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ZenFooty Blog Archive - February Ball Hogger or High Potential Player…let the kid create!Published on Mon 02/25/2008 | 16 total comments Young kids who seem to "HOG" the ball are often reprimanded by the "so-called" team oriented parents and coaches. Here's my view: If a youth player dominates the game with excessive touches as a way to involve others, facilitate productive soccer, and create things with the dribble, they are NOT a ball hog. They are doing what comes natural and, when faced with players of equivalent talent, this tendency will diminish. However, until then, leadership and innovation on the field often comes from this player. Heck, they may be the only player who can pass or shoot from any distance or get a good corner kick into the goalmouth for others to finish! Let them be...just make sure players get involved enough to develop around them. We are running the risk of developing boring vanilla soccer players if all we do is make squares and triangles, impose preselected passing plays, and turn soccer into a geometry class. What say you? « comments » Yellow cards need more teeth to control the game! Published on Tue 02/19/2008 | 27 total comments Its time we stopped the yellow card "caution" nonsense. Its like giving a kid a pat on the fanny and telling them to behave. It seems that every player on the team can flagrantly foul an opponent, get a yellow card, and drive a game out of control. This is because no individual player is thrown out until they get two yellows or a red card. The last world cup was a joke in this regard. I think there were some 17 yellow cards in the first round. I propose a two yellow card per team rule. After the second yellow card is received by a team, the third card is a red no matter who gets it and the team that has been fouled gets to pick the player they want sent off. This would straighten up the discipline very quickly. The insanity of tracking who has how many cards throughout the season so they can sit out a game after 5 cards is all accounting nonsense. In basketball they have a team foul penalty, why not in soccer? What say you? « comments » Newsflash for Trainers: Girls learn differently than boys! Published on Fri 02/15/2008 | 22 total comments Many trainers don't get it!! Girls learn differently than boys. With a boy, you teach them the trick and they will go off and try to apply it in a pick-up game or a match and see how it can help them score a goal. With a girl, you discuss the basis for the move, the fundamental mechanics and possible applications. Ok, I am generalizing a bit but stay with me!! With a boy, he is embellishing the move immediately and putting his spin on it. With a girl, she is perfecting it and contemplating how it fits into her overall game. Inexperienced trainers must learn to be patient with the girls who are striving for excellence in a developmental way that makes sense for them. The need for immediate gratification on the part of boys (and the need for success with inexperienced trainers) could lead kids down the path of not fully comprehending the lesson. Lack of patience and discipline here will result in a player with a lot of abbreviated moves that have no lasting impact on their game. Let's be sure about one thing though, girls are no less competitive by any stretch of the imagination!! In fact, the reverse may be true!! « comments » Why can't we produce 11 world class players in the USA? Published on Tue 02/12/2008 | 78 total comments This topic kills me. Of the 19 million people who play (some 10 million youth), why can't we grow 11 to win a World Cup title. I believe that it boils down to how well the game is meshed with the fabric of our culture. We are a culture of abundant choices and have evolved into a culture of consumers and generalists. It is only isolated cases where we find a player with the passion to kick the ball for 8 hours a day let alone a collection of players like this. We have distractions and insecurities about how we will educate the kids and get them into a great college and off to perfect jobs. While there is no shame in that, the purists of the game, live for the game and develop instincts though soccer experiences on and off the field. We, as a culture, are only beginning the journey of "living the game." We can't win it until we will give it all of our heart and passion. « comments » |
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