I was looking through training videos on youtube and came across this. Check it out. The kid has some nice skills. Not saying he's a future pro, it's just fun to watch a kid who has clearly put some effort into developing his talents.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Week Eight. End of an Era.
What a great final game. Both teams played so beautifully. The Sharks were all grace and power and the Bears were all tenaciousness. The highlights of the game are here.
I went back through the old posts here trying to find the first appearances of Sam E., Jackson, Austin and Elizabeth. This Saturday was their last game on the U6 team and seeing how far they'd come I wanted to have a look back at where they started. In that final U6 game they played with a team unity that was too graceful to simply be called "cooperative"...it appeared choreographed. These four play with energy, even exuberance and yet also with calmness and assuredness, dominating the play, and they also lead their teammates in subtle (and in Jackson's case, not so subtle) ways and have, over the last few sessions, introduced new players on the team to the Sharks' signature style.
I would describe that "style" in one word: "fearless". You'd assume that by fearless I meant their willingness to crash into other players for the sake of getting the ball. Certainly every player on the team has that quality. But what I'm thinking of is a fearlessness when trying new things, when daring to use a new move or learn some new skill or trusting your teammate to play his position while you play yours. In short, they don't fear failure. They take chances and risk stumbling over their own attempts to expand their skills all for the sake of getting better at the game they love, and it seems that for them, for these four players, that has always been their natural attitude. If the Sharks have a style it is "fearlessness" and the foundation of that style is joy. Like Ernie Banks, the Sharks would always say "let's play two."
I went back through the old posts here trying to find the first appearances of Sam E., Jackson, Austin and Elizabeth. This Saturday was their last game on the U6 team and seeing how far they'd come I wanted to have a look back at where they started. In that final U6 game they played with a team unity that was too graceful to simply be called "cooperative"...it appeared choreographed. These four play with energy, even exuberance and yet also with calmness and assuredness, dominating the play, and they also lead their teammates in subtle (and in Jackson's case, not so subtle) ways and have, over the last few sessions, introduced new players on the team to the Sharks' signature style.
I would describe that "style" in one word: "fearless". You'd assume that by fearless I meant their willingness to crash into other players for the sake of getting the ball. Certainly every player on the team has that quality. But what I'm thinking of is a fearlessness when trying new things, when daring to use a new move or learn some new skill or trusting your teammate to play his position while you play yours. In short, they don't fear failure. They take chances and risk stumbling over their own attempts to expand their skills all for the sake of getting better at the game they love, and it seems that for them, for these four players, that has always been their natural attitude. If the Sharks have a style it is "fearlessness" and the foundation of that style is joy. Like Ernie Banks, the Sharks would always say "let's play two."
Week Eight. Bears and Sharks One Last Time.
The skillful play of the Sharks was a pleasure to watch and we saw an organized attack that was the culmination of all the work the team has done together over the last two sessions. Sam and Austin played with perfect spacing most of their time in and always seemed each to know where the other was. Thanks to that organized play Karolyn was in position to get her first goal of the session off of a beautiful pass, from Elizabeth I think. And among the younger players Jagger was a real stand-out too, playing some of his best soccer yet. He was playing more "heads-up" than ever before.
It was great to have Trey back and he seemed to be playing "heads-up" too. Of course, he did get caught off guard by the blast off his shins from Jackson that resulted in an own-goal. Jackson's grin and shrug after that incident was priceless.
The Bears aren't yet able to manage the kind of team-attack the Sharks have but what they do have is tenaciousness and determination. In the third and fourth quarters especially they played just brilliant defense against the best the Sharks had to offer. Micah pitched a shutout in the third and then Zyckik was rock-solid in the fourth. Ava and Maddox were chasing the Sharks out of their goal repeatedly and smartly turning up field for runs toward the Shark goal. Carson had a great game too and he and Ashley both had their moments of ball-control grace but just couldn't penetrate the Shark defense. I was thrilled to see how un-intimidated the Bears were compared to their previous matches with the Sharks and especially given that in this game the Sharks were more effective than ever before. That was a great game for both teams.
I've said this at the end of sessions before but I have to say it every time. It's an honor to work with your kids. When I see them play well and really enjoy themselves, really give themselves to the joy of the game, I feel grateful for having had the chance to work with them. Thanks.
It was great to have Trey back and he seemed to be playing "heads-up" too. Of course, he did get caught off guard by the blast off his shins from Jackson that resulted in an own-goal. Jackson's grin and shrug after that incident was priceless.
The Bears aren't yet able to manage the kind of team-attack the Sharks have but what they do have is tenaciousness and determination. In the third and fourth quarters especially they played just brilliant defense against the best the Sharks had to offer. Micah pitched a shutout in the third and then Zyckik was rock-solid in the fourth. Ava and Maddox were chasing the Sharks out of their goal repeatedly and smartly turning up field for runs toward the Shark goal. Carson had a great game too and he and Ashley both had their moments of ball-control grace but just couldn't penetrate the Shark defense. I was thrilled to see how un-intimidated the Bears were compared to their previous matches with the Sharks and especially given that in this game the Sharks were more effective than ever before. That was a great game for both teams.
I've said this at the end of sessions before but I have to say it every time. It's an honor to work with your kids. When I see them play well and really enjoy themselves, really give themselves to the joy of the game, I feel grateful for having had the chance to work with them. Thanks.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sharks, Week Seven.
Something strange happened before this week's game. As we were warming up Sam E. asked me who we were playing. I told him it would be the green team and his response was surprising. "Aw, this'll be easy." He didn't say it in a bragging way but rather with a tone of disappointment in his voice. The Sharks like winning but they've become so dominant against their competition that some of the kids are feeling a bit restless. I don't think our four goal keepers had more than six touches on the ball combined in this game.
Obviously the Sharks are a team with several very talented players up and down the line-up. Certainly we have players who can completely dominate a game when they are in, combining great ball skills, drive and field awareness. But beyond our team's individual talents what makes the Sharks so formidable is their teamwork. On offense the foundation of that teamwork is the team's general understanding that they need to stay spread out and trust each other to handle the ball. At the beginning of this game the threesome we had up front were bunching a bit but you expect that early in the game as the kids are so anxious to play. By the final quarter they were spreading the field beautifully and Sam looked like a Beckham back there in fullback distributing the ball to Elizabeth and Jackson on the wings. Even in the first quarter they had their tempo by the end of the period and Samuel and Diego were both keeping their distance from Sam and then dashing into position for shot opportunities. Samuel had a two goal day, in fact. The extent to which these kids "get it" already is remarkable.
more after the break
Obviously the Sharks are a team with several very talented players up and down the line-up. Certainly we have players who can completely dominate a game when they are in, combining great ball skills, drive and field awareness. But beyond our team's individual talents what makes the Sharks so formidable is their teamwork. On offense the foundation of that teamwork is the team's general understanding that they need to stay spread out and trust each other to handle the ball. At the beginning of this game the threesome we had up front were bunching a bit but you expect that early in the game as the kids are so anxious to play. By the final quarter they were spreading the field beautifully and Sam looked like a Beckham back there in fullback distributing the ball to Elizabeth and Jackson on the wings. Even in the first quarter they had their tempo by the end of the period and Samuel and Diego were both keeping their distance from Sam and then dashing into position for shot opportunities. Samuel had a two goal day, in fact. The extent to which these kids "get it" already is remarkable.
more after the break
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Week Four. A Blur of Soccer.
Thanks for your patience.
Looking back on the games I recall that everyone played very well. The Thunder Bears had a double header and played great in both games. Ashley, Ava and Carson all had much better games this week, playing aggressively but with some more thoughtfulness. Micah played well too. Most of the players on the Bears are as aggressive in going to the ball as you could hope but they all still play with a bit of tunnel vision, failing to see where their teammates are and to remember which way the goal is. But that just comes with time and repetition. We talk about it before every game and eventually they'll start to get it.
The Sharks, on the other hand, have largely gotten this concept as a team. They look down field past the ball and scan the field behind them. There are a few players in particular who lead the way in this regard but I'm seeing everyone pick it up. Karolyn has been doing beautiful work anticipating the action and this past week Jagger and Trey both had great games because they channeled their energy a bit, playing with more discipline and field awareness. Maya was showing that skill too and had a great game in terms of her ball control and anticipation. Samuel, of course, always amazes with his understanding of when to run away from the ball toward the goal. That kind of awareness got him a goal in the last game.
One highlight of the game was a bit of defense from Austin. I often talk to the kids about taking control of the situation when I work with them on ball control. When you are dribbling with the ball toward the goal you want to act rather than react when you encounter a defender. Make a move. Deceive them. Take control. We've got several players on the Sharks who get that and put it to work every game. A good defender can handle those encounters in the same way by intentionally lagging behind the other player or letting it appear that there is an opening to one side. You've probably seen basketball players on defense let a shooter have room to move to the left if that shooter is known to be weak with their left hand. The defender takes control of the situation sometimes too.
In the last game Austin put on a clinic for how this is done in soccer. As a player on the other team approached him with the ball along the right side of the field Austin hesitated to engage with the player and ball just long enough to let the player think the space between Austin and the wall was open. When the player started to take the ball that way, to Austin's right, Austin made a quick stabbing step to the front of the ball that stopped the ball and sent the other player tumbling. We call that a "stick". Austin stuck that kid perfectly. I don't know if that is something he's learned or if it's simply instinct but that sequence of hesitation followed by rapid action was clearly intentional.
Other highlights for the Sharks included a goal from considerable distance by Sam E., some great field leadership work from Jackson and some great play in keeper for Elizabeth.
See you all Saturday.
Looking back on the games I recall that everyone played very well. The Thunder Bears had a double header and played great in both games. Ashley, Ava and Carson all had much better games this week, playing aggressively but with some more thoughtfulness. Micah played well too. Most of the players on the Bears are as aggressive in going to the ball as you could hope but they all still play with a bit of tunnel vision, failing to see where their teammates are and to remember which way the goal is. But that just comes with time and repetition. We talk about it before every game and eventually they'll start to get it.
The Sharks, on the other hand, have largely gotten this concept as a team. They look down field past the ball and scan the field behind them. There are a few players in particular who lead the way in this regard but I'm seeing everyone pick it up. Karolyn has been doing beautiful work anticipating the action and this past week Jagger and Trey both had great games because they channeled their energy a bit, playing with more discipline and field awareness. Maya was showing that skill too and had a great game in terms of her ball control and anticipation. Samuel, of course, always amazes with his understanding of when to run away from the ball toward the goal. That kind of awareness got him a goal in the last game.
One highlight of the game was a bit of defense from Austin. I often talk to the kids about taking control of the situation when I work with them on ball control. When you are dribbling with the ball toward the goal you want to act rather than react when you encounter a defender. Make a move. Deceive them. Take control. We've got several players on the Sharks who get that and put it to work every game. A good defender can handle those encounters in the same way by intentionally lagging behind the other player or letting it appear that there is an opening to one side. You've probably seen basketball players on defense let a shooter have room to move to the left if that shooter is known to be weak with their left hand. The defender takes control of the situation sometimes too.
In the last game Austin put on a clinic for how this is done in soccer. As a player on the other team approached him with the ball along the right side of the field Austin hesitated to engage with the player and ball just long enough to let the player think the space between Austin and the wall was open. When the player started to take the ball that way, to Austin's right, Austin made a quick stabbing step to the front of the ball that stopped the ball and sent the other player tumbling. We call that a "stick". Austin stuck that kid perfectly. I don't know if that is something he's learned or if it's simply instinct but that sequence of hesitation followed by rapid action was clearly intentional.
Other highlights for the Sharks included a goal from considerable distance by Sam E., some great field leadership work from Jackson and some great play in keeper for Elizabeth.
See you all Saturday.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Week Three. Mixed Results.
Carter of the U4 Tigers got fully into the game this week and left his first-game shyness behind. I love to see that, when a kid forgets their apprehensions and goes chasing after the other kids and the ball. Almost every new player comes onto the field feeling uncertain about the whole thing. They don't know the other kids or the other parents who are all watching them now. It makes them tense. But what sets them free from all that is when they give in to the allure of the game, when they forget everything else and just play. Like dogs playing in a park they forget their territorial issues ("i want to use my ball"... "he bumped me"... "she said ... to me") when they see the opportunity to run together.
The Tigers played very well overall and they had an especially good pre-game practice. We worked on some simple change-of-direction moves and that's what we'll keep working on as the foundation for developing better ball control. So, you'll probably see us repeating the same drills at every practice for a while.
The other team had a couple of strong players so the Tigers were getting challenged throughout. Austin and Bennett responded to that challenge by working to get back quickly on defense whenever the other team broke through and never conceding. That's a little thing, not as flashy as a good move or shot on goal, but definitely very important. I still have lots of kids in U8 and even U10 who act as though once the ball is past them they're out of the game.
The Thunder Bears and Sharks met Saturday morning. I wasn't very happy with the game as a whole and I feel like I probably didn't handle it in the best way. I should have arranged with Coach Mike prior to the game to have him take over the Sharks completely so that I could focus on the Thunder Bears. The Bears seemed tentative and confused at times and I'm afraid it might have something to do with the fact that they were seeing me on the other side of the field. Some of the players I would normally expect an energetic performance from, like Carson and Ashley, were having trouble just getting into the game and seemed to be always a step behind. These teams will meet two more times and on those days I will be sure the Bears know that I'm with them and that it's okay to go for it and play all out. One highlight of the game was the keeper play of Logan. He covered the position well and seemed unconcerned about who he was facing. Eileen came in and played some good keeper too. In the last quarter Jackson stepped over from the Sharks to help the Bears in keeper and that was great of him. He's a real sport. He played well but I had to rib him a bit when Elizabeth scored on him.
The Sharks played like sharks, as usual. Their attack is organized and patient but then lightning fast when the opening appears. Highlights after the break.
The Tigers played very well overall and they had an especially good pre-game practice. We worked on some simple change-of-direction moves and that's what we'll keep working on as the foundation for developing better ball control. So, you'll probably see us repeating the same drills at every practice for a while.
The other team had a couple of strong players so the Tigers were getting challenged throughout. Austin and Bennett responded to that challenge by working to get back quickly on defense whenever the other team broke through and never conceding. That's a little thing, not as flashy as a good move or shot on goal, but definitely very important. I still have lots of kids in U8 and even U10 who act as though once the ball is past them they're out of the game.
The Thunder Bears and Sharks met Saturday morning. I wasn't very happy with the game as a whole and I feel like I probably didn't handle it in the best way. I should have arranged with Coach Mike prior to the game to have him take over the Sharks completely so that I could focus on the Thunder Bears. The Bears seemed tentative and confused at times and I'm afraid it might have something to do with the fact that they were seeing me on the other side of the field. Some of the players I would normally expect an energetic performance from, like Carson and Ashley, were having trouble just getting into the game and seemed to be always a step behind. These teams will meet two more times and on those days I will be sure the Bears know that I'm with them and that it's okay to go for it and play all out. One highlight of the game was the keeper play of Logan. He covered the position well and seemed unconcerned about who he was facing. Eileen came in and played some good keeper too. In the last quarter Jackson stepped over from the Sharks to help the Bears in keeper and that was great of him. He's a real sport. He played well but I had to rib him a bit when Elizabeth scored on him.
The Sharks played like sharks, as usual. Their attack is organized and patient but then lightning fast when the opening appears. Highlights after the break.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Week Two. Power and Finesse. Players Evolve.
With the young players it's usually power, not finesse, that gets your attention. Often times it has been the sound of that power that grabs you. The drum-like thump of a ball being cleanly struck with the top of the foot. The startling bang of the ball off of the wall beside the goal. Early on with players like Sam E., Noah Roach and Elizabeth T. there were moments in games or practice when, following one of those kicks, the other Coach or the Ref would turn and look at me with an "are you serious?" expression. When you see a three year old consistently kicking like that you know it's not the result of some intense training program. It's a gift. Somehow, who knows why, their body responds to the problem of getting the ball from here to there with a simple, graceful series of movements that it takes most players years to develop. Sometimes, though, with a young player the gift is finesse, softness of touch and that's not always as easy to spot. It is subtle and you have to know the game a bit to appreciate it.
