Moving On.

This blog is now defunct.  I'm not sure how long Google will let it just sit here if I'm never posting but I would like to have it be available as an archive.  I learned a lot about coaching soccer from some very wonderful kids while working with NKYA.

I'll still be coaching and writing about soccer so if you're interested you can find me now at my Northern Kentucky Legends soccer blog.

McKenzie of the Sharks Makes a Guest Appearance for the Legends Girls.

Check out the video!  She was amazing!

Spring Session Week Two.

It was great to have the two teams playing each other so that I could work with everyone as a group.  They played beautifully with some really wonderful skill play.  I haven't been pressing them lately to use any specific moves but I think next weekend we'll try to add a move then encourage them to use it in the game.  Here's the one we'll be trying out:



Try to watch the video with your player if you can and ask them to try the move at home.  I can't say this often enough, the kids who actually practice at home, even just a little, improve much more rapidly than everyone else.  Coaching one of my club team games this weekend my assistants and I could clearly tell which players had been working on their skills at home rather than just on practice days.  As I tell the kids, skip one episode of Sponge Bob (you've probably seen it already anyway) and spend 15 minutes practicing.  Do that every day and I'll be able to see the difference on game day.

See you next Saturday.  The Lions play Coach Denigan's green team and the Bats play Coach Petzelt's black team.  I'll be coaching the Lions during their game and Coach Chris will take the Bats.  Coach Chris doesn't like coaching against Coach Denigan's team.

Final Titans Game a Storm of Offense.

The Titans were a force of nature yesterday and they simply overwhelmed their opponent.  Morgan and Drew were unstoppable up front and combined for at least six of our goals I think.  Justin was excellent in keeper as usual and was also attacking from that position.  Will and Owen both filled in at keeper very solidly too.  Will was a big part of the offense too. 
In that first half Karah and Danielle were so good on defense that the other team could never get anything started.  And that spill Karah took?  She is tough as nails!  Ryder was playing tough against players twice his size.  Kaylie played some key defense late in the second half and really shut the other team down.
This was their best showing yet.  Thanks for the great game Titans.

Indoor Season Comes to an End.

I'd like to keep it simple this week as I think the sparkling play of the Sharks speaks for itself.  They played beautiful and imaginative soccer.  They played with fire and determination.  Most importantly, they played with a clear love of the game.  I'm proud to be their coach and I feel lucky for the opportunity.   I love to watch them play.

Thanks coach Sharon for all of your help and camaraderie on the bench.

The Awkwardness of Being Deceptive.

    When you are coaching U4 and U6 players you notice that many of them have difficulty at first understanding how the conventions of a game or sport are different from the social conventions they've been learning at home and school.  At home you're taught to be polite and to be honest.  At school you're taught to take turns and be considerate of others.  Don't bump into other kids.  Respect their space.  But a game, especially in a team sport, is a very different social situation.  We don't take turns, the ball is mine as much as it is yours and within the rules I'll take it from you if I can.  We'll bump and jostle to get the ball and it's nothing personal. Most importantly, I don't have to be honest or polite all the time.  I can fake going left then go right.  I can pretend I'm going to pass the ball but then keep it and shoot.  I can make you think I'm going to kick the ball right at you but then make a move to one side to get open.  In short I can be deceptive and within the context of the game that's acceptable and even normal.
    It takes some kids a while to get to the point where they are comfortable with being a real player, with being the sort of person who will bump into someone else intentionally, who will steal the ball, who will intentionally deceive.  But they do get there eventually.
     Before the start of the Sharks game Sunday I was watching another U8 game and one player in particular got my attention.  I've coached him some before and he's got very good skill and a good awareness of the field but as I watched him working with the ball in the game I noticed that while he was making a good effort to control the ball and attack he was also frequently giving up on his dribble.  It was like sometimes he was letting the ball get a step too far away and he'd just let it go assuming that the other team would get to it first. A couple of times I saw him make one good move to get clear of a defender but when it didn't shake them completely he'd hesitate before trying another move.  I kept thinking, I've seen him in practice and I know he has the skills to dribble around every one out there, he just doesn't know it himself yet.
     Then in the Sharks game I was able to see the same sort of player, our own Zachary, have that epiphany, that eureka moment where he realizes that all the skills he's been developing the last year or so will actually work against good players.  Zach had two amazing runs in the game where he carried the ball for more than half the field and each time he beat at least two defenders with his dribble move.  And to add to the achievement the moves he was using were more than just simple zig-zags and speed bursts.  He was breaking out some really deft Puskas moves, it's a sort of fake pull-back.  He was using his speed but in combination with a really delicate touch on the ball.  As he ran off the field at the end of that quarter I said to him "you are putting on a clinic today!"  I asked him to remember from now on that he can dribble around anybody, from one end to the other.  That's how I'd like to see it go for all of the kids, that they should have a game where they realize "hey, I can do this."  Well done, Zach.

