Youth Soccer Fun

Getting players to pay attention

2013-03-27T17:27:14Z

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

It's perfectly reasonable that children who show up to soccer practice might have a difficult time paying attention when the coach has something to say. They have, after all, spent an entire day at
school listening to adults. And now it's playtime.

]]> But even those coaches who follow the Three L's -- “No laps, no lines, no lectures” -- must at times address the entire group.

So how do you get a group of chatty, fidgety youngsters to pay attention for a few seconds?

For young children, there are those methods used by elementary school teachers: “If you can hear me, clap once. … If you can hear me, clap twice, etc;” various clapping patterns for the kids to follow; “1-2-3 Eyes on me” …

“I just talk quieter until they realize they have to quiet down to hear the info,” says Julie Eibensteiner, coach at Minnesota’s Woodbury SC. “But I think how you carry yourself and your approach to practice usually commands attention. The more you say, the less value you have when you talk. If you only speak when you have something valuable to say, they will be waiting for it and tune in when you do talk.”

The coach’s positioning, posture and demeanor are crucial, explains Ian Barker, the NSCAA’s Director of Coaching of Education:

“Take off the sunglasses and baseball cap, so they can see your eyes,” Barker says. “Turn their backs to the sun. … Turn their backs to distractions (parents, other action, etc.)

“Get down to their level … squat or sit. Talk softly, so they have to listen harder. Tell a story or a joke to draw them in. Use first names or nicknames they respond to. … Sometimes I engage the most energetic child and his or her focus on me draws in the others.”

Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer’s Coaching Director, recommends initially making eye contact with all of the players, so that they know it's time to tune in.

Once you do get their attention, there’s the matter of retaining it.

“Older players also tune out during a coach monologue, they are just better at faking rapt attention,” says Snow. “When the players know the coach's talk will be just another long monologue their attention quite naturally wanders. By engaging the players with one or two questions at the halftime or at a natural stoppage during a training session activity, the coach has the players' attention.”

Michael O'Neill is the girls Director Of Coaching of New Jersey’s PDA.

“Keep it simple,” he says. “Quick and concise is the only way!”

To players, he stresses the importance of eye contact and that only one person can talk at a time. For his coaches: “Patience, tone of voice -- and eventually the good habits will take over.”

For sure, a coach's job with a bunch of 6-year-olds is mainly about creating an active environment for them to discover the joys of the game. But just because the players are older doesn’t mean the lecture is effective.

In his book, “The Talent Code,” Daniel Coyle investigated highly successful coaches and teachers. He reported that advice or instructions uttered by the great basketball coach, John Wooden, averaged four seconds: “No lectures, no extended harangues … he rarely spoke longer than 20 seconds.”

What the great coaches and teachers Coyle studied had in common:

“The listened far more than they talked. They seemed allergic to giving pep talks or inspiring speeches; they spent most of their time offering small, targeted, highly specific adjustments. They had an extraordinary sensitivity to the person they were teaching, customizing each message to each student’s personality. … They were talent whisperers.”

Further Reading: YouthSoccerInsider Lecture them not

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, is the co-author, with Tim Mulqueen, of The Complete Soccer Goalkeeper. Woitalla's youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

'Crazier than it's ever been' (Jimmy Obleda, Fullerton Rangers, Q&A)

2013-03-16T17:22:42Z

According to Jimmy Obleda, the 2011 NSCAA Youth National Coach of the Year, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy has made the youth soccer landscape an "absolute mess."

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> The Director of Coaching of Southern California's Fullerton Rangers, who have won back-to-back U.S. Youth Soccer national titles, Obleda also explains why he believes Lionel Messi wouldn’t have made it through the U.S. system.

SOCCER AMERICA: How does not being part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy affect Fullerton Rangers?

JIMMY OBLEDA: It keeps us on our toes. It encourages us to work harder and make our product even better, to raise the standards of our training, of our coaching education, of the environment we work and train in. …

But [the Academy] has definitely changed the landscape, making it an absolute mess. Youth soccer in America, I speak from my experience in Southern California, is crazier than it’s ever been.

SA: How so?

JIMMY OBLEDA: The Academy is only for an “elite,” selected few. “Elite” I say in quotations because there are clubs in it that shouldn’t be in there. And there are clubs that aren’t in that should be in. It’s an entitlement status where – “You have great players, they need to play for me. … You need to play with us if you’re going to have any chance of making anything.”

Well, they don’t want to come play for you, because you don’t provide for them what they see as beneficial to them, regardless of what people are saying. And it’s being found out.

If they’re doing the right things, let’s encourage those people. It should be about who's doing the right thing, not who got baptized or was blessed with a patch, or a special status.

SA: Why would you think Fullerton Rangers might provide a better environment than an Academy club?

JIMMY OBLEDA: We have 40 teams. So as a director, I’m able to manage 40 teams and their coaches. I’m able to observe them, to come out weekly, daily -- and know exactly where they're at. My staff and I know every kid in the club and we have a direct impact on every kid. And we can have a discussion about each one and where they stand in their development.

To play in the Academy, we’d need to field 200, 150 teams. That takes away the integrity. I’m not going to sell myself out to that, franchise myself like that – because we maintain a manageable group.

SA: But the giant club model has become very popular …

JIMMY OBLEDA: Everyone talks about Europe and the youth systems there. Clubs have one team per age group. You know the coach who’s working in those age groups. You put the coaches in the right positions.

It’s become a money issue when you have clubs with 200 teams. There are not 200 phenomenal coaches in one club.

We’ve been successful because of the quality of what we provide for our kids and I don’t want to take away the integrity of what’s made us successful – and the only way to support an Academy program is to grow to 200 or 150 teams.

I’m amazed. You have parents whose players are playing in the seventh team in an age group and paying top dollar to play in these elite clubs. And those kids will never be on their top teams, because they’re going to take that money and they’re going to try and recruit my players.

SA: Non-Academy club coaches are complaining that when their players go to a youth national team camp, they’re highly encouraged to leave their clubs for Academy clubs. Do you believe that’s the case?

JIMMY OBLEDA: Absolutely, every time a kid goes to the national team. Every time a kid comes back [I hear that]. One in particular got called in and they asked him twice to leave and he said, "No, I want to stay.”

SA: And you believe a player may not be invited back to a national team camp because he didn’t change clubs?

JIMMY OBLEDA: Yes. It could affect me to speak out on this – but I’m at a point where people need to know what’s going on.

[Editor’s note: U.S. Development Academy Director of Scouting Tony Lepore, in a previous YouthSoccerInsider, said “it would never happen” that a player wouldn’t be invited to a national team camp because he didn’t switch to an Academy team.]

SA: They deny that something like that would happen …

JIMMY OBLEDA: Sure, but it’s out there. If you don’t leave [your current club], you will not get called back in.

I’m not an anti-Academy person. I know some of the things are great from the soccer standpoint. But it’s become this, “If you’re not with us you’re against us.” Well, you’re not allowing us to be with you.

I’m doing everything you’re telling me to. Our teams train four days a week. We have speed agility training. We do everything they want, and on top of it we’re getting punished.

SA: If you look at the U.S. national team and compare it to the squads of the last three decades -- we really don’t see an increase in the number of truly exceptional, creative players. Why would that be considering the increase in players, coaches and investment at the youth level?

