winning environment breeds confidence, and confident kids express themselves much more. Also, teaching kids to play "proper" football is much easier within winning teams. Kids aren't put off my mistakes as much and dont resort to old habits. Settled environments are essential, but so is the RIGHT environment.

[paul merson]

The question is this: Why do some parents feel the need to move their child from soccer club to soccer club year after year in the hopes of joining a 'winning' team?

Let me start by explaining where I'm coming from with this question. I view the education of young soccer players – from the time they start kicking a ball to the time they are fully grown adults – as very much like the education of young children in school.

We send our children to school in order for them to learn -- at the appropriate stages of their development -- the skills they need to succeed in their education and, by extension, in their life.

We do not expect kids in grade three to be able to do calculus, nor do we expect them to be able to go on job interviews. We do not judge them by adult standards – we judge them by age and ability specific standards for children. Our goal, every year, is for our children to progress with their peers to the next level of their education.

Some of those peers are more advanced for their age, and some are a little behind. That doesn't change the objectives of the school, nor does it change the objectives of the teachers. Their job is to challenge every child to advance in their education, so that they can go on to achieve long-term success.

Would a parent of a young child change schools if that child came home with poor grades? Would they blame the teacher, or shop around for a teacher at another school who would tell them what they want to hear, that their child is, in fact, a genius that is simply misunderstood?

While some parents may very well do that, I think most reasonable parents would instead sit down with their child's teacher to discover what they can do as parents to help their child achieve success in school. That discussion would likely involve the parents spending more time working with their child at home on the concepts that their child is struggling to understand. It would likely also involve the parents teaching their child the importance of commitment and dedication to learning.

So how does education in school relate to young players learning soccer? Just as teachers are partners with parents in the education of their children, soccer coaches are partners with parents in the education of their soccer-playing children.

While many parents understand that the goal of a student in grade three is to learn enough to graduate to grade four, many parents fail to understand what the metrics are for success as a young soccer player.

Many parents have only one metric for success when it comes to youth soccer – winning.

Because of this, these parents fail to understand that their child embarks on a learning process when they begin to play soccer, just as they embark on a learning process at school. It begins with learning the physical literacy skills of running, kicking and jumping, and progresses to more advanced skills like kicking a ball with multiple surfaces of both feet, dribbling the ball against opposition and interacting with teammates to attack and defend.

These parents are so desperate for their child to succeed in soccer – which, due to the parents' limited understanding, means winning games – that they fail to understand that their child first needs to learn the fundamentals of the game.

Young players need to learn to be comfortable with a ball at their feet, to pass and receive the ball, to shoot the ball with both feet. Those are some of the core fundamentals young players need in order to achieve long-term success in the game. There is no shortcut to success in soccer; there isn't a player in the world who reaches the highest level of the game without first acquiring those skills.

To put the process of skill acquisition into the context of education, consider this: Teachers do not ask children to compose essays before they are first taught to write the letters of the alphabet, followed by words, followed by sentences, followed by paragraphs, etc. There is a structured learning process that children go through in order to reach the stage where they are able to write complex topical essays.

Yet when it comes to soccer, many parents fail to understand that the very same process is required. How can a child be expected to be successful in the game before they are first taught to kick a ball with both feet, to dribble the ball, to pass and receive the ball - the very skills through which games can be won?

One often hears parents on the side lines yelling instructions to their children. Those parents believe that they are supporting their child's learning, and that their child will learn faster if they are given vocal encouragement. In reality, more often than not, this encouragement only serves to confuse the child.

Picture it in a different context. If a child were asked in school to add the numbers four and five, would a parent yell out from the back of the classroom, "Nine! Nine is the right answer! Say nine!"

This is essentially what those parents are doing on the sidelines of a soccer field. They are taking away their child's opportunity to learn through guided discovery, a process whereby young players experiment with new skills under the guidance of their coach, thus involving them in the learning process. When a parent is barking orders at a child from the sidelines, they are actually detracting from their child's learning opportunity.

Not all parents are like this, of course. The vast majority are very supportive of their children's soccer education, and understand that it isn't all about winning. But how do we go about changing the culture of soccer in our country, so that all parents understand that the process of developing young soccer players doesn't lie solely in the win column?

Clubs and Academies across Canada must work to educate parents, so that those parents understand that the soccer field is their child's classroom -- where they go to learn the game. The onus is on the teacher (the coach) to make learning the game fun for the students (the players.)

As parents, you must understand your job is to support the learning of your child, not hinder it. You can play a big role in emphasizing the lessons that your child's coach is trying to teach them. Develop a comfortable relationship with the coach, so if you have any concerns about your child's understanding of those lessons, you can speak freely with the coach so you can work together to help your child learn.

