Here is video of kids working on the change of direction drill that we've been using in our practices.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Week Three
I was worried that last week's loss would be a tough one to come back from for the Strikers but on Tuesday they practiced well and seemed in really good spirits and on Saturday they showed up ready to play and anxious to get on the field. Samantha arrived with a new set of goalie gloves and was ready to get in there and try it again. She did a great job in the first half and then spent the rest of the game in at fullback and did some really great work there, especially with some great throw-ins.
The Strikers found the goal early off a great set piece from the corner in which Helen put a fabulous kick right in front of the goal where Taylor could step to it and drive it in. Later in the first half we got our second goal from Bryce who was showing off his ball handling in this game.
We had great play in goal from Keegan who made some fierce diving saves for us. Despite the fact that we lost our defense was really the highlight of the game as the Strikers managed to play with a lot of poise and composure, maintaining their positions and working solidly as a team. Isabel, Meighan and Hailey got the defensive play started in the first half and were great together. Meighan is a tough competitor who doesn't give ground easily. Isabel is tireless and has a great ability to anticipate where the ball will be moving. She seemed always to be in the right position. Lydia gave us great play in defense and, especially in the second half, dealt with some fierce elbow throwing from the Red team. She handled it with a cool head. Anna was strong for us both in offense and defense. In the first half she got close to the goal a couple of times and had a few shots go wide. She runs with the ball with such confidence I know another multi-goal game is coming up for her.
Meighan took a spill in the first half and landed on her right hand awkwardly. Her wrist started swelling immediately and so she sat out the rest of the game and left early so her Dad could take her to get that wrist looked at. I haven't heard from him yet how she's doing. I want to say that I was impressed with how Meighan handled the whole thing. Given the amount of swelling I would guess that her wrist was really hurting but she seemed as calm as she could be about it. Tough kid.
Practice for the Sharks on Monday prior to this week's game did not go smoothly. The kids showed up with lots of energy but very little focus. Probably because the weather was so good and they'd all been in school that day they just had energy to burn. After some stern warnings that I might have to separate them into two teams, the real Sharks and the goofball Sharks, they settled down a bit and got some good work done. Then on Saturday only real Sharks showed up and they played beautifully.
Austin lead the way on kick-off with a lot of energy and determination to get to the goal but some confusion as to which goal he needed to get to. I was thrilled to see him so engaged. He has a great kick and will easily score some goals if he keeps his head in the game. We had two goals from Sam E. early on with lots of energetic support from everyone on the field, especially Karolyn who continues to play like a tasmanian devil, crashing into the action fearlessly. We had good goalie play from Elizabeth in the first quarter and she had one really good stop to save a goal. In the second quarter Braden came in and led the Sharks in their now trademark huddle. Their strategizing didn't lead to a goal but they certainly had a lot of good attempts including a shot from Sam A. that went wide left by less than a ball's width. Brandon was great in goalie making a couple of really good stops.
Luke was in goal for us in the third quarter and he held his own making at least on solid stop when challenged. Jeremy, like Karolyn surprises you with his fearlessness and he always stays close to the action. And at the start of every quarter he always wants in. Jackson was good in the field for a couple of quarters but when he came in at keeper in the fourth he was brilliant. He had three great stops where he really had to take the ball right off the attacking player's foot. Then on the last of those he made a beautiful outlet pass right down the middle of the field that really should have lead to a goal. Great work all around for the Sharks. See you at practice Monday.
The Blueberries had their best game yet with lots of engaged play from everyone (despite the presence of the Kona Ice truck). Carson was the star with a long run down field to make a goal. I know there is a lot of running on and off the field and the kids rarely look like they get the whole picture of what the game involves but this group is doing just fine. That includes the kids who aren't even sure they want to be on the field. Just showing up every week with the gear on is part of the process.
After a wonderful practice session early in the week I was expecting the Warriors to come out with an impressive performance and they did not disappoint. Before noting the individual highlights I want to say that every player brought great enthusiasm and energy to the game Saturday and that is a carry-over from their practice. These kids, as a group, are a more serious team at practice than any I've coached. They really know how to get to work.