JIMMY OBLEDA: Those kids exist. I see those kids. But what happens when they get a certain level of our hierarchy of American soccer?

They don’t fit our system. Do have we want those guys who are attacking and dribbling? No, we don’t. We want big, strong, athletic kids. If you dribble too much, dude, you’re out.

Our system pushes the exceptional players out.

Would have Lionel Messi made it in this country? No. He wouldn’t have, because he’s short and he dribbles too much. He’s a ball hog so he doesn’t fit in our system. "We need a guy who’s going to defend more here …”

The Great Halftime Pep Talk

2013-03-02T07:09:32Z

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

If you're watching a game on TV, and a team stages a second-half comeback, you'll likely hear the commentators speculating on what brilliance the coach imparted during halftime, on what motivational technique he used:

]]>

“They came out of the locker room fired up. … Whatever he said at halftime, it ignited them."

So I’m coaching 13-year-old girls. We’re down, 1-0, at halftime. As they get their water, I’m composing in my mind the "speech." It’s going to be concise, powerful, inspirational.

After I get their attention, I’ll pause, scan their faces, and they’ll sit silently as they eagerly await my words of wisdom … and then I'll say:

“We’re down 1-0. So what? Yesterday we were down 2-0. And what happened? We came back to win! We’re playing even better today. But after they scored we looked a little nervous and started making mistakes. We need to relax. Take our time with the ball, and pass it around like we did in the first 15 minutes. And our goals will come! I know they will! … Claudia, lead the cheer!”

Not bad, I think -- but it never came out that way.

It was actually more like this:

I finally get their attention. The silent pause lasts a half-second because a couple of girls remember something they needed to share – right now – with the teammates next to them. And I get them to settle down again ...

COACH MIKE: We’re down 1-0. So what? Yesterday we were down 2-0! We just need to ...

CAROL: No we weren’t, Coach Mike. We were down 2-1.

COACH MIKE: We were down 2-0. And then we scored three goals!

CAROL: It was 2-1 at halftime and today it’s 1-0 …

KIM: She’s right, Coach Mike, it was 2-1 at halftime yesterday.

COACH MIKE: I know, but it was 2-0 before it was 2-1. The point is …

MOLLY: It was 2-0 and then Claudia scored …

HANNAH: I thought Claudia scored the second goal?

CLAUDIA: I scored the first goal, Kathy scored the second goal. Right Kathy?

COACH MIKE: Look, the point is …

KATHY: I scored the third goal. Victoria scored the second goal.

ASHLEY: Emma set it up …

COACH MIKE: OK now, just listen …

LAURA: Coach Mike, if we win today, is the final next Saturday or Sunday?

COACH MIKE: Look, we just need to … [Ref blows whistle] … Claudia, lead the cheer! ...

Well, we scored right away and ended up winning -- and that’s now my favorite halftime ever.

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United/Bay Oaks in Oakland, Calif. He is the co-author, with Tim Mulqueen, of The Complete Soccer Goalkeeper. Woitalla's youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

Girls vs. Boys: Should coaches communicate differently? (Part 4)

2013-01-20T07:13:48Z

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

A few years ago, I asked a man with plenty of experience, and a fair amount of success, coaching both genders about whether he takes a different approach. He didn't want his quotes attributed, but ...

]]> ... after answering “Yes!” provided an example.

If he felt a male player needed to correct something about his game, he’d simply point out the player’s flaws and tell him how to improve. With a female player, he’d first praise something in her game, and then say, “Oh, and you might want to consider working on this …” And then he’d end the conversation with another bit of praise.

The notion is that the “sandwich method” is even more important when dealing with female players. And that coaches should be more sensitive in how they communicate with female players comes up often when the girls vs. boys question is posed to coaches who have experience with both genders.

Anson Dorrance, the most successful, by far, women’s college coach ever, said in his biography (“The Man Watching” by Tim Crothers):

“When a man is criticized on the soccer field, he understands that a coach is taking his game apart, not his life apart. A woman does not separate the two.”

Another longtime coach of both genders, who didn’t wish to be identified, said that self-esteem can be a bigger issue with girls than with boys. “I’m not saying boys do not hurt as much, but it shows differently. … If you are a bully of a coach, I think you damage the female player more than the male overall. … A coach may be perceived more as a ‘father’ with girls as opposed to ‘teacher’ with boys.”

Dorrance says that when he coached men, he would show them videotape of their mistakes so they would see the proof, because “I have never met a male athlete who has ever felt that he made a mistake in any athletic competition in his life.” As for women, he said, “I am constantly amazed at how little confidence even my most talented female players have, so if you tell them they did something wrong, they’ll believe you. Video makes it worse, because they see how bad they actually were. A woman takes full responsibility for her problems emotionally, and you have to be careful not to destroy her psychologically. I stopped using videotape for the women except to show the positive aspects of their play to try and build confidence.”

Dorrance also says that women, much more than men, pick up on body language that shows the coach is upset with their play and verbal criticism isn’t necessary. During halftime after a poor first half, they sense the coach is unsatisfied, so all he has to do is ask, “Well, what do you think?” ... And “You can hear a chorus of self-flagellation as every women in the room is taking full responsibility …” The coach can then interject some suggestions about how to improve in the second half. "Now they think you're a coaching genius. You haven't criticized them at all, you've just reconstructed them a bit ..."

Some youth coaches agree that girls are more sensitive to how a message is delivered.

“With boys, challenge them with negative comments and they can get stronger by trying to prove you wrong,” says coach Jon Nishimoto, coach of Bishop O’Dowd’s girls varsity team in Oakland, Calif., and the assistant coaching director for East Bay United/Bay Oaks. “With girls, if you approach them and say the wrong thing -- or say the right thing the wrong way -- they can turn you off and you can actually lose them from any further information that you give them.”

Tony DiCicco, who coached the USA to a Women’s World Cup title, Olympic gold and U-20 Women’s World Cup, also has vast experience coaching youth soccer. In his book, “Catch Them Being Good,” co-authored by Colleen Hacker, DiCicco interprets how he believed women felt they should be coached based on Mia Hamm’s comment, “Coach us like men, treat us like women.”

“I think what she meant was, ‘Coach us as you would coach an elite men’s team. And at the same time treat us like women, which means don’t be in our faces, don’t be confrontational. Challenge us, but do it in a humanistic way.”

Christian Lavers' 2011 FC Milwaukee U-18 girls team became the first Wisconsin team ever (boys or girls) to win a USYS National Championship.

“From a psychology standpoint, any player needs to know you care about them and their development -- how you express that may vary a little bit between the genders,” says Lavers, now the ECNL Director at FC Wisconsin. “I think the phrase ‘They have to know you care before they care what you know’ is true on both sides of the game. All coaches need to be true to their own personality -- because players will see right through a fake. Within your own personality, if the players know you are on their side through the ups and the downs, and that you are there to help them accomplish their personal goals -- you will be effective.”

Wes Hart, a former MLS player who is the Director of Coaching at Colorado Rush and has worked with the club’s U.S. Development Academy (boys) and ECNL (girls) teams.

