Fostering Creativity

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:18:01 -0500

In an interview in Italy’s “Sette” magazine, Lionel Messi was quoted as saying “I do everything through instinct, I play like a child ... I think about myself on a small field, or in the street, I see myself with the ball in the same way as I am now. I have not changed at all. You must remember soccer is a game to have fun and you play for that. I don't plan or anticipate my play."

Young children are instinctually creative. They draw pictures without regard to perspective, they use crayons without any knowledge of whether colors match or complement each other. And yet, the finished project always seems to work out beautifully in the end.

Soccer follows the same trend. I see five, six and seven year olds doing things with the ball, things I could never teach. As coaches, we often think we know better, and when we're not careful, we coach that instinctual creativity right out of them, eventually turning them into predictable and mechanistic players.

Next time you have the opportunity to work with a player, pretend you're watching them draw a picture. Don't over coach. Simply step back a bit and allow yourself to be amazed. Maybe if we all take this approach early on, we'll end up with a few more Lionel Messi's down the road. Wouldn't that be nice!

Early Player Development

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:49:32 -0600

During Day Camp last summer, I found myself in numerous interesting conversations with coaches and parents regarding player development at the younger ages. On the last day of camp, with the thoughts from those conversations fresh in my mind, I decided to express my philosophy on the subject in a short note that I then distributed to the parents at the end of camp. Looking over that note again today, I decided it might be a good Tip of The Week article. As such, I'm posting the letter below in its original form. Actually, I did edit the original note slightly as I always think I can do better after the fact. :-) To any parents who already read the initial version, please take a look at the improved (I hope) version below if you have a moment. Thanks so much.

Parents,

Thank you so much for choosing to participate in our camp this week. My sincere hope is that your daughter has had a positive experience, her skills have improved and that, ultimately, she comes away from the week feeling good about herself on and off the field.

This session, we’ve focused our attention on each camper getting as many touches on the ball as possible each and every day. Through the age of 12, (the period the United States Soccer Federation refers to as Zone 1) technical development is the absolute most important element that will affect their future success as soccer players. In the morning and afternoon games, we’ve played small-sided matches (ensuring that everyone has opportunities to touch the ball). In general, we’ve asked all players to attack when their team has the ball and all players to defend when their team loses possession. As such, we’re encouraging them to be soccer players rather than simply center forwards, right defenders, outside midfielders, etc.

In addition, skill development and taking chances have been prioritized over results. Our philosophy is committed to developing players involved in the game and who, over time, are able to solve challenging situations on the field. For example, let’s look at a situation where a defender has the ball near the sideline in the defending third of the field and is under tight pressure from the opposition. At a young age, if the emphasis is on results, the safest option is to kick the ball out of bounds and reorganize (giving away possession in the process). With the emphasis on development, we ask that same player to keep possession and try to find a way out of pressure. In this second, more risky option, it’s likely that player might initially turn the ball over to the other team more often than not, potentially resulting in a goal for the other team. However, by challenging them and encouraging the freedom to take risks, we’re assuring the player’s technical and decision-making abilities continue to grow over time. If results are the main priority at this age, the player who only plays safe and kicks it out every time will still be doing the same thing years later. The more technically developed player will have the option to play safe but also have more advanced options to choose from as well. I hope this gives you something to think about as your daughter continues to play the game of soccer.

Thank you so much for investing in our program this week and especially for entrusting us with your daughter’s development each day. If I can ever be of assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.

All the best!

Paul

Communication

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:04:17 -0500

When communicating in a game, it means NOW

There is (or should be) a lot of communication going on during the course of a game. Throughout the course of a game you will hear calls such as “man on”, “back”, “through”, “clear” or other similar shouts.

The thing to remember when you hear a call such as these is that it means NOW.

Too often, a player has the ball and is under pressure so a teammate behind her might call “back”. This means she is providing an option of a back pass and this pass is now available. In the diagram below, the yellow player is under pressure, hears “back” and makes the simple back pass

The thing that is important to keep in mind is when the call of “back” is made, it means the pass is available right then. If the player on the ball takes a few touches, she must understand that the delay might result in the situation changing.

All players must understand the immediacy of the calls on the field.

If you have the ball and hear “back” it does not mean you have to pass the ball back. However, it does mean if you choose not to make the pass right away, you can NOT assume it will be available in 5 seconds.

This is true on all calls (“man on” means she is coming on RIGHT NOW etc) and it's important all players are on the same page in understanding that now means NOW

I Don’t Play That Position

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 22:35:25 -0500

What position do you play? Are you convinced you are an outside back. Maybe you’ve been told you’re a forward. Maybe a previous coach told you that you’re a natural center midfielder.

The thing to keep in mind is all players attack and all players defend. Since you need to know how to do both, you might as well open yourself up to becoming someone who can play any position.

If a player can only play one position, this means there is only a one in eleven chance this player will be able to go on the field. If the player is only a right midfielder and I need a left back, she won’t be going on the field. On the other hand, if a player can play any position, it greatly increases the probability of her getting on the field.

Some players (and parents and coaches) think it's more glamorous to play forward than to play as a defender. Forwards are the ones who score goals. Therefore, they’re the important players. Doesn't it make sense that the players trying to stop these goal scorers would also be important players? A team doesn't win by simply scoring goals. Every player is important.

Let's look at it another way. If you’ve always been a forward, you probably know what a forward is thinking in most situations. Think what an advantage it would be if you, as a forward, knew what the defender was thinking. If you know what the opponent is thinking, it will give you a BIG advantage in knowing how to beat them. Likewise, if you are a defender and know what the attacking player is thinking, it also gives you a BIG advantage in knowing how to combat them.

Since everyone attacks and everyone defends there really are only two positions in soccer.

• Those on the field
• Those on the bench

Which position do you want to play? If you want be on the field and be a complete soccer player, be open to playing anywhere on the field. When your team is attacking, attack. When your team is defending, defend.

If you wont play certain positions, the coach will most assuredly find someone else who will!

Avoiding Mistakes

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 18:56:54 -0500

A few days ago I got the following note from a former female college player and college assistant coach:

"Coach Harbin, I’ve been asked by a local club to speak to their athletes about the mistakes that I made as a player – specifically the mistakes that I made when college coaches were watching.  Most of these mistakes were unbeknownst to me at the time I was playing- but realized years later when I was the one on the sidelines recruiting.

Here is where I would love to leverage your experience.  I’ve been out of the coaching ranks for a few years and I hope that you can spend 5 minutes or less responding to the following question:  What kinds of mistakes have you seen youth players make when college coaches are watching?

The more valuable information I can collect and share with these girls, the better the chance I can make a positive difference in their soccer lives.  I’m not coaching at the college level anymore, but I am incredibly passionate about player development and helping youth athletes reach their next level.  So I thank you ahead of time for helping me achieve that goal."

I thought this was a great question and definitely worth addressing. However, rather than listing the mistakes, I went the other direction and put together this short list of the things we do look for in players. Keep these things in mind and you'll likely avoid most of the mistakes.

• stay involved off the ball.
• find a way to impact the game on a consistent basis regardless of the score or what your teammates are doing.
• communicate in an effective manner with your coaches, teammates and parents.
• be a positive, responsible, autonomous personality before, during and after games

Good luck and spread the word!

Paul