Whitney lead us off with an early goal to get things rolling. Not long after Will nearly put in an incredible header for a goal. Missing just wide left, Will got enough on the ball from some twenty feet out to have easily put it in the back of the net. It was a great shot.
Nate delivered our second goal when, in the second half, he recovered his feet and the ball after getting knocked down using a move that looked part ninja, part break-dancer then dribbled to his left and kicked a low shot that the goalie did grab but then fell across the line with. Great effort on the goalie's part but also a great goal for Nate.
Dakota was fabulous for us in keeper during the last quarter, making some great stops and delivering a couple of really well placed goal kicks to get the offense re-started.
The big highlight of the game was a play involving Olivia and Whitney and you may not have even noticed it. Both girls play with a tireless energy although Whitney has been playing since she could walk and Olivia is new to the game. In the last quarter, when some of the Warriors were getting heavy feet Whit and Olivia were still going strong. We had a couple of throw-ins in a row where Whitney couldn't find an open teammate to get the ball in to. On the next ball out Olivia, unprompted by me, ran to the touch line and took the ball from Whitney then told her to go down the line. Olivia then made a quick throw-in that landed right where Whitney needed it. It didn't lead to a goal but that heads-up play easily could have. I would say that in every practice we work on two things. One is some basic set of ball handling skills which we work on till the kids are bored with it. The other is developing in them the ability to see the whole field as they play, to know where the ball, their teammates and their opponents are. It looked to me Saturday like Olivia may have taken a huge step forward in that area.
No games next Saturday. Enjoy the Holiday.
The Strikers found the goal early off a great set piece from the corner in which Helen put a fabulous kick right in front of the goal where Taylor could step to it and drive it in. Later in the first half we got our second goal from Bryce who was showing off his ball handling in this game.
We had great play in goal from Keegan who made some fierce diving saves for us. Despite the fact that we lost our defense was really the highlight of the game as the Strikers managed to play with a lot of poise and composure, maintaining their positions and working solidly as a team. Isabel, Meighan and Hailey got the defensive play started in the first half and were great together. Meighan is a tough competitor who doesn't give ground easily. Isabel is tireless and has a great ability to anticipate where the ball will be moving. She seemed always to be in the right position. Lydia gave us great play in defense and, especially in the second half, dealt with some fierce elbow throwing from the Red team. She handled it with a cool head. Anna was strong for us both in offense and defense. In the first half she got close to the goal a couple of times and had a few shots go wide. She runs with the ball with such confidence I know another multi-goal game is coming up for her.
Meighan took a spill in the first half and landed on her right hand awkwardly. Her wrist started swelling immediately and so she sat out the rest of the game and left early so her Dad could take her to get that wrist looked at. I haven't heard from him yet how she's doing. I want to say that I was impressed with how Meighan handled the whole thing. Given the amount of swelling I would guess that her wrist was really hurting but she seemed as calm as she could be about it. Tough kid.
Practice for the Sharks on Monday prior to this week's game did not go smoothly. The kids showed up with lots of energy but very little focus. Probably because the weather was so good and they'd all been in school that day they just had energy to burn. After some stern warnings that I might have to separate them into two teams, the real Sharks and the goofball Sharks, they settled down a bit and got some good work done. Then on Saturday only real Sharks showed up and they played beautifully.
Austin lead the way on kick-off with a lot of energy and determination to get to the goal but some confusion as to which goal he needed to get to. I was thrilled to see him so engaged. He has a great kick and will easily score some goals if he keeps his head in the game. We had two goals from Sam E. early on with lots of energetic support from everyone on the field, especially Karolyn who continues to play like a tasmanian devil, crashing into the action fearlessly. We had good goalie play from Elizabeth in the first quarter and she had one really good stop to save a goal. In the second quarter Braden came in and led the Sharks in their now trademark huddle. Their strategizing didn't lead to a goal but they certainly had a lot of good attempts including a shot from Sam A. that went wide left by less than a ball's width. Brandon was great in goalie making a couple of really good stops.
Luke was in goal for us in the third quarter and he held his own making at least on solid stop when challenged. Jeremy, like Karolyn surprises you with his fearlessness and he always stays close to the action. And at the start of every quarter he always wants in. Jackson was good in the field for a couple of quarters but when he came in at keeper in the fourth he was brilliant. He had three great stops where he really had to take the ball right off the attacking player's foot. Then on the last of those he made a beautiful outlet pass right down the middle of the field that really should have lead to a goal. Great work all around for the Sharks. See you at practice Monday.