“I try not to change my style too much when coaching the girls vs. the boys. I try to treat both genders as soccer players," Hart says. “I definitely do not believe in treating all players the same, though. A coach needs to learn what makes their players tick. They have to figure out which players need their egos stroked and which players respond to having their head ripped off. They need to know which players learn verbally and which ones need to physically see things in order to process it. This is player management. And the best coaches are those who can differentiate the different needs of the players.

“I think a common misconception is that you should be ‘hard’ on the boys and a bit ‘easier’ on the girls. I've coached plenty of girls over the years who responded better when I was tougher on them. And plenty of boys who didn't respond well to having their head ripped off. It just goes back to knowing your players.”

Cindi Harkes, recently named assistant coach of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, is the U14-U18 girls Age Group Director for McLean Youth Soccer and has also coached boys youth soccer.

“I think boys in some regards are easier to coach because they just get after it,” Harkes says. “They prefer to play instinctively and therefore sometimes lack the discipline to improve their technique and tactical awareness. The mental aspect of the game is the area with boys that I least have to be concerned about. As I mentioned, they just get after it.

“Girls, on the other hand, respond very differently to coaches and coaching style. A large part of coaching girls is centered around the mental aspect of the game. Girls are more sensitive. These observations are for the majority of the girls I coach, but not all. They are very hard working and disciplined and also want to please.

“But I wouldn't say that there are necessarily unique challenges to coaching girls vs. boys -- it is all the same game, it is just how you present it to your players. I also would not say that there is one certain coaching style that works best for each gender. I think each team, player and environment you coach in is unique and offers up different challenges.”

Should they be coached differently? (Part 1)
'It's about how the individual ticks' (Part 2)
Girls vs. Boys: A Difference in Social Dynamics? (Part 3)

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United/Bay Oaks in Oakland, Calif. He is the co-author, with Tim Mulqueen, of The Complete Soccer Goalkeeper. Woitalla's youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

Girls vs. Boys: A Difference in Social Dynamics? (Part 3)

2013-01-13T07:06:11Z

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> By Mike Woitalla

The YouthSoccerInsider continues its series on the differences between coaching boys and girls.

A common response we’ve gotten from coaches – especially male coaches -- is that girls place a greater importance on their relationships with teammates than boys do.

“One of the most interesting things I've noticed over the years is the difference in the social dynamics of the two genders,” says Wes Hart, a former MLS player who is the Director of Coaching at Colorado Rush and has worked with the club’s U.S. Development Academy (boys) and ECNL (girls) teams.

“Girls typically need to like a player in order to accept her on their team,” says Hart. “I've seen good players not work out on teams, because she did not fit in socially. On the boys side, that does not seem to matter as much. A good player typically will be accepted on the team, regardless of how he fits in socially. I find this very interesting and frustrating.”

Jon Nishimoto, coach of Bishop O’Dowd’s girls varsity team in Oakland, Calif., and the assistant coaching director for East Bay United/Bay Oaks, has a similar view.

“My experience has been that the female players have to get along really well,” says Nishimoto, who’s coached both genders at youth and high school levels. “The better the female athletes get along, the better the team will be. If they’re connected off the field, it really translates on the field and makes a difference in those tight games. … Whereas with boys, I think they care more about your ability. They don’t care if they like you or not, as long as you do the job with their team.”

Christian Lavers, the ECNL Director at FC Wisconsin, says that regardless of gender, a team that gets along is going to typically outperform one that doesn't, but …

“Just as the game differs in some ways between boys and girls, the team dynamic is also a little different,” says Lavers, whose 2011 FC Milwaukee U-18 girls team became the first Wisconsin team ever (boys or girls) to win a USYS National Championship. “And while we can talk in generalities, there are always individual players that break the stereotype. But on average, I think girls are more attuned to each other's personalities and the relationships between them have a lot more impact on the way they play, and boys are more likely to separate personal relationships from soccer performance.”

Nishimoto says he does more off-field team-bonding activities with his girls teams than with his boys teams.

“Success I’ve had with girls teams -- I personally believe they’ve won games because of the stuff we do outside of soccer together,” he says. “The boys you have to do more on the field to gain that connection and trust.

“The team-bonding activities I do for the boys are ones that relieve tension and tries to get that extra energy out. That would be something like bowling. Something active. With the girls, they like doing the scavenger hunt, the movie night, hanging out with each other at the hotel.”

Theresa Echtermeyer, the Director of Coaching of Highlands Ranch Soccer Association/Colorado United, is also boys and girls varsity coach at Mt. Vista High School.

“Overall I don’t see big differences between my boys and girls teams,” says Echtermeyer, who’s also an NSCAA staff coach. “I actually see it from team to team. Teams take on certain personalities and tendencies. …

“The main thing, whether they’re boys or girls, is be consistent and send a clear message. For me, getting the players to buy in, take ownership of their team and their team’s goals, that’s how I get the most out of my boys and my girls.”

Echtermeyer, with more than two decades of experience coaching boys, does accept the generalizations about gender differences.

“In general, yes, I think it’s true that it’s more important for girls to get along than for boys,” she says. “But I have had a team with guys who had a tendency only to pass the ball to the ball to their buddies – a boys team. …

“And I would say that for both genders, the more cohesive a unit they are off the field, the better they’ll be on the field.”

Should they be coached differently? (Part 1)
'It's about how the individual ticks' (Part 2)

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United/Bay Oaks in Oakland, Calif. He is the co-author, with Tim Mulqueen, of The Complete Soccer Goalkeeper. Woitalla's youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

Girls vs. Boys: 'It's about how the individual ticks' (Part 2)

2013-01-03T07:03:23Z

In Part 2 of our series we speak with Minnesota coach Julie Eibensteiner, who has coached both genders at the youth and college level for more than a decade.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> Considering different approaches to teaching based on the students' gender has become a hot topic in the educational world, so we’ve been asking experienced American coaches if it’s also an issue to consider in youth soccer. In Part 2 of our series we speak with Minnesota coach Julie Eibensteiner, who has coached both genders at the youth and college level for more than a decade. She's currently the goalkeeping coach at Woodbury SC and head coach of U14 & U16 teams. She’s been a Region 2 ODP staff coach for both boys and girls.

SOCCER AMERICA: What should coaches keep in mind if they move from coaching one gender to another?

JULIE EIBENSTEINER: I coach both genders -- field players and goalkeepers -- and I coach them as soccer players and not so much by if they are male and female. I think you need to look at how the individual ticks and not just group them in one heading by gender ... and you can only effectively do that by getting to know the player.

At the end of the day, it's pretty to safe to say that the majority of players seek personal development, a positive environment, a confidence-building experience, and fun (however they define that).

Other than that, you need to get to know the player and their motivation, learning, and feedback preference ... and I am not convinced that is gender-specific especially as you get to the higher competitive levels.

SA: Are there unique challenges to coaching girls vs. coaching boys?

JULIE EIBENSTEINER: Generally, girls tend to be a little more hesitant with feeling confident and competent with how they are doing more so than boys, at first.

Boys probably overestimate their ability a little bit more so you need to find the middle ground with both and there certainly are exceptions.

Early in their careers, boys tend to be more outwardly competitive where girls tend to want to look out for the greater group and be a bit more cooperative ... again you just need to find the middle ground because both aspects are good.