On the U4 Bengal Tigers we have Damien, little brother of Diego, and like his brother, Damien handles the ball gently, never letting it get far from him. If the ball comes to him hard he always manages to get a foot up and receive it softly. He traps then moves, nudging the ball along while keeping it close so that he can zig and zag as he needs to. His brother, Diego, seems to feel that so long as he has the ball at his feet he has space to move, no matter how close the defenders are or how many of them. I see Damien developing that style too. I would love to see more of our players develop that sort of confidence and patience.
More on the Sharks and ThunderBears after the page break.
More on the Sharks and ThunderBears after the page break.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Playing on a New Field Makes Me Dizzy.
I was ready to get back to soccer this weekend but the kids were ecstatic! The Sharks were, in fact, a little crazy with extra energy and despite winning handily they didn't exactly play their game. It seemed to me that many of the kids, probably due to the new surroundings, were playing with a bit of tunnel vision. Elizabeth chased the ball, rather than getting ahead of the action, in a way she hasn't done in a while. At one point late in the game I asked her to drop back into a midfield position hoping that what she needed was some space to get her vision for the whole field back. I had noticed Austin doing this instinctively earlier in the game. He fell into his old accustomed position behind the half line and was able to start seeing the plays develop rather than chase the ball around. It did seem to help Elizabeth too and she started to play near the end with her usual grace and intelligence.
Everyone played very well to be sure but they all seemed to be in just a bit of a hurry. We had stand out work in keeper from all of our goalies and I was especially impressed with Jagger today. On one play he snatched the ball right from the feet of an attacking player and that kid's inertia carried him right into Jagger. Jagger just hugged the ball tight and leaned up into the bigger kid, looking him right in the eye with a kind of "yeah, whadda you want" look on his face. Priceless.
McKenzie was fierce today and yet also seemed intent on moving the ball with precision. She didn't seem as bothered by the new field. Neither was Jackson who came right into the game with a general's confidence, directing his teammates and controlling the action when in the field.
The star of the day was Karolyn who was back after a few sessions off and she seemed like she had hardly missed a step. In fact I think she played better than ever with more sustained intensity and sureness than she had ever shown before. We're glad to have her back!
The combined Polar Bears and Thunder elected to take the name Thunder Bears! That was a suggestion from Zychik's mom. The team played very well and I was especially impressed with the play we saw from Micah and Ava who both played with a lot more composure than we'd seen from them before. Micah had two fabulous runs toward the goal where he was really deftly controlling the ball while hitting his stride. Ava, of course, was fierce in her attack but she was also looking up a lot more and staying aware of her surrounding and her teammates.
Carson, Logan, Ava and Eileen all had good turns in as keeper for us. Ashley showed her usual great ball control but was having trouble getting out into the open space for a real run. All in all though that was a great game against a very strong team.
The Tigers are now the Bengal Tigers. I tried to get them to go for Tiger Sharks in anticipation that they might all be Sharks one day but Bennett insisted on Bengal Tigers. When I tried to call them the Bengal Tiger Sharks he wasn't having it and patiently reminded me every time that they were just the Bengal Tigers. Well, whatever they are they played beautifully and Austin was on fire. He's got the power for sure but he is becoming so surefooted when moving with the ball. He had as good a game as he's ever had.
Diego's brother Damien joined us for the first time and I know he'll get used to the field and play more next week. He's a kid who really likes having the ball close and controlling it, like his brother, rather than just booting it.
Great Saturday everyone. It was good to be back.
Everyone played very well to be sure but they all seemed to be in just a bit of a hurry. We had stand out work in keeper from all of our goalies and I was especially impressed with Jagger today. On one play he snatched the ball right from the feet of an attacking player and that kid's inertia carried him right into Jagger. Jagger just hugged the ball tight and leaned up into the bigger kid, looking him right in the eye with a kind of "yeah, whadda you want" look on his face. Priceless.
McKenzie was fierce today and yet also seemed intent on moving the ball with precision. She didn't seem as bothered by the new field. Neither was Jackson who came right into the game with a general's confidence, directing his teammates and controlling the action when in the field.
The star of the day was Karolyn who was back after a few sessions off and she seemed like she had hardly missed a step. In fact I think she played better than ever with more sustained intensity and sureness than she had ever shown before. We're glad to have her back!
The combined Polar Bears and Thunder elected to take the name Thunder Bears! That was a suggestion from Zychik's mom. The team played very well and I was especially impressed with the play we saw from Micah and Ava who both played with a lot more composure than we'd seen from them before. Micah had two fabulous runs toward the goal where he was really deftly controlling the ball while hitting his stride. Ava, of course, was fierce in her attack but she was also looking up a lot more and staying aware of her surrounding and her teammates.
Carson, Logan, Ava and Eileen all had good turns in as keeper for us. Ashley showed her usual great ball control but was having trouble getting out into the open space for a real run. All in all though that was a great game against a very strong team.
The Tigers are now the Bengal Tigers. I tried to get them to go for Tiger Sharks in anticipation that they might all be Sharks one day but Bennett insisted on Bengal Tigers. When I tried to call them the Bengal Tiger Sharks he wasn't having it and patiently reminded me every time that they were just the Bengal Tigers. Well, whatever they are they played beautifully and Austin was on fire. He's got the power for sure but he is becoming so surefooted when moving with the ball. He had as good a game as he's ever had.
Diego's brother Damien joined us for the first time and I know he'll get used to the field and play more next week. He's a kid who really likes having the ball close and controlling it, like his brother, rather than just booting it.
Great Saturday everyone. It was good to be back.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Legends Soccer Eight Week Clinic
I received this flyer from Eric Henderson, a Coach at Scott High School and a great player himself, regarding an upcoming session of clinics he will be holding at Midwest Sports as part of the new Legends Soccer Academy. I spoke to Eric at length about the type of coaching the Legends program focuses on. It's a program aimed at developing player creativity and confidence that encourages the kids to take control in one on one situations. If you're interested you can find more info on Legends and get a registration form at the Legends website.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Pre-season Clinics at Midwest
This Saturday the 22nd NKYA will be holding pre-season clinics for the U6 and U4 age groups. You can find the schedule at the NKYA Soccer Blog. I hope everyone can make it.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Fall Indoor Session Delayed One Week
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Perfect Day.
Obviously the weather couldn't have been better. These early Fall days that start out crisp and then finnish warm always feel like a gift. An Italian girl I knew in college said that days like this were "like champagne". Exactly.
Dave and I showed up early as usual and we got the whole field set-up done in time so that we could have some coffee and talk a bit about how the session had gone as the sun rose higher and the refs started arriving for their assignments. You can't coach more than one team, as Dave and I both do, and not eventually start to know most of the players in the league by name and so we were able to compare notes on which kids had really taken strides and which ones had the same old bad habits; this kid was getting to be as good with the left as the right; this kid had suddenly found some speed and confidence; that one was still swinging his elbows harder than he could kick the ball; that one was still a goof ball in practice but was clearly in love with the game. By quarter till nine it was comfortably warm and players were arriving. Time to get to work.
It was a long day. I coached four games. I refereed one. I watched two more games, the championships in our U8 and U11 divisions, and then handed out the awards to the winners. At the end I felt like it had been as good a day as I could want, both as a Coach and as a league Administrator. I saw a lot of great soccer and a lot of good sportsmanship and camaraderie both from players and from parents. And as for my teams... They were great. Each game had many moments where I could see things the kids had worked hard on in practice suddenly getting put to use on the field. So many of the kids played their best game ever on this last day, putting together all the pieces we'd worked on throughout the season. They were brilliant and joyful, the parents were cheering like crazy. The sun was shinning. And when it was over I was, honestly, a little giddy. This day was a gift. It was like champagne.
In the Thunder game we were short a few players. Anna was out due to a medical procedure. Zychik was at a class learning his father's native Russian. Logan was on a surprise trip to Disney. Abie was sick. That meant that the rest of the team had to play some extra minutes and they were up to it. We have worked at practice on our basic change of direction moves until I'm sure the kids are sick of it but in this game it suddenly became reflexive to many of them and their play was beautiful. Parker and Mya were especially sharp and made some great moves and some great runs to the goal. Maddie was solid in goal, as ever. Molly was all energy and speed. Juan was all grace. While I was thrilled with all the kids I have to say that watching Alex and Christian have such good games and be so engaged the whole time was just wonderful. Thank you Thunder for a great season. I'm very proud to have had the honor of working with these kids. They're great players and I hope to see them on the field again soon.
The Sharks were like a thoroughbred. Powerful and graceful and in complete command of their capacities. Here is the real highlight of the game: I put them on the touch line for their customary warm-up jog. You know how that frequently goes; I lead and they mostly stay in line and run but there is frequently a pile-up at some point. On this day I asked them to make the run themselves with Sam E. in lead. I said "I can trust you, right?" They ran like Marines they were so disciplined. That was just amazing and if I were the Coach of the other team I'd have been thinking "Uh, oh." They have, as a group, gotten to be so attentive and able to execute what Coach Mike and I ask them to do. On this day I asked the first group in to be sure and move laterally a lot and stay well spread to keep the shooting opportunities open. Sam E., Jackson and Elizabeth did just that and put in at least four goals in the first few minutes. Samuel got his goal too by being in his usual perfect position. He is so smart about getting in the right spot for a rebound or short pass.
Trey and Jag were both cool-headed and tough in keeper and had great games. Jag nearly had another goal too. Diego got one and when he did his fists-up victory run you could hear the crowd going wild.
When Austin came in I gave him one simple instruction: don't worry about passing, just dribble and get around them then find the goal. I wanted to see him get his chance to play in isolation for once and he did not disappoint. His speed with the ball is crazy and then when he approaches the goal and gets the ball on his right his shot is powerful and sure.
McKenzie was playing in the thick of things too and had a couple of good turns on the ball. Then late in the game Luke made a simply brilliant move to recover a ball that was heading out of the other side. He chased the ball down and without slowing down made a perfect cut to herd it back toward the goal. He took a few steps dribbling then made a great forward pass that set Sam E. up for an easy goal.
Sam A. started out in defense for us and was solid with one enormous clearing kick (he was pretty proud of that). Later he came in as keeper but at that point the rest of the Sharks had the other team so tightly contained that Sam didn't face a single shot. That was a shame because Jackson had, unprompted, lent Sam his keeper gloves and offered him his shirt.
One last highlight. Late in the game Jackson was in as keeper and he made one enormous punt that cleared the half line. Coach Mike was calling out to him that he had to be sure he had a target on those outlet passes and I was thinking, jeez, he just kicked it halfway down the field, I'm pretty okay with that. Well, Mike was right to point that out because on the next punt opportunity he got, Jackson actually faked a big kick down the center but then made a delicate little chip to his left to find Elizabeth wide open. And of course as he's doing this he looks anything but tense. I was standing close by when he made that move and he looked at me once Elizabeth had the ball and all I could say was "Dude, that was sweet."
Our U4 Tigers had their best game yet against an opponent that was solid enough to make it an actual game. I was glad to see Riley, Katie and Chad all make a real effort to get out on the field and play. Rocco was there too for a few minutes and that's a good step. Jenna had her best appearance yet and was on the field and in the action a lot. That girl has got a kick! Caleb, Austin, Bennett and Hunter were the workhorses for us and they covered most of the minutes. Austin was making some great runs with the ball and showing off that great ball skill he has. Hunter has a good sense of how to handle the ball too and was having a great game. Bennett was the most defensive minded of the group and made some smart runs back into our goal to cover. I'm really pleased with how quickly this team improved over that last three weeks of the session both in games and at our practices. They went from being a very disorganized if energetic bunch to being a group that I could count on to show up at practice and actually get a bit of work done and have some fun. It has been great to work with these kids and I hope they all continue on in soccer.
The Polar Bears had a break-out game. In the first quarter we had Ava in at keeper and she was fierce and awesome. She got herself set in that "crab hands" ready position I try to teach them and she did not come out of it until the quarter ended. And I don't mean that she kind of froze into that position. She was really playing the position. She made some great stops and some fantastic outlet passes.
Ava's performance in keeper was bookended by Eileen's turn there in the last quarter. I don't focus too much on Eileen's performance here as she's my own but I have to say that she was having one awesome game in there. I was as proud as I could be of that girl. She's tough.
Ashley was fantastic in offense handling the ball and leading the attack. She and Carson made some great runs and she was graceful in her control. Sadie, Micah, Lincoln and Jeremy were all in the mix too, playing with great energy and focus. Sadie had one good run that I thought would end in a goal for sure. Landon had a great game too. Carson was solid in his turn in goal.
Noah was another of our good keepers in this game and, like Ava, he knows how to really play the position all out with near constant focus and determination. He was great in the field too playing with speed and energy. Finally, Mason was a revelation in this game, scoring two goals and barely missing on a third. On the run that would have been that third goal he was running full out down the field and in controlling the ball he touched it at least twice with is left foot, like there's nothing to it, but when he got to the goal the ball was rolling out to his left. At that point he forgot that he could use his left and tried to circle the ball so as to have the shot with his right. Oh, well. His two goals were beautiful shots and he played for the first time in the U6 division the way he used to play when he dominated the U4. It was so great to see that break-out for him because Mason is such a good kid and such a fearless, tough player.
Polar Bears families, thanks for letting Chris and I work with your kids. We love this game and there is nothing better than sharing it with a bunch of great kids like yours.
Thanks everyone for the great season. I hope I see you all again during the indoor season. Keep playing!
Dave and I showed up early as usual and we got the whole field set-up done in time so that we could have some coffee and talk a bit about how the session had gone as the sun rose higher and the refs started arriving for their assignments. You can't coach more than one team, as Dave and I both do, and not eventually start to know most of the players in the league by name and so we were able to compare notes on which kids had really taken strides and which ones had the same old bad habits; this kid was getting to be as good with the left as the right; this kid had suddenly found some speed and confidence; that one was still swinging his elbows harder than he could kick the ball; that one was still a goof ball in practice but was clearly in love with the game. By quarter till nine it was comfortably warm and players were arriving. Time to get to work.
It was a long day. I coached four games. I refereed one. I watched two more games, the championships in our U8 and U11 divisions, and then handed out the awards to the winners. At the end I felt like it had been as good a day as I could want, both as a Coach and as a league Administrator. I saw a lot of great soccer and a lot of good sportsmanship and camaraderie both from players and from parents. And as for my teams... They were great. Each game had many moments where I could see things the kids had worked hard on in practice suddenly getting put to use on the field. So many of the kids played their best game ever on this last day, putting together all the pieces we'd worked on throughout the season. They were brilliant and joyful, the parents were cheering like crazy. The sun was shinning. And when it was over I was, honestly, a little giddy. This day was a gift. It was like champagne.
In the Thunder game we were short a few players. Anna was out due to a medical procedure. Zychik was at a class learning his father's native Russian. Logan was on a surprise trip to Disney. Abie was sick. That meant that the rest of the team had to play some extra minutes and they were up to it. We have worked at practice on our basic change of direction moves until I'm sure the kids are sick of it but in this game it suddenly became reflexive to many of them and their play was beautiful. Parker and Mya were especially sharp and made some great moves and some great runs to the goal. Maddie was solid in goal, as ever. Molly was all energy and speed. Juan was all grace. While I was thrilled with all the kids I have to say that watching Alex and Christian have such good games and be so engaged the whole time was just wonderful. Thank you Thunder for a great season. I'm very proud to have had the honor of working with these kids. They're great players and I hope to see them on the field again soon.
The Sharks were like a thoroughbred. Powerful and graceful and in complete command of their capacities. Here is the real highlight of the game: I put them on the touch line for their customary warm-up jog. You know how that frequently goes; I lead and they mostly stay in line and run but there is frequently a pile-up at some point. On this day I asked them to make the run themselves with Sam E. in lead. I said "I can trust you, right?" They ran like Marines they were so disciplined. That was just amazing and if I were the Coach of the other team I'd have been thinking "Uh, oh." They have, as a group, gotten to be so attentive and able to execute what Coach Mike and I ask them to do. On this day I asked the first group in to be sure and move laterally a lot and stay well spread to keep the shooting opportunities open. Sam E., Jackson and Elizabeth did just that and put in at least four goals in the first few minutes. Samuel got his goal too by being in his usual perfect position. He is so smart about getting in the right spot for a rebound or short pass.
Trey and Jag were both cool-headed and tough in keeper and had great games. Jag nearly had another goal too. Diego got one and when he did his fists-up victory run you could hear the crowd going wild.
When Austin came in I gave him one simple instruction: don't worry about passing, just dribble and get around them then find the goal. I wanted to see him get his chance to play in isolation for once and he did not disappoint. His speed with the ball is crazy and then when he approaches the goal and gets the ball on his right his shot is powerful and sure.
