Overheard on Sideline...

[Unregistered]

Coach never read "Catch Them Being Good" apparently.

[Unregistered]

You misunderstand. Its not so much about scoring but being comfortable with the ball at your feet and being able to go at people. There are very few girls who have this ability. Very difficult to teach at older age groups. This needs to be encouraged at the younger ages. Who cares about the score at u8 or u9.

The game IS about scoring. Everything that is taught, must be taught with that simple principle in mind.

[Unregistered]

Still seeing guys with that takeemallon mentality playing in college. (At least regular season of college)

[Unregistered]

That's right. And there are U15s and older who don't. There are always outliers, early and late bloomers. Citing them is a logical fallacy.

This is one of the dumbest threads I recall ever reading on TS...and that's saying something.

Coach is a jackass.

If you wrote the post I was responding to, then you don't give kids the credit that they deserve. U10s should be able to understand the concept of passing. However, I agree with you about the coach. And my point will always be that a coach's responsibility is to teach kids to think on the field. Not to simply dribble or to simply pass, but to understand when it's appropriate. Kids should never be punished for making the wrong decision, especially at this age. They should be instructed as to what might be the better decision to make. And I say "might" because ultimately it's the player's decision.

[Unregistered]

You are incorrect. At U8 or U9 the game is not about scoring. It is solely about teaching technique and ball control. Scoring is the end result if it happens. Again, who cares about the score at that level. Teach them technique and ball control and teach them to have fun whether they score or not.

[Unregistered]

The game IS about scoring. Everything that is taught, must be taught with that simple principle in mind.

Tell me more about player development...

[Unregistered]

If you wrote the post I was responding to, then you don't give kids the credit that they deserve. U10s should be able to understand the concept of passing. However, I agree with you about the coach. And my point will always be that a coach's responsibility is to teach kids to think on the field. Not to simply dribble or to simply pass, but to understand when it's appropriate. Kids should never be punished for making the wrong decision, especially at this age. They should be instructed as to what might be the better decision to make. And I say "might" because ultimately it's the player's decision.

Kids develop at different rates. The fact that one kid shows tactical awareness at U6 that might be average for U10 or even older is irrelevant.

Do I believe in challenging kids to develop them? Yes, that's how they get better. Too easy does them no favors. Bottom-line, any overtly negative or punitive action for anything that's soccer development related is grossly misguided. Swearing at a ref, spitting at a player, or whatever, those are all over a line where a coach should take swift and harsh discipline that would involve taking a player off the field, exercising their authority and using a tone to discipline the player, regardless of age. Those are issues of right and wrong. Not passing doesn't qualify. Not even close.

[Unregistered]

Kids develop at different rates. The fact that one kid shows tactical awareness at U6 that might be average for U10 or even older is irrelevant.

Do I believe in challenging kids to develop them? Yes, that's how they get better. Too easy does them no favors. Bottom-line, any overtly negative or punitive action for anything that's soccer development related is grossly misguided. Swearing at a ref, spitting at a player, or whatever, those are all over a line where a coach should take swift and harsh discipline that would involve taking a player off the field, exercising their authority and using a tone to discipline the player, regardless of age. Those are issues of right and wrong. Not passing doesn't qualify. Not even close.

Disagree. What if the player in question has been told repeatedly that he holds on to the ball too much. That his teammates are open and making runs, only to have this player not pass. If the player refuses to listen. Refuses to be coached. It can have a negative impact on the team and must be managed. I commend the coach.

Maybe this kid needs to take up golf.

[Unregistered]

Thus the problems with parents like you coaching soccer. It's all about the win and getting the kid to score so you look good as a coach. The best teams out there at all levels pass the ball. That's how you open up the best opportunities to score, not with one player taking on an entire team. Thanks God you aren't my kid's coach.

You didn't read the posting at all, did you? Where was the emphasis on winning? Where was the poster advocating NOT passing the ball? You come off sounding like so many US soccer "fans" who like to cheer for "great passes" and "awesome teamwork" at every age --- but don't have the first f****** clue what is appropriate developmentally at different age groups. At the younger ages, it's great for kids to try to take on defenders and learn what works and what doesn't. They learn to feel comfortable with the ball, and if they lose it every so often and give up a transition goal, no one should care. By U11-12, they should start to think more about other options and learning to make decisions.

[Unregistered]

I disagree. I have seen U6s that understood when to pass and when to dribble. I actually have seen one perform a perfect drop pass to the only open player on the field. Blew the doors off the adults watching.

And those kids probably had older siblings that played soccer (and parents too, most likely). So they were more aware of making a pass vs. dribbling until they lost it. And you probably didn't notice that those kids weren't all that great 1v1 dribbling because they had had it trained out of them too early in their careers.

[Unregistered]

You didn't read the posting at all, did you? Where was the emphasis on winning? Where was the poster advocating NOT passing the ball? You come off sounding like so many US soccer "fans" who like to cheer for "great passes" and "awesome teamwork" at every age --- but don't have the first f****** clue what is appropriate developmentally at different age groups. At the younger ages, it's great for kids to try to take on defenders and learn what works and what doesn't. They learn to feel comfortable with the ball, and if they lose it every so often and give up a transition goal, no one should care. By U11-12, they should start to think more about other options and learning to make decisions.