SA: Are there coaching styles that work better with one or the other?

JULIE EIBENSTEINER: I have found that with no matter what age and what gender you coach, the best coaching style is one that demonstrates you are genuinely interested in their development, genuinely interested in them as a person.

To effectively explain the whys behind the whats … a coaching style that keeps the expectations of the coach consistent with the expectations of the player.

Read Part 1 of our Girls vs. Boys series HERE.

Girls vs. Boys: Should they be coached differently? (Part 1)

2012-12-13T06:59:42Z

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> The first time I heard the question, it took me by surprise.

“Coach Mike, can I have a Kleenex?” the young girl asked.

I had a well-stocked first-aid kit, but it never occurred to me to keep Kleenex on hand. I’d never used one on the soccer field as a player and had never seen a male of any age require a tissue to blow his nose on a sports field. Apparently, though, the snot rocket is not a popular method among the other gender.

So, if you’re about to coach a girls team, make sure to have plenty of Kleenex in your bag. But what other differences should coaches expect between boys and girls? And is it necessary to adjust one’s coaching style when moving from one gender to another?

Considering different approaches to teaching based on the students' gender has become a hot topic in the educational world, so perhaps it’s also an issue in youth soccer.

For sure, in the early history of girls soccer in the USA, girls were generally coached by men whose entire background in the game had been with boys. In today’s youth soccer scene, it’s common to have coaches move from one gender to another during their careers.

In Part 1 of a YouthSoccerInsider series on this issue, we consulted Sam Snow, the Technical Director of US Youth Soccer.

“On the one hand, when coaching either boys or girls a coach should approach training sessions and matches thinking of them as soccer players primarily, and considering their gender secondarily,” Snow says. “Coaches will need to make more adjustments based on the age group and the level of play -- and therefore the level of expectations -- than gender modifications for soccer development.

“On the other hand, coaches must be aware that the psychological, social and emotional approach to coaching boys or girls does differ slightly. Necessary adjustments will likely increase as the players age.”

“Girls want the coach to show caring about them as individuals above the team dynamic. Boys do care about the team first, but the coach giving them individual attention is still important. Girls will need social time within the team, boys less so. Individual and group relationships are an important part of team culture with both genders. Off the field, treat them as young ladies and gentlemen and expect them to behave like ladies and gentlemen.”

Snow says there are physical differences to consider.

“Prior to puberty there are more differences in athletic capability within the genders than between them,” he says. “Boys and girls in the U-6 and U-8 age groups are all quite similar in height and weight. In the U-10 age group the girls are now leading the way in physical maturation.

“Generally girls grow 1 to 2 years biologically faster than boys. Once the players reach adolescence, then the tables turn in regard to height, weight and power. The difference in the teenage years of strength and speed will have an impact on some tactics, but still there will be more similarities in their tactical play than not.”

On how coaches should adjust their approach, Snow says:

“The coaching style must be within the coach's personality. The coaching methods, though, will change with the age group and indeed to some degree with the gender.

“It has been noted, as an example, that if a coach states at halftime that the team must do a better job of marking up, a girl will feel the coach is talking specifically about her, not the entire team, and a boy will be sure the coach is talking about his teammates, not him.

“Given the differences in learning styles, a coach must vary the means of communication regardless of the gender. Some players need to hear the coach's message in a blunt and direct manner and others need the sandwich approach.”

(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for Bay Oaks/East Bay United SC in Oakland, Calif. He is the co-author, with Tim Mulqueen, of The Complete Soccer Goalkeeper. Woitalla's youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)

'Top players play on their own' (Q&A with Todd Saldana, Part 2)

2012-12-06T06:54:03Z

Todd Saldana grew up playing youth soccer in Southern California in the 1970s, when his club coach was Sigi Schmid. Saldana played for the USA at the first U-20 World Cup it qualified for, in 1981,
and signed pro out of high school with the old NASL's Los Angeles Aztecs, where his coaches included Rinus Michels and Claudio Coutinho.

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> Todd Saldana grew up playing youth soccer in Southern California in the 1970s, when his club coach was Sigi Schmid. Saldana played for the USA at the first U-20 World Cup it qualified for, in 1981, and signed pro out of high school with the old NASL's Los Angeles Aztecs, where his coaches included Rinus Michels and Claudio Coutinho. He served as Schmid's assistant at UCLA in 1989-94 and was UCLA head coach in 1999-2001 before returning to So Cal youth soccer a decade ago as Director of Coaching for the South Bay Force. In 2011, he lifted the U-17/18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy national title when the Force partnered with the Pateadores. In Part 2 of our interview we spoke with Saldana about youth soccer issues such as giving children opportunities to play different positions and the keys to developing high-level talent.

SOCCER AMERICA: Do you ever think back to how different the youth game was during your childhood and now?

TODD SALDANA: I had a unique experience. Sigi Schmid was my youth coach from the time I was 11 to 18. He was a college player and college coach [at UCLA]. Back then, if you had three teams you were considered a club. The coaches weren’t getting paid. You had guys like Sigi volunteering because they loved the game. He coached our team because his brother, who was my age, was on the team.

It was a lot less structured. There weren’t many clubs. If you had a great coach, which was the case in my situation, and you were very, very fortunate. I had Norm Jackson, our local state level person. I got into the national team program at 14. My state coach was Ralph Perez. My regional coach was Lothar Osiander. I was very fortunate, but it was by chance, I think, back then.

SA: What’s an example of something in youth soccer now that benefits player development?

TODD SALDANA: The good thing is we're able to move players around within the club. Before, if you were on a team, you had to be on that team for a year. Now, we can move the kids weekly. Now, if someone’s doing really well. they can move up. If someone needs more playing time, they can move down.

SA: What does the South Bay Force look for in its coaches?

TODD SALDANA: Club coaches come in all shapes. Some of them have full-time jobs. Some of them want to coach as much soccer as they can get their hands on. Some of them played college. Some played pro.

The big thing for us is for them to be willing to be part of the team and be committed to the club. We follow the guidelines. We believe in playing possession soccer. To try and play a skillful brand of soccer.

What I’ve seen in the coaches who have done well for us at the club: They like to work in the club, be a part of the club, and they’re committed, which means they’ll spend the extra hour on the field with their team. I don’t have to say, "Hey, you need to run an extra session, you’re team is struggling in this area." The coaches want to see the kids get better.

SA: How do you balance the pressure to win games and coaching in a way that’s good for the players’ long-term development?

TODD SALDANA: Parents look for winning as one of the barometers for choosing a club so it is in the back of your mind.

Trying to play well, trying to score goals, trying to shutout your opponents. These are natural things within a game, so you’re promoting all those things.

But you will see our under-8s or under-9s building out of the back. Playing offensive soccer. Defenders attacking.

We face it and we worry about it, but we have had enough success and we have enough players who have gone into the national team programs, pros and college -- so we’re not under severe pressure to win, especially at the U-8 and U-11.

Fortunately, our new league has taken a stance that they’re not going to keep standings at U-8, U-9, U-10 -- trying to take the focus off of that.

SA: One valuable experience for young players, which may not always help teams win, is giving them opportunities to play different positions. How does the South Bay Force approach that?

