The "Bats" faced a good challenge this week but they were up to it and came away with a nice 3-3 draw. We had a goal from Abby and then a beautiful shot-and-redirect combination for Ashley and Micah. Then finally Maddox (I think) put one in. On our first goal Abby carried the ball through a lot of traffic and came in from the left side for a very low-angle shot. It was well struck and hugged the ground, giving the keeper no chance on it. On that second goal Ashley made a very good run, taking the ball off another players feet then dashing out into the open and heading to the goal with the ball just a touch ahead of her. She really maintained her composure on this run and had control the whole time. When she let loose the shot it was pounded and might have found the goal on its own but Micah was there in the box and he cleverly gave the ball just a tap to redirect it a bit. That took it completely out of the keeper's range and into the net. Great team work on that one.
The whole team played very well and they were working hard on using their ball skills for me. I saw a lot of pullbacks and cuts and zig-zags out there. Henry was getting the hang of playing the sort of attacking-midfielder that his brother Sam likes to play. Always concerned about letting the other team get off a shot, Henry doesn't like too stray to far from his own goal. But he knows that when the ball does come to him back there he can make a soft touch on it then head out into the open space to either attack the other goal on his own or make a good pass up-field for a teammate. Right now he prefers the pass but I'll keep working on him to get up there and find his shot. Ava likes to work from the back line forward like that too and she was really the key to our success in this game. The other team had a lot of good opportunities taken from them because of Ava's tireless efforts to dig the ball out of the corner and then dribble it out of the opposition's reach.
The Lions played beautifully, especially Diego. I lost count of his goals but his patience and deft control on the ball are unforgettable. Most kids are hoping to find a path to the goal that skirts their opponents by a wide margin but Diego is perfectly happy to be elbow to elbow with the defense, patiently pulling the ball along with him, cutting left then right and waiting till the shot is really there. Saturday he repeatedly made a move to pass the keeper at the post so that he'd get in front of the goal for a better shot. That just shows amazing patience and confidence. Most players would want to shoot the moment they see a chance at the goal but Diego knows that from the low post angle the keeper has the advantage. So Diego goes ahead and makes another move to get out around the keeper and then square to the goal for a much better shot. Fantastic!
Jagger was fabulous in as keeper this week and I think he faced some of the toughest competition he's ever seen. One player on the other team, Joshua, made his way into the goal area repeatedly and did a great job of holding his shot till he was really right on top of Jagger. But over and over again Jag stopped him. He was like a Kung Fu master in there.
I was really pleased with how the rest of the team played too. We had no subs, which was really a good thing since they all got so many touches on the ball. Then I gave them all an assignment at half-time, letting them know that I needed to see at least one pullback from everyone if they were going to get a snack after the game. They all did it too! Anna and Gunnar were getting close to ten each by the end of the game and Anna even managed a few with her left foot. What I tell them is that even if the move doesn't "work", that is, if the other team ends up getting the ball, that's okay because I just want them to try it until they figure out how to make it work. If they feel free to just do a pullback every time they're on the ball eventually they figure out on their own how to use that move to get free and head to the goal. Great work Lions.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Indoor Season Begins
It's good to be back inside playing when the weather becomes winter-like. The field house can be cold in the early morning but it's a warm refuge compared to the rawness of the elements outside. The space is filled with the noise of kids excited to get back to the game and parents getting reacquainted with their "soccer friends" and the first weekend of the session is a sort of reunion.
All of our teams had great opening games. There was lots of energy and some very good quality of play. I don't get as much practice time with the kids as I'd like during the indoor session and I don't want their joy in playing to be burdened by a lot of coaching instruction from me. So, I try to keep it simple and focus on the very basics of the soccer skill set. You'll hear some Coaches yelling to their teams about spacing and passing and "staying in your positions". You won't hear that sort of coaching from me. I'm going to coach each of them on the development of their individual skills using the little time we have as efficiently as I can and then I'll let them figure out how to play together as a team. I'll offer advice on that sort of thing when appropriate but a lot of what a player needs to understand about how to use the space on the field and how to anticipate the action must be learned through experience. I'll let them know that I trust them to figure it out and then during breaks or after games we'll talk about what we learned. In the menu to the right is a link to a short list of things I told the U10 team I'd be looking for this session. These points will apply to the other teams as well.