The Blueberries had their best game yet with lots of engaged play from everyone (despite the presence of the Kona Ice truck). Carson was the star with a long run down field to make a goal. I know there is a lot of running on and off the field and the kids rarely look like they get the whole picture of what the game involves but this group is doing just fine. That includes the kids who aren't even sure they want to be on the field. Just showing up every week with the gear on is part of the process.
After a wonderful practice session early in the week I was expecting the Warriors to come out with an impressive performance and they did not disappoint. Before noting the individual highlights I want to say that every player brought great enthusiasm and energy to the game Saturday and that is a carry-over from their practice. These kids, as a group, are a more serious team at practice than any I've coached. They really know how to get to work.
Whitney lead us off with an early goal to get things rolling. Not long after Will nearly put in an incredible header for a goal. Missing just wide left, Will got enough on the ball from some twenty feet out to have easily put it in the back of the net. It was a great shot.
Nate delivered our second goal when, in the second half, he recovered his feet and the ball after getting knocked down using a move that looked part ninja, part break-dancer then dribbled to his left and kicked a low shot that the goalie did grab but then fell across the line with. Great effort on the goalie's part but also a great goal for Nate.
Dakota was fabulous for us in keeper during the last quarter, making some great stops and delivering a couple of really well placed goal kicks to get the offense re-started.
The big highlight of the game was a play involving Olivia and Whitney and you may not have even noticed it. Both girls play with a tireless energy although Whitney has been playing since she could walk and Olivia is new to the game. In the last quarter, when some of the Warriors were getting heavy feet Whit and Olivia were still going strong. We had a couple of throw-ins in a row where Whitney couldn't find an open teammate to get the ball in to. On the next ball out Olivia, unprompted by me, ran to the touch line and took the ball from Whitney then told her to go down the line. Olivia then made a quick throw-in that landed right where Whitney needed it. It didn't lead to a goal but that heads-up play easily could have. I would say that in every practice we work on two things. One is some basic set of ball handling skills which we work on till the kids are bored with it. The other is developing in them the ability to see the whole field as they play, to know where the ball, their teammates and their opponents are. It looked to me Saturday like Olivia may have taken a huge step forward in that area.
No games next Saturday. Enjoy the Holiday.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Strategy Frenzy - The Sharks Make a Plan
Thanks to Kori Blackburn, Braden's mom, we have photo documentation of the Sharks attempting to "out-plan" their opponents. This could be this session's moment of Soccer Zen: we begin to learn how to do a thing by pretending to do it.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Week Two
The Warriors had a blast today playing in the rain. That's an experience I'm sure they'll remember. I was talking to one of our defenders when our goal was scored and I couldn't get verification from anyone I talked to as to who scored it. Nate or Whitney seemed to be the consensus. We had great play from everyone and including some bold play in keeper from Whitney, another fabulous header from Nate and great work in midfield from Cody, Owen, Conner and Dakota. I am moving practice up to 7:00 PM starting this week to accommodate school day hours.
Your U4 team is now The Blueberries and they had a great game. A little more organized and involved overall this week. Carson managed our lone goal and I was thrilled with the way everyone played.
No practice Monday night.
The U6 Sharks had a good game in terms of their activity level but we did have some trouble with staying focused on the game. You may have seen some of the kids huddling up before kick-offs to formulate a plan of attack. I'm thrilled to see them doing that and bonding together as a team but I have to tell you that from what I could over-hear the plan seemed to consist of "take the ball that way and don't let the other team have it". Generally a good idea. Apparently at some point Braden shared the plan with a player on the other team because after they scored on us one of the Red players came up to Braden and, with a bit of taunting in his voice, said "hey, you know why we were able to get a goal? 'Cause we brought the ball down here and didn't let any of you guys get it."
The game highlight was the fierce play of Karolyn, who is amazingly competitive when she gets going.
Practice this week will be at 6:00 PM instead of 6:30.