TODD SALDANA: In the younger ages, 8, 9, 10,11 -- we do move them around. We also try to play similar systems so the kids learn all the positions, and understand the roles of each. We give them a little bit of time at each.

What’s good is we have a lot of friendlies. We do intra-club scrimmages, stuff with local other clubs -- so we can try those things in practice matches. Because when we get to league matches, the parents and the kids are thinking about winning, and if you put a players in a certain position they haven’t played much, there’s a lot of pressure on them

So those extra matches are good. With a 40-team club, you can get a game every week with another team in the club.

I do find that young players sort of tell you eventually where they want to play and where they’re comfortable playing. You throw a ball in small-sided game and one kid moves back, and one kid moves up, and one goes in the middle. It’s almost uncanny.

SA: What qualities do you think American players need to improve on?

TODD SALDANA: The technical side of the game obviously has been the big emphasis for soccer in America now. That’s a fact. You also need to include game understanding. The mentality of the match is one of the qualities in which we suffer. Club soccer is all about tournaments and six games a weekend -- not one huge, important, get-the-most-out-of-every-minute match you might see in other countries.

I think we sort of diluted that with tournament soccer, which we still see a lot of. But now with the Development Academy, you’re seeing three days of training, one meaningful match a weekend.

I do think the way our kids approach the game is in a very casual manner and not at the same level you’d see in other countries where it’s one super meaningful match to train all week to get ready for.

SA: What separates players who excel at the higher levels?

TODD SALDANA: Kids going out on their own and developing their skills and their creativity. That has been lost through too much organization. So much structure. Parents are putting their kids in programs when it’s not necessarily the kids’ passion.

I think you find the kids’ passion when they aren’t in a program. It’s all the other hours, all the time you put into it, and how much you love it.

I preach that in my own club. Two days of soccer training, a little bit of skill work and some conditioning is not going to take you to the highest levels. It certainly can be a great experience, but if your kids want to play at highest youth levels, the top colleges, pros or the national teams -- it’s the time they put in on their own, and that personal drive and love for the game.

I still think that separates those who have been successful. They were training on their own. And they were finding extra training sessions with older teams. Or playing in the Latin League and their own league, because they just couldn’t get enough of it.

We have a lot of those stories here. Jose Villarreal and the kids we have here locally. They all could not get enough of this game and would play it with anyone, anytime. There’s no scheduled event, so we’re going to go practice.

If they enjoy the game, they like the game, they tend to spend more time at it and they seem to reach the level that they should.

Read Part 1 of our interview with Todd Saldana HERE.

Club Cooperation Pays Off in So Cal (Q&A with Todd Saldana, Part 1)

2012-12-03T06:47:35Z

Southern California club South Bay Force had its application to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy rejected, but Director of Coaching Todd Saldana still found a way for his players to play at the
highest level of boys soccer in the USA.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> Southern California club South Bay Force had its application to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy rejected, but Director of Coaching Todd Saldana still found a way for his players to play at the highest level of boys soccer in the USA thanks to a partnership with Pateadores. It led to Saldana coaching the U-18s to the Development Academy national championship in 2011. Now the South Bay Force has partnered with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

SOCCER AMERICA: How did the Pateadores partnership come about?

TODD SALDANA: We have a club that’s not in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy or ECNL. But we’re pretty strong. We had a really exceptional group of kids but when we applied to the Academy we could not get in.

The Pateadores [an Academy club] contacted me about forming a partnership. We had a very, very strong group. They were willing to let me bring the whole group in. Our 16s and 18s became their Academy teams. I coached the older group and our other coach assisted with the 16s.

It ended up working out really well. We were only with them for two years, but my fantasy, which came true, was we could show the quality we had so either Chivas USA or the Galaxy would be interested in us as a club -- to start partnering with someone local.

SA: So now the South Bay Force works the Los Angeles Galaxy …

TODD SALDANA: After we won the national championship, the Galaxy approached us and asked us to partner with them. …

We were driving to Orange County, 45 minutes, three nights a week, to get the kids to train down there [at Pateadores], because that was an Academy requirement. With the Galaxy, they’re at the Home Depot Center [in Carson], and that’s our neighborhood.

It’s a chance for our kids to play in the Academy program.

We figured we can either have a partnership and be a part of it, and have some say in it, or watch some of the players leave on their own and find Academy programs. Now at least we’re a part of the process.

It was a matter of either being a part of the process or trying to fight against – as people say, “Keep ‘our’ players at our club.” I have a hard time being able to justify that when there’s a higher level and they’re being seen by U.S. Soccer weekly. They’re part of an MLS team, they’re pro-tracked kids. They can get seen by a pro club. And I’d have a hard not helping our kids do that.

SA: How does the partnership work?

TODD SALDANA: We do what we normally do as a club, developing players to U-18. Our strongest players have the opportunity to play for the Galaxy’s Development Academy teams.

And since the Galaxy added younger teams, 14s, 13s and 12s – our strongest play in those teams also.

SOCCER AMERICA: With about 40 percent of your club’s players coming from lower-income homes, does the partnership help alleviate some of the financial burden?

TODD SALDANA: In some ways. Because if these kids make the Galaxy team, they don’t have to pay anymore.

But it’s still a challenge. We do all kinds of fundraisers. We do offer financial aid. It’s a never-ending battle to fund all the top players who want to play for us. It is one of our biggest challenges. It’s also part of the reason for the partnership with the LA Galaxy.

(Editor’s note: The Los Angeles Galaxy signed Jose Villarreal, a member of Saldana’s 2011 Academy title-winning team to a homegrown contract last December. The Galaxy signed 18-year-old South Bay Force alum Oscar Sorto to a homegrown contract for the 2013 season and is also considering Gyasi Zardes, a Force alum who has starred for three years at CSU Bakersfield. Villarreal, Sorto and Force alum Javan Torre are on the current U-20 national team roster.)

MLS should mandate minutes for homegrown players

2012-12-02T06:42:09Z

By Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> In 2007, Major League Soccer created the Youth Development Initiative, requiring its clubs to field youth teams.

Five years later, Commissioner Don Garber says that the league-wide investment in youth development is about $20 million a year.

“There was a time when our entire salary budget wasn’t $20 million a year,” Garber said. “Clearly developing young players is one of our top priorities.”

The Commissioner added that the investment has not paid off yet, but that the league is determined to forge ahead on the youth front.

“We will continue to invest massive amounts of money in our academy programs and our reserve league,” Garber said during his State of the League press conference on Monday. “We are very focused on doing everything we can to build a pyramid and take responsibility for growing the game in this country. We benefit by that obviously with access to young players, but probably as important, the league continues to want to take a leadership position in growing the game overall. … We know how important that is to help our country be better on the national team level.

“We’ve got a great partner in adidas that supports this effort. Those Generation adidas players in essence are an incentive for our clubs to have on their rosters in that they don’t count against the cap.”

Six MLS clubs -- D.C. United, New York, Columbus, Chicago, Chivas USA and Colorado -- fielded teams in the inaugural 2007-08 season of the U.S. Development Academy in its U-15/16 and U-17/18 leagues. This season, 17 of MLS’s 19 clubs field teams in the Development Academy, which in 2013 is expanding to U-13/14. (Toronto does not take part; the Philadelphia Union affiliates with PDA, FC Delco and PA Classics.)