As for everyone's performance this weekend, here's some of what I saw:
The U4 team got off to a very good start. We've got some real players in that line-up. There was the usual mix of energy, silliness and occasional bruised feeling that you expect from U4 in the beginning but I'm really happy with the level of focus the players showed. I think this group will progress quite quickly.
Unfortunately I was only able to work with one of the U6 teams this week. Chris took the other. The group I had includes our insanely strong "girl power" line-up. We had Abby back with us joining Ava, Ashley and Hailey. When these girls are on the field they bring a constant, energetic attack that eventually wears the other side down. They don't concede the ball ever and they don't seem to be afraid of anyone. I saw a lot of very good skill from each of them with sharp changes of direction and good ball control. But I also saw a lot of very smart play off the ball with Ava and Abby especially showing that they can anticipate the action and get to where the ball will end up rather than always chasing behind it. We had Henry and Luke returning from the outdoor team and they played very well too. Henry is quickly developing some very good skills with the ball and he's got his brother Sam's sense of the field. Luke took a good turn in at keeper, making a couple of good stops. The team was also joined by three players we hadn't seen since last indoor season, Derron, Cole and Maddox. All three were full of energy and ready to go and Maddox was showing some amazing development as a control player since his last session on the team. By putting some finesse together with his great speed Maddox becomes a real threat to score whenever he has the ball.
I was so proud of those U8 Sharks this Sunday. The team we played against is coached by Eric Henderson who is the director of the Legends soccer club and hearing his compliments for the beautifully controlled, fearless and imaginative style of play the Sharks have was very gratifying. And it was a tour de force too. Everyone seemed to have their best game face on and we saw every player showing solid fundamental skills throughout the game. Elizabeth, Jackson, Zach and Sam seemed to really enjoy their new rolls as senior players on the team and all of them were setting a wonderful example for their teammates. Elizabeth managed two goals, one of which she just hammered. Her sense of how to get open in the middle when the Sharks are attacking is amazing and that led to her first goal off a nice pass from Tyler. For the second one she was on her own, dribbling through traffic to that powerful finish.
Jackson was showing his swagger in as keeper. Then on the field he was using his moves, trying to always keep the ball close. He had some great runs and then did manage a couple of goals. Like Elizabeth, he's got a pretty good sense of when to come in and crash the goal.
Sam made perfect traps followed by quick steps to the open field over and over again. Nothing super flashy, just rock-solid consistent competence with the ball. The ball would come to him, he'd glance up the field, make a soft touch of the ball to his right or left then take off. Sometimes he'd pass up right away, sometimes he'd try to take it in himself. Just beautiful stuff.
Then we had Zachary and his new-found speed. Is it the shoes? The dude can fly and he's always got the ball at his feet, making some sort of feint move. He did a little "fast-slow-fast" move late in the game yesterday that was just crazy smooth. With the added dimension of Zach's speed and finesse the Sharks' attack is really balanced and I think other teams will have a hard time containing them.
Tyler looked very good and is progressing rapidly toward having ball control skills to match his incredible tenacity and toughness. Our other returning player is McKenzie who had a very good game. She was in the thick of the action constantly and showed no fear of being in the crowd with bigger kids. She made some good moves with the ball too.
The new players who joined us were Lillian, Reagan and Wyatt. Lillian is fresh up from U6 and so she's just getting used to the speed of the U8 game but she played very well really, including a good turn in at keeper. Reagan too seemed a bit overwhelmed at first but she warmed up and played with good energy. Wyatt came into the game ready to play, showing some good ball skills and a powerful left foot that led to a goal for him. Great first game all around.
