Go Sports Life

Have you ever seen any type of Martial Arts class in progress or on TV?  What is the most common sight?  Is it two people on fighting?  Do you see the whole class breaking boards and cement blocks?  No.  The majority of time you see students lined up following the instructors motions.  The key is repetition.  They work meticulously on their form.  They work on their breathing techniques and they visualize.  Then after hours and hours of form work, they begin to add in opponents or challenges.  But it all comes down to developing the right technique.  As soccer coaches we should learn from this process.

Coaches want their players to have proper form but often times we are too scared to make the kids focus on it.  We are scared because we don't want our players to become bored so we rush them through the proper motions so they can play the game.  If we would stop for a moment to think about this process we might change how quickly we rush through technique training so the kids can play. 

Lets look at this topic in a different light.  Lets look at students in math class.  As in everything some people are good at math, some struggle and most sit somewhere in between.  When the teacher puts a problem up on the board and is looking out at the class to pick someone to solve the problem there are two thoughts going through the class.  One is head down, eyes avoiding the teacher and repeating; "Please don't call on me.  Don't make eye contact.  Please don't call on me.  He can't call on me if I don't make eye contact right?"  The other reaction is along the lines of "I can try this one.  I can handle this."  These reactions are not just because some kids are smart and some are not.  In fact your reaction to a problem can differ from week to week.  So what causes these differing reactions?  Confidence.

Why wouldn't someone want to be called on to solve the problem?  Probably because she does not know the answer or has no idea of how to get to the answer.  On the other hand why would someone want to go up to the board and solve the problem?  Most likely because she knows the answer or has an idea of how to work towards the answer.  How do you become confident in math?  Through repetition and seeing the same type of problems in a variety of ways.  The more problems you complete, the more confidence you will have in solving that type of problem.

So how does this relate to getting coaches to spend more time working on players technique and less time rushing into the more advanced topics and playing?  Next time you let your players play watch them closely.  Which players are always around the ball and making plays?  Which players are hiding on the field and look to get rid of the ball quickly when they have it?  What is the difference between the two types of players?  Confidence.

Players who are confident have good technique.  Good technique puts the players in charge of the ball.  When you are in control of the ball your head is up and you are relaxed.  When you are relaxed and in control of the ball good things tend to happen.  If good things are happening each time a player has the ball she will become more confident and want the ball more.  Good technique also leads to these players having more creative ideas because they are able to do more with the ball. 

Players who are not confident do not have good technique.  Poor technique makes the ball in charge of the player, instead of the player controlling what the ball is doing.  Poor technique causes bad touches.  When you take a bad touch your head goes down and you can't see the field.  Then you become rushed and when you are rushed bad things usually happen.  If bad things are continually happening when a player touches the ball her, she probably wont want to keep getting the ball and her teammates probably will not want to keep giving her the ball.

Rushing into games of keep away and scrimmaging are not situations to develop good technique.  Players need repetition.  They need to break down their form into small parts and work on those parts; standing still, then going in slow motion, then at normal speed, then add in defenders.  This should be done both with a ball and without a ball.  As the players form becomes better through the repetition, they will become more confident. 

But wont the kids will become bored with repetition?  Yes.  That is where the real coaching begins.  Can you get the players to see how working on their form will directly relate to how good of a player she will become?  Another key is being able to work on the same skill in a variety of ways.  You have to be creative.  If you can find a way to make the repetition enjoyable and get them to see how much it will help them, when you let them play you will be amazed at how good your players will look when they are playing.

Until later,

Andy