McKenzie was playing in the thick of things too and had a couple of good turns on the ball. Then late in the game Luke made a simply brilliant move to recover a ball that was heading out of the other side. He chased the ball down and without slowing down made a perfect cut to herd it back toward the goal. He took a few steps dribbling then made a great forward pass that set Sam E. up for an easy goal.
Sam A. started out in defense for us and was solid with one enormous clearing kick (he was pretty proud of that). Later he came in as keeper but at that point the rest of the Sharks had the other team so tightly contained that Sam didn't face a single shot. That was a shame because Jackson had, unprompted, lent Sam his keeper gloves and offered him his shirt.
One last highlight. Late in the game Jackson was in as keeper and he made one enormous punt that cleared the half line. Coach Mike was calling out to him that he had to be sure he had a target on those outlet passes and I was thinking, jeez, he just kicked it halfway down the field, I'm pretty okay with that. Well, Mike was right to point that out because on the next punt opportunity he got, Jackson actually faked a big kick down the center but then made a delicate little chip to his left to find Elizabeth wide open. And of course as he's doing this he looks anything but tense. I was standing close by when he made that move and he looked at me once Elizabeth had the ball and all I could say was "Dude, that was sweet."
Our U4 Tigers had their best game yet against an opponent that was solid enough to make it an actual game. I was glad to see Riley, Katie and Chad all make a real effort to get out on the field and play. Rocco was there too for a few minutes and that's a good step. Jenna had her best appearance yet and was on the field and in the action a lot. That girl has got a kick! Caleb, Austin, Bennett and Hunter were the workhorses for us and they covered most of the minutes. Austin was making some great runs with the ball and showing off that great ball skill he has. Hunter has a good sense of how to handle the ball too and was having a great game. Bennett was the most defensive minded of the group and made some smart runs back into our goal to cover. I'm really pleased with how quickly this team improved over that last three weeks of the session both in games and at our practices. They went from being a very disorganized if energetic bunch to being a group that I could count on to show up at practice and actually get a bit of work done and have some fun. It has been great to work with these kids and I hope they all continue on in soccer.
The Polar Bears had a break-out game. In the first quarter we had Ava in at keeper and she was fierce and awesome. She got herself set in that "crab hands" ready position I try to teach them and she did not come out of it until the quarter ended. And I don't mean that she kind of froze into that position. She was really playing the position. She made some great stops and some fantastic outlet passes.
Ava's performance in keeper was bookended by Eileen's turn there in the last quarter. I don't focus too much on Eileen's performance here as she's my own but I have to say that she was having one awesome game in there. I was as proud as I could be of that girl. She's tough.
Ashley was fantastic in offense handling the ball and leading the attack. She and Carson made some great runs and she was graceful in her control. Sadie, Micah, Lincoln and Jeremy were all in the mix too, playing with great energy and focus. Sadie had one good run that I thought would end in a goal for sure. Landon had a great game too. Carson was solid in his turn in goal.
Noah was another of our good keepers in this game and, like Ava, he knows how to really play the position all out with near constant focus and determination. He was great in the field too playing with speed and energy. Finally, Mason was a revelation in this game, scoring two goals and barely missing on a third. On the run that would have been that third goal he was running full out down the field and in controlling the ball he touched it at least twice with is left foot, like there's nothing to it, but when he got to the goal the ball was rolling out to his left. At that point he forgot that he could use his left and tried to circle the ball so as to have the shot with his right. Oh, well. His two goals were beautiful shots and he played for the first time in the U6 division the way he used to play when he dominated the U4. It was so great to see that break-out for him because Mason is such a good kid and such a fearless, tough player.
Polar Bears families, thanks for letting Chris and I work with your kids. We love this game and there is nothing better than sharing it with a bunch of great kids like yours.
Thanks everyone for the great season. I hope I see you all again during the indoor season. Keep playing!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Practice Time Changing.
For our last Thursday of practices for the Thunder and the Sharks we are going to move practices up one half hour so that we don't run out of daylight.
The Thunder will practice at 5:30 and the Sharks will start at 6:30.
The Thunder will practice at 5:30 and the Sharks will start at 6:30.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
October 1st. Playing like a team.
The Tigers had a good game in that a few players who haven't played much yet did get involved in the game. Chad, thanks to his Grandpa, got out there and did some kicking and seemed to enjoy it. Austin and Bennett had good games, especially Austin, who showed some excellent ball control. But the real highlight of the game was Riley. She played a lot and had a lot of touches on the ball. Her best moments though were two times when she saw that Austin had control of the ball and rather than just chase after him or just stand by she actually started to run ahead of him a bit as though she were thinking she might be able to help him that way. These were just brief flashes but they point to the potential for a player to begin to see the game from a broader perspective. Keep an eye on Riley.
The Polar Bears had a great game too with goals from Ashley and Noah and strong performances all around. The highlight in this game was Ava in keeper. She is as fiercely competitive and fearless as anyone I've coached. When in the field that fierceness can lead her to give in to the temptation to pick up the ball. She wants to control the ball and sometimes the easiest way to do that is to just grab it. She'll get past that. But when she's in keeper that instinct to posses the ball is an asset and in this game she had some great stops. When she did make those stops she wasn't looking to the crowd to catch a glimpse of their approval, she was looking to the field thinking about her outlet pass. Awesome! Then on one stop she had the opposing player right in her face kicking at her before the ref (me) could blow the whistle. Ava was unfazed. Most kids would have been furious and in tears at the offense of having someone kick them in the hands. She just picked up the ball and tried to find a teammate to throw it to. Amazing! When running with the ball in the pack Ava has a bit of tunnel vision but in keeper she is already showing a good sense of being part of a team that has a shared goal. We'll play her in that spot some more. She's earned it.
Team awareness and teamwork was the theme of the Thunder game too. Carson has had some great goals this season but his best so far was this week off an assist from Parker. In the early minutes of the game I stopped Parker and pointed out to him that if he saw that Juan or Carson had the ball he should break off from them and get open so that he might get a pass and have a shot. We talk about that all the time when scrimmaging at practice and I don't expect the kids to get it all at once but the next thing I knew Parker was keeping his spacing from the ball and before you know it he gets possession on the left then turns in and makes a great shot/pass that comes to Carson who puts it in the net. Teamwork! I don't know that Carson exactly realized what had happened but Parker did. When he ran back to me at the circle I could see from his expression that he knew that what he had done had led to that goal. That is huge.
Other highlights in this game were:
Logan's great play in as keeper. He really was diving on the ball that game!
Juan's beautiful touch on the ball. He had one inside cut move where he changed direction while corralling the ball with his left instep that was just poetically graceful (if you are not familiar with the British sports press, this is how one writes about the beautiful game).
Mya also had a brilliant turn of the ball that nearly led to a goal. While tangled in a crowd she made a great change of direction, pulling the ball deftly along with her and suddenly found herself in the open for a shot. I think she surprised herself.
Everyone else played well too, without exception. That was a great game.
And finally, here is my brilliantly insightful analysis of the Sharks' game: Sam Eppley went absolutely insane! Sam was, on this day, completely in control of his full array of talents and he played with real joy. He'd had a hard time against that big kid, Nate, on the red team and I think it shook his confidence a bit. We talked a bit after that game about trying to be more patient with his dribbling and to use his change of direction to get around people. Well in this week's game he made a simple double move, going right then cutting back left, to get around a defender and then score and when he ran out to the circle his eyes were lit up and he said "I tricked that kid. I tricked him." He was thrilled with that breakthrough and I am too. His touch on the ball is so sure and soft he should be able to get around anyone if he's got the space.
Sam wasn't the only one who made a bit of a leap in this game. I saw Samuel actively trying to use his left foot more. That's big. Diego was doing much better in terms of looking up from the ball a bit to see where his teammates were. Jackson did great work moving up from the midfield position I started him in to strike at the goal when he had the chance and he and Elizabeth and Sam E. were going pass crazy!
Sam A. had an amazing game too. Jagger and Trey were great in keeper and when Elizabeth took her turn in keeper she saved a certain goal with a great stop going to her right.
That was a really fun match as Coach Berling's side really gave the Sharks all they could handle. I think it ended up being five to two and that was as good a challenge as the Sharks have had all season. In the huddle at the end they were fired up. They knew they'd played well as a team.
The Polar Bears had a great game too with goals from Ashley and Noah and strong performances all around. The highlight in this game was Ava in keeper. She is as fiercely competitive and fearless as anyone I've coached. When in the field that fierceness can lead her to give in to the temptation to pick up the ball. She wants to control the ball and sometimes the easiest way to do that is to just grab it. She'll get past that. But when she's in keeper that instinct to posses the ball is an asset and in this game she had some great stops. When she did make those stops she wasn't looking to the crowd to catch a glimpse of their approval, she was looking to the field thinking about her outlet pass. Awesome! Then on one stop she had the opposing player right in her face kicking at her before the ref (me) could blow the whistle. Ava was unfazed. Most kids would have been furious and in tears at the offense of having someone kick them in the hands. She just picked up the ball and tried to find a teammate to throw it to. Amazing! When running with the ball in the pack Ava has a bit of tunnel vision but in keeper she is already showing a good sense of being part of a team that has a shared goal. We'll play her in that spot some more. She's earned it.
Team awareness and teamwork was the theme of the Thunder game too. Carson has had some great goals this season but his best so far was this week off an assist from Parker. In the early minutes of the game I stopped Parker and pointed out to him that if he saw that Juan or Carson had the ball he should break off from them and get open so that he might get a pass and have a shot. We talk about that all the time when scrimmaging at practice and I don't expect the kids to get it all at once but the next thing I knew Parker was keeping his spacing from the ball and before you know it he gets possession on the left then turns in and makes a great shot/pass that comes to Carson who puts it in the net. Teamwork! I don't know that Carson exactly realized what had happened but Parker did. When he ran back to me at the circle I could see from his expression that he knew that what he had done had led to that goal. That is huge.
Other highlights in this game were:
Logan's great play in as keeper. He really was diving on the ball that game!
Juan's beautiful touch on the ball. He had one inside cut move where he changed direction while corralling the ball with his left instep that was just poetically graceful (if you are not familiar with the British sports press, this is how one writes about the beautiful game).
Mya also had a brilliant turn of the ball that nearly led to a goal. While tangled in a crowd she made a great change of direction, pulling the ball deftly along with her and suddenly found herself in the open for a shot. I think she surprised herself.
Everyone else played well too, without exception. That was a great game.
And finally, here is my brilliantly insightful analysis of the Sharks' game: Sam Eppley went absolutely insane! Sam was, on this day, completely in control of his full array of talents and he played with real joy. He'd had a hard time against that big kid, Nate, on the red team and I think it shook his confidence a bit. We talked a bit after that game about trying to be more patient with his dribbling and to use his change of direction to get around people. Well in this week's game he made a simple double move, going right then cutting back left, to get around a defender and then score and when he ran out to the circle his eyes were lit up and he said "I tricked that kid. I tricked him." He was thrilled with that breakthrough and I am too. His touch on the ball is so sure and soft he should be able to get around anyone if he's got the space.
Sam wasn't the only one who made a bit of a leap in this game. I saw Samuel actively trying to use his left foot more. That's big. Diego was doing much better in terms of looking up from the ball a bit to see where his teammates were. Jackson did great work moving up from the midfield position I started him in to strike at the goal when he had the chance and he and Elizabeth and Sam E. were going pass crazy!
Sam A. had an amazing game too. Jagger and Trey were great in keeper and when Elizabeth took her turn in keeper she saved a certain goal with a great stop going to her right.
That was a really fun match as Coach Berling's side really gave the Sharks all they could handle. I think it ended up being five to two and that was as good a challenge as the Sharks have had all season. In the huddle at the end they were fired up. They knew they'd played well as a team.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, Sept. 24th. Rainy Day Soccer.
My apologies to the Tigers and the Thunder for missing your games. I hear they were good ones. Coach Stacie was really impressed with how the Thunder comported themselves and I hear they had a 3-0 victory. There were goals for Carson, Juan and Molly. Molly! What a transformation she's made since the beginning of the season. She always works hard at practice on picking up the basic skills but in the games she has of late become so aggressive in getting to the ball. We've seen from the very first game the difference in play between aggressive, confident players like Brooke and Juan who are engaged in the game constantly and players whose interest ebbs and flow with the game so that sometimes they clearly know what's going on but other times... Well, Molly has definitely made the jump into that upper group and with her speed and length she will become a formidable player. I also hear we had excellent work in keeper again from our solid corp of goalies. Great game Thunder. Thanks Coach Stacie.
This week was the much anticipated meeting of the Polar Bears and the Sharks. Coach Chris and I were really expecting the Bears to have a good game this week because they've been showing so much improvement over the course of the session and they have, as a team, developed a really good work habit at practice. They generally show up and get down to business and that is a wonderful thing. Carson is our leader in that respect. He always arrives at practice or at games focused and ready to go. But while there was a lot of very good individual play from the Bears they were, overall, overwhelmed by the attack of the Sharks. Mason did his best in defense and we had good keeper play from Dylan, Carson, Micah and Jeremy but the Sharks are a more experienced team and they have of late begun to really play like a team so you see a lot of cooperation, a lot of ball movement and a lot of anticipation from them. They're hard to stop. (See more on their performance in the post below.)
Ava and Ashley both played brilliantly on the attack for the Bears with some fantastic runs into Shark territory. Ashley managed to get completely through the defense on one beautiful run and just missed the goal with an excellent shot from about three yards out. These two girls are an interesting contrast. Ashley has great natural touch on the ball and is developing her ball handling skills rapidly but her interest in the game is sometimes on and off. Ava on the other hand is still working on developing some basic skill with the ball but her intensity during games is amazing. It's like she can't see anything but the ball. And she's fearless! We are going to try to have these two on the field together more from now on as I think they can both be good influences on the other. Everyone on the team can learn from watching Ashley's precise attention to controlling the ball and everyone can learn from the example that Ava sets in terms of focus. She hears that whistle blow and it's game on!
I want to say that I was really impressed with how the Bears kept their heads up and kept playing hard without showing any real frustration. And they did this in a game where some of the Sharks were rudely running their mouths about the score. I apologize for that and it won't happen again. The Bears know what it's all about. You love the game so you keep playing and give the other side all you've got. Well done Bears.
This week was the much anticipated meeting of the Polar Bears and the Sharks. Coach Chris and I were really expecting the Bears to have a good game this week because they've been showing so much improvement over the course of the session and they have, as a team, developed a really good work habit at practice. They generally show up and get down to business and that is a wonderful thing. Carson is our leader in that respect. He always arrives at practice or at games focused and ready to go. But while there was a lot of very good individual play from the Bears they were, overall, overwhelmed by the attack of the Sharks. Mason did his best in defense and we had good keeper play from Dylan, Carson, Micah and Jeremy but the Sharks are a more experienced team and they have of late begun to really play like a team so you see a lot of cooperation, a lot of ball movement and a lot of anticipation from them. They're hard to stop. (See more on their performance in the post below.)
Ava and Ashley both played brilliantly on the attack for the Bears with some fantastic runs into Shark territory. Ashley managed to get completely through the defense on one beautiful run and just missed the goal with an excellent shot from about three yards out. These two girls are an interesting contrast. Ashley has great natural touch on the ball and is developing her ball handling skills rapidly but her interest in the game is sometimes on and off. Ava on the other hand is still working on developing some basic skill with the ball but her intensity during games is amazing. It's like she can't see anything but the ball. And she's fearless! We are going to try to have these two on the field together more from now on as I think they can both be good influences on the other. Everyone on the team can learn from watching Ashley's precise attention to controlling the ball and everyone can learn from the example that Ava sets in terms of focus. She hears that whistle blow and it's game on!
I want to say that I was really impressed with how the Bears kept their heads up and kept playing hard without showing any real frustration. And they did this in a game where some of the Sharks were rudely running their mouths about the score. I apologize for that and it won't happen again. The Bears know what it's all about. You love the game so you keep playing and give the other side all you've got. Well done Bears.
Now...about those Sharks...