The U10 team chose the right name for themselves: The Titans. They played like it, with a great combination of speed, finesse and power. The only returning players are Drew, Jaden and Owen and they all played very well. Drew's skill with the ball is remarkable and now he's really tireless in his commitment to trying to beat opponents one-on-one rather than booting the ball away. I think he really relishes that challenge now. Jaden was solid in defense for us and showed some very nice ball skill.
Among the new players are Michaell Michelle and Kailey who don't have much soccer experience between them but they showed a lot of good energy and were trying their best to get into the action. A very good first game for them. We were also joined by Morgan and Danielle, more experienced players who show great promise in becoming skilled attacking players. I'll be pressing them both as the session goes on to try to play more often with the ball at their feet and to try to work through traffic using their dribbling skills. I'll be doing the same with Addison, a player with a very strong kick who just needs to get in the habit of trapping the ball first, looking around then moving with it before letting loose with that big kick.
The final addition to the team is Justin, a very polished player with great speed. He's a great compliment to Drew and Owen on the attack. Prior to the game he seemed nervous about being put up in the striker position but he is new to indoor and I think he quickly realized that on the smaller, faster field you are really in an attacking position wherever you are on the field. He took advantage of that and had at least a pair of goals. I lost track.
Great work from everyone for the first week. Do your toe-taps! I'll see you next weekend.
All of our teams had great opening games. There was lots of energy and some very good quality of play. I don't get as much practice time with the kids as I'd like during the indoor session and I don't want their joy in playing to be burdened by a lot of coaching instruction from me. So, I try to keep it simple and focus on the very basics of the soccer skill set. You'll hear some Coaches yelling to their teams about spacing and passing and "staying in your positions". You won't hear that sort of coaching from me. I'm going to coach each of them on the development of their individual skills using the little time we have as efficiently as I can and then I'll let them figure out how to play together as a team. I'll offer advice on that sort of thing when appropriate but a lot of what a player needs to understand about how to use the space on the field and how to anticipate the action must be learned through experience. I'll let them know that I trust them to figure it out and then during breaks or after games we'll talk about what we learned. In the menu to the right is a link to a short list of things I told the U10 team I'd be looking for this session. These points will apply to the other teams as well.
As for everyone's performance this weekend, here's some of what I saw:
The U4 team got off to a very good start. We've got some real players in that line-up. There was the usual mix of energy, silliness and occasional bruised feeling that you expect from U4 in the beginning but I'm really happy with the level of focus the players showed. I think this group will progress quite quickly.
Unfortunately I was only able to work with one of the U6 teams this week. Chris took the other. The group I had includes our insanely strong "girl power" line-up. We had Abby back with us joining Ava, Ashley and Hailey. When these girls are on the field they bring a constant, energetic attack that eventually wears the other side down. They don't concede the ball ever and they don't seem to be afraid of anyone. I saw a lot of very good skill from each of them with sharp changes of direction and good ball control. But I also saw a lot of very smart play off the ball with Ava and Abby especially showing that they can anticipate the action and get to where the ball will end up rather than always chasing behind it. We had Henry and Luke returning from the outdoor team and they played very well too. Henry is quickly developing some very good skills with the ball and he's got his brother Sam's sense of the field. Luke took a good turn in at keeper, making a couple of good stops. The team was also joined by three players we hadn't seen since last indoor season, Derron, Cole and Maddox. All three were full of energy and ready to go and Maddox was showing some amazing development as a control player since his last session on the team. By putting some finesse together with his great speed Maddox becomes a real threat to score whenever he has the ball.
I was so proud of those U8 Sharks this Sunday. The team we played against is coached by Eric Henderson who is the director of the Legends soccer club and hearing his compliments for the beautifully controlled, fearless and imaginative style of play the Sharks have was very gratifying. And it was a tour de force too. Everyone seemed to have their best game face on and we saw every player showing solid fundamental skills throughout the game. Elizabeth, Jackson, Zach and Sam seemed to really enjoy their new rolls as senior players on the team and all of them were setting a wonderful example for their teammates. Elizabeth managed two goals, one of which she just hammered. Her sense of how to get open in the middle when the Sharks are attacking is amazing and that led to her first goal off a nice pass from Tyler. For the second one she was on her own, dribbling through traffic to that powerful finish.