A big benefit of MLS’s expansion into the youth game has been providing cost-free soccer to elite players. But five years since the Youth Development Initiative, we’ve yet to a significant impact of homegrown players with their MLS clubs’ first teams.

Of the 57 players MLS clubs have signed to homegrown contracts, only 29 played in the 2012 season. Of those 29, only six could be classified as regulars: Chivas USA's Juan Agudelo, D.C. United's Bill Hamid and Andy Najar, New York's Connor Lade and Toronto FC's Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry.

One solution would be to force clubs to give a minimum of playing time to homegrown players. UEFA requires teams to include a minimum of eight homegrown players in their 25-man squads to be eligible for its competitions.

The Mexican league, in 2005, introduced the rule known as Regla 20/11, which required first division teams to give at least 1,000 minutes of action to players under the age of 20 years-11 months during a season or be penalized with points subtractions. Mexico dropped the Regla 20/11 in 2011 because it was no deemed longer necessary.

Garber says MLS has contemplated such a rule.

“We have we have spent a lot of time, as recently as two-three weeks ago, when we had a competition and technical meeting, talking about the concept of mandatory play for young players,” Garber said. “We’ve done a lot of research on it. We’re certainly mindful of the success Mexico has had. We’re not sure if that success was driven by the mandatory rule as much as it’s driven by just a massive commitment by the league working in partnership with the federation down there.

“It’s hard to argue that they haven’t been incredibly successful.”

For their part, MLS clubs have increasingly looked to imported foreign talent. Coaches, whose tenures end quickly if the results aren’t good, can be reluctant to give youngsters a chance. Perhaps they should be forced to place faith in what their clubs are doing at the youth level.

And mandating a reasonable amount of playing time to homegrown players would end up rewarding the clubs that have invested well in player development.

Wouldn’t that be the obvious final piece in the puzzle of MLS’s quest to improve American soccer?

Strides made; improvement still needed (Steve Swanson Q&A, Part 2)

2012-11-30T06:28:05Z

In September, Steve Swanson coached the USA to the 2012 U-20 Women's World Cup title. A women's college coach since 1990, including the last 13 seasons at University of Virginia, Swanson has also coached in the U.S. national team women's program at the U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels since 2000. Swanson spoke to us about his U-20 team's victory and the state of women's and girls soccer in the USA.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> SOCCER AMERICA: Previous U.S. players at U-20 World Cup -- which the USA also won in 2002 and 2008 – who went on to star for the full national team include Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Heather O’Reilly and Rachel Buehler. Do you expect we’ll see players from your U-20 squad star at the highest level?

STEVE SWANSON: I think there are a lot of players on that roster who can compete at the next level. They’re young. I think history shows there’s often a significant lag time between somebody playing on the under-20 level and their introduction into the full team. Yes, you get some outliers, like Alex Morgan.

But there’s a time frame … how they continue to grow, how they continue to develop. I think a lot of them have the makeup in their game to make it at the next level. I’m hesitant [to predict which ones] because I feel strongly there are a lot of late-bloomers.

SA: What was the key to success at the tournament in Japan?

STEVE SWANSON: It’s cliché saying you have to be a team, but you’re talking about the best players in the country at their age. Players who are extraordinarily talented who probably have never had to accept a different role that they might not like. They did an incredible job of understanding, “Hey, if we’re going to win this, everybody’s got to play a role. Everybody’s got to trust one another. We’ve got to push each other. This is all about the team and the goal of winning the World Cup.”

We had to stay together to win. We had to stay true to our style, which was to possess the ball. To try and move the ball. To try and build out of the back. I’m not saying we did that consistently over 90 minutes throughout the tournament as much as we would have liked, but we tried to stay true to that.

SA: It has become almost a mantra that American players need to improve technically. What have you seen on this front since becoming involved in youth national team coaching 12 years ago and from the players who’ve come into the college game in the past two decades?

STEVE SWANSON: There’s no question we made strides technically.

We had talented technical players [12 years ago], but I think on average we’re getting better and you’re seeing more players with the ability to handle the ball. More players with the ability to do different things.

That was one of things we emphasized with this U-20 group. We tried to emphasize and prioritize the technical side first in some of our selections.

I kind of liken it to golf. You’re on the golf course and you’ve got a putter, a 5-iron, a driver in your bag – you can only play so many shots. I think there’s more clubs in the bag now for our players. They can play different balls. They can do different things because of that.

SA: So you believe the youth game environment is now more conducive to producing technical players?

STEVE SWANSON: One thing that’s definitely improving is the coaching. I do think that happened. You can really see that.

When I go back 20 years when I first started coaching college soccer, the recruits now are a much more technically and tactically gifted group. So I think the coaching has gotten better. I think the education is out there.

But we still need to improve. I think maybe clubs need to realize how important it is to put the best coaches at the young ages. That’s going to be very helpful developing technique at a younger age.

I still think we can get better. We must improve. We’re not the most technical team in the world. There’s not just one – there are several countries that are better than us technically now.

SA: What is something about the American system that might not optimal for preparing players for the highest levels?

STEVE SWANSON: One of the things I noticed – and this is hard to say without getting wrath – is there is a huge difference between the international level and the college and club level. In terms of dictating tempo, playing a possession type of game.

I think we [in college and club] have a luxury because we can make so many substitutions. If we wanted to, we could press the whole game without having to worry about the legs or fitness, because we can make multiple subs. Whereas at the international level, you can make three moves and that’s it.

The fitness aspect, the playing aspect, the tempo of a game. Changes in the tempo of a game. It requires more from players at the international level because the coach can't make so many changes.

I’m not advocating we go to the international [sub rules] at college, but I think we need to look at some sort of medium where we can bridge that gap.

Our sport is awesome in getting numbers out, participation. I’m not advocating this at the younger ages. But at some point we need to be thinking about that.

And how many different rules do we have at this country? You’ve got college, high school, club. I’m not sure other countries have that same situation.

Further Reading:
Part I of our interview with Steve Swanson.
Carolina connection powers Americans to world title
U.S. 2012 Women's World Cup Roster
U.S. Player Stats U-20 Women’s World Cup

College recruiting starts too young (Steve Swanson Q&A, Part 1)

2012-11-24T06:25:09Z

Steve Swanson, who guided the USA to the 2012 U-20 Women's World Cup title in September, has coached women's college ball since 1990. After stints at Dartmouth and Stanford, he has coached the
University of Virginia since 2000. He spoke with us about the perils of a recruiting system that has girls commit to colleges when they're still sophomores or 9th-graders.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> SOCCER AMERICA: It’s become common practice for college coaches to offer scholarships to 10th and even 9th graders – and for players that young to commit to a college …

STEVE SWANSON: I think it’s one of the biggest potential problems that college athletics has as a whole. It’s happening with our sport in particular. We’re getting earlier and earlier.

It’s a serious enough problem, the [college] presidents have to be involved.

If this was strictly a job situation, who would make a $50,000 investment after seeing a player play for five minutes, or one game in one tournament, three years out before they go to that college?