The Strikers had a tough time of it today facing a team that seemed a bit older and more experienced. But despite the score we had valiant efforts all around. After a tough first half in goal Samantha came back in the game as a defender in the second half and played wonderfully including making some great throw ins. Anna, Isabel and Taylor were relentless throughout. Taylor took a volley off the head and kept going. Helen played great in at mid, especially in the first half taking a nasty spill while trying to drive the ball up the field. Keegan came in as keeper for us and was solid as a rock. Bryce joined us in his first game back and played with his usual amazing energy showing signs of developing a good attack in cooperation with Anna and Taylor. Meighan, Lydia and Haley were great in defense. Meighan especially was really getting the hang of working the throw-ins up the field and Lydia bounced back strongly after taking a hard shot right to the stomach. I know such a lopsided loss is hard to watch but your Strikers never gave up and kept pushing right to the end.
Your U4 team is now The Blueberries and they had a great game. A little more organized and involved overall this week. Carson managed our lone goal and I was thrilled with the way everyone played.
No practice Monday night.
The U6 Sharks had a good game in terms of their activity level but we did have some trouble with staying focused on the game. You may have seen some of the kids huddling up before kick-offs to formulate a plan of attack. I'm thrilled to see them doing that and bonding together as a team but I have to tell you that from what I could over-hear the plan seemed to consist of "take the ball that way and don't let the other team have it". Generally a good idea. Apparently at some point Braden shared the plan with a player on the other team because after they scored on us one of the Red players came up to Braden and, with a bit of taunting in his voice, said "hey, you know why we were able to get a goal? 'Cause we brought the ball down here and didn't let any of you guys get it."
The game highlight was the fierce play of Karolyn, who is amazingly competitive when she gets going.
Practice this week will be at 6:00 PM instead of 6:30.
The Strikers had a tough time of it today facing a team that seemed a bit older and more experienced. But despite the score we had valiant efforts all around. After a tough first half in goal Samantha came back in the game as a defender in the second half and played wonderfully including making some great throw ins. Anna, Isabel and Taylor were relentless throughout. Taylor took a volley off the head and kept going. Helen played great in at mid, especially in the first half taking a nasty spill while trying to drive the ball up the field. Keegan came in as keeper for us and was solid as a rock. Bryce joined us in his first game back and played with his usual amazing energy showing signs of developing a good attack in cooperation with Anna and Taylor. Meighan, Lydia and Haley were great in defense. Meighan especially was really getting the hang of working the throw-ins up the field and Lydia bounced back strongly after taking a hard shot right to the stomach. I know such a lopsided loss is hard to watch but your Strikers never gave up and kept pushing right to the end.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Week One
I want to start by thanking all the parents for helping me and the players in dealing with the heat. The weather really was oppressive and many of the kids seemed apprehensive about playing but in every game once the whistle blew the kids threw themselves into it with gusto. They should all be proud of the way they handled such tough conditions.
Game Highlights
The U13 Strikers began the game looking like they would dominate throughout, possessing the ball confidently for the first ten minutes or so and keeping it in the other team's half. Anna and Isabel did great work taking the ball into the other side relentlessly but before we could get a goal in Coach Hallenkamp's Yellow side surprised us with a goal on a breakaway that took our defense unaware. It was a good shot from about ten yards out that was too close to the post for Samantha to reach. I was worried that the tone of the game would change at that point but I needn't have been. The Strikers answered quickly with goals from Isabel, Anna and Keegan in the first half along with two more excellent shots on goal from Taylor. Meighan played great defense for us in the first half alongside her fellow fullback Lydia as they both tried to get the hang of "trapping" the other team offsides. Samantha did some great work in goal and she should be proud of the hard work she's done trying to learn that position.
Helen did some beautiful work in at midfield and showed some real toughness in dealing with the other side's strikers. Hailey subbed in for us on defense in the first half and seemed a bit apprehensive at first but as she warmed up she did some great work and had a couple of really nice clearing kicks to stop Yellow's offense.
In the second half we had Keegan in goal and he put up a shut-out. He had great help from our defensive line including Samantha in at center fullback. The Strikers went on to score three more times with goals, I believe, from Anna and Lydia. I apologize for missing the last five minutes but I had another game to get to. Thanks, Coach Julie, for taking over for me. What a great first game. We've got a strong foundation to build on as we go into practice this week.