Of course, the Sharks had another good game and I'll talk about that in detail in a moment but first I've got to nitpick a little bit. Two things were happening during this game that I don't like. First, I heard that there was some trash talking going on. Second, as the game went on they got to be kind of sloppy on their throw-ins and corner kicks. I'll work on that second problem at practice by covering the basics of those situations again. As for the trash talking, I want to talk to them and nip that in the bud. Here is what I love about these kids: they play with shear joy. They love the game and as someone who still plays soccer too I have thought while watching them sometimes that nothing could be more fun than to be five again and get to play with this team. So, given that that is the character of this team, that they trust each other and play more freely and cooperatively as a team than even most of the U8 and U10 teams I have coached, I want very much to guard against any kind of arrogance creeping in. Here is what I will say to them at practice this week regarding having respect for their opponents:
Sometimes when we talk about playing the game we say "that team really gave us a game" or "we really gave that other team a game this week". Now, think about what that means, that "they gave us a game." When we face another team on the field and they play hard they are giving you something, a great gift, a game of soccer, which is something you really love, right? The other team did not come here to stand around while you put on a show. They didn't walk onto the field to simply hand you a victory. They came to play and they love the game too and they will play you hard even if they lose. They are giving you a game without caring about the outcome and that's something you should be grateful for and should respect. When we walk through the line at the end of the game and say "good game" you should mean it and you should be thinking "thanks for playing. I love playing so thanks for playing with us."
I don't know for sure which of the Sharks were doing the talking and it doesn't matter since, given their dominance of the competition, this thing is bound to appear sometimes. I'll let you all know how my conversation with them regarding this goes. Both of these little issues point toward what we need to be re-enforcing for the future development of this team. In less than a year most of them will move up to U8 and will suddenly be facing kids who are more than a year older than them. If they are going to continue to compete well they will need to be disciplined as a team and they will have to be at times precise and at other times creative to make up for what they will suddenly lack in size and speed. They are as a group already years ahead of schedule in terms of understanding the nuances of how the game flows and what to do on restarts like throw-ins and other set pieces. Samuel had an easy goal in this last game because he understood what was happening on a throw-in for the other team better than the players on that team did. That sort of thing will continue to be an advantage for the Sharks when they face competition that is physically tougher. So, that's why I'm nitpicking. I don't want them to rest on their laurels and then find themselves next August having to catch up to the teams they face. I want this entire Fall/Winter season to be about preparing for the move up.
Now we can get on to the game highlights. The first thing I noticed was that no one complained about the weather. I'd just come from coaching a U8 game where I thought some of the players, boys included, were going to cry if they had to play in the rain. Ridiculous. The Sharks were, as usual, ready to play. Next, during warm-ups something interesting happened. I had them in the circle ready to take some warm up kicks and I noticed that they were huddling together and talking a bit and then suddenly everyone was tucking in their shirts. Not everyone went along but most did and suddenly they looked like a professional side. I suspect it was Elizabeth who suggested this "tidying-up". Finally, as I was getting the starters on the field with Jagger in keeper first Jackson turned to me as he was heading to the bench and, sounding very much like Arthur Fonzarelli, he tapped his hands on his chest and said "Jagger? What about the professional goalie?" Coolest kid in the room, no doubt.
They did play very well and there was lots of ball movement, lots of great spacing and position play. Sam E. and Elizabeth were making brilliant moves with the ball. Sam A. and Austin were just impassable when they dropped into defense. I mentioned Samuel's easy goal off that throw in. Diego had a goal too and so did Jagger! That's three goals from our four year-olds! What impressed me the most, as it always does, is the extent to which the kids cooperate and anticipate each other. We still have instances of them fighting each other for the ball and that sort of thing but overall they all seem to be headed in the same direction. Again, looking to the future, that ability to cooperate is what will separate them from other teams.
Anyway, listening to them talk and joke with each other prior to the game and then seeing how they play as a team, it's just such a weird contrast. They are at times just normal little kids and then they are strangely mature in the way they play as a unit. At practice this week when we broke up into teams to scrimmage Jackson announced that his team was Team USA and he would be Tim Howard. Thinking about that and thinking about how these kids are so advanced and yet still just kids playing a game made me think of this:
Sometimes when we talk about playing the game we say "that team really gave us a game" or "we really gave that other team a game this week". Now, think about what that means, that "they gave us a game." When we face another team on the field and they play hard they are giving you something, a great gift, a game of soccer, which is something you really love, right? The other team did not come here to stand around while you put on a show. They didn't walk onto the field to simply hand you a victory. They came to play and they love the game too and they will play you hard even if they lose. They are giving you a game without caring about the outcome and that's something you should be grateful for and should respect. When we walk through the line at the end of the game and say "good game" you should mean it and you should be thinking "thanks for playing. I love playing so thanks for playing with us."
I don't know for sure which of the Sharks were doing the talking and it doesn't matter since, given their dominance of the competition, this thing is bound to appear sometimes. I'll let you all know how my conversation with them regarding this goes. Both of these little issues point toward what we need to be re-enforcing for the future development of this team. In less than a year most of them will move up to U8 and will suddenly be facing kids who are more than a year older than them. If they are going to continue to compete well they will need to be disciplined as a team and they will have to be at times precise and at other times creative to make up for what they will suddenly lack in size and speed. They are as a group already years ahead of schedule in terms of understanding the nuances of how the game flows and what to do on restarts like throw-ins and other set pieces. Samuel had an easy goal in this last game because he understood what was happening on a throw-in for the other team better than the players on that team did. That sort of thing will continue to be an advantage for the Sharks when they face competition that is physically tougher. So, that's why I'm nitpicking. I don't want them to rest on their laurels and then find themselves next August having to catch up to the teams they face. I want this entire Fall/Winter season to be about preparing for the move up.
Now we can get on to the game highlights. The first thing I noticed was that no one complained about the weather. I'd just come from coaching a U8 game where I thought some of the players, boys included, were going to cry if they had to play in the rain. Ridiculous. The Sharks were, as usual, ready to play. Next, during warm-ups something interesting happened. I had them in the circle ready to take some warm up kicks and I noticed that they were huddling together and talking a bit and then suddenly everyone was tucking in their shirts. Not everyone went along but most did and suddenly they looked like a professional side. I suspect it was Elizabeth who suggested this "tidying-up". Finally, as I was getting the starters on the field with Jagger in keeper first Jackson turned to me as he was heading to the bench and, sounding very much like Arthur Fonzarelli, he tapped his hands on his chest and said "Jagger? What about the professional goalie?" Coolest kid in the room, no doubt.
They did play very well and there was lots of ball movement, lots of great spacing and position play. Sam E. and Elizabeth were making brilliant moves with the ball. Sam A. and Austin were just impassable when they dropped into defense. I mentioned Samuel's easy goal off that throw in. Diego had a goal too and so did Jagger! That's three goals from our four year-olds! What impressed me the most, as it always does, is the extent to which the kids cooperate and anticipate each other. We still have instances of them fighting each other for the ball and that sort of thing but overall they all seem to be headed in the same direction. Again, looking to the future, that ability to cooperate is what will separate them from other teams.
Anyway, listening to them talk and joke with each other prior to the game and then seeing how they play as a team, it's just such a weird contrast. They are at times just normal little kids and then they are strangely mature in the way they play as a unit. At practice this week when we broke up into teams to scrimmage Jackson announced that his team was Team USA and he would be Tim Howard. Thinking about that and thinking about how these kids are so advanced and yet still just kids playing a game made me think of this:
Friday, September 23, 2011
Eddie Pope Shows off the Tekk Trainer
I'm not trying to sell anyone on buying a Tekk Trainer rebound net but you should definitely go to the website and view the video of former US National player Eddie Pope using the thing. It's pretty awesome.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Practice Is On.
Hey, Tigers and Polar Bears, we'll still be practicing tonight. Dress warm and expect the field to be a bit wet.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
September 17th. Crazy busy.
I apologize to everyone on the Polar Bears and Tigers teams for not being at the games. I was covering for another Coach who had to be out of town. My thanks to Coach Mike Seng and Coach Chris for covering for me. I heard the Tigers game was a great success but that the Polar Bears were a bit disorganized, especially the boys. Coach Chris is suggesting that for the next game we start all the girls together for a quarter to see if they can teach the boys a thing or two.
The Thunder had another great game with continued improvement, especially on defense, where the work they've done in practice is really paying off. So many of the kids are developing a good sense of where they are on the field in relation to the goals and the ball. As a result they are more effective on defense because they know where to position themselves. We had great work in keeper again from Maddie, Zychik, Parker and Logan. Logan was especially tough and really picked-up the pace, getting his outlet passes and goal kicks off in a real hurry. The Thunder are still trying to find their rhythm on offense although they may have added a few new weapons this week. Molly is suddenly showing herself to be an aggressive player with a strong desire to get to the goal. Christian was also showing some good focus and really has surprisingly good ball control. If these two can begin to cooperate with Brooke and Carson we might get something going.
The Sharks had a fabulous game and I have to say that I really like getting to watch video of the games because it allows me to see things that I might have missed at the time. Case in point: the startling revelation that McKenzie has suddenly turned into a real player! She nearly had a goal early on and then later in the game she made a great save that nearly led to a goal and then had another great shot of her own that was a brilliant "turn and shoot". She probably got that move from Jackson since, as you'll see, he seems now to have made that sort back-to-the-goal shot his specialty. Watching the video I also got to see that Luke seems to have taken some of our work in practice very seriously. We've been working a lot on running sideways (shuffling, as Coach Mike says) so that the kids can move laterally while still keeping themselves facing the ball. Apparently Luke likes this mode of movement so much he just wants to use it for every situation. You'll see that early in the video. Jackson had two goals. Elizabeth had one and two assists. Austin was awesome although his best shots didn't find the net. Diego got a goal (one that McKenzie would have put in if Diego hadn't been there). Sam had a great goal on a little cut move he made to get to the open side of the net. That one should count as an assist for McKenzie since the save she made set it all up. Samuel played brilliantly. Trey was great, although he didn't get challenged much while in at keeper. Sam Atkins was playing some great defense. He has a unique way of playing so as to avoid any pushing and shoving and handball calls. You'll see that in the video too. About halfway through look for an amazing move that Sam A. makes to collect the ball and then turn and shoot quickly. Jackson intercepts that pass and then tries to make a shot of it himself. It all happens very fast and is amazing.
Well, enough talk. Let's roll the tape.
See everyone this week at practice. Let's hope the weather is good. Dress warm!
The Thunder had another great game with continued improvement, especially on defense, where the work they've done in practice is really paying off. So many of the kids are developing a good sense of where they are on the field in relation to the goals and the ball. As a result they are more effective on defense because they know where to position themselves. We had great work in keeper again from Maddie, Zychik, Parker and Logan. Logan was especially tough and really picked-up the pace, getting his outlet passes and goal kicks off in a real hurry. The Thunder are still trying to find their rhythm on offense although they may have added a few new weapons this week. Molly is suddenly showing herself to be an aggressive player with a strong desire to get to the goal. Christian was also showing some good focus and really has surprisingly good ball control. If these two can begin to cooperate with Brooke and Carson we might get something going.
The Sharks had a fabulous game and I have to say that I really like getting to watch video of the games because it allows me to see things that I might have missed at the time. Case in point: the startling revelation that McKenzie has suddenly turned into a real player! She nearly had a goal early on and then later in the game she made a great save that nearly led to a goal and then had another great shot of her own that was a brilliant "turn and shoot". She probably got that move from Jackson since, as you'll see, he seems now to have made that sort back-to-the-goal shot his specialty. Watching the video I also got to see that Luke seems to have taken some of our work in practice very seriously. We've been working a lot on running sideways (shuffling, as Coach Mike says) so that the kids can move laterally while still keeping themselves facing the ball. Apparently Luke likes this mode of movement so much he just wants to use it for every situation. You'll see that early in the video. Jackson had two goals. Elizabeth had one and two assists. Austin was awesome although his best shots didn't find the net. Diego got a goal (one that McKenzie would have put in if Diego hadn't been there). Sam had a great goal on a little cut move he made to get to the open side of the net. That one should count as an assist for McKenzie since the save she made set it all up. Samuel played brilliantly. Trey was great, although he didn't get challenged much while in at keeper. Sam Atkins was playing some great defense. He has a unique way of playing so as to avoid any pushing and shoving and handball calls. You'll see that in the video too. About halfway through look for an amazing move that Sam A. makes to collect the ball and then turn and shoot quickly. Jackson intercepts that pass and then tries to make a shot of it himself. It all happens very fast and is amazing.
Well, enough talk. Let's roll the tape.
See everyone this week at practice. Let's hope the weather is good. Dress warm!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Polar Bears and Tigers Too.
I'm sorry I had to leave in the middle of the Polar Bears' game. I had to go get my picture taken with the Tigers. Picture day!
Coach Chris told me that the...umm...let's say...geographical confusion that the Polar Bears were experiencing early on continued for much of the game. That's okay. Having a team that is anxious to go but just doesn't know where to go is a good problem to have compared to having a team that isn't particularly anxious to get moving. The Polar Bears want to get to the goal so now we have to work in practice on ways for them to develop more field awareness.
And I'm happy to say that this week's game was also a step forward for the Tigers. We didn't get complete participation but we were close and everyone was involved a bit. Every step, no matter how small, is a good one and gives us something to build on. I like what I'm seeing.
Coach Chris told me that the...umm...let's say...geographical confusion that the Polar Bears were experiencing early on continued for much of the game. That's okay. Having a team that is anxious to go but just doesn't know where to go is a good problem to have compared to having a team that isn't particularly anxious to get moving. The Polar Bears want to get to the goal so now we have to work in practice on ways for them to develop more field awareness.
And I'm happy to say that this week's game was also a step forward for the Tigers. We didn't get complete participation but we were close and everyone was involved a bit. Every step, no matter how small, is a good one and gives us something to build on. I like what I'm seeing.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Clash of the Titans! Sharks v Thunder.
What a great game! I was really thrilled with how well the Thunder played. They had especially excellent play from their goalies in this game. Almost every player on both teams seemed completely engaged. Let's just go straight to the tape now and I'll comment later on what the two teams showed us. (Update: Here is the HD version.)
The moments of great individual play that we managed to get on video speak for themselves so I won't summarize the whole thing but I do want to point at a few moments that really stand out for me. Obviously you can't miss the amazing delicacy of Sam E.'s touch on the ball and the way he combines that with a nearly perfect awareness of where he is on the field and a brilliant imagination for finding a way to the goal but at 0:40 in the video while you see Sam playing the ball confidently right along the touch line note what Samuel is doing, shadowing Sam without crowding him, waiting to see how the play develops. These two don't communicate with each other vocally the way Sam, Elizabeth, Austin and Jackson do but they still make a great tandem as Samuel is already anticipating Sam's moves and getting himself into position. You'll notice on Sam's second attempt he gets a nice little pass from Trey to get the ball around Parker on defense. Then see what Trey does. He continues to Parker's right to get to the goal and get the rebound. Very smart.
Maddie made some great stops on a couple of those efforts from Sam and then Zychik came in to face Elizabeth and stopped her at least three times too. Eventually though Elizabeth gets through and I want you to notice the poise she shows in settling the ball to her feet at about 0:53. Just amazing. Zychik makes a great stop on that first shot but then Elizabeth gets a couple past him. She's tenacious. I'm sorry the video didn't capture how excited Zychik was as he made one stop after another. He went on to have a great quarter in the field too.
At 1:39 you see Jackson beginning a break away run with a beautifully delicate first touch on the ball. You can see by the way he leans over the ball on that touch that he's already seeing the field ahead of him and is calmly staying in control despite the open lane to the goal. Parker stops the shot though with a tough grab right at Jackson's feet.
1:50. This is amazing. Note how early on Jackson sees the play developing and breaks decisively away from the pack.
At 1:58 you see the Thunder setting up for a throw-in. Juan and Brooke have a good sense of what's going on and are looking for the pass even if they aren't in the best position for it. But look at Jackson and Sam. See how comfortable they are with the routine of covering on re-starts like this. Then at 2:25 we see Elizabeth "poaching" on a goal kick. Maddie and Molly are ready to receive Logan's kick (he had a great game in goal) and Elizabeth streaks in, volleys the ball off her hip and then makes two quick moves to get in for a shot. Only Jagger crashing in unexpectedly could stop her. Anyway, in both instances you see players who have gotten past having to learn the re-start plays in the game and now they are seeing those situations clearly and understanding how to take advantage of those changes in possession and turn them into opportunities. That comes with time and experience and the Thunder are already off to a good start.