That’s insane. But because we’ve gone down this road, because the ball is rolling, coaches feel, “Hey, we’ve got to do this for us to stay up.”

It’s a disservice to student-athletes, to the parents, to the coaches. You’re don’t have all the information. You’re going to make poor choices.

SA: Considering how expensive it is to send a child to college, wouldn’t one expect parents to be fine with their 14- or 15-year-old daughter accepting a scholarship?

STEVE SWANSON: Would you want your daughter to figure out who she’s going to marry at 14 or 15? They don’t even know themselves.

I get the financial side. But I don’t think there’s one person -- I don’t think there’s a college sophomore who gets up in the morning, they go out, they have a coffee, and they breathe in deep and they say, “I’m happy here because I’m on a full ride.”

That ain’t happening. They get up in the morning and they’re happy because they’re at the right place that fits with what they want, what their needs are, on and off the field.

My concern is we’re only doing this because of the finances.

I see more and more people transferring. More and more decisions that are reversing themselves because it wasn’t the right fit one way or the other.

SA: Does this early-recruitment have a negative effect on the USA’s effort to improve at the highest level of women’s soccer?

STEVE SWANSON: One of my biggest concerns in our sport is we tend to rely so much on the physical aspect. There are some other aspects that in the long run are going to benefit more.

The tough thing we have in college is we’re being asked to evaluate players when they’re freshman in high school and pull this crystal ball out for four years down the road, and say, “Hey here’s where you’re going to be!”

I think any coach in our sport who’s saying where this player’s going to be technically, tactically, mentally – they’re just fooling themselves. And I think we have to be really careful with that.

The easy thing for a lot of college coaches, a lot of club coaches, is to go for the physical side. You know what that’s going to be. It’s probably not going to change that much.

More often than not I think the selection process, the evaluation process is looking at the physical. It’d be one thing if we were swimming or track. The college coach says, “Hey you run the mile in 3:53, so I don’t care what your technique is, how you run, because that’s better than any college runner I have right now.”

But soccer is so much different. There are so many things that go into it.

I worry about the kids. How much growth can happen between [high school] freshman and junior years? You can see amazing amounts of growth. A freshman may believe a mid-major college is about as good as they’ll get, but by their junior year they’re unbelievable and now they want to challenge themselves and play in the best conference.

SA: I’ve heard one reason players so young commit to a college is to get the process over with …

STEVE SWANSON: There’s a lot of pressure. It’s sad that for them recruitment has gotten stressful. It should be enjoyable. It should be fun to explore, go to schools. It’s become stressful and they just want to get the thing over with.

We don’t even have official visits. A student can’t make them until you’re a senior. They’ve already made the decision two years ago.

They visit all those schools on their own. The beauty of an official visit is I can pay for you to come out here. Pay for you look at this school.

SA: So players, because they pay their own way to visit colleges, may be less likely to explore opportunities farther away from home?

STEVE SWANSON: How would they know another option wouldn’t be a better fit without visiting?

SA: The pressure to commit early is applied by the coaches because they want to lock in who they think are the top players?

STEVE SWANSON: If I really wanted you and was willing wait for you, I would tell you that. Some other coach might say, “I’m moving forward here and you’re going to have to make your decision.” There are a lot of coaches out there pushing the envelope. They want to get a body into their program as soon as they can. They want to get their recruiting tied up as soon as they can.

In football you don’t wrap that kid up until they sign. Our sport is different. We have this kind of collegial agreement if somebody verbally commits, that’s it. The recruiting’s done. But a coach might gain a verbal agreement by less than moral means. Maybe they say to a sophmore, “Here’s the scholarship. You have a week to decide. I’m not going to let you look at other schools.” I think there’s some things ethically wrong with that.

This is the same person who, if you committed at a very early age, for financial reasons, gets all upset if another coach came in to recruit -- even though that’s completely within the rules.

SA: What’s your advice for young players who are being pressured to commit at a young age?

STEVE SWANSON: Never commit somewhere unless you have all the information about the school, the soccer program. There are a lot of players out there who have made those commitments early and are very happy. But I think what’s happening is there are a lot of players that are equally unhappy.

If a coach really wants you, they’re going to wait for you.

Tom Sermanni: 'Technical takes priority over physical'

2012-11-02T07:53:52Z

New U.S. women's national team coach Tom Sermanni touches on what role he may play with the USA youth national teams and fields questions about youth coaching and
youth development.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> Tom Sermanni, a 58-year-old Scotsman who has coached Australia's women for 11 years, was named U.S. women’s national team coach on Tuesday.

On Wednesday he addressed the media and touched on what role he may play with the USA youth national teams, and fielded questions about youth coaching and youth development.

“I would be hoping to be in close contact with (U.S. Soccer Women’s Technical Director) April (Heinrichs) and with (U.S. Soccer Women’s Development Director) Jill (Ellis) in relation to chatting about youth development,” Sermanni said. “How much involvement they want me to have in it is probably up to them because that’s where their expertise is far greater than mine.

“As a national team coach, I’m a great believer in coaches running their own teams and coaches taking their own responsibilities in terms of sorting out what they want to do.

Earlier this year, the USA won the U-20 World Cup under Steve Swanson. The U.S. U-17s, under coach Albertin Montoya, were eliminated in the first round of the U-17 World Cup despite going undefeated in group play and conceding only one goal.

“What I would like to be able to do is to be available for coaches at the Under-20 and Under-17 level, and anybody that is attached to youth development, to throw my two bones worth in, for want of a better term,” Sermanni said. “Certainly, I don’t think it’s my position to come in and try to dictate how the younger teams play. I certainly think, as a national coach, I’d want to have some communications and to be around the youth teams and be visible in that regard and to be involved in that way. As I said, we have people who are doing those jobs and I don’t want to step on their toes.”

Asked about his impressions of the U.S. youth soccer landscape, Sermanni said:

“Because of the vastness of the country and the number of programs and club teams that are here, just getting a handle on all the things that happen, getting together a consistent development plan is very difficult and very challenging. The upside in America is that you have a great variety and vast numbers to work with.”

As for youth coaching, Sermanni said:

“I think technical development is the key. Technical development of youth players has to take priority over physical development. That doesn’t mean physical development gets completely ignored, but when I speak to younger players and coaches, that’s one of my key phrases.

“Coaches usually say to younger players they have to train harder. What I believe is younger players need to practice better, practice as well as they can and practice on improving how they play.

“By that, what I mean is how well they can dribble, how well they can pass, how good the touch is, how good their understanding of the game is. Rather than look at the training practices from a physical aspect, I think in youth development, looking at your training practices from a technical aspect and improving how you can actually play the game is most critical and will continue to go that way.

“In the next generation of players, I think physical differences between teams will eventually be null and void and therefore the technical differences and the ability to play and understand the game will become much more critical focus.”

Combating an injury epidemic (Dr. Bert Mandelbaum Q&A)

2012-10-31T07:50:35Z

Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, the team physician for U.S. Soccer national teams, has been a pioneer in researching ACL injury trends among female athletes and creating injury prevention methods for soccer players. We talked to him about what youth coaches can do to decrease the chances of injuries and the FIFA 11+ warmup procedure that he's promoting through the Sports Injury Prevention Program.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> SOCCER AMERICA: I had a couple of USSF-nationally licensed coaches when I played youth soccer in the 1970s and 80s. Now I coach U-13 girls. If I warm up my players the same way my coaches warmed up us back then, might I be doing it incorrectly?