The U4 Blue had a bit of trouble keeping a full team on the field this first game. I think the kids were really feeling the heat and didn't have as much energy as you'd expect. But all in all it was a good day for them. Jackson managed a goal for us and the look on his face when he turned to look for his dad after putting the ball in was priceless. Austin and Eileen gave us the most minutes and both of them had some good attempts at scoring a goal. Isabella and Madison needed some encouragement to get on the field but they were out there and that's a good first step. I'm sure that by the end of the session I'll have trouble keeping them off the field. Thanks to all the parents for your patience and support and for all the enthusiastic cheering for both teams.
Our U6 Sharks had all the energy you could ask for despite the heat. But despite that energy they were a bit disorganized in their efforts. Most of the kids have just transitioned from U4 to U6 and so now they have to get used to having more players on the field and to facing a goalie. Obviously we'll be working in practice on taking some steps toward playing more cooperatively as a team. That is my top priority for this age group and I think this particular group of kids has great potential.
We had outstanding goalie play from Jackson in the first half of the game. He is fearless! He had two great stops that he followed with beautiful outlet passes that Tim Howard would be proud of. Later in the game we had good goalie play from Brandon and Sam A. Our other Sam (Sam E.) had a rough time transitioning to the U6 game. In his last session of U4 Sam was accustomed to scoring at will thanks to his speed and ball handling skill. But outdoors you've got a field that plays a bit slow compared to the indoor turf and then there's the matter of having to get past a goalie. After the game Sam E. came up to me and said "coach, I'm never gonna score a goal." I've watched Sam play a lot and I'm certain he will score more than a few goals before the session is over especially once we get him and Elizabeth, Zak and Luke to cooperate more on their attacks. And watch out for Karolyn to be part of that offense too. She really turned it on in the last quarter for us and did some great work defending.
I'm really looking forward to practicing with this team and I expect great things from them. Thanks to Todd Wiehe and Ben Lighthall for coaching help.
The last game of the day was a titanic struggle between Coach Meyer's Yellow side and your U8 Blue Warriors.
This was a hard fought game from start to finish with the deciding lone goal coming off the fleet foot of Nate Griffin who also contributed the most unexpected header I've ever seen. By the time this game started the heat was really getting excessive but the kids handled it in good spirits and were anxious to play.
We had great play from everyone. There was great defense from Maddie, Olivia and Cody. Great work in goal from Kaleb, textbook midfield play from Conner and Owen and lots of relentless striker play from Will, Dakota, Whitney and Nate. It's surprising that we only had the one goal given the way these kids kept driving the ball into the Yellow side over and over again. But you have to keep in mind that Coach Meyer's team was relentless as well and we're lucky that none of their many shots on goal found their way in.
It was an excellent game played with a lot of energy in awful weather. An effort to really be proud of. I want to thank Todd Wiehe and Ben Lighthall for their coaching help. Thanks to the Bogards for bringing half-time snacks. See you all at practice.
Game Highlights
The U13 Strikers began the game looking like they would dominate throughout, possessing the ball confidently for the first ten minutes or so and keeping it in the other team's half. Anna and Isabel did great work taking the ball into the other side relentlessly but before we could get a goal in Coach Hallenkamp's Yellow side surprised us with a goal on a breakaway that took our defense unaware. It was a good shot from about ten yards out that was too close to the post for Samantha to reach. I was worried that the tone of the game would change at that point but I needn't have been. The Strikers answered quickly with goals from Isabel, Anna and Keegan in the first half along with two more excellent shots on goal from Taylor. Meighan played great defense for us in the first half alongside her fellow fullback Lydia as they both tried to get the hang of "trapping" the other team offsides. Samantha did some great work in goal and she should be proud of the hard work she's done trying to learn that position.
Helen did some beautiful work in at midfield and showed some real toughness in dealing with the other side's strikers. Hailey subbed in for us on defense in the first half and seemed a bit apprehensive at first but as she warmed up she did some great work and had a couple of really nice clearing kicks to stop Yellow's offense.