Near the end we see two fast breaks from Austin with the last culminating in a goal. Again we see a player who has gotten to the point where he can recognize plays developing and react quickly. Just great stuff.
I'm sorry I didn't capture more of the Thunder's offense on video. Brooke, Carson and Juan really were having some great runs but needed a few good bounces that they didn't get. Right at the beginning you see Juan playing some excellent defense, keeping his body between the ball and the goal. I saw great play from everyone in this game. Molly saved one goal with her speedy and thoughtful defense. Look for that at about 2:14. I didn't get everything on video but was watching everybody and you all played wonderfully. Thanks for such a great game.
The moments of great individual play that we managed to get on video speak for themselves so I won't summarize the whole thing but I do want to point at a few moments that really stand out for me. Obviously you can't miss the amazing delicacy of Sam E.'s touch on the ball and the way he combines that with a nearly perfect awareness of where he is on the field and a brilliant imagination for finding a way to the goal but at 0:40 in the video while you see Sam playing the ball confidently right along the touch line note what Samuel is doing, shadowing Sam without crowding him, waiting to see how the play develops. These two don't communicate with each other vocally the way Sam, Elizabeth, Austin and Jackson do but they still make a great tandem as Samuel is already anticipating Sam's moves and getting himself into position. You'll notice on Sam's second attempt he gets a nice little pass from Trey to get the ball around Parker on defense. Then see what Trey does. He continues to Parker's right to get to the goal and get the rebound. Very smart.
Maddie made some great stops on a couple of those efforts from Sam and then Zychik came in to face Elizabeth and stopped her at least three times too. Eventually though Elizabeth gets through and I want you to notice the poise she shows in settling the ball to her feet at about 0:53. Just amazing. Zychik makes a great stop on that first shot but then Elizabeth gets a couple past him. She's tenacious. I'm sorry the video didn't capture how excited Zychik was as he made one stop after another. He went on to have a great quarter in the field too.
At 1:39 you see Jackson beginning a break away run with a beautifully delicate first touch on the ball. You can see by the way he leans over the ball on that touch that he's already seeing the field ahead of him and is calmly staying in control despite the open lane to the goal. Parker stops the shot though with a tough grab right at Jackson's feet.
1:50. This is amazing. Note how early on Jackson sees the play developing and breaks decisively away from the pack.
At 1:58 you see the Thunder setting up for a throw-in. Juan and Brooke have a good sense of what's going on and are looking for the pass even if they aren't in the best position for it. But look at Jackson and Sam. See how comfortable they are with the routine of covering on re-starts like this. Then at 2:25 we see Elizabeth "poaching" on a goal kick. Maddie and Molly are ready to receive Logan's kick (he had a great game in goal) and Elizabeth streaks in, volleys the ball off her hip and then makes two quick moves to get in for a shot. Only Jagger crashing in unexpectedly could stop her. Anyway, in both instances you see players who have gotten past having to learn the re-start plays in the game and now they are seeing those situations clearly and understanding how to take advantage of those changes in possession and turn them into opportunities. That comes with time and experience and the Thunder are already off to a good start.
Near the end we see two fast breaks from Austin with the last culminating in a goal. Again we see a player who has gotten to the point where he can recognize plays developing and react quickly. Just great stuff.
I'm sorry I didn't capture more of the Thunder's offense on video. Brooke, Carson and Juan really were having some great runs but needed a few good bounces that they didn't get. Right at the beginning you see Juan playing some excellent defense, keeping his body between the ball and the goal. I saw great play from everyone in this game. Molly saved one goal with her speedy and thoughtful defense. Look for that at about 2:14. I didn't get everything on video but was watching everybody and you all played wonderfully. Thanks for such a great game.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Rainy Weather.
Thunder and Sharks families,
My plan for today's practices is to wait and see what the weather is like at practice time. I was at the fields on Tuesday night and they were still so dry and hard that I think they would have to take a lot of rain to get sloppy. If it isn't actually raining this evening I expect we'll go ahead and have practices.
I will be at the fields starting at 6:00 PM. If the fields are unplayable or it's pouring rain we'll cancel. If you don't feel that you want to take the chance of coming out that is perfectly fine. If it's raining at your house near practice time then just call it a day and stay home.
Remember to arrive early for Picture Day this Saturday. Our photo time is 11:00 AM but you should get to the fields about twenty minutes prior to that so you can get your order forms taken care of.
My plan for today's practices is to wait and see what the weather is like at practice time. I was at the fields on Tuesday night and they were still so dry and hard that I think they would have to take a lot of rain to get sloppy. If it isn't actually raining this evening I expect we'll go ahead and have practices.
I will be at the fields starting at 6:00 PM. If the fields are unplayable or it's pouring rain we'll cancel. If you don't feel that you want to take the chance of coming out that is perfectly fine. If it's raining at your house near practice time then just call it a day and stay home.
Remember to arrive early for Picture Day this Saturday. Our photo time is 11:00 AM but you should get to the fields about twenty minutes prior to that so you can get your order forms taken care of.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sharks. Week Three.
Highlights from the Thunder/Polar Bear matchup and the Tigers game can be found below.
Do you remember when I had to divide the Sharks up into two teams, the Real Sharks and the Goofball Sharks. That little technique really worked at the time and I haven't had to make much use of it since then. This past week I did have to threaten to make such a division with another team I coach. What was driving me crazy was that some of the kids were goofing off so much they were getting in the way of the kids who wanted to get to work. I lose my patience with that pretty quickly. We don't have that problem with the Sharks so much. What we did get at our last practice was a little tension caused by the fact that all the Sharks are so darned competitive. They even want to compete at warming up and when Jackson and Sam E. started scuffling over who was going to go first in line to run laps (I kid you not) I had to separate them and then send Sam on a solo lap to help him get his head on straight. Well that nearly backfired. As you may know, Sam E. is a pretty strong willed little fellow and he was very close to deciding that he would prefer to quit soccer rather than give in to me on this particular discipline issue. Luckily his mom and dad were able to reason with him and he rejoined practice after a few minutes. On the whole though it was a great practice and I'm lucky to have only these little issues to deal with. I don't have to convince any of the Sharks to be interested in soccer. I just have to figure out how to channel their energies for the game they already clearly love.
Another highlight from practice was something Elizabeth said when I was talking to the team about the importance of always working to control the ball, even on defense, rather than kicking wildly at it. I see kids on other teams kicking like they are in an MMA fight and this does nothing to get possession of the ball but can easily get someone hurt. So, as I was preparing the Sharks for a scrimmage and talking about this issue of ball control versus wild kicks Elizabeth piped-up and told me that in our last game "some kid kicked me from behind and he came up and said 'sorry about that' and I said 'you don't have to say sorry, it's just soccer' and I kept running anyway." Do you think Elizabeth loves the game? I often talk to the older kids I coach about how they need to commit to the game in order to enjoy it. "Don't play unless you want to play even if you know you're going to lose" I say. Play for the pure fun of the game. I doubt I'll ever have to lecture the Sharks like that. They'd play in snow up to their knees rather than miss a game.
In game three they were magnificent again. Everyone played beautifully and we had goals from Sam E., Elizabeth, Samuel and Diego. There were three highlights that really stood out for me. Sam E.'s third goal was a wonder shot from at least ten yards out. I think he reasoned that if he shot from far enough out Coach Mike and I wouldn't press him about passing more and he'd still get his goals. If I was scouting for the other teams I'd warn the players "do not let this kid get open running away from you towards his right." He can be running at full speed at a right angle to the goal and he'll still be able to leap into his kick, planting his left foot while maintaining his balance perfectly like a tiny Nureyev, and bring his whole right side swinging into the ball for a startlingly powerful kick. Accurate too. Highlight number two was Samuel breaking off the ball repeatedly when Sam E. got possession and heading straight for the goal to be there for a pass or rebound. I remember in one game when Samuel was still in U4 the Coach of the other team had said to me prior to the game during warm-up/practice that it seemed crazy to even try and practice kids this young. "Sure" I said. Then, a few minutes into the game when another player, Ashley, got possession of the ball along the wall, Samuel and Jagger both took off at full speed away from the ball directly to the goal. I could hear the other Coach say "Oh my." Indeed.
Finally, there was an amazing move by Sam A. that just blew me away. He works so hard to get the ball control drills right at practice and really sets an example for the whole team now. In the game he got the ball in the open at about the half line and broke for the goal. Coach Schultzabarger's team has one kid who is much bigger than the average and Sam was headed right for him. Sam was really up to full speed when he got to that big defender and he very smoothly head faked to his right and then, when the big kid had just started to commit, he made a quick move to his left and zoomed past. He didn't get a goal but it was awesome. Such a great example of how a good player can take charge of those encounters rather than waiting to react.
Just a great game from every single player. I'll be taking this week off so no practice until the week after the Holiday. See you all then.
Do you remember when I had to divide the Sharks up into two teams, the Real Sharks and the Goofball Sharks. That little technique really worked at the time and I haven't had to make much use of it since then. This past week I did have to threaten to make such a division with another team I coach. What was driving me crazy was that some of the kids were goofing off so much they were getting in the way of the kids who wanted to get to work. I lose my patience with that pretty quickly. We don't have that problem with the Sharks so much. What we did get at our last practice was a little tension caused by the fact that all the Sharks are so darned competitive. They even want to compete at warming up and when Jackson and Sam E. started scuffling over who was going to go first in line to run laps (I kid you not) I had to separate them and then send Sam on a solo lap to help him get his head on straight. Well that nearly backfired. As you may know, Sam E. is a pretty strong willed little fellow and he was very close to deciding that he would prefer to quit soccer rather than give in to me on this particular discipline issue. Luckily his mom and dad were able to reason with him and he rejoined practice after a few minutes. On the whole though it was a great practice and I'm lucky to have only these little issues to deal with. I don't have to convince any of the Sharks to be interested in soccer. I just have to figure out how to channel their energies for the game they already clearly love.
Another highlight from practice was something Elizabeth said when I was talking to the team about the importance of always working to control the ball, even on defense, rather than kicking wildly at it. I see kids on other teams kicking like they are in an MMA fight and this does nothing to get possession of the ball but can easily get someone hurt. So, as I was preparing the Sharks for a scrimmage and talking about this issue of ball control versus wild kicks Elizabeth piped-up and told me that in our last game "some kid kicked me from behind and he came up and said 'sorry about that' and I said 'you don't have to say sorry, it's just soccer' and I kept running anyway." Do you think Elizabeth loves the game? I often talk to the older kids I coach about how they need to commit to the game in order to enjoy it. "Don't play unless you want to play even if you know you're going to lose" I say. Play for the pure fun of the game. I doubt I'll ever have to lecture the Sharks like that. They'd play in snow up to their knees rather than miss a game.
In game three they were magnificent again. Everyone played beautifully and we had goals from Sam E., Elizabeth, Samuel and Diego. There were three highlights that really stood out for me. Sam E.'s third goal was a wonder shot from at least ten yards out. I think he reasoned that if he shot from far enough out Coach Mike and I wouldn't press him about passing more and he'd still get his goals. If I was scouting for the other teams I'd warn the players "do not let this kid get open running away from you towards his right." He can be running at full speed at a right angle to the goal and he'll still be able to leap into his kick, planting his left foot while maintaining his balance perfectly like a tiny Nureyev, and bring his whole right side swinging into the ball for a startlingly powerful kick. Accurate too. Highlight number two was Samuel breaking off the ball repeatedly when Sam E. got possession and heading straight for the goal to be there for a pass or rebound. I remember in one game when Samuel was still in U4 the Coach of the other team had said to me prior to the game during warm-up/practice that it seemed crazy to even try and practice kids this young. "Sure" I said. Then, a few minutes into the game when another player, Ashley, got possession of the ball along the wall, Samuel and Jagger both took off at full speed away from the ball directly to the goal. I could hear the other Coach say "Oh my." Indeed.
Finally, there was an amazing move by Sam A. that just blew me away. He works so hard to get the ball control drills right at practice and really sets an example for the whole team now. In the game he got the ball in the open at about the half line and broke for the goal. Coach Schultzabarger's team has one kid who is much bigger than the average and Sam was headed right for him. Sam was really up to full speed when he got to that big defender and he very smoothly head faked to his right and then, when the big kid had just started to commit, he made a quick move to his left and zoomed past. He didn't get a goal but it was awesome. Such a great example of how a good player can take charge of those encounters rather than waiting to react.
Just a great game from every single player. I'll be taking this week off so no practice until the week after the Holiday. See you all then.
Tigers Week Three. You Kids Are Making Me Crazy!
I was really looking forward to this game as I knew that Coach Townsend's Strikers have turned out to be the strongest team in the division. Of course strong is a relative term and the Strikers may in fact be the strongest soccer team in U4 or they may be the team with the strongest desire to give up soccer and try Rugby. Anyway, I was hoping for a good game where all of our Tigers would get to see a team in action that gets the basic concept of the game and, hopefully, the Tigers would follow their lead and start to really play. When so many of our players showed themselves to be ready to go in pre-game warm ups I was even more excited about how this game might go. I imagined Austin, Bennett and Jenna switching it on and showing the rest of the Tigers how to really get down. And then the start of the game came and it was something else altogether. But it was progress. The big highlight was Hunter showing up ready to play. He's got great moves already and has obviously learned a lot from his big brother. The whole team practiced well and eventually they will put it all together and begin to play the game in spurts. This is how it goes.
Week Three. Polar Bears and Thunder Collide!
This game really surprised me. I coach both teams and get to see all of the kids at work often so I had a sense as to which team would likely come out on top. And I was wrong. I thought going into the game that the Thunder would have a hard time without Parker and Mya in the line-up. Parker was out for an end of Summer vacation and Mya was attending her Dad's deployment ceremony (Scott, thanks for your service and come home safe). The Polar Bears had all of their best players on hand and that is a pretty tough and experienced group. But surprisingly the Thunder spent most of the game running right through them. Most of the credit has to go to Brooke and Juan. Brooke has a bullish determination to get going toward the goal whenever she has the ball and manages frequently to get past defenders by basically running through them. Each time Brooke did begin to make a run Booboo (Juan) would smartly break off and head straight to the goal to be in position. That is huge. He didn't get any goals in this game but he was in position so often he had a lot of good chances. Brooke did finally get one in on another solo run.
The Thunder had great work in keeper from Maddie early on and then she played some great defense later. Zychick took a turn in keeper too and after missing on a good shot from Noah that equalized the game he stopped another shot, this one headed right at him, and that gave him a sudden burst of confidence that allowed him to finish his quarter playing the position with real enthusiasm. I think he had another two stops. Great work.
On the Polar Bears side it was mostly Carson, of course, handling the ball. That kid is tireless. But it was Noah who got the big goal off. It was a tenacious effort by Noah as the Thunder defense had basically rejected his first shot but he stayed in there to get the rebound and drove it hard into the net.
Ashley had a few flashes of brilliant ball handling. She's got great speed and is developing rapidly. Like every other good player she is clearly in possession of the one very important bit of soccer knowledge: The ball goes in the net. You can see her and other kids sometimes standing on the field looking a bit disinterested but then the ball is at their feet and suddenly their body language clearly indicates that they are on the way, that they have a purpose in mind. I love that. Ava had some similar moments and despite being a bit smaller than some of the kids she was facing she was really fearless in her attack.
Mason showed some flashes too for the Polar Bears. Mason is really tough (hard headed) and never shies away from the scrum but he isn't always fully engaged in the game. But I see that changing and he has good speed and a nice touch on the ball so I expect him to become a real team-leading player. In this particular game there was one little moment that showed Mason's potential, just a brief flash. He was in his own end of the field as the ball came loose toward him. He was open with no pressure on and so he might have let the ball come to him, settled it and then taken off. But what he did was begin to step toward the ball, stride forward with his right foot and in that motion deftly guide the ball out of the air, his foot stretched out so as to control the ball with the outsole of his shoe, then get up to full speed in another step with the ball now safely contained between his feet. He didn't make it all the way to the goal but that little step was beautiful and showed me that Mason will be more than just a tough and aggressive player. He has the potential to develop some real grace.
Great game Polar Bears and Thunder. We'll throw the own goal out and call it a 1-1 draw. See you the week after the Holiday.
The Thunder had great work in keeper from Maddie early on and then she played some great defense later. Zychick took a turn in keeper too and after missing on a good shot from Noah that equalized the game he stopped another shot, this one headed right at him, and that gave him a sudden burst of confidence that allowed him to finish his quarter playing the position with real enthusiasm. I think he had another two stops. Great work.