BERT MANDELBAUM: You would not be doing it right.

We spent the late 1990s studying youth soccer – here in Southern California where unfortunately it is so competitive and it is a 12-month season for most young, competitive girls – and we saw many injuries in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

ACL injuries had become a tremendous epidemic problem in 14- to 18-year-old girls. We began to ask ourselves, “How the heck is this happening?”

We watched hundreds of videos. We observed how they land, jump and accelerate. We came up with a consensus based on neuromuscular control and the position and the biomechanics of landing. We created the PEP (Prevent injury, Enhance Performance Program), which were basically five exercises that took 20 minutes … that would be the warm-up that would get these young girls to do the things that they weren’t doing naturally, that they weren’t pre-programmed for.

SA: You noticed a difference between the boys and girls …

BERT MANDELBAUM: If you compare young boys and young girls at the same age – the boys would be down low like Cobi Jones. Everything is very low to the ground. And the young girls would be like giraffes. Where their hips, their knees would be located in the wrong position when they land and jump.

It was so consistently scientific that the Program made a huge difference. That it finally taught them how to do these things.

SA: When one talks about today’s children playing too much organized soccer -- such as in tournament formats with several games in a weekend -- some will point out that previous generations played pickup soccer all day and it wasn’t a problem. Is that a fair comparison?

BERT MANDELBAUM: There’s a big difference. If you’re playing a pickup game and it’s 104 degrees, maybe you play for 45 minutes, sit under a tree for 45 minutes, then you may go play for another 20 minutes. Then you maybe you say, OK I’m just gonna watch the baseball game in the afternoon because it’s too hot. Then come out in the evening. You control yourself.

When you’re playing these tournaments when it’s 98 degrees and you’re also playing midweek games -- 98 degrees and 95 percent humidity, and you have three games a day, that doesn’t make sense.

One thing we do know, with fatigue, all these biomechanical deficiencies that we’re trying to correct worsen. We try and correct bad biomechanics. But with fatigue, we know they crawl out the bottom. All of them. So if you have someone playing in 98 degrees -- and usually with 14-year-old girls it’s playing 60 minutes -- by minute 45 she’s so fatigued the biomechanics just go out. There’s no way of her preventing herself from doing the bad things that she was trying to prevent.

The first game is no different than the fifth game. In fact maybe the fifth game is even more intense than the first.

I’ve been with MLS since its inception [1996] and we have a hard time getting the guys to play games on Thursday and Sundays. Here are these kids playing five games Saturday and Sunday.

I think we’re doing the wrong thing there. I think we’re sending the wrong message. We’re potentially increasing the injury rate.

SA: Many coaches feel they have no option but to compete in weekend tournaments because they have become such a major part of the youth soccer culture. What can they do to ensure the health of his or her players?

BERT MANDELBAUM: If you have to do this, have more players and substitute as much as you can. Rehydrate them as best you can. And have them live by the concept that “less is more.”

SA: For what age level is FIFA 11+ designed for?

BERT MANDELBAUM: The program was developed initially for 14- to 18-year-olds girls. Then 14- to 18-year-old boys. Now it’s really for all ages. The FIFA 11+ program is set up as a core warmup that can be done for any ages.

SA: What do you say to youth coaches who don’t implement the whole warm-up because they may see it as 20 minutes less to train other things during a 90-minute soccer practice?

BERT MANDELBAUM: If you brush your teeth only once a week, you’re going to get more cavities. Prevention is prevention.

This is a priority. If you look at FIFA 11+ data, you find you can reduce overuse injuries by a half.

Yes, that particular evening you’re going to feel pressured to get it all in. The reality is it’s like an investment. You’ll get more on the other side.

If you understand the front-end, if you understand the impact, and you calculate the number of days lost [because of injuries] for your team, you’re going to come out way ahead by the end of the season.

For more on the Sports Injury Prevention Program, go here and here.
For more on the FIFA 11+ Warm-up Program and downloadable Manual, go here.
For a video of Cobi Jones and Alex Morgan demonstrating FIFA 11+ exercises, go here.

'Relate to the kids' (Q&A with NSCAA's Ian Barker, Part 1)

2012-10-16T04:27:34Z

Ian Barker became Director of Coaching of the 30,000-member National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in February. A longtime ODP coach, he served as Minnesota Youth Soccer Association Director of Coaching (1997-2007) and spent more than two decades coaching college ball. In Part 1 of our interview we spoke with Barker about youth coaching in America.

Interview by Mike Woitalla (from Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider)

]]> SOCCER AMERICA: What advice would you give to someone about to start coaching youth soccer for the first time – whether it’s a parent without soccer experience or someone with an extensive soccer background who has never coached children?

IAN BARKER: Do not force it. Instead feed off your strengths as a parent and communicator and relate to the kids. That is not to say you should not try to acquire some knowledge of content and method. To get started see if you can effectively copy someone who keeps things flowing and keeps the kids engaged. The less, despite reasonable angst, you can make it about you and more about being with kids in a sport environment the better. Do not be afraid of your "ignorance."

SA: What is a common trait of youth coaches that you would like to see less of?

IAN BARKER: I really think many youth coaches would do better with less formal structure and that includes lengthy verbal explanation or revision of the obvious. If the youth coach can manage a safe environment and find activity that reflects the "organic" nature and flow of the game I think kids can learn and enjoy.

SA: When you observe youth soccer practices at the younger ages what would make you think the coach is doing a good job?

IAN BARKER: A good job would see the kids moving, that the activity is soccer relevant and that frequency touching the ball and making decisions is very high. Certainly the coach must be engaged, but that does not mean they have to be moving or talking a great deal. Kids moving, experiencing the game with minimal, but pointed interjections from the coach is a session I would look for.

SA: Besides the NSCAA, other organizations such as U.S. Soccer and U.S. Youth Soccer, offer coaching education courses. How should youth coaches decide where to take their coaching courses?

IAN BARKER: As many of our youth coaches are parents then I think look for role models among your peer group and find out how they got to a level of proficiency you respect. Perhaps consulting a paid, experienced club director is less helpful than seeking to emulate someone "like you."

For the younger coaches, high school and college players, the same applies, observe what you like and do not like and understand how these behaviors were trained. Very often the things that impact us most as effective coaches are acquired in formal coaching schools through the presentations and the interactions with other candidates, and also outside of schools by observing good practices.

SA: How much of a problem is an emphasis on winning games in American youth soccer?

IAN BARKER: It is a real problem, but one I feel is much easier to fix than we understand. Rather than wholesale changes in the structures of competition, coach training, rules and regulations etc., I think it comes down to how adults act and how you can impact a culture by continual examples of good practice.

I believe the more coaches and parents who make the effort to keep things in a context, the more that others will see that and will follow the example. Wanting to win is not the problem; it is the overemphasis that is placed on winning and losing relative to kids playing, learning to love the sport and learning to play it effectively. The problem is placing value in winning so far ahead of a long-term development of the child, the player and the sport.