Jackson was showing his swagger in as keeper. Then on the field he was using his moves, trying to always keep the ball close. He had some great runs and then did manage a couple of goals. Like Elizabeth, he's got a pretty good sense of when to come in and crash the goal.
Sam made perfect traps followed by quick steps to the open field over and over again. Nothing super flashy, just rock-solid consistent competence with the ball. The ball would come to him, he'd glance up the field, make a soft touch of the ball to his right or left then take off. Sometimes he'd pass up right away, sometimes he'd try to take it in himself. Just beautiful stuff.
Then we had Zachary and his new-found speed. Is it the shoes? The dude can fly and he's always got the ball at his feet, making some sort of feint move. He did a little "fast-slow-fast" move late in the game yesterday that was just crazy smooth. With the added dimension of Zach's speed and finesse the Sharks' attack is really balanced and I think other teams will have a hard time containing them.
Tyler looked very good and is progressing rapidly toward having ball control skills to match his incredible tenacity and toughness. Our other returning player is McKenzie who had a very good game. She was in the thick of the action constantly and showed no fear of being in the crowd with bigger kids. She made some good moves with the ball too.
The new players who joined us were Lillian, Reagan and Wyatt. Lillian is fresh up from U6 and so she's just getting used to the speed of the U8 game but she played very well really, including a good turn in at keeper. Reagan too seemed a bit overwhelmed at first but she warmed up and played with good energy. Wyatt came into the game ready to play, showing some good ball skills and a powerful left foot that led to a goal for him. Great first game all around.
The U10 team chose the right name for themselves: The Titans. They played like it, with a great combination of speed, finesse and power. The only returning players are Drew, Jaden and Owen and they all played very well. Drew's skill with the ball is remarkable and now he's really tireless in his commitment to trying to beat opponents one-on-one rather than booting the ball away. I think he really relishes that challenge now. Jaden was solid in defense for us and showed some very nice ball skill.
Among the new players are Michaell Michelle and Kailey who don't have much soccer experience between them but they showed a lot of good energy and were trying their best to get into the action. A very good first game for them. We were also joined by Morgan and Danielle, more experienced players who show great promise in becoming skilled attacking players. I'll be pressing them both as the session goes on to try to play more often with the ball at their feet and to try to work through traffic using their dribbling skills. I'll be doing the same with Addison, a player with a very strong kick who just needs to get in the habit of trapping the ball first, looking around then moving with it before letting loose with that big kick.
The final addition to the team is Justin, a very polished player with great speed. He's a great compliment to Drew and Owen on the attack. Prior to the game he seemed nervous about being put up in the striker position but he is new to indoor and I think he quickly realized that on the smaller, faster field you are really in an attacking position wherever you are on the field. He took advantage of that and had at least a pair of goals. I lost track.
Great work from everyone for the first week. Do your toe-taps! I'll see you next weekend.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Fall Outdoor Session Wrap-up
I apologize to everyone for becoming so lax in my efforts here at the blog. The combination of my coaching schedules and administrator duties this session have made it near impossible for me to even take a moment to reflect on how the kids are progressing let alone write anything about it. But the session is over and my schedule is less hectic so now I can take a moment to look back on the work we did this Summer/Fall and think about where our various Sharks are. And I promise that from here on out I'll get back to regularly reporting on what I'm seeing in practices and games.
Hopefully you noticed during the course of the Fall session that the focus in practice was always on individual ball control skills. I occasionally threw in a passing/shooting drill, mostly for the aerobic aspect of it, but the bulk of our time was spent working on ball control. With the younger kids the idea was always to just keep them focused on having the ball at their feet and getting a feel for moving around and taking the ball with them. For the older kids I was trying to introduce them to some more complex deceptive moves while always emphasizing to them that the most important thing is to develop a soft touch on the ball and learn to be confident with the ball at your own feet. Kicking it away is rarely the best first option.