On the Polar Bears side it was mostly Carson, of course, handling the ball. That kid is tireless. But it was Noah who got the big goal off. It was a tenacious effort by Noah as the Thunder defense had basically rejected his first shot but he stayed in there to get the rebound and drove it hard into the net.
Ashley had a few flashes of brilliant ball handling. She's got great speed and is developing rapidly. Like every other good player she is clearly in possession of the one very important bit of soccer knowledge: The ball goes in the net. You can see her and other kids sometimes standing on the field looking a bit disinterested but then the ball is at their feet and suddenly their body language clearly indicates that they are on the way, that they have a purpose in mind. I love that. Ava had some similar moments and despite being a bit smaller than some of the kids she was facing she was really fearless in her attack.
Mason showed some flashes too for the Polar Bears. Mason is really tough (hard headed) and never shies away from the scrum but he isn't always fully engaged in the game. But I see that changing and he has good speed and a nice touch on the ball so I expect him to become a real team-leading player. In this particular game there was one little moment that showed Mason's potential, just a brief flash. He was in his own end of the field as the ball came loose toward him. He was open with no pressure on and so he might have let the ball come to him, settled it and then taken off. But what he did was begin to step toward the ball, stride forward with his right foot and in that motion deftly guide the ball out of the air, his foot stretched out so as to control the ball with the outsole of his shoe, then get up to full speed in another step with the ball now safely contained between his feet. He didn't make it all the way to the goal but that little step was beautiful and showed me that Mason will be more than just a tough and aggressive player. He has the potential to develop some real grace.
Great game Polar Bears and Thunder. We'll throw the own goal out and call it a 1-1 draw. See you the week after the Holiday.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Week Two.
The weather was a bit steamy and the Kona Ice truck was lurking but all the kids had a great morning. Click the links to check out the highlights from the Tigers and Thunder games.
The Sharks find their passing step again.
Our efforts at working on passing during this past week's practice seemed unsuccessful to me at the time and yet in today's game the Sharks were passing the ball a lot and showing some very organized, thoughtful play. The result was goals from everyone! In the first quarter Austin, Sam A. and Elizabeth held the front line and worked the ball beautifully for a quick barrage of goals. After Elizabeth's first goal (the team's third) Elizabeth said to me "I think it's gonna be like this the whole game". She was right. They took the ball to both sides of the field and passed it in for shots. They drove up the middle for shots. They got shots off of rebounds. They did everything right.
The second quarter line-up featured Sam E. and Samuel and Diego and they were on fire. After a couple of early goals Sam E. started making a real effort to dish the ball off and Diego and Samuel were ready for it. When Diego managed his first U6 goal he celebrated in trademark fashion by running back to the center, fists raised above his head. Great stuff! Samuel was showing his spectacular speed, taking the ball around the defense easily. If we can get him to use his left foot he'll be unstoppable.
After taking the first quarter keeper shift Jackson came on in the third quarter to get in on the action. He was great, working the ball around the field with Elizabeth and Austin and, again, making some very nice passes.
We had very good keeper work again from Jagger. He is very active in the position. He anticipates and moves constantly. I'm really impressed with how well he and Diego are playing already.
Great work Sharks. See you at practice.
The Sharks find their passing step again.
Our efforts at working on passing during this past week's practice seemed unsuccessful to me at the time and yet in today's game the Sharks were passing the ball a lot and showing some very organized, thoughtful play. The result was goals from everyone! In the first quarter Austin, Sam A. and Elizabeth held the front line and worked the ball beautifully for a quick barrage of goals. After Elizabeth's first goal (the team's third) Elizabeth said to me "I think it's gonna be like this the whole game". She was right. They took the ball to both sides of the field and passed it in for shots. They drove up the middle for shots. They got shots off of rebounds. They did everything right.
The second quarter line-up featured Sam E. and Samuel and Diego and they were on fire. After a couple of early goals Sam E. started making a real effort to dish the ball off and Diego and Samuel were ready for it. When Diego managed his first U6 goal he celebrated in trademark fashion by running back to the center, fists raised above his head. Great stuff! Samuel was showing his spectacular speed, taking the ball around the defense easily. If we can get him to use his left foot he'll be unstoppable.
After taking the first quarter keeper shift Jackson came on in the third quarter to get in on the action. He was great, working the ball around the field with Elizabeth and Austin and, again, making some very nice passes.
We had very good keeper work again from Jagger. He is very active in the position. He anticipates and moves constantly. I'm really impressed with how well he and Diego are playing already.
Great work Sharks. See you at practice.
Thunder Rolls in Week Two.
Not only did we see a lot of very good individual play from the Thunder but there were actually some flashes of organized team play. The stand-out individual performances were from Maddie in goal (she's kind of a natural) and Brooke on offense. Brooke has tremendous focus and determination and she ran through the other team's biggest players more than once. Her one goal was a beauty and she and Carson had chances for a couple more that just missed. Carson too has good instincts when he has the ball at his feet and of course he's got a pretty strong kick.
Juan "BooBoo" Espinoza was also showing some really great soccer I.Q. I watched him go hard to his left at one point and then stop abruptly as the defense closed in. He turned calmly back to his right and left the knot of defenders behind, finding the open space he needed to head for the goal. Very nice work. He was flanked most of the game by Parker who is our most aggressive player (though only barely more so than Brooke!). Parker will become a continuous goal scoring threat as he becomes more sure-footed on those shots.
We had great work from everyone else too and the kids were very focused on the game from warm-ups on. The resulting 1-1 tie made for a nice game. Coach Niemeyer's team boasts three really strong players and the Thunder did very well to hold them to one goal.
See you at practice Thunder.
Juan "BooBoo" Espinoza was also showing some really great soccer I.Q. I watched him go hard to his left at one point and then stop abruptly as the defense closed in. He turned calmly back to his right and left the knot of defenders behind, finding the open space he needed to head for the goal. Very nice work. He was flanked most of the game by Parker who is our most aggressive player (though only barely more so than Brooke!). Parker will become a continuous goal scoring threat as he becomes more sure-footed on those shots.
We had great work from everyone else too and the kids were very focused on the game from warm-ups on. The resulting 1-1 tie made for a nice game. Coach Niemeyer's team boasts three really strong players and the Thunder did very well to hold them to one goal.
See you at practice Thunder.
Tigers Game Two
Well, we did make some progress today. We had Austin back and yet the dream line-up we've been waiting for, Austin with Bennett, didn't happen as the other team needed some subs so we loaned them Austin and Jenna. In the first quarter those two could not be stopped. They headed straight for the goal! Bennett did his best to stand up to them and did manage a goal of his own but he was sort of playing alone most of the game. Hopefully next week we'll get Austin, Jenna and Bennett all on the same side of the ball and that should be the beginnings of a very strong team. Rocco made some good efforts but was still feeling put-out by the jostling. Riley stayed on the field most of the game but is still hesitant about the whole thing. Kate, Shawn, Ava and Chad were in and out of the game intermittently. I blame the Kona Ice guy.
See you all at practice Tuesday.
See you all at practice Tuesday.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Fall Session: Week One
Week one is in the books and what a great kick-off to the Fall session it was! I'm working with four different teams this session and they all had great games in this first week. In U4 we have the Tigers and in U6 we have the Polar Bears, the Thunder and, of course, the Sharks. To avoid having these game recap posts become too long I might in the future devote this space to the Sharks and then cover the other teams on separate blogs.
The Sharks came back to the pitch already on fire and playing like they hadn't taken the Summer off. Our returning players were joined by four new teammates, Diego, Jagger, Trey and Austin (Staton) and the rookies got right into the groove. Diego and Jagger just moved up from U4 and so they are the youngest on the team. Diego has a calm tenaciousness with the ball that you'd expect from an older player. He'll fit right in with the rest of our offense. He was tough as nails in his first game playing up with the bigger kids and had a couple of good runs where he made great moves to get around the opposition. Austin Staton played up front with Sam A. and Jackson and was a big help in keeping the ball pinned in the opposing team's side. He stayed right in the thick of the action the whole game. Trey played well in his first game as a Shark and showed his best work while in as keeper. He was tough and made some great outlet passes and goal kicks. You put Trey together with Jackson and Elizabeth and suddenly the Sharks are really stacked at the keeper position. And we haven't even talked about Jagger yet. Houston, we have a goalie! Jagger volunteered to give goal keeping a try and in his very first appearance he was amazing, giving no ground, attacking the ball and then making some great outlet passes. Just amazing for such a young player.
We started the game with Austin Seng, Sam E. and Elizabeth up front and they dominated as usual with Sam in particular showing that he's missed being away from the game by basically going crazy and scoring at will. I expect Coach Klinsman to call at any moment. All three of these players show amazing speed and instincts for the game. As you'd expect for the first game, they were a bit undisciplined and got in each other's way a few times but that didn't prevent them from scoring. Elizabeth was displaying an interesting tendency to want to hang back in the midfield area waiting a bit to see how things would work out. I see good midfielder instincts there. Austin was showing amazing bursts of speed and his signature move now is a little stutter step that gets his opponent flat footed followed by a quick step to get past them.
I wasn't sure what the offense would be like with those three off the field. I knew Jackson would be his usual self, driving the ball forward and shooting sure-footedly but it was great to see that Samuel and Sam A. could team up with Jackson and do so well in that second quarter offense. Samuel had a goal early in the second that was off of a beautifully stubborn solo run. He pushed through nearly every kid on the other team to get to the goal and then calmly put the shot in the net. Sam A. also had a great run through traffic to get to the goal and his shot, which actually got well airborne, was probably headed in just inside the left post but Jackson was hanging out right there and wisely chose to make sure the ball got in the net. He caught Sam's shot in midair with his right foot and drove it into the top of the net. The look of complete confidence on Jackson's face after that shot was priceless, a sort of "yeah, I did that" smile covering his face.
In the fourth we brought Samuel and Austin Seng in together and they made a great team too. Austin had a solo goal and then made a beautiful pass from the right just off the end line across to Samuel who deftly touched it into the goal. This team is deep!
McKenzie and Luke gave us some good play too, always staying in the action even if they didn't get a lot of touches. Great game Sharks!
The Thunder had a great first game and I was happy to see that we have some strong leaders on the team who can take over the offense duties. Parker, Carson and Brooke were fabulous up front. They managed a few goals and I was really impressed by their tenaciousness in traffic, especially Brooke. Mya is also showing great potential as a smart ball handler and when she and the other three learn to work together they will be formidable. Juan and Abraham showed some flashes of brilliance and I expect both of them to improve quickly. Maddie was invaluable in defense and gave us some very strong free kicks. Molly showed her toughness by taking a hard fall and then coming right back into the game. Anna took a turn at keeper and played the position bravely. I admire her willingness to give everything her best effort. Great game Thunder!
The Polar Bears were actually dominant in their game which was a great surprise as they have five players who have just moved up from U4. Mason, Carson and Noah were leading the attack for us and managed several goals. We had great work in goal from Ava Grace, Jeremy, Dylan and Ashley. Jeremy showed some surprising punting skill! A complete bonus for goalies in this age group. Dylan was tough and aggressive in goal and then while in the field he had two assists. One of those was a beautiful crossing pass that Eileen found at her feet and then drove it firmly into the net. Carson had at least one goal, probably more...I loose track. Lincoln and Micah were both doing great work too, staying in the action consistently. Lincoln had the beginnings of a great solo run too. At one point Coach Chris was reminding Lincoln to be looking at the ball all the time and asked him "Link, where's the ball?" Lincoln looked at her and calmly said with a shrug "I don't have it". Excellent work Polar Bears.
The Tigers' U4 game probably looked like complete chaos from the outside. It was. But this is all part of the process. Obviously we have a few kids who are closer to getting it. Bennett and Austin will be the leaders on this team and as the season goes on the other kids will see what they are doing and start to follow suit. I've seen it work this way several times. The real highlight of the game was a comment from Ava. Early in the game she ran off the field to her mom crying that "they're fighting" when she saw the other kids jostling to get the ball. This is part of the process too. Initially many of the kids are offended by the physical contact that is part of the game and by the fact that other players might try to take the ball away from them. You probably heard me explaining to the kids in practice that once the whistle blows to start a game we don't take turns anymore and the ball is always "my ball". It takes a while to get this part of it but they will get it. I know it's embarrassing and frustrating to have your kid clinging to you in an apparent effort to drive you crazy but they get over that too. I've seen it happen. Therefore, I recommend patience.
See you all at practice this week.
The Sharks came back to the pitch already on fire and playing like they hadn't taken the Summer off. Our returning players were joined by four new teammates, Diego, Jagger, Trey and Austin (Staton) and the rookies got right into the groove. Diego and Jagger just moved up from U4 and so they are the youngest on the team. Diego has a calm tenaciousness with the ball that you'd expect from an older player. He'll fit right in with the rest of our offense. He was tough as nails in his first game playing up with the bigger kids and had a couple of good runs where he made great moves to get around the opposition. Austin Staton played up front with Sam A. and Jackson and was a big help in keeping the ball pinned in the opposing team's side. He stayed right in the thick of the action the whole game. Trey played well in his first game as a Shark and showed his best work while in as keeper. He was tough and made some great outlet passes and goal kicks. You put Trey together with Jackson and Elizabeth and suddenly the Sharks are really stacked at the keeper position. And we haven't even talked about Jagger yet. Houston, we have a goalie! Jagger volunteered to give goal keeping a try and in his very first appearance he was amazing, giving no ground, attacking the ball and then making some great outlet passes. Just amazing for such a young player.
We started the game with Austin Seng, Sam E. and Elizabeth up front and they dominated as usual with Sam in particular showing that he's missed being away from the game by basically going crazy and scoring at will. I expect Coach Klinsman to call at any moment. All three of these players show amazing speed and instincts for the game. As you'd expect for the first game, they were a bit undisciplined and got in each other's way a few times but that didn't prevent them from scoring. Elizabeth was displaying an interesting tendency to want to hang back in the midfield area waiting a bit to see how things would work out. I see good midfielder instincts there. Austin was showing amazing bursts of speed and his signature move now is a little stutter step that gets his opponent flat footed followed by a quick step to get past them.
I wasn't sure what the offense would be like with those three off the field. I knew Jackson would be his usual self, driving the ball forward and shooting sure-footedly but it was great to see that Samuel and Sam A. could team up with Jackson and do so well in that second quarter offense. Samuel had a goal early in the second that was off of a beautifully stubborn solo run. He pushed through nearly every kid on the other team to get to the goal and then calmly put the shot in the net. Sam A. also had a great run through traffic to get to the goal and his shot, which actually got well airborne, was probably headed in just inside the left post but Jackson was hanging out right there and wisely chose to make sure the ball got in the net. He caught Sam's shot in midair with his right foot and drove it into the top of the net. The look of complete confidence on Jackson's face after that shot was priceless, a sort of "yeah, I did that" smile covering his face.
In the fourth we brought Samuel and Austin Seng in together and they made a great team too. Austin had a solo goal and then made a beautiful pass from the right just off the end line across to Samuel who deftly touched it into the goal. This team is deep!
McKenzie and Luke gave us some good play too, always staying in the action even if they didn't get a lot of touches. Great game Sharks!
The Thunder had a great first game and I was happy to see that we have some strong leaders on the team who can take over the offense duties. Parker, Carson and Brooke were fabulous up front. They managed a few goals and I was really impressed by their tenaciousness in traffic, especially Brooke. Mya is also showing great potential as a smart ball handler and when she and the other three learn to work together they will be formidable. Juan and Abraham showed some flashes of brilliance and I expect both of them to improve quickly. Maddie was invaluable in defense and gave us some very strong free kicks. Molly showed her toughness by taking a hard fall and then coming right back into the game. Anna took a turn at keeper and played the position bravely. I admire her willingness to give everything her best effort. Great game Thunder!
The Polar Bears were actually dominant in their game which was a great surprise as they have five players who have just moved up from U4. Mason, Carson and Noah were leading the attack for us and managed several goals. We had great work in goal from Ava Grace, Jeremy, Dylan and Ashley. Jeremy showed some surprising punting skill! A complete bonus for goalies in this age group. Dylan was tough and aggressive in goal and then while in the field he had two assists. One of those was a beautiful crossing pass that Eileen found at her feet and then drove it firmly into the net. Carson had at least one goal, probably more...I loose track. Lincoln and Micah were both doing great work too, staying in the action consistently. Lincoln had the beginnings of a great solo run too. At one point Coach Chris was reminding Lincoln to be looking at the ball all the time and asked him "Link, where's the ball?" Lincoln looked at her and calmly said with a shrug "I don't have it". Excellent work Polar Bears.
