The club bashing is being replayed all over the country. I came across the following defense of a Mid West program currently under attack. I have changed the names to protect the innocent, but the club's defender is the program's DOC. I just post it to show there are clubs that approach player development in terms beyond the issue of wins and losses.
And also responding is the club's founder, the "AB" mentioned above. I've done a bit of editing because he is even worse than I when it comes to quotations and as wordy as Mr. Stats when it comes to length of his posts. ;)
The training at Soccer XYZ is bigger than JC, TM, SG and even AB. It is about doing the right thing the right way for the most children.
The ebb and flow of hierarchy within the region as to whose teams are the best is so far down on the importance pole I think we often lose sight of the big picture. Kids love to play with their friends and they love to compete at their highest ability level with moderate to frequent success when possible. They do like to be challenged.
But here is the big picture, most of your children playing for any club are going to go to different high schools and eventually different colleges. They will not be playing with these same team mates and they will not be playing with or for the same coach. The most technically sound players are the ones who are going to get noticed, get scholarships and get to play.
So what is our job as a coach, as a teacher or mentor?
I think it is to prepare them for success at the next level.
Most good coaches know how to win and most good coaches can take a group of inferior athletes and or players and make a game against a more talented team and even win based on a coaches ability to move the pawns accordingly. For the best players on the team this may be an effective learning model, for most it is simply relegation to the lowest level of participation.
The thing that makes XYZ different and makes it great with all of its faults, is that we teach for the future, we teach to prepare kids for the next level. Another thing that is great about XYZ is that we are not in the business of telling kids they aren't good enough. Can you imagine your child's eigth grade math teacher telling you they simply are too dense to understand advanced math?
Some people say that having multiple teams in one age group dilutes the clubs strength; again I say, look at the big picture. True XYZ coaches are teacher/mentors and we do not exclude kids because they aren't the fastest or best in their age group simply because we want to win now.
My XYZ team played in a tournament this past weekend and we got killed every game. Something unique happened in the last game, however. The coach saw clearly that his team was far superior in every measure and took the opportunity to work on team defense and to teach mercy to his kids for an outmanned opponent. There are so many great coaches in so many great clubs, I cannot begin to list all of them.
The difference I am speaking to specifically may be ignorant of what other clubs are doing and if what I said or am about to say offends some coaches, players, managers or parents I apologize; XYZ is different because the philosophy puts the players individual skill development above the team, above the club and above all wins.
All coaches are human and all coaches want to see their teams win and do well. All good coaches want to develop their players and help them to reach their highest level. This is not exclusive to any club nor to XYZ. The XYZ philosophy, however, asks each of us as coaches to surpress our natural tendency to compete and use players as pawns in the game in order to win it for the short term gain.
This is an opinion, nothing more. Most traditional coaches will fight tooth and nail and believe their way is the more appropriate way to coach a player for now and for the future. I simply disagree that's all.
The ebb and flow of hierarchy within the region as to whose teams are the best is so far down on the importance pole I think we often lose sight of the big picture. Kids love to play with their friends and they love to compete at their highest ability level with moderate to frequent success when possible. They do like to be challenged.
But here is the big picture, most of your children playing for any club are going to go to different high schools and eventually different colleges. They will not be playing with these same team mates and they will not be playing with or for the same coach. The most technically sound players are the ones who are going to get noticed, get scholarships and get to play.
So what is our job as a coach, as a teacher or mentor?
I think it is to prepare them for success at the next level.
Most good coaches know how to win and most good coaches can take a group of inferior athletes and or players and make a game against a more talented team and even win based on a coaches ability to move the pawns accordingly. For the best players on the team this may be an effective learning model, for most it is simply relegation to the lowest level of participation.
The thing that makes XYZ different and makes it great with all of its faults, is that we teach for the future, we teach to prepare kids for the next level. Another thing that is great about XYZ is that we are not in the business of telling kids they aren't good enough. Can you imagine your child's eigth grade math teacher telling you they simply are too dense to understand advanced math?