What I saw by the end of the session was a lot of very good progress with many players showing remarkable improvement and growing confidence. During the indoor sessions we'll continue in that direction, always focusing on developing those individual skills that make it possible for a player to feel comfortable on the field, even in a crowd. The indoor sessions give us a great opportunity to work on really sharpening those close-in technical skills, the pull-backs and play-behinds and all the other great moves you can use to deceive your opponent. The turf conditions outdoor can be unforgiving but indoor it's all smooth so you have the chance to really work on that fine ball control you need to win in one-on-one situations. I'm really looking forward to it. And, as I've said before, I'm not looking for wins. I'm looking for constant improvement and growth. I'm looking for the kids to be fearless and feel that they're free to try anything. When we see them doing that, when we see them trying to throw a step-over or scissors or Cruyf turn or whatever in to a game situation, we need to celebrate that as much as we would a goal. To succeed you can't be afraid to fail. Check out the video below. It shows a professional team in pre-game warm ups. When one of the players, Juan Mata, executes a move that just looks impossible his teammates celebrate with him like he'd scored a goal in competition. That's how I'd like my teams to be...all the players pulling for each other and pushing each other to try harder and go farther.
Hopefully you noticed during the course of the Fall session that the focus in practice was always on individual ball control skills. I occasionally threw in a passing/shooting drill, mostly for the aerobic aspect of it, but the bulk of our time was spent working on ball control. With the younger kids the idea was always to just keep them focused on having the ball at their feet and getting a feel for moving around and taking the ball with them. For the older kids I was trying to introduce them to some more complex deceptive moves while always emphasizing to them that the most important thing is to develop a soft touch on the ball and learn to be confident with the ball at your own feet. Kicking it away is rarely the best first option.
What I saw by the end of the session was a lot of very good progress with many players showing remarkable improvement and growing confidence. During the indoor sessions we'll continue in that direction, always focusing on developing those individual skills that make it possible for a player to feel comfortable on the field, even in a crowd. The indoor sessions give us a great opportunity to work on really sharpening those close-in technical skills, the pull-backs and play-behinds and all the other great moves you can use to deceive your opponent. The turf conditions outdoor can be unforgiving but indoor it's all smooth so you have the chance to really work on that fine ball control you need to win in one-on-one situations. I'm really looking forward to it. And, as I've said before, I'm not looking for wins. I'm looking for constant improvement and growth. I'm looking for the kids to be fearless and feel that they're free to try anything. When we see them doing that, when we see them trying to throw a step-over or scissors or Cruyf turn or whatever in to a game situation, we need to celebrate that as much as we would a goal. To succeed you can't be afraid to fail. Check out the video below. It shows a professional team in pre-game warm ups. When one of the players, Juan Mata, executes a move that just looks impossible his teammates celebrate with him like he'd scored a goal in competition. That's how I'd like my teams to be...all the players pulling for each other and pushing each other to try harder and go farther.
Monday, September 17, 2012
September 15th, U6 Sharks Girl Power Day!
At our last practice the girls on the U6 sharks insisted on playing together against the boys in our end-of-practice scrimmage. We only had one goal available so I had them playing a version of the game where each team takes turns attacking then defending. All the defending team has to do is get the ball out of bounds then they go to the circle and become the attacking team. This game is inherently unfair as it's much easier for the defending team to succeed than it is for the attacking team. That's intentional though, as what this version of the game re-enforces is the need to possess the ball rather than simply kicking it. Controlled, aggressive attempts to get the ball in close to the goal are rewarded with shot opportunities. Wild "big" kicks are rewarded with an almost immediate loss of the ball.
Well the girls, led by Hailey, got it the idea pretty quick, keeping the ball close, trying to penetrate the defense with their moves rather than trying to kick the ball past the defenders. Hailey scored twice and I think Ashley had a goal too. The boys, unfortunately didn't quite get it and in fact they sort of tried to double down as the game went on. By the time they were down three to nothing the boys were starting out every kick-off with some sort of pointless blast and so they were giving the ball away over and over again. Hopefully they ultimately learned something from this.