The Tigers' U4 game probably looked like complete chaos from the outside. It was. But this is all part of the process. Obviously we have a few kids who are closer to getting it. Bennett and Austin will be the leaders on this team and as the season goes on the other kids will see what they are doing and start to follow suit. I've seen it work this way several times. The real highlight of the game was a comment from Ava. Early in the game she ran off the field to her mom crying that "they're fighting" when she saw the other kids jostling to get the ball. This is part of the process too. Initially many of the kids are offended by the physical contact that is part of the game and by the fact that other players might try to take the ball away from them. You probably heard me explaining to the kids in practice that once the whistle blows to start a game we don't take turns anymore and the ball is always "my ball". It takes a while to get this part of it but they will get it. I know it's embarrassing and frustrating to have your kid clinging to you in an apparent effort to drive you crazy but they get over that too. I've seen it happen. Therefore, I recommend patience.
See you all at practice this week.
Friday, August 12, 2011
The Season Begins.
The Sharks and the newly named Thunder had excellent second practices this week. I'm very impressed with the overall level of discipline among the kids. I try to be realistic about the available attention span in a group of four and five year olds but I do like to see the kids staying focused on the game as opposed to wrestling or tickling or generally goofing off. What I say to them in practice is "we are here to play and have fun but we're here to have fun playing what?" I expect "soccer" to be the answer and for the most part that's what I get. As the weeks go by I will be working to accustom the kids to a particular practice routine for working on their fundamental skills. The more accustomed they become to the routine the more efficient that part of practice will be. But I will always try to save some time at the end of practice for some fun.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
First Practice
All I can say is that I was thrilled. It's a real pleasure to work with a group that is so anxious to do the work. What great kids you all have.
The Game Schedule is posted and there is a link in the list to the right that leads there.
See you Thursday at practice.
The Game Schedule is posted and there is a link in the list to the right that leads there.
See you Thursday at practice.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Fall Session is Starting.
Hey soccer fans. We are less than two weeks away from our kick-off weekend so I thought I should go over the basics again for any new players we have.
Our games and practices are all at Richardson Road Park. To the right you see a list of links and one of those is to a map of the Park. The U4 and U6 fields are set up closer to the Park Shelter side of the Park so you will want to park in that lot.
If your player is new to the game you will need the following:
-Comfortable shoes to run in. They don't have to be soccer cleats. They can not wear baseball/football cleats, that is, any shoe that has a toe cleat right at the tip. If you do have a pair of those that your player likes you can simply cut the tip cleat off.
-Shin guards. These need to be properly fit. That means that they should be small enough that they don't touch your child's foot and knee-cap at the same time.
-Soccer socks that completely cover the shin guards. Shin guards must be worn under the socks, no exceptions. The socks can be the color of your choice.
-Soccer shorts, any color.
If you want to get a ball to practice with at home remember that U4, U6 and U8 all use a #3 size ball.
All of the equipment can be found at Dick's, Wal-Mart, Target and Play it Again Sports.
To the right you will also see links for some basic technique tips and drills. Check those out if you can for some ideas on what to do while practicing at home.
See you all on the pitch soon!
Our games and practices are all at Richardson Road Park. To the right you see a list of links and one of those is to a map of the Park. The U4 and U6 fields are set up closer to the Park Shelter side of the Park so you will want to park in that lot.
If your player is new to the game you will need the following:
-Comfortable shoes to run in. They don't have to be soccer cleats. They can not wear baseball/football cleats, that is, any shoe that has a toe cleat right at the tip. If you do have a pair of those that your player likes you can simply cut the tip cleat off.
-Shin guards. These need to be properly fit. That means that they should be small enough that they don't touch your child's foot and knee-cap at the same time.
-Soccer socks that completely cover the shin guards. Shin guards must be worn under the socks, no exceptions. The socks can be the color of your choice.
-Soccer shorts, any color.
If you want to get a ball to practice with at home remember that U4, U6 and U8 all use a #3 size ball.
All of the equipment can be found at Dick's, Wal-Mart, Target and Play it Again Sports.
To the right you will also see links for some basic technique tips and drills. Check those out if you can for some ideas on what to do while practicing at home.
See you all on the pitch soon!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
USA in World Cup Semifinal.
After successfully defeating both the Brazilian side and the officiating crew in their quarterfinal match the USA Women move on to face France in the semifinal at the World Cup in Germany. Megan Rapinoe's left footed crossing pass to Abby Wambach may be the greatest pass in the history of the beautiful game. And Wambach's header was a blow right to the gut of the Brazilians who shamelessly tried to run the clock out near the end of overtime.
The match versus France is on ESPN at 11:30 AM Wednesday. Do not miss it!
The match versus France is on ESPN at 11:30 AM Wednesday. Do not miss it!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sharks and Slime Win. Wave Make Tournament Run.
Before I get to the game highlights let me start by saying thanks. Like most Coaches I got started in this out of necessity. My own kids wanted to play and their teams needed a Coach so I was a Coach. With no training in coaching I just began to pay attention to the kids and see if I could figure out what they needed, what would work best for them. The first thing I noticed was that the majority of the kids playing in U6 and below had yet to get a handle on what a "game" actually is. Repeatedly I would see kids, whose parents swore that they were fiercely aggressive while playing with a ball in the back yard, who would show up at games and be timid, outright frightened or even just disinterested. I started thinking, Okay, the first thing we have to do is to start introducing them to the concepts of the game little by little rather than simply throwing them out there and yelling at them to "go get the ball!"
As I gained more experience I began to adhere to two mantras: "patience" and "nothing is obvious". I try to always be patient with the kids and to allow them to repeat things as many times as they need in order to "get it". I talk to the parents and ask them to be patient and to keep in mind that the kids are learning the skills of the game but most importantly they are learning what a game is and that's not easy. I tell the kids to be patient with themselves when I'm asking them to learn a new skill. "Nothing is obvious" means that you have to be willing to break everything down into smaller parts and spend time on the parts and then put it back together. I learned how to teach good kick technique by watching my son, Owen, kick. He always made such good contact with the ball because he ran up on it so close that by the time he made contact he had to use the top of his foot, he was too close to kick with his toe. So, I made that into a drill, getting the kids to run through the ball to kick. That didn't work for some so I started rolling the ball away from them, like reverse kick-ball. For a few that still didn't work because of the way they ran so we worked on their running, on getting them to stay up on their toes. Nothing is obvious. Some kids are naturals but they can all be taught and you just have to be willing to teach even the stuff that seems like it should be obvious.
I learned all this while working with your kids. They're always showing me something new and it's a joy to work with them. So now, beyond the necessity of coaching for my own kids' sake I just love coaching. I love Saturday mornings. I'm taking over as head administrator for NKYA soccer and I'm doing so because I want to share what I've learned with other Coaches so that we can build a tradition at NKYA of excellent amateur instruction. I'm proud of the work NKYA does and I'm excited about what we can accomplish in the future. And, again, I got to here because of what I learned working with your kids. So, thanks.
What I have learned from working with the Sharks is this: basic technical practice combined with some simple but persistent game situation practice can result in remarkable leaps forward in team play. Watching the individual kids who have such great natural gifts is wonderful. Sam E's ball handling and speed, Jackson's sure handedness in goal, Elizabeth's powerful kick and Austin's great sense of the whole field, all of these are amazing and a joy to watch. But seeing them play as a team, as they did again this weekend, is just impossibly awesome. With any team you might occasionally see a shot miss and then another player who happens to be in the right spot puts in the rebound and you call that an assist and a goal but there was a lot of luck there too. The Sharks don't accidentally put together a few passes and then get a shot, they do that intentionally. They communicate, they anticipate, they cover for each other. It's amazing. Obviously some of the kids are farther along but all of the others have made huge leaps forward because they are trying to play up to that level, because they want to be part of the team. Brandon is a great example. He has a strong kick with both feet and can run all day but he has in the past been unable to resist chasing the ball all over the field. In Saturday's game he started to really play his position and was in the right spot repeatedly. The result was a beautiful goal, a chip shot really, that floated over the goalie's shoulder from ten yards out and into the net. Jackson had picked-up the ball in the center then saw Brandon open on his left, made a pass, and boom! Teamwork!
Kendall made a similar brilliant pass that got us a goal and she did so after collecting the ball in the corner and making a really graceful turnaround that left two defenders behind. Her pass across the face of the goal made for an easy shot for Jackson. (We needed that from Kendall as I had asked her to fill in for Elizabeth. She really stepped up!) Austin made a great turn in close to the goal in the midst of heavy traffic. Receiving the ball with his back to the goal, he made a graceful two step turn to bring the ball toward the center then turned and fired. He get's more and more patient and cool-headed with the ball at his feet all the time, as does Jackson. Luke had a goal and played what I thought was his best game ever. Everyone played well. They started in warm-ups to crowd around me telling me about how they'd been practicing at home, trying to one-up each other with their at-home work. Well, it shows. Sharks rule!
The Slime were awesome too and we had the goals to prove it. Lincoln had his best game yet and was a swing and a miss away from a goal. Mason was speedy as usual and Diego was just amazingly patient with the ball. He has great confidence in his ability to posses the ball and so he's never in a particular hurry. He reminds me of Dimitar Berpatov. Our girls played well with Ashley controlling the ball a lot and Eileen managing a goal at the buzzer. Delaney had a great warm-up but was a little behind the action in the game. Maddox was the star this week. He had one goal but his real contribution was his tireless defense. He got back on D so many times, running the whole field to do it, I was amazed. Great work Slime.
The Green Wave made a spectacular run in their season ending tournament. Their first opponent was the Green team which features two "select" quality players, players with real ball skills. But the Wave played loose and used their amazing speed to dominate the game. With Zach and Logan holding midfield most of the game our forwards were free to roam about in the Green half and as a result we had a lot of shots. Two shots that found the goal were from Morgan and they were both left footers. That's huge! Gabby and Kylie took turns in as keeper and were both excellent.
In game two we faced the Orange team and their best player is a big kid who has a few pounds and inches even on Zach but the Wave held their own again and again they played loose and played with great speed. That is the teams strength really, their speed. Gabby may be the fastest kid I've ever coached and Zach and Kylie aren't far behind. Lydia is quick with the ball, as is Jake. Jake has really stepped his game up this session and he showed that in this game by putting in two goals. One was a tap in off of a rebound from a shot from Lydia. The other was a pure blast from the near left side that he got in after some nice dribbling.
Sunday's game was a slightly different story. We played Black and the Wave were all thrilled that we didn't have to face the Red team. But once they saw the Black team's star player, Alex, in action they tightened up and slowed down just the way they would have against the Red team. It was tough to watch. When the Wave plays with speed and energy they can overcome most of their technical weaknesses by simply covering the whole field so effectively. But in this game they were all playing as though they were afraid to let Alex get past them or, worse, hit them with a shot (my thanks to Gabby for enduring just that and doing so with great courage). By the end of the game things were a bit out of hand emotionally with players on both teams loosing their tempers. That was actually the highlight of the game, that despite their fears, many of the Wave stood up to Alex repeatedly and tried their best to stop him. Zach obviously gave him a hard time from start to finish. It was like watching Neo and Smith in the Matrix seeing those two crash into each other repeatedly then regroup and go at it again. Ashley, too, was on Alex and pressing him and Logan had a few good stops too. But on the whole the Wave were forced into playing constant defense and so we didn't manage much in the way of shots on goal. Morgan and Lydia had some flashes of brilliance but just couldn't get past that last line of defenders. So the game didn't go our way and the Wave were really devastated. I honestly think they came into the game thinking they could win. Coach Dave gave them a great, moving pep-talk before kick-off and they were all excited and anxious to play. Oh, well.
I'm proud of them, as Coach Dave is. They were a great group to work with, especially in practice, where they really did work very hard every week. It was an honor to coach you Wave! Finishing second in a tournament with so many talented opponents is a great accomplishment and you should be proud. Congratulations on the amazing finish.
As I gained more experience I began to adhere to two mantras: "patience" and "nothing is obvious". I try to always be patient with the kids and to allow them to repeat things as many times as they need in order to "get it". I talk to the parents and ask them to be patient and to keep in mind that the kids are learning the skills of the game but most importantly they are learning what a game is and that's not easy. I tell the kids to be patient with themselves when I'm asking them to learn a new skill. "Nothing is obvious" means that you have to be willing to break everything down into smaller parts and spend time on the parts and then put it back together. I learned how to teach good kick technique by watching my son, Owen, kick. He always made such good contact with the ball because he ran up on it so close that by the time he made contact he had to use the top of his foot, he was too close to kick with his toe. So, I made that into a drill, getting the kids to run through the ball to kick. That didn't work for some so I started rolling the ball away from them, like reverse kick-ball. For a few that still didn't work because of the way they ran so we worked on their running, on getting them to stay up on their toes. Nothing is obvious. Some kids are naturals but they can all be taught and you just have to be willing to teach even the stuff that seems like it should be obvious.
I learned all this while working with your kids. They're always showing me something new and it's a joy to work with them. So now, beyond the necessity of coaching for my own kids' sake I just love coaching. I love Saturday mornings. I'm taking over as head administrator for NKYA soccer and I'm doing so because I want to share what I've learned with other Coaches so that we can build a tradition at NKYA of excellent amateur instruction. I'm proud of the work NKYA does and I'm excited about what we can accomplish in the future. And, again, I got to here because of what I learned working with your kids. So, thanks.
What I have learned from working with the Sharks is this: basic technical practice combined with some simple but persistent game situation practice can result in remarkable leaps forward in team play. Watching the individual kids who have such great natural gifts is wonderful. Sam E's ball handling and speed, Jackson's sure handedness in goal, Elizabeth's powerful kick and Austin's great sense of the whole field, all of these are amazing and a joy to watch. But seeing them play as a team, as they did again this weekend, is just impossibly awesome. With any team you might occasionally see a shot miss and then another player who happens to be in the right spot puts in the rebound and you call that an assist and a goal but there was a lot of luck there too. The Sharks don't accidentally put together a few passes and then get a shot, they do that intentionally. They communicate, they anticipate, they cover for each other. It's amazing. Obviously some of the kids are farther along but all of the others have made huge leaps forward because they are trying to play up to that level, because they want to be part of the team. Brandon is a great example. He has a strong kick with both feet and can run all day but he has in the past been unable to resist chasing the ball all over the field. In Saturday's game he started to really play his position and was in the right spot repeatedly. The result was a beautiful goal, a chip shot really, that floated over the goalie's shoulder from ten yards out and into the net. Jackson had picked-up the ball in the center then saw Brandon open on his left, made a pass, and boom! Teamwork!
Kendall made a similar brilliant pass that got us a goal and she did so after collecting the ball in the corner and making a really graceful turnaround that left two defenders behind. Her pass across the face of the goal made for an easy shot for Jackson. (We needed that from Kendall as I had asked her to fill in for Elizabeth. She really stepped up!) Austin made a great turn in close to the goal in the midst of heavy traffic. Receiving the ball with his back to the goal, he made a graceful two step turn to bring the ball toward the center then turned and fired. He get's more and more patient and cool-headed with the ball at his feet all the time, as does Jackson. Luke had a goal and played what I thought was his best game ever. Everyone played well. They started in warm-ups to crowd around me telling me about how they'd been practicing at home, trying to one-up each other with their at-home work. Well, it shows. Sharks rule!
The Slime were awesome too and we had the goals to prove it. Lincoln had his best game yet and was a swing and a miss away from a goal. Mason was speedy as usual and Diego was just amazingly patient with the ball. He has great confidence in his ability to posses the ball and so he's never in a particular hurry. He reminds me of Dimitar Berpatov. Our girls played well with Ashley controlling the ball a lot and Eileen managing a goal at the buzzer. Delaney had a great warm-up but was a little behind the action in the game. Maddox was the star this week. He had one goal but his real contribution was his tireless defense. He got back on D so many times, running the whole field to do it, I was amazed. Great work Slime.