    The rest of the Sharks were playing very well too.  I was so proud to see them playing the trap-and-dribble game that we always talk about in practice because, again, the idea is for them to learn that the moves we work on in practice will work in game situations if they will just let themselves try it.  McKenzie was a particular stand out in this game in that regard.  I know she was aware of the quality of the team we were playing but she still played with great discipline, staying in control when the ball came to her, trapping and dribbling.
     Of course we have a few kids on the team who have already crossed over into being confident players, and at least one who seems to have just been born that way (Jackson).  Sam A. and Samuel were showing their amazing skills throughout.  Sam's got some really crazy footwork lately and Samuel, again, showed that incredible gift he has for stealing the ball right off someone else's feet.  Wyatt stepped up as keeper and was astonishingly good.  His reflexes are so fast he was able to win in two separate one-vs-one situations where I thought we were giving up a goal for sure.  Tyler, Lillian, Braden and Brandon all played very well too and it was a beautifully played game from start to finish.  The score aside, when I see them playing with control and trusting themselves to carry the ball on their feet, that is when I know they're playing well.

   

Sharks Bonus Game! Scrimmaging with Sam E. and Austin.

     The U8 Sharks had a great opportunity to play against a very skilled team in an impromptu Saturday afternoon scrimmage and I was very happy to see the quality of play from the team.  We faced Benson FC which features Sam Eppley and Austin Seng, former Sharks, a team that is very deep in terms of skill and playing with a lot of discipline.  With some of the current Sharks absent we picked up a few players for this friendly match and they were a great help.  The Louden brothers, Finn (5) and Owen (7) helped out and Owen was fantastic in at keeper, as always.  Andrew Willis of coach Lighthall's black team came out too and he was showing some great drive and some good skill.  He and Wyatt teamed up for our only goal and it was a beauty.  After a nice touch from Andrew from the corner Wyatt turned the ball in to the goal and nutmegged the keeper.
     Benson FC played with a lot of skill on display, especially Sam, who continues to amaze.  Just ridiculous talent.  I actually feel the Sharks did well to hold them to only eight or so goals as that team has so many powerful shooters.  By the end the Sharks were starting to wear out and to collapse into a defensive wall in front of the goal.  Instinctive but ineffective.  Overall though there were plenty of moments of good skill work and the teams' attitude was upbeat throughout.  They all seemed glad to get to play, even against such a tough opponent.
     I have to single out Lillian for her performance in keeper.  I wasn't sure I should let her go in there given how hard Sam and his teammates were bringing their shots.  I said to Lillian, you know these guys are hitting it really hard and I'm worried that if you aren't watching the ball you might get hit.  "I'm used to that" she said.  "I've been hit in the face a bunch of times."  Well, okay then.  So in she went and she played beautifully, aggressively going to the ball.  I'll work with her on her punting to round off that part of her game and she will make for a very good keeper I think.