On Saturday I decided to let the girls play as a group again and recruited Micah to fill out the side by taking a turn in as keeper. They came on very strong and as in practice their play was characterized by a lot of energetic but fairly controlled runs into the other team's side that resulted in more than a few goals in that first quarter. Hailey had two then Ashley and Ava each added one. Micah was rock-solid in at keeper too.
When the boys came on for the second quarter they played strong too and did so with much more control than they had been showing at practice. The ball control skills that Diego and Jagger have right now are very impressive and I like seeing them trust in that ability, knowing that they can take on any defender rather than just kicking the ball away.
Great game little Sharks.
The U8 Sharks were completely dominant in their game and they were demonstrating some very patient, thoughtful play. Lots of confident ball control and heads up spacing. The outstanding players of the game for me were Tyler and Sam A. and Zachary. Tyler is becoming more aggressive and goal-hungry every game. He had several really good runs with the ball at his feet where he beat the last defender one-on-one then only had the keeper to face. One of those led to a brilliant shot/pass in to Austin who sure-footedly put the ball in the net.
Sam A. shows just an amazing sense of how to move alongside of and interact with his teammates. He rarely tries to steal the ball from another Shark but rather always knows to get just a few steps out ahead of whoever is bringing the ball up for the team so that he's in an advantageous position. He runs sideways and backwards with ease, always keeping his eye on the ball. And in Saturday's game I saw him switch fields intentionally a few times, crossing back over Sam Eppley's path to regain the best position. That is, when Sam E. would cut to his right, toward Sam A., then Sam A. would quickly run back to the left side of the field, keeping himself open as an option for Sam E. to pass or at least to be in a better position for a rebound. The first time he did it it could have been a fluke but by the third time it was obvious that he was intentionally playing actively away from the ball, thinking about where to be to take advantage. Amazing.
Zachary always wants to start out in a defender/midfield position so this Saturday I told him he could start out there but that if the ball came to him he had to settle it then try to beat at least one defender with his dribble before passing the ball up. He did so repeatedly and was as cool as he could be about it. He's got great peripheral vision and most of the time when he would make a couple of moves to get clear of a defender he would then immediately find a teammate in the open and make a sharp pass. I'm pushing all the kids this session to really test themselves with their ball control skills and to always try to take on the defense with the ball at their feet but I want to always let them know too that their vision for the field and for seeing opportunities opening up ahead of them is a great skill to have too. Great work Zach.
Elizabeth got a goal which was great to see. She's a natural at seeing those opportunities open up suddenly so she likes to hang back at the periphery when we're attacking, just waiting for a loose ball that she can dribble in for a shot. Austin had a pair of goals that I saw, including the one I mentioned above. The second was an impressive blast from the penalty area line that he let go of after dribbling past at least two defenders. His ability to get off a quick shot is a great advantage for him.
Sam Eppley had at least two goals and played a nice quarter in at keeper. Jackson had to leave early but his time in during the first half was brilliant, both in keeper and on the attack.
Thank you all again for your patience with me as my Coaching schedule keeps me running from one venue to another. Thanks for Mike Seng for taking the team for me the last quarter. This coming Saturday I'll be out of town coaching my son's team in Richmond so Mike will have the team the entire game. I hate to miss even one as they are playing so well right now. Owen's team, the Dragons, are doing well too and I'm having a great time with them putting so much of what I've learned coaching the Sharks to work in guiding another group of enthusiastic players. Here are a few pictures of the Dragons in action this past weekend.
Well the girls, led by Hailey, got it the idea pretty quick, keeping the ball close, trying to penetrate the defense with their moves rather than trying to kick the ball past the defenders. Hailey scored twice and I think Ashley had a goal too. The boys, unfortunately didn't quite get it and in fact they sort of tried to double down as the game went on. By the time they were down three to nothing the boys were starting out every kick-off with some sort of pointless blast and so they were giving the ball away over and over again. Hopefully they ultimately learned something from this.