The Green Wave made a spectacular run in their season ending tournament. Their first opponent was the Green team which features two "select" quality players, players with real ball skills. But the Wave played loose and used their amazing speed to dominate the game. With Zach and Logan holding midfield most of the game our forwards were free to roam about in the Green half and as a result we had a lot of shots. Two shots that found the goal were from Morgan and they were both left footers. That's huge! Gabby and Kylie took turns in as keeper and were both excellent.
In game two we faced the Orange team and their best player is a big kid who has a few pounds and inches even on Zach but the Wave held their own again and again they played loose and played with great speed. That is the teams strength really, their speed. Gabby may be the fastest kid I've ever coached and Zach and Kylie aren't far behind. Lydia is quick with the ball, as is Jake. Jake has really stepped his game up this session and he showed that in this game by putting in two goals. One was a tap in off of a rebound from a shot from Lydia. The other was a pure blast from the near left side that he got in after some nice dribbling.
Sunday's game was a slightly different story. We played Black and the Wave were all thrilled that we didn't have to face the Red team. But once they saw the Black team's star player, Alex, in action they tightened up and slowed down just the way they would have against the Red team. It was tough to watch. When the Wave plays with speed and energy they can overcome most of their technical weaknesses by simply covering the whole field so effectively. But in this game they were all playing as though they were afraid to let Alex get past them or, worse, hit them with a shot (my thanks to Gabby for enduring just that and doing so with great courage). By the end of the game things were a bit out of hand emotionally with players on both teams loosing their tempers. That was actually the highlight of the game, that despite their fears, many of the Wave stood up to Alex repeatedly and tried their best to stop him. Zach obviously gave him a hard time from start to finish. It was like watching Neo and Smith in the Matrix seeing those two crash into each other repeatedly then regroup and go at it again. Ashley, too, was on Alex and pressing him and Logan had a few good stops too. But on the whole the Wave were forced into playing constant defense and so we didn't manage much in the way of shots on goal. Morgan and Lydia had some flashes of brilliance but just couldn't get past that last line of defenders. So the game didn't go our way and the Wave were really devastated. I honestly think they came into the game thinking they could win. Coach Dave gave them a great, moving pep-talk before kick-off and they were all excited and anxious to play. Oh, well.
I'm proud of them, as Coach Dave is. They were a great group to work with, especially in practice, where they really did work very hard every week. It was an honor to coach you Wave! Finishing second in a tournament with so many talented opponents is a great accomplishment and you should be proud. Congratulations on the amazing finish.
Friday, May 27, 2011
UEFA Cup
Saturday at 2:30 on FOX WXIX it's the UEFA Champion's league final with Manchester United taking on Barcelona FC at Wembley Stadium. Should be awesome.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Week Seven.
I have to be brief this week even though we had three really good games with lots of great play. The U4 Slime were completely dominant in their game and played with their usual, and impressive, amount of teamwork. Maddox had a great goal and an assist. Diego had one hard-fought goal that came after he carried the ball through a crowd with amazing patience.
The Sharks won, I hear. I had to leave early for a Baseball game but I heard later that Jackson and Sam E. both had goals in a 2-1 victory. Well done Sharks. What I saw in the first half was some very good work with everyone staying well spread out but I could also see that we were missing Elizabeth in that front line. Great work in goal from both Sam A. and Jackson. Enjoy your week off Sharks and then come back strong rocking those tattoos! (I'll have extras with me on game day if anyone looses theirs so no freaking out, okay?)
The Wave had a very good game against an opponent that they match up evenly with. It was a fun game with lots of action and everyone of the Wave being a bit impatient to get in on the scoring. That lead to some undisciplined play with players falling out of position but we can work on that in practice. Cody had a stand-out game playing against a couple of elbow-throwing opponents. He gave it right back to them and kept scrapping for the ball. Jake was setting an example with his disciplined positioning in this game. He stayed in his lane, patiently waiting for his chances and attacking the ball vigorously when we needed him. He was in the right spot for a shot on several occasions. Great work everyone.
The Sharks won, I hear. I had to leave early for a Baseball game but I heard later that Jackson and Sam E. both had goals in a 2-1 victory. Well done Sharks. What I saw in the first half was some very good work with everyone staying well spread out but I could also see that we were missing Elizabeth in that front line. Great work in goal from both Sam A. and Jackson. Enjoy your week off Sharks and then come back strong rocking those tattoos! (I'll have extras with me on game day if anyone looses theirs so no freaking out, okay?)
The Wave had a very good game against an opponent that they match up evenly with. It was a fun game with lots of action and everyone of the Wave being a bit impatient to get in on the scoring. That lead to some undisciplined play with players falling out of position but we can work on that in practice. Cody had a stand-out game playing against a couple of elbow-throwing opponents. He gave it right back to them and kept scrapping for the ball. Jake was setting an example with his disciplined positioning in this game. He stayed in his lane, patiently waiting for his chances and attacking the ball vigorously when we needed him. He was in the right spot for a shot on several occasions. Great work everyone.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
USA Women v. Japan.
Check out the USA Women's World Cup team tonight facing Japan in an international friendly and cup tune up. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM on ESPN 2.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Week Six Highlights.
The U4 Slime had a great game with very good play from everyone. Maddox lead the way early by picking up a rebound off of someone else's shot and putting it in for a goal. Very smart play there. He also did some excellent work playing defense in this game. Ashley had two goals, a season high for her, and Diego had a pair of goals and two assists as well. Abby had her first big kick in a game and I hope that's just the start for her.
The Sharks were really fired up for their match against Nico and the Black team but unlike their last meeting the Sharks didn't allow their excitement to take them out of their game. They played with the same poise and teamwork that we've seen in the previous three games and the result was an overwhelming barrage of goals. Austin was leading the way again and has developed a new level of speed with the ball that is amazing. On his first goal he was approaching from the right corner and ran into at least two defenders. When he got past them along the wall he took four or five incredibly quick steps and was on top of the goalie in a second. From there it was an easy shot. Sam E. had a goal later on that was a beautiful example of anticipation as he came streaking in from the center to put in the rebound of a shot Jackson took from the left side. What's amazing is that Sam just barely managed to be the first Shark to get there as Austin and Elizabeth both saw the same play developing and were both headed for the same spot. That was Jackson's second assist of the game. He and Austin and Elizabeth have really gotten the hang of how to take the ball wide then come back to the center as a kind of set play.
Everyone else played well too with lots of great work in defense and a lot of very confident dribbling and passing. The starting line-up of Brandon, Braiden, Aiden, Ryland, Kendall and Luke threatened to score repeatedly and did great work keeping Nico and his fellows out of our goal. I think next week we'll change the line-ups to try to get some of our players a bit more time with the ball.
The Wave was playing their toughest opponent and that seemed to get into their heads even before kick-off. I should have seen that coming and tried to prevent them from conceding the game before the whistle even blew but I didn't. They practiced so well last week and so many of the players have shown great development of their individual skills that I thought they'd be coming into this game with a new confidence. But while there were some good moments in the game and some smart play there was also a lot of panicked play. I hate to see that but it happens and I admit I don't really know how to get them past it other than to just keep working in practice on their fundamental skills and try to build their confidence.
The Sharks were really fired up for their match against Nico and the Black team but unlike their last meeting the Sharks didn't allow their excitement to take them out of their game. They played with the same poise and teamwork that we've seen in the previous three games and the result was an overwhelming barrage of goals. Austin was leading the way again and has developed a new level of speed with the ball that is amazing. On his first goal he was approaching from the right corner and ran into at least two defenders. When he got past them along the wall he took four or five incredibly quick steps and was on top of the goalie in a second. From there it was an easy shot. Sam E. had a goal later on that was a beautiful example of anticipation as he came streaking in from the center to put in the rebound of a shot Jackson took from the left side. What's amazing is that Sam just barely managed to be the first Shark to get there as Austin and Elizabeth both saw the same play developing and were both headed for the same spot. That was Jackson's second assist of the game. He and Austin and Elizabeth have really gotten the hang of how to take the ball wide then come back to the center as a kind of set play.
Everyone else played well too with lots of great work in defense and a lot of very confident dribbling and passing. The starting line-up of Brandon, Braiden, Aiden, Ryland, Kendall and Luke threatened to score repeatedly and did great work keeping Nico and his fellows out of our goal. I think next week we'll change the line-ups to try to get some of our players a bit more time with the ball.
The Wave was playing their toughest opponent and that seemed to get into their heads even before kick-off. I should have seen that coming and tried to prevent them from conceding the game before the whistle even blew but I didn't. They practiced so well last week and so many of the players have shown great development of their individual skills that I thought they'd be coming into this game with a new confidence. But while there were some good moments in the game and some smart play there was also a lot of panicked play. I hate to see that but it happens and I admit I don't really know how to get them past it other than to just keep working in practice on their fundamental skills and try to build their confidence.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Week Five. Teamwork.
All three teams showed their best this weekend and I am, to be honest, quite proud of them all. Obviously with the Sharks and the Wave it is the quality of play that I'm happy about. Both teams work very hard in practice and have consistently brought whatever we do there to the games and then executed what they learned with commitment and teamwork. With the Slime, though, it's more than how they play. They play well to be sure and this week they dominated from start to finish even though a few of our players seemed to have a little less energy than usual. But what I really take pride in with this U4 team is their discipline. They pay attention when we are warming up and they all make a real effort in the drills we do. That shows in the way they play once the whistle blows. Kids their age are going to act up and be rambunctious but compared to what I see going on all around us out there this group is really focused and easy to work with. They set a great example for everyone else in the U4 division, especially for the parents and other Coaches, who get to see what is possible for kids this age. Coaching U4 is difficult and takes patience. Dealing with crying kids and embarrassed parents is part of the job and I'm grateful to all of the parents who stepped forward this session to become Coaches. Part of what I've tried to impress upon these new Coaches at our meetings is that while the hard work of repeating basic skill lessons over and over again can be an uphill slog they will, eventually, be amazed at what kids this age can "get" about the game and the extent to which they really can play the game.
Well, right now your Green Slime is setting the standard and here's what they did this week:
After a great warm-up in which we played some "shooting gallery" the Slime came out strong and controlled the ball basically from start to finish. In the first quarter we had goals from Mason and Diego and Diego had an assist on the goal for Mason. They make a great team as a combination of speed and grace, Diego being the grace part. His natural tendency to carry the ball on one side of his body and shield defenders off the ball is going to serve him well as he gets older. Mason is the speed and his dribbling improves weekly. He had several good runs this week where he took the ball into the corner (the dead corner against the blue wall) then fought through the defense and streaked directly into the goal box. Great stuff. He scored again in the third quarter. Also in the third we had a goal from Eileen off of a beautiful assist from Ashley. Their teamwork on that one was beautiful as Eileen headed straight for the goal when she saw Ashley taking the ball up the side. After getting around the defense Ashley made a nice pass right to Eileen's feet so that all she had to do was turn and put the ball in the net.
Lincoln and Abby did great work in the warm-up but weren't quite as engaged in the game as you'd like but they are improving weekly and seem to always be having fun.
Now, as for the Sharks, they are a fairly disciplined group but they have a lot of energy and I couldn't handle them without Coach Mike's help. Mike has been working them hard at practice and it keeps paying off in really unbelievable game performances. Like the U4 team the Sharks keep setting the bar for what is possible for teams in their age group. As a team they have great fundamental skills with good ball control habits and good field awareness but the thing that is most impressive is their communication. They yell to each other for passes the way you'd want a U10 team to do. Just a few highlights:
Elizabeth received a pass from Sam E. that was right on her feet at the eighteen. She settled the ball smoothly then quickly stepped to her left dragging the ball with her right foot to get around the first defender. A step back to the right took her past the second defender then she let go a nice pass to the right post that found Austin waiting. He was so wide open he could have walked the ball in but of course he blasted it in with authority. That was Austin's second goal of the game.
Sam A. was doing great work playing the left wing and had a few chances too. Jackson was backing them up as midfielder and as usual was always one step ahead of the other team's forwards. One of those forwards, Oliver, is a good player and practices with us on Mondays. Oliver just could not get ahead of our defense to score, though. Brandon's best play of the game was one where he ran back into our half and beat Oliver to the ball then turned in towards the center of the field and shielded Oliver off the ball with his backside (and hip checking him into the wall. oops.) so that he could casually bring the ball back out to midfield for another run. Finally I want to mention the play of Braiden and Aiden this week. Neither of them had a goal but they both played better than they ever have and played smartly too. Their work in practice seems to be taking them to a new level of confidence with the ball and now I can't get anyone to play defense...they all think they're shooters. Good work from Ryland too. For a new player he is really contributing a lot every week. Really fearless on defense too.
The Green Wave had to play one down with only seven players and no subs but somehow that seemed to help them. Zach had our three goals in this 3-3 tie and two of them were strong shots from some distance. He was assisted in the attack by good passing and ball possession from Logan, Jordan, Cody and Ashley (late but not too late!). I hope everyone noticed the courageous play from Cody. He is fearless and fierce and went up against the other team's star player over and over again. During one of those encounters he took a fall and was feeling some pain for a few minutes but in the final quarter he went back out there and kept attacking the ball. Great work Cody!
The Wave was moving the ball with confidence and putting everything we worked on in practice to work in the game. That was a real gutsy performance Wave. Well done.
Well, right now your Green Slime is setting the standard and here's what they did this week:
After a great warm-up in which we played some "shooting gallery" the Slime came out strong and controlled the ball basically from start to finish. In the first quarter we had goals from Mason and Diego and Diego had an assist on the goal for Mason. They make a great team as a combination of speed and grace, Diego being the grace part. His natural tendency to carry the ball on one side of his body and shield defenders off the ball is going to serve him well as he gets older. Mason is the speed and his dribbling improves weekly. He had several good runs this week where he took the ball into the corner (the dead corner against the blue wall) then fought through the defense and streaked directly into the goal box. Great stuff. He scored again in the third quarter. Also in the third we had a goal from Eileen off of a beautiful assist from Ashley. Their teamwork on that one was beautiful as Eileen headed straight for the goal when she saw Ashley taking the ball up the side. After getting around the defense Ashley made a nice pass right to Eileen's feet so that all she had to do was turn and put the ball in the net.
Lincoln and Abby did great work in the warm-up but weren't quite as engaged in the game as you'd like but they are improving weekly and seem to always be having fun.
Now, as for the Sharks, they are a fairly disciplined group but they have a lot of energy and I couldn't handle them without Coach Mike's help. Mike has been working them hard at practice and it keeps paying off in really unbelievable game performances. Like the U4 team the Sharks keep setting the bar for what is possible for teams in their age group. As a team they have great fundamental skills with good ball control habits and good field awareness but the thing that is most impressive is their communication. They yell to each other for passes the way you'd want a U10 team to do. Just a few highlights:
Elizabeth received a pass from Sam E. that was right on her feet at the eighteen. She settled the ball smoothly then quickly stepped to her left dragging the ball with her right foot to get around the first defender. A step back to the right took her past the second defender then she let go a nice pass to the right post that found Austin waiting. He was so wide open he could have walked the ball in but of course he blasted it in with authority. That was Austin's second goal of the game.
Sam A. was doing great work playing the left wing and had a few chances too. Jackson was backing them up as midfielder and as usual was always one step ahead of the other team's forwards. One of those forwards, Oliver, is a good player and practices with us on Mondays. Oliver just could not get ahead of our defense to score, though. Brandon's best play of the game was one where he ran back into our half and beat Oliver to the ball then turned in towards the center of the field and shielded Oliver off the ball with his backside (and hip checking him into the wall. oops.) so that he could casually bring the ball back out to midfield for another run. Finally I want to mention the play of Braiden and Aiden this week. Neither of them had a goal but they both played better than they ever have and played smartly too. Their work in practice seems to be taking them to a new level of confidence with the ball and now I can't get anyone to play defense...they all think they're shooters. Good work from Ryland too. For a new player he is really contributing a lot every week. Really fearless on defense too.
The Green Wave had to play one down with only seven players and no subs but somehow that seemed to help them. Zach had our three goals in this 3-3 tie and two of them were strong shots from some distance. He was assisted in the attack by good passing and ball possession from Logan, Jordan, Cody and Ashley (late but not too late!). I hope everyone noticed the courageous play from Cody. He is fearless and fierce and went up against the other team's star player over and over again. During one of those encounters he took a fall and was feeling some pain for a few minutes but in the final quarter he went back out there and kept attacking the ball. Great work Cody!
The Wave was moving the ball with confidence and putting everything we worked on in practice to work in the game. That was a real gutsy performance Wave. Well done.
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