 | Ice Man Sr says:
Tue 09/22/2009 3:54:19 PM
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| I agree. I played football at a young age and even though
you have more equipment on, you have to learn to take hits
and give hits. I was taught that it hurts a lot less if you
strick first and hardest rather than taking a hit. I found
this to be true.
Our kids need to understand what is good, legal use of their
bodies and learn not to be afraid of using their body to
defend or to finish an attack. Question though: How much
can be taught of the "killer instinct" and how much of it
does one have to naturally possess?
Time to get those uniforms dirty!! |
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 | Joe says:
Tue 09/22/2009 3:56:49 PM
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| It is good to see the blog active again. Yes we are
developing soft players. Whatever happened to the players
that have the desire to play hard and competitive utilizing
all their skills? I don't see very many at the high school
level. More importantly, players are complacent and lacking
a true desire to score goals. There are so many 1-0 games,
argh. It is those scrums in front of the net where desire /
heart / competitive toughness wins the 50/50 battles and
puts the ball in the goal. Some players have a knack or an
instinct when it comes to this ability. Many more players
take shots for the sake of taking a shot rather than having
a fairly good probability of the ball going into the net. |
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 | mas says:
Tue 09/22/2009 4:29:24 PM
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| Yes, we are too soft. We see it all the time, players are
tough in scrimmages against their own teammates or club but
put them against an aggressive team and you can't find them
anywhere on the field. What’s that?
How is aggressiveness taught? |
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 | ZenMaster says:
Tue 09/22/2009 5:47:27 PM
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| I am with you MAS and others on the thread!! I am seeing the
toughness in training and the stage fright during match
play. One strange thing I am also seeing is that the kids
play harder once the outcome has been determined. Almost
like when there is no more pressure, they find the freedom
to take risks and play with heart. I would think it would
be the other way around. |
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 | LMD says:
Wed 09/23/2009 6:15:41 AM
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| first of all you can not teach heart, speed, or killer
instinct.killer instinct is something the player just has to
dig inside of himself and get....it took my u-15 soccer
player to finally in the USA cup in minn. this summer to
walk off the field losing a match 6-5 that he was finally
pissed off..he finally let out his emotion about being mad
and being pissed off they lost.. for once emotion from a kid
that plays soccer like cool hand luke. that match has
followed him into the soph. team in the high school... like
finally having the whistle blown against him for pushing
,shoving,or just being aggressive... its kind of cool to
watch that he is starting to get thee idea of being
aggressive, instead of always taking the hits. i can tell
you right now,let your kids train with the zenmaster he will
make them tough, forget my son i can name you 2 kids the
zenmaster turned into tough kids freshman starter mike, and
soph defensemen will....you no who they are zenster and if
have a chance to come watch these kids play they have
learned toughness from the best.....lets just hope they get
the rest of it. i think they will! |
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| ZenMaster says:
Wed 09/23/2009 8:51:12 AM
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| Hey There LMD - I am soooo glad these guys are playing well
at the high school level. All great kids and all great
young players whjo have come a long way and have a bright
future in this great game. W#hen I find the recipe for
intensity and killer instinct - I will be sure to let
everyone know!! |
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 | linda says:
Wed 09/23/2009 11:19:20 AM
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| Throughout my years of playing and watching my kids
play....I've noticed that the ones who play aggressive
(slidetackle etc...) seem to get labeled right away by the
parents and even the other teams coaches and players. "OH
HERE COMES THAT GIRL...SHE PLAYS DIRTY" "WATCH OUT FOR
HER"....so i was thinking maybe some of the kids now, need
to be told not to be afraid of what people say....as long as
they know their aggressiveness isn't illegal, then its all
good......"i didnt mind being labeled....it gave me more
power"....:) |
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| ZenMaster says:
Wed 09/23/2009 12:23:29 PM
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| Hey Linda - from the bay area!! I have a friend who has a
girl in our program and he is right in line with you Linda!!
His view is that as long it is legal, get on with it and
use your body to gain advantage. With the improvement I
have seen in officiating (more former players), I see a lot
more leeway in the shoulder charge call and I also see how
it can be used to an advantage to win or maintain possession
of the ball. |
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 | Brian says:
Wed 09/23/2009 1:08:52 PM
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| I don't think toughness can be taught, but it can be
developed over time. It may just be semantics, but I think
players over time--if they play a lot--can develop a sense
of how to play physically. They learn thru experience how
hard they can go against someone and where the line is. I
don't think you can tell a player who doesn't naturally play
physically where that line is and expect her to understand
immediately. But over time she'll get it on her own. There
are some players who will never be tough and others born
chewing glass. For the rest, as with everything else in
soccer, playing a lot can get you where you need to be thru
repetition, experience and comfort level. And smart players
can also learn quickly in a game whether certain refs will
let a little elbow be included in shoulder pushes, whether a
jersey tug will be whistled, etc. |
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| ZenMaster says:
Wed 09/23/2009 3:08:16 PM
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| Its interesting, sometimes when you are playing for an
extended period of time with rougher players (as Brian
refers to) you become more aggressive and don't even realize
it. Then, upon returning back to a level of play that is
less aggressive, you seem to be the aggressor. I have
personally experienced this. |
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 | jim says:
Thu 09/24/2009 8:47:39 AM
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| The pendulum of social and politically correctness needs to
get off the sports fields and common sense should dictate.