On Saturday I decided to let the girls play as a group again and recruited Micah to fill out the side by taking a turn in as keeper. They came on very strong and as in practice their play was characterized by a lot of energetic but fairly controlled runs into the other team's side that resulted in more than a few goals in that first quarter. Hailey had two then Ashley and Ava each added one. Micah was rock-solid in at keeper too.
When the boys came on for the second quarter they played strong too and did so with much more control than they had been showing at practice. The ball control skills that Diego and Jagger have right now are very impressive and I like seeing them trust in that ability, knowing that they can take on any defender rather than just kicking the ball away.
Great game little Sharks.
The U8 Sharks were completely dominant in their game and they were demonstrating some very patient, thoughtful play. Lots of confident ball control and heads up spacing. The outstanding players of the game for me were Tyler and Sam A. and Zachary. Tyler is becoming more aggressive and goal-hungry every game. He had several really good runs with the ball at his feet where he beat the last defender one-on-one then only had the keeper to face. One of those led to a brilliant shot/pass in to Austin who sure-footedly put the ball in the net.
Sam A. shows just an amazing sense of how to move alongside of and interact with his teammates. He rarely tries to steal the ball from another Shark but rather always knows to get just a few steps out ahead of whoever is bringing the ball up for the team so that he's in an advantageous position. He runs sideways and backwards with ease, always keeping his eye on the ball. And in Saturday's game I saw him switch fields intentionally a few times, crossing back over Sam Eppley's path to regain the best position. That is, when Sam E. would cut to his right, toward Sam A., then Sam A. would quickly run back to the left side of the field, keeping himself open as an option for Sam E. to pass or at least to be in a better position for a rebound. The first time he did it it could have been a fluke but by the third time it was obvious that he was intentionally playing actively away from the ball, thinking about where to be to take advantage. Amazing.
Zachary always wants to start out in a defender/midfield position so this Saturday I told him he could start out there but that if the ball came to him he had to settle it then try to beat at least one defender with his dribble before passing the ball up. He did so repeatedly and was as cool as he could be about it. He's got great peripheral vision and most of the time when he would make a couple of moves to get clear of a defender he would then immediately find a teammate in the open and make a sharp pass. I'm pushing all the kids this session to really test themselves with their ball control skills and to always try to take on the defense with the ball at their feet but I want to always let them know too that their vision for the field and for seeing opportunities opening up ahead of them is a great skill to have too. Great work Zach.
Elizabeth got a goal which was great to see. She's a natural at seeing those opportunities open up suddenly so she likes to hang back at the periphery when we're attacking, just waiting for a loose ball that she can dribble in for a shot. Austin had a pair of goals that I saw, including the one I mentioned above. The second was an impressive blast from the penalty area line that he let go of after dribbling past at least two defenders. His ability to get off a quick shot is a great advantage for him.
Sam Eppley had at least two goals and played a nice quarter in at keeper. Jackson had to leave early but his time in during the first half was brilliant, both in keeper and on the attack.
Thank you all again for your patience with me as my Coaching schedule keeps me running from one venue to another. Thanks for Mike Seng for taking the team for me the last quarter. This coming Saturday I'll be out of town coaching my son's team in Richmond so Mike will have the team the entire game. I hate to miss even one as they are playing so well right now. Owen's team, the Dragons, are doing well too and I'm having a great time with them putting so much of what I've learned coaching the Sharks to work in guiding another group of enthusiastic players. Here are a few pictures of the Dragons in action this past weekend.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Homework Assignment: Watch Some Soccer!
The US Men's National Team plays Tuesday night in Columbus versus Jamaica in an important World Cup qualifying match. You can catch the action on ESPN2 beginning at 8:00 PM. I'll try to post more info here about local High School and College games too.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Practice On
I won't have a chance to see the fields myself today until after work but I expect there will be some areas that are usable so we'll go ahead and plan on practicing. Be prepared for some mud. If the weather is bad at practice time then use your own judgement. If there is any lightning or thunder we'll cancel for sure.
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