Some people say that having multiple teams in one age group dilutes the clubs strength; again I say, look at the big picture. True XYZ coaches are teacher/mentors and we do not exclude kids because they aren't the fastest or best in their age group simply because we want to win now.
My XYZ team played in a tournament this past weekend and we got killed every game. Something unique happened in the last game, however. The coach saw clearly that his team was far superior in every measure and took the opportunity to work on team defense and to teach mercy to his kids for an outmanned opponent. There are so many great coaches in so many great clubs, I cannot begin to list all of them.
The difference I am speaking to specifically may be ignorant of what other clubs are doing and if what I said or am about to say offends some coaches, players, managers or parents I apologize; XYZ is different because the philosophy puts the players individual skill development above the team, above the club and above all wins.
All coaches are human and all coaches want to see their teams win and do well. All good coaches want to develop their players and help them to reach their highest level. This is not exclusive to any club nor to XYZ. The XYZ philosophy, however, asks each of us as coaches to surpress our natural tendency to compete and use players as pawns in the game in order to win it for the short term gain.
This is an opinion, nothing more. Most traditional coaches will fight tooth and nail and believe their way is the more appropriate way to coach a player for now and for the future. I simply disagree that's all.
Because fear of failure is a major factor in teams where winning is important and because players who are focused on passing the ball very quickly to a teammate never develop incredible creative and deceptive dribbling skills, tactical options for these players will always be limited. Players in this type of philosophy are never encouraged to take the risks necessary to develop tremendous dexterity and confidence on the ball. These players will struggle to dribble by feel, under pressure, in the fashion of players taught to be ball wizards. Players trained to pass quickly and play in certain expedient ways to attain the win, will perhaps enjoy short-term statistical winning success but in the long-term will be limited in their ability to attack with a myriad of tactical options and diverse arsenal of weapons.
It should be obvious that the great dribbler is able to create extra penetrating options, whereas the player who can only pass to advance the ball is limited only to those options provided by teammates. When passing teams meet an opponent with a great pass defense the offence goes nowhere. Defense is easier than attack because it is far simpler to destroy than create. Furthermore, as the years go by, it is much easier to defend than attack because, as players mature psychologically and develop a greater level of aggression, teams improve rapidly in their defensive capabilities. This is one of the major reasons why many teams who dominate using the power passing game early in their youth career have a really tough time continuing their winning ways as the kids get older.
In the long run the only way to overcome mature pass defenses is to have players in the squad who are able to beat opponents with a deceptive dribble or an incisive pass. This causes great confusion because, if opponents man mark to take away the pass, the team of accomplished dribblers and finishers can go one on one with great success. However, if the defending team sets up to cover the opposition dribble, a team of excellent passers can combine to create the goal scoring opportunity. Therefore, if you have a team of great dribblers, finishers and passers, the type of defensive set up employed doesn’t matter because your team will have all the options with which to penetrate the defense.
The most common argument used against the dribbling and finishing approach by passing and receiving oriented coaches is the “character and teamwork†justification. The claim here is that the passing and receiving approach develops and enhances two of the greatest societal values i.e. character and teamwork. If this claim is examined from the perspective of intent it may have some validity. However, if examined from the perspective of reality and hands on experience, it is seriously flawed.
You can’t have the fruits without the roots. It’s the principle of sequencing. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation of good relationships with others. When the difficult times come, and they will, we won’t have the foundation to keep things together. When we assess the strongest teams in everyday life we soon begin to appreciate that the better-educated individual, with a more complete educational background, is most likely to be part of a successful team. This selfish pursuit of knowledge is fully promoted, encouraged and endorsed by parents, teachers and the educational system. An exceptionally well-prepared and educated individual will have a better character and greater probability of working effectively, with other dedicated individuals in their chosen field, to create a successful team, prosper economically and hopefully create a positive legacy. If all this makes sense then why is it that a “team†approach is deemed to be the best way to develop soccer players from an early age?