Hard physical play can represent great sportsmanship or the
worst in a player. You are right Linda, forget what people
think. The player or team that has heart always wins (even
if not in the scorebook). Sincere Consistent Effort No Fear
... I am trying to make a new acronym :) Teaching players to
be fearless I think is the root of the problem as well as
apathy. Those things can be challenged and changed over
time. What do you all think?? |
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| ZenMaster says:
Thu 09/24/2009 8:50:47 AM
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| I think a player can be hardened given the correct
conditions. |
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| ZenMaster says:
Thu 09/24/2009 9:04:59 AM
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| I am no expert on aggression. However, I do believe a
player and a team needs to play in hostile environments to
really understand the feeling. I don't mean hostil like you
wont get out alive. But I do mean where the rules favor the
aggressive player and the opponents play hard and physical
and are emotionally stong (and maybe even a little mouthy).
In training, I think a change needs to be made to apply more
aggressive tactics where players are forced into tackles and
physical situations and a trainer is keeping score. Maybe
this is done when the players are tired to test the
physiological responses to physical and mental stress.
Maybe training should always be a competition for who gets
to start on the weekend and no role is safe without great
physical and technical performance during the week. |
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 | Susan says:
Thu 09/24/2009 10:00:04 AM
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| I like it. Sink or swim. Best 11 on the training pitch
start and play. Competition among teammates is where it all
begins. Who wants it badly enough? Players who don't
experience the physicality of the game, will not advance.
Will not happen. They will get run over. Players who do
not have a 'do or die' attitude, will not advance. It has
to matter and it has to mean something. That has to come
from the coach, from parents, from the players. You don't
have to win - but you have to give it everything you have
and leave nothing on the field to try to make it happen.
Coaches might want to occasionally bring in older players
from the club - bigger, faster, stronger - for occasional
training sessions. Or, train with an older team once in
awhile and encourage rivalry and competition. Whether I
should admit it or not, my own son has a complete mental
change on the field. His opponent is his arch-enemy. He
cannot be nice (even if he knows the kid). Off the field -
they can be great friends, but show up in a different
uniform and you are the enemy. I know, sick - but it works
for him. |
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 | Betina says:
Thu 09/24/2009 10:52:00 AM
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| Speaking on girls, in particular, I think it's hard to undo
all the training the parents have given little girls over
time to be nice, don't hurt other people's feelings, say
your sorry,etc. How can someone who has been programmed to
behave that way all of a sudden become an aggressive player
in a soccer game, and then is expected to turn it right back
off once the game is done and she walks off the field?
Girls that play hard and aggressive are called "pushy, "a
dirty player", and variations on that theme just like strong
women are called "bitch", "ballbuster" etc. Our culture
does not like or want to accept strong girls/women without
labeling them in a negative way and how does a coach get
around that? I think that's a tall order for a coach and I
agree with Linda that the stigma of being called those
negative names needs to be taken away in order for girls to
play more aggressively (but within the rules). One parent I
know was offended that the coach had told her team of girls
she wanted them to be viciously aggressive. "They're little
girls. They don't need to be taught that." was the parents
response. Many people think Serena Williams is so full of
herself because she can and will take it to a higher level
in order to win. I applaud her for being able to dig deep
and find the focus and drive to call that kind of
competitiveness up within herself to get the results that
she knows she's capable of and isn't ashamed of doing it.