In the second half we had Keegan in goal and he put up a shut-out. He had great help from our defensive line including Samantha in at center fullback. The Strikers went on to score three more times with goals, I believe, from Anna and Lydia. I apologize for missing the last five minutes but I had another game to get to. Thanks, Coach Julie, for taking over for me. What a great first game. We've got a strong foundation to build on as we go into practice this week.
The U4 Blue had a bit of trouble keeping a full team on the field this first game. I think the kids were really feeling the heat and didn't have as much energy as you'd expect. But all in all it was a good day for them. Jackson managed a goal for us and the look on his face when he turned to look for his dad after putting the ball in was priceless. Austin and Eileen gave us the most minutes and both of them had some good attempts at scoring a goal. Isabella and Madison needed some encouragement to get on the field but they were out there and that's a good first step. I'm sure that by the end of the session I'll have trouble keeping them off the field. Thanks to all the parents for your patience and support and for all the enthusiastic cheering for both teams.
Our U6 Sharks had all the energy you could ask for despite the heat. But despite that energy they were a bit disorganized in their efforts. Most of the kids have just transitioned from U4 to U6 and so now they have to get used to having more players on the field and to facing a goalie. Obviously we'll be working in practice on taking some steps toward playing more cooperatively as a team. That is my top priority for this age group and I think this particular group of kids has great potential.
We had outstanding goalie play from Jackson in the first half of the game. He is fearless! He had two great stops that he followed with beautiful outlet passes that Tim Howard would be proud of. Later in the game we had good goalie play from Brandon and Sam A. Our other Sam (Sam E.) had a rough time transitioning to the U6 game. In his last session of U4 Sam was accustomed to scoring at will thanks to his speed and ball handling skill. But outdoors you've got a field that plays a bit slow compared to the indoor turf and then there's the matter of having to get past a goalie. After the game Sam E. came up to me and said "coach, I'm never gonna score a goal." I've watched Sam play a lot and I'm certain he will score more than a few goals before the session is over especially once we get him and Elizabeth, Zak and Luke to cooperate more on their attacks. And watch out for Karolyn to be part of that offense too. She really turned it on in the last quarter for us and did some great work defending.
I'm really looking forward to practicing with this team and I expect great things from them. Thanks to Todd Wiehe and Ben Lighthall for coaching help.
The last game of the day was a titanic struggle between Coach Meyer's Yellow side and your U8 Blue Warriors.
This was a hard fought game from start to finish with the deciding lone goal coming off the fleet foot of Nate Griffin who also contributed the most unexpected header I've ever seen. By the time this game started the heat was really getting excessive but the kids handled it in good spirits and were anxious to play.
We had great play from everyone. There was great defense from Maddie, Olivia and Cody. Great work in goal from Kaleb, textbook midfield play from Conner and Owen and lots of relentless striker play from Will, Dakota, Whitney and Nate. It's surprising that we only had the one goal given the way these kids kept driving the ball into the Yellow side over and over again. But you have to keep in mind that Coach Meyer's team was relentless as well and we're lucky that none of their many shots on goal found their way in.
It was an excellent game played with a lot of energy in awful weather. An effort to really be proud of. I want to thank Todd Wiehe and Ben Lighthall for their coaching help. Thanks to the Bogards for bringing half-time snacks. See you all at practice.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Opening Day 2010
First Kick for the NKYA Fall session has arrived and the schedule for the games is as follows:
9:00 AM U13 "Strikers"
10:00 AM U4 (I will get the snack at this first game.)
11:00 AM U6 (The Wiehe's are picking up the snack for this one)
12:00 PM U8 "Warriors" (Someone volunteered for the snack but I forget who)
Try to arrive at least fifteen minutes early for your game so I can get you a team shirt. Bring lots of water and sunscreen. If the heat index is projected to be 104 degrees or higher at game time the games will be canceled.
See you Saturday.
9:00 AM U13 "Strikers"
10:00 AM U4 (I will get the snack at this first game.)
11:00 AM U6 (The Wiehe's are picking up the snack for this one)
12:00 PM U8 "Warriors" (Someone volunteered for the snack but I forget who)
Try to arrive at least fifteen minutes early for your game so I can get you a team shirt. Bring lots of water and sunscreen. If the heat index is projected to be 104 degrees or higher at game time the games will be canceled.
See you Saturday.
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