Many “team†oriented soccer coaches do not understand that great teams are made up of great individuals. Great individuals learn to be totally comfortable with the ball at their feet, under pressure, in the clutch, inside the penalty area, where the game is won or lost in a blink of an eye. To be truly successful in building an elite creative team coaches must delay their major forays into the realm of team play until the individual has attained proficiency in the most difficult skill areas of the game. Developing a fantastic team first involves the cultivation of tremendous creative dribbling and finishing ability and the positive self-concept and confidence that comes with the acquisition of superior abilities in those skills. Only then can the coach form a truly great team where players are interchangeable and each individual desires the responsibility of making the big plays. And only then will players have the technical skill and speed necessary under extreme defensive pressure to succeed consistently at the very highest levels.
Great dribblers and finishers are always great passers because they they can put the ball and their body quickly into the ideal position and hit the target under pressure.
Brit's are the original members of the "World is Flat" soccer society (pass, pass, pass). It's the way I and every other Brit' were taught to play the game.
Please wake up and recognize that the world is actually round (dribble and finish).
Watch Christiano Ronaldo play and you will see what great players are capable of.
It should be obvious that the great dribbler is able to create extra penetrating options, whereas the player who can only pass to advance the ball is limited only to those options provided by teammates. When passing teams meet an opponent with a great pass defense the offence goes nowhere. Defense is easier than attack because it is far simpler to destroy than create. Furthermore, as the years go by, it is much easier to defend than attack because, as players mature psychologically and develop a greater level of aggression, teams improve rapidly in their defensive capabilities. This is one of the major reasons why many teams who dominate using the power passing game early in their youth career have a really tough time continuing their winning ways as the kids get older.
In the long run the only way to overcome mature pass defenses is to have players in the squad who are able to beat opponents with a deceptive dribble or an incisive pass. This causes great confusion because, if opponents man mark to take away the pass, the team of accomplished dribblers and finishers can go one on one with great success. However, if the defending team sets up to cover the opposition dribble, a team of excellent passers can combine to create the goal scoring opportunity. Therefore, if you have a team of great dribblers, finishers and passers, the type of defensive set up employed doesn’t matter because your team will have all the options with which to penetrate the defense.
The most common argument used against the dribbling and finishing approach by passing and receiving oriented coaches is the “character and teamwork†justification. The claim here is that the passing and receiving approach develops and enhances two of the greatest societal values i.e. character and teamwork. If this claim is examined from the perspective of intent it may have some validity. However, if examined from the perspective of reality and hands on experience, it is seriously flawed.
You can’t have the fruits without the roots. It’s the principle of sequencing. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation of good relationships with others. When the difficult times come, and they will, we won’t have the foundation to keep things together. When we assess the strongest teams in everyday life we soon begin to appreciate that the better-educated individual, with a more complete educational background, is most likely to be part of a successful team. This selfish pursuit of knowledge is fully promoted, encouraged and endorsed by parents, teachers and the educational system. An exceptionally well-prepared and educated individual will have a better character and greater probability of working effectively, with other dedicated individuals in their chosen field, to create a successful team, prosper economically and hopefully create a positive legacy. If all this makes sense then why is it that a “team†approach is deemed to be the best way to develop soccer players from an early age?
Many “team†oriented soccer coaches do not understand that great teams are made up of great individuals. Great individuals learn to be totally comfortable with the ball at their feet, under pressure, in the clutch, inside the penalty area, where the game is won or lost in a blink of an eye. To be truly successful in building an elite creative team coaches must delay their major forays into the realm of team play until the individual has attained proficiency in the most difficult skill areas of the game. Developing a fantastic team first involves the cultivation of tremendous creative dribbling and finishing ability and the positive self-concept and confidence that comes with the acquisition of superior abilities in those skills. Only then can the coach form a truly great team where players are interchangeable and each individual desires the responsibility of making the big plays. And only then will players have the technical skill and speed necessary under extreme defensive pressure to succeed consistently at the very highest levels.
Great dribblers and finishers are always great passers because they they can put the ball and their body quickly into the ideal position and hit the target under pressure.
Brit's are the original members of the "World is Flat" soccer society (pass, pass, pass). It's the way I and every other Brit' were taught to play the game.
Please wake up and recognize that the world is actually round (dribble and finish).
Watch Christiano Ronaldo play and you will see what great players are capable of.
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