If your child has a season where the losses outnumber the victories, ask yourself these two important questions, "Did my child have fun this year? Did they learn more fundamentals?" If you can answer 'yes' to both of these questions, there is a good chance your child is in a good learning environment.

And finally, don't get fixated with wins and losses. They aren't nearly as important as you might think. When it comes time for your child to try out for an elite team, be it at the university, provincial, national or professional level, trophies count for nothing. Fundamentals are what really matter; if your child has mastered those, there is a very good chance they will find the success that they desire.

And that is something that every parent wants.

Brilliant article! Can FFSA, E & D and Southern Districts operatives please please print off a concise précis of the above post and distribute to all the parents/guardians of these children.

ps, love the analogy of a parent/guardian shouting out 5 + 4 = 9 to their youngster...

Jose Mourinho uses that analogy on a training vid from a couple of years ago, makes sense, up there with the parents that yell out 'Pass, pass' everytime a child gets control of the ball, way to make kids treat the ball like a hot potato, kids are probably scared to keep posession if theyre going to be yelled at everytime they get it.

Goes to show the negative impact uneducated (footballing wise) parents can and do have on the game and their childrens development, but lets behonest its easier to blame a coach/club and move on.

[here we go]

This article should be distributed to all involved in junior football at all junior levels.

[james stockdale]

Jose Mourinho uses that analogy on a training vid from a couple of years ago, makes sense, up there with the parents that yell out 'Pass, pass' everytime a child gets control of the ball, way to make kids treat the ball like a hot potato, kids are probably scared to keep posession if theyre going to be yelled at everytime they get it.

Goes to show the negative impact uneducated (footballing wise) parents can and do have on the game and their childrens development, but lets behonest its easier to blame a coach/club and move on.[/quote]

Passing can be taught but he ability to take on players is something kids need to identify by themslelves. Practicing this makes perfrect.

Kids in the early years should be encouraged to dribble and take on their opponent without fear of failure. Parent should just watch and leave the kids to explore the game

[Ginger Pele]

Jose Mourinho uses that analogy on a training vid from a couple of years ago, makes sense, up there with the parents that yell out 'Pass, pass' everytime a child gets control of the ball, way to make kids treat the ball like a hot potato, kids are probably scared to keep posession if theyre going to be yelled at everytime they get it.

Goes to show the negative impact uneducated (footballing wise) parents can and do have on the game and their childrens development, but lets behonest its easier to blame a coach/club and move on.

Passing can be taught but he ability to take on players is something kids need to identify by themslelves. Practicing this makes perfrect.

Kids in the early years should be encouraged to dribble and take on their opponent without fear of failure. Parent should just watch and leave the kids to explore the game[/quote]
Bingo!!!We have a winner......God forbid if the likes of Maradona, Ronaldo, Messi and Bale were all told they weren't allowed to dribble when they were young. Why take away from a child the one thing that makes them different from the rest.

[paul merson]

Jose Mourinho uses that analogy on a training vid from a couple of years ago, makes sense, up there with the parents that yell out 'Pass, pass' everytime a child gets control of the ball, way to make kids treat the ball like a hot potato, kids are probably scared to keep posession if theyre going to be yelled at everytime they get it.

Goes to show the negative impact uneducated (footballing wise) parents can and do have on the game and their childrens development, but lets behonest its easier to blame a coach/club and move on.

Passing can be taught but he ability to take on players is something kids need to identify by themslelves. Practicing this makes perfrect.

Kids in the early years should be encouraged to dribble and take on their opponent without fear of failure. Parent should just watch and leave the kids to explore the game[/quote]

Exactly, but concentrating on indiviual player development probably wont win games and the parents this artical is aimed at want their kids playing in winning teams!

[paul merson]

An email I recieved a while ago,

Greetings from a Barcelona style football coaching week.

I made a lot of notes, but here is a summary:

Joan Vila, one of the founders of Soccer Services, is currently FCB “director of

methodology”, I understood he is responsible for training methods and practices (but he is

not coaching himself) from the smallest kids up to the second team. Joan wasn’t present,

but two other founders were.

Horst Wein has been working in Barcelona area, and his work was referred to often.

Especially considering at which age it is best to teach which topics. The phrase “player

development process” was mentioned often.

They said it seems in Spanish football all works well, but the reality is different. There are

still playing formats of 7vs7 and 11vs11 available for most of the kids, that is too hard.

Better model would be 3vs3->4vs4->7vs7->9vs9->11vs11.

They do not want to win games with junior teams. They want to develop players. As an

example, U8 kids should not learn passing: They still live in egocentric phase. It is me and

the ball, or 1vs1. This is important for these kids, this is what they will learn easily.