Why is that being labeled as arrogance by some people? So,
yes, we are still raising some of our girls to be weak
competitors when it comes to sports but they do have some
positive female role models in professional sports to
inspire them to play their hardest. |
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| linda says:
Thu 09/24/2009 2:29:44 PM
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| I like what Brian said....and agree 100%..(born chewing
glass was classic)..lol...my twins ...perfect example...they
only played for about 6 yrs...but they started out timid as
most kids do...after that...i ended up with one who kinda
floated gracefully with ball in offense and attacked as a
defender with the same kinda stlye...it worked for her...but
the other one .....she was like watching a tiger in attack
mode and wasnt stopping until she got her prey....almost
like adam sandler in "waterboy".....and i'm not
exagerating...it was very exciting....but my point is they
both developed their own aggressiveness that worked for
them...and it came from within....god i miss those days!!! |
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| linda says:
Thu 09/24/2009 2:47:51 PM
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| Betina ...i applaud you for your words ...in my oppinion you
hit it the nail on its head....it would be hard for some
girls to switch it on and off...but those are probably the
ones who prob wont advance into a great player....i mean
.....i had a decent upbringing ...my parents taught me
manners and all the girl stuff like squating when wearing a
dress never bend over or play on monkey bars unless you have
shorts underneath....(i went way back on that one)...but
when it came to playing on that field...i was like a lil
uncaged animal...with natural raw skill.....and every year i
played i got better and braver...and i wasn't afraid of
anybody...i had a reputation...and didn't realize it until
my 8th year of playing which made it u-16...my dad retired
from coaching so i tryed out for a new team...everyone
including parents kept looking at me and giving me timid
smiles...whispering..."I HATED IT"..once i was chosen...got
to know the girls and parents....I finally was told that
they were afraid of me...thought i was bully...but yet
respected me because i made things happen....but i honestly
didn't know i made such an impact on people....cuz to
me....i was just playing the game i loved...but at that
moment i had to make a choice...so i hinder myself and play
like others expect me to ...or play with the passion i was
born with....and of course i chose my passion. |
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 | soccerdad says:
Fri 09/25/2009 11:11:55 PM
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| As sort of a tangent, some parents need to learn that this
is a contact sport. I can't believe all the whining and
complaining I hear if their precious little darling is
touched during a game. Last weekend I wanted to shove a sock
if a few moms' mouths. ( from my experience moms are the
worst) There is a girl on my daughter's U10 team who does
play very aggressive. A group of the other team's moms were
screaming at her "keep your arms down" I did hear one the
husbands give a good answer. One of women asked how much
contact is allowed, the dad answered,"as much as the ref
permits". The sreaming moms were distracting the girl
(remember thus is U10). During the handshakes the girl
turned to crowd and yelled "keep your arms down!" I almost
died laughing. This, of course, upset the rude crowd. I
heard one person state, how if they heard their daughter say
that they would immediately go out there and reprimand their
daughter. Yea right. Here these women are screaming a 9 year
old girl, and when she replies (yes, not in a polite way)
they go crazy.
I really wanted to go over and tell these women to shut up,
but I did not see a good outcome if I did. I just did
nothing and let them look stupid. If I go over then the dads
have to defend their wives, so I just grinned and beared it.
On the ride home my daughter did remark about the, as she
put it, "the squeaky voiced ladies, yelling, it was very
aggravating." |
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| ZenMaster says:
Sat 09/26/2009 7:58:24 AM
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| Youth soccer hooliganism. Let the children play! Yes, let
them bump and push. Its all about growing up and playing in
the mix. Personally, I love a good shove now and then.
Let's me know the defender is worring about me when I am
attacking. I have also been known to dish it out just to
let the opponent know I was there. A little greeting
card....within the rules of course. |
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| ZenMaster says:
Sat 09/26/2009 8:44:21 AM
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| Last night I changed the training plans and had players play
for their positions in a 2v2 setting within limited space 10
yards by 10 yards. They really got after it!! It got
pretty physical and I could see how the emotions rose. Lots
of tackling, players got knocked down. I liked the
competition!! It was fierce!! |
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| linda says:
Sat 09/26/2009 9:12:49 AM
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| sounds good zenmaster....how did the kids like it?....did
you see any of them shying away from the roughness ?....and
i like how you opened up a lil and gave us a taste of your
past playing years....but stop teasing ....give us more
storiessss....cuz u know u have them....(if u dont mind that
is heeheee) |
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 | ZenMaster says:
Sat 09/26/2009 1:40:20 PM
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| Hey Linda!! The kids really responded. Some were surprised
that their team mates would come after them so aggressively.
But when the contact started, everyone joined in and made
the sessions a pretty fierce one. I am not sure they all
loved it but they all GOT it. As for stories about the
ZenMaster, well, let's just say that even when I play now, I
have a little edge. |
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| ZenMaster says:
Sat 09/26/2009 8:16:47 PM
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| I thought the U-10 Orange Zen United Defense played
aggressively today. Especially that Clicster Girl at
sweeper!! What great tackling. |
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 | Rick says:
Mon 09/28/2009 10:16:51 AM
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| Ed, I agree with you. To at least a reasonable degree I
think aggressiveness can be taught and needs to be taught
and trained through significant reps. Some kids are more
naturally tough and physical, but all athletes need to
ultimately learn to play physical to compete on the higher
levels. It is interesting, in american football both at the
youth and even professional levels, spending much time on
hitting and tackling is out of vogue. Rationale, too many
injuries in practice. The result is overall tackling
technique has gotten worse and my guess is more serious
injuriies now occur in games. Kids really aren't taught the
concepts of leverage to outduel a larger, stronger opponent.
I like your idea of small area games that reward mano on
mano or small side vs. small side victories and
aggressiveness. I believe you have to learn to compete and
win there, through multiple reps and then take that to the
big field. Just like the old nutcracker drills in football.
Our kids have to be tough and be prepared to win physically
if they want any real success in the sport. |
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| ZenMaster says:
Mon 09/28/2009 12:40:06 PM
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| Yea Rick. I have been staging individual and small group
battles to see the desire of the player to achieve a
positive outcome in more physical combat. It is not to
invite hacking and foul play, but to drive the players to
engage physically and understand this crucial element of the
game. |
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