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.

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.

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.