Player development is devided in three stages: before 9y: egocentric stage, 10y to 14y

summative stage, over 15y collective stage 10-14 year old players are best able to learn

combination play with their team mates. They still think of themselves mostly, but they can

see team-mates as opportunities. 15years and older should learn special skills for position,

they are ready for collective benefits.

This development model tries to optimize learning at each age. 999 out of 1000 players

learn best this way.

- Teach skills that the player is the most eager to learn and practice at his current age

- Prevent teaching skills that are too complex to that age -> learning is not so effective ->

practice time wasted

- Prevent teaching skills that are too easy and already learned -> learning is not effective ->

practice time wasted

Position rotation of players should happen until 15 years.

What to coach:

6-7y:

- running with the ball





- ball protection

- tackling

- dribbling

- (less) control of orientation (body position related to ball, field and other players)

- (less) kicking the ball

8-9y:

same as 6-7y, but more emphasis on control of orientation (body position with regards to

play)

10-11y:

- dribbling

- control of orientation

- supporting

- marking

- covering

- passing

- shooting

- unchecking (get rid of your marker)

- positioning in the zone (zonal play)

- wideness

- depth

- (less) header

- (less) crossing

12-13y:

- passing

- header

- crossing

Note that passing as a concept includes the whole team work in relation to opponent.

If you train according to this, you will not necessarily win the matches early on. But the

players and the team will be much better eventually.

The coach should coach the same topic(s) for e.g. 3 months, until the players learn it. Then

move to next topic. Do not coach the previous topic anymore.

This approach was new to me and most of the fellow coaches:

- they coach the same topic area for like 100 or 150 sessions (can be 3 sessions in on

practice hour). Then they move to next topic area.

- the training is based on games. Always games, designed to learn the topic.

- only coach what your theme is: e.g. if your theme is passing/creating space, you don’t then





coach the defenders, you don’t coach using wrong foot, etc. You only coach the topic.

- the coaching is done by asking questions from a single player who did not succeed (not the

whole group). it is not allowed to tell the solution to the player: the player must think

himself. It is much better to ask 20 times and let the player think compared to just providing

a solution.

- the players will not be bored, because you only play 15-20 minutes of each game, then you

change the game. But the coaching theme should be the same (e.g. passing/creating space)

Almost everything can be coached with three basic game formats:

- keep the ball game (with extra players)

- wave (attack with extra player towards a single goal)

- 2 goal game with extra players

- extra rules can be added, and there can be also special zones, e.g. for keeping the playing

wide

Some notes from FCB playing style:

- keep the ball, don’t loose it

- look for space, look for numeric advantage

- play from left in order to attack from right (fool the defense)

- play from wings in order to attack from the middle (fool the defense)

- team maturity can be measured by the number of REASONABLE back passes

- pass back in order to create space and depth (when the ball is played to front, the depth is

temporarily lost)

- direct passes and indirect passes (via 3rd team mate)

- constant support to the player in ball possession

- strikers need to keep the game deep and wide

- midfielders needed inside to provide passing options and to occupy space

Typical practice session:

- warm-up

- keep-the-ball game 20min

- wave game 20min

- 2 goal game 20 min

They spent a lot of time to organize the game so that the players play as they wanted so

that they can then start coaching the theme they had planned. Often they adjusted the

game rules for 10 minutes before the actual coaching started.

Especially in the beginning they commented the playing speed of the kids in the sessions

was too fast. “Calm down, think!” “Don’t run, think! Where is the best position?”







Edit:

- Adding to the FCB playing style: Diamond is the basic structure in the game and in

practices. Triangle is not that good.

- Important in all the practice games, especially the keep-the-ball games: ALWAYS have a

player in the middle also, to learn how the mid-field is played.

[james stockdale]

I had a loan of a Horst Wein football skills book which breaks down skill progression through the age groups exactly how it is detailed in your email Paul Merson. Book was from the 80's.

Shows how switched on Horst Wein is.

[johnydep]

Horst Wein's Adelaide interview; Horst speaks about is Youth Football Development Model and youth coaching philosophy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x00N1XzV2_Q

[Steve#4]

Horst Wein's Adelaide interview; Horst speaks about is Youth Football Development Model and youth coaching philosophy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x00N1XzV2_Q

Just watched it and very impressed...Is there somewhere local you can get that book?

[paul merson]

I had a loan of a Horst Wein football skills book which breaks down skill progression through the age groups exactly how it is detailed in your email Paul Merson. Book was from the 80's.

Shows how switched on Horst Wein is.

Yeh not bad for a hockey player.
Ive read a fair bit by him, very switched on very early.