Let me use a term that you probably understand since you are clearly critical of "US fans". You are a Wanker. If you don't see the problem with a ball hog, you should not be involved in soccer and that is what we are all concerned about. We see way too many ball hogs that are praised at this age because they sometimes score. Do you really think it's OK at any age for a kid to be a ball hog?

[Unregistered]

Disagree. What if the player in question has been told repeatedly that he holds on to the ball too much. That his teammates are open and making runs, only to have this player not pass. If the player refuses to listen. Refuses to be coached. It can have a negative impact on the team and must be managed. I commend the coach.

Maybe this kid needs to take up golf.

At U8, teammates aren't making runs, unless it's to catch a butterfly or pick a four leaf clover. Those that are running in any positive direction are the coaches' kids, and are just doing what they're told.

Most of the parents that complain about over-dribbling at a young age are the folks whose kids suck and need to be passed to. They resent the kids dribbling circles around their little Mias and Landons, but don't realize that those little dribblers are going to be the players driving the HS varsity someday while little Mia cheers them on from the sideline.

[Unregistered]

Disagree. What if the player in question has been told repeatedly that he holds on to the ball too much. That his teammates are open and making runs, only to have this player not pass. If the player refuses to listen. Refuses to be coached. It can have a negative impact on the team and must be managed. I commend the coach.

Maybe this kid needs to take up golf.

Two things. First, as to your IF, I'm skeptical. It's U9 or U10, right? They're developing, they have no habits, they have instinct. Second, as to "it can have a negative impact on the team and must be managed." At some point it could have a negative impact, but only if it wasn't "managed." EVERYTHING could be managed by the coach, but again, we're talking about the appropriate action to cultivate rather than hinder.

Your perception of a negative impact on the team is speculative, it might happen, but in what form and over what duration? I'd argue that your concern over this negative impact on the team is along the same lines as whatever motivated the tactical choice made by this 8 or 9 year old -- it's not an immediate problem, it does not require the action taken. The risk of the action taken is much less speculative, the harm is much more immediate. Again, if the coach sees this as appropriate in that moment, then it should be worthy of repetition given the routine nature of a u-little dribbling into pressure or not demonstrating field vision or any endless number of mistakes that u-littles make.

All that coach really revealed, again going by the account offered here whether it's actually accurate or not, is that the result of the game, and how it might be impacted by any given play, matters more than the development of the individual player. And to avoid any confusion, even if you remove the debate of whether what the player did was a mistake or not, and let's call it a mistake, the coach handled a player making a mistake as a coachable moment completely wrong, by a mile.

You develop love and skill in the game in 8 and 9 year olds by building them up, not tearing them down. Period. Unfortunately, I'm not the least bit amazed by how dismissive parents are of conduct that falls way short of best practices (that they pay a lot of money for no less), never mind calling it commendable. In a forum of parents I expect this discourse. In a forum of professional coaches, you'd get something between much less and no debate at all.

[Unregistered]

Let me use a term that you probably understand since you are clearly critical of "US fans". You are a Wanker. If you don't see the problem with a ball hog, you should not be involved in soccer and that is what we are all concerned about. We see way too many ball hogs that are praised at this age because they sometimes score. Do you really think it's OK at any age for a kid to be a ball hog?

Yes, at the youngest ages when kids tend to be most self-absorbed, ball-hogging is better developmentally than teaching the kids to treat the ball like a hot potato. I've seen way too many U13's and U16's who do not want the ball because they're too afraid to lose it, and it stems partly from not getting comfortable with the ball at the youngest ages.

BTW, I'm not critical of all US fans - just clueless morons like you.

[Unregistered]

I have coached all levels, ages and gender. It is so difficult to get players to build confidence with the ball at their feet. As one poster said it is age appropriate for a U8 or U9 to dribble the ball more. Most players U10 and under do not understand the concept of sharing and we are actually making them do something that is not nature for their development when we force them to pass at younger age. It looks good and we think that it is good for the players becasue they win more games by passing at a young age but this is why I think most american players are not known for forwards. We lack the creativity to get out of tight situations and we compare players like Messi and Ronaldo to U10 and under players.

When I coach U10 players, especially girls, I actually encourage my players to dribble more and pass less. I tell them to dribble until you lose it and then try and win it back. I even like for the player playing keeper to but the ball at their feet and go try to score. I instruct the other players to not bunch and work on spacing and win the ball back after a player loses it dribbling. I find this allows players to be comfortable and confident taking players on when they get older. With this said I do not instruct my players not to pass but pass when they feel like it and I praise when they do. Most coaches do not realize that when you tell a young player to not do something they will actually do it more. It is better to praise the results you want and not criticize at younger ages. Why do you think so many players love to kick it long at the younger ages because parents cheer when they see the ball booted.

I have different opinions on this topic at the U11/12 age, U13/U14 and U15 and older age groups.