Do you have any questions related to youth coaching.

Send your email to gus@gcfa.com.au.

# I took some time this weekend to watch some of our boys play in their respective club sides. I sat and analyzed the play and try to decifer what I saw. I came to the conclusion that the size of the field dictates the flow of the game. When U9-U10 play on a full size pitch the emphasis of the game drastically changes to what we work on day to day at training. Because these kids are relatively small the flow of the game is directed into fast kick and chase. It is hard to see if any particular child is improving or even learning the game because again the emphasis and flow of the game is different to the emphasis and flow of a small sided game. In a small sided game the emphasis is less on making ground and more on close ball control and one on one play. The changes that the FFA have recommended cannot come soon enough in this country.

I say this because parents fail to see the components of the game which need to be taught in order for their kids to eventually become "thinking players" not running machines. It is more important that your child develops his or her individual technical and tactical game than their physical game. It still continues to amaze me when I hear coaches say that their U10's are unfit. This mentality is based on the big field game, "lets run past or over our opponents",  This happens because the coaches mindset is based on winning at all costs rather than playing to develop into better players. The parents don't make matters any easier as they are also intent on being in a winning side rather than focusing on their childs enjoyment of the game whilst they are learning to become better players. 

Next time you watch your child play ask yourself this question, is he/she thinking whilst the game evolves, are they making good desicions, is there first touch good ar does it take them several touches before they control the ball. Is there first touch going away from defenders rather than turning into there opponents. Are they creating space to receive the ball. Are they marking their attackers correctly. Does the team move up and down the pitch as a unit or are they spread eagled all over the park. Is his or her conversion rate good in other words how many good acurate passes during a game. Does your team attempt to play out from goal kicks. Does your team play short passes from free kicks or is it just pumped into the air hoping for the best. How many 2nd phase plays are they involved in or in other words how many off the ball runs did your child make that enabled them to receive a pass based on forward thinking and recieving the ball from a secondary or third motion or movement.

 When you start to break down all this information I bet you start to wonder how they are ever going to learn this. First of all from a mum or dad coach with little or no playing experience and secondly from coaches whom think that running more and being fit is the solution to becoming a better more informed player! 

To be able to teach kids about these parts of the game you need to know how to coach these parts of the game. And all these things takes years not months to master.

# Recently Australia's new coach expressed his concerns at the lack of talent in Australia good enough to play for the green and gold. Whilst I accept that our league is relatively young and the players are not playing as many games per annum as our counterparts in Europe and Asia. The question still looms why do we have such a drain on international quality players. As always we look at youth development and ask why?

In France the FFF employs mostly former professional players of the highest calibre for their Elite development programs. Many are former internationals or players who have played in the french first division. When asked why this is so. Aime Jacquet explained that by doing so they have coaches who know what it takes to play at the highest level and also because most of these players are already educated in coaching through experience as players.

That leads me to ask how many former Soccerroos or NSL players are currently coaching juniors at Elite level, what programs do we have to cater to the best players and why aren't they 100% free. I guess these are questions that the FFA will have consider if we are ever going to have the type of player in this country in the mould of KaKa, Ronaldo or even Zidane. 

#There are three factors that will determine how far a child can go in their development.

Talent. These are the God given qualities. Great athletes share similar attributes and if the basic package is missing there is nothing a coach can do. Competitiveness, personality, motor skills, intelligence or instinct are among the factors that must be already present.

Motivation. This comes in two types, internal and external with internal motivation being more important. Without a strong internal drive to master the proficiencies of the game an athlete is working on talent alone. While the coach can provide some external motivation it will be of limited use and of short duration. The coach can only push or coax for so long, eventually every player has to decide for themselves how hard they are willing to work.

Environment. This is the one area that the coach has the greatest impact on. A talented child with a strong internal drive placed in the correct environment has the greatest chance to succeed to the best of their abilities.

#Children are all different when it comes to Football, one factor brings them all together.

Understanding soccer is a breeze when compared to understanding the children that are playing it. Each age brings unique problems. Cognitive, emotional, physical and social development will vary a great deal within the group. While this variety poses a challenge to the coach there is one factor that will bring all of the children together. One element that will reach everyone. They want to have fun.

Enjoyment is the unifying motive. Some children don't want to learn. Some don't care about winning. A few have no interest in hard work and one or two can't remember which goal they're attacking. In spite of all of their different agendas they all want to have fun and play a game that is what brings them there.

They also want to be children. Too often the coach sees them as an extension of his vision and they become puppets to it. The time spent at practice and at the games is a part of their childhood. It should not reflect the adult world. Some adults forget this and their expectations take the fun out of the experience.

Growth in the learning process can be measured by the child's contribution to the game in the four main moments. The greater the contribution that the child makes the farther his learning process has developed. A child with a strong internal desire to master the game will succeed to the best of their abilities. A child that needs constant external support will not. He will only grow as far as he can be carried. Their level of motivation is one of their most important limiting factors.

In order to make a contribution it's important for them to learn how the game unfolds and to have an impact on it. Soccer is a dynamic and fluid game. Pictures and decisions change in a second. This active element creates situations that drills do not adequately address. It involves the child in reading situations, analyzing them, making predictions, arriving at decisions and finally acting on them.


Coaching tips.

Grass roots coaching can be one of the most enjoyable activities you will ever do. It is important that we realise that frequency plays a large part of development. As a coach there is only so much you can do with the little time you get. The majority of us will train our kids one day a week for 5-6 months. If we break that down it becomes approximately 20-25 hours a year of coaching.

Football is a highly skilled sport. It takes years and years of practise to reach any decent level of ability. This is why it is important that we train our kids the right way. Everything you do should always be geared toward the improvement of technique, we should allow our kids to express themselves to play freely and with imagination and flair. Don't punish those who take risks and don't worry about the scoreline. Worry about player development, worry about fun and progression.

Try not to overcoach from the sidelines. We want to produces players with game intelligence, not robots.