Sept 14th Newsletter

Coach Newsletter Topics  Sept 14, 2011
- Coach Handbook
- Green Folder & Player Forms!
- Safe Haven Certification 100% Goal !
- Coach Certification and CATZ Coach

- How to coach your team
         Balanced Teams and Good Sportsmanship
- Hey Coach... Relax.
         The Technical Area

- U06 and U08 Divisions - Training and Game

Coach Handbook
At our Preseason Meetings, I handed out the AYSO Region Coach Handbook.  If you did not get a copy, please let me know.    The Coach Handbook is a great tool for you to use and in addition there are AYSO Coach guidelines that we must follow.     For those of you who are not familiar with the contents of the handbook, please spend sometime for review.

Green Folder & Player Forms
As required by AYSO National Regulations, all coaches are to have the player forms present at training sessions or games.    At team uniform distribution, we handed out these player forms in our Regional AYSO 183 Green Folder.     Please be sure that you have these forms available in your coach / sports bag.    From time to time our staff will at fields on game days doing spot checks.     By regulation, if the form is not present the player is not able to participate.  


Safe Haven Certification and Coach Certification
We are not at 100% AYSO Safe Haven(ed) certified in our region.   Our goal as a region is that all volunteers must be Safe Haven Certified.   The importance of being Safe Haven certified is that is important you as a volunteer knows what's important for our youth players and volunteers in AYSO in terms of having a Fun and Safe environment.

Some of coaches had taken Safe Haven Coaches a few years ago when their children started in AYSO.    I would highly suggest that coaches that a refresher course online and re-certify.       

All volunteers are welcome to certify and/or re-certify AYSO Safe Haven thru online training which is about 1.5 - 2.0 hours.    In order to complete the online training, you'll need to go to eAYSO and find your AYSO ID.   Then go to AYSO Training at http://www.aysotraining.org to complete the AYSO Safe Haven under Management courses.   

There are also online-Coach Courses to complete at U06, U08 and U10.    All coaches must also have completed online training if they did not attend an in-person course.  Coaches who complete the in-person course, should also attend a in-person coach clinic when available.    Online course training only gets you so far.  

As of July 1st, 2011 - AYSO had mandated that all new volunteers complete AYSO Safe Haven and existing volunteers are welcome to complete the new AYSO Safe Haven Course.

If you have not completed AYSO Safe Haven, you are required to complete this within 10 days.     For those volunteers that would like to complete the course with in-person instruction please let me know.     I will need to schedule in some time to train volunteers AYSO Safe Haven with in person class.

CATZ Coach Accounts
Upon completion of AYSO Safe Haven and at least one of the three -  U06, U08 and U10 Coach Certification courses,  then you'll get access to our specialized AYSO Coach Training Video Web Site by CATZ Coach.   At this web site, you'll be able to learn more as to how to run training sessions by watching videos and having access to practice plans.      We are working with CATZ Coach and we'll be sending out more information about access at a later time.

Balanced Teams and Good Sportsmanship
As stated in our preseason coaches meeting and its also listed in the Coach Handbook,   any game that has a run up of the score where the score differential is +4 (ie. for example 4-0, 5-1, 8-0, 10-1, etc.)    Coaches will be reminded by the referee or field monitor to rebalance the team with lineup change at quarter break.   I will also suggest that as a coach that if you are at +3, your game can quickly be +5 for which your opponent may lose confidence very quickly.

Try new challenges to the team such as "try 3 passes in the defending 1/3 of the field, 3 passes on the right side, then 3 passes on the left side."  or "every one must pass to each other 2 times before you try to score" or "every player must touch the ball 3 times before passing to another".     These challenges must be presented in your training sessions so that players know what it means when in game.

I will direct that both coaches from both teams work together on improving the outcome of the game for both teams. 

The Technical Area
How many of us know what the "Technical Area" is?   How many of us stay in the area during the entire game?   The Technical Area is an area which is know to us in Region 183 as the Coaches Side which is one side of the touch line.  In fact, the Technical Area is about 5-10 feet long from the middle of the field extending for both teams.     Only players and coaches are to be on this side while the other side of field (other touchline) is the area for Fans.    Therefore, you as the coach should not be running up and down the touchline from corner flag to corner flag.    Please say within the middle third area of the field. 

During the game from the top of the hour thru the end of your session, no coach is to leave the "Technical Area" while the game is in session.   This includes any stoppage such as direct kick, penalty kick, or even a goal when scored.   Coaches and Players on the side (resting) are not allowed to enter the field of play unless approved by the Referee.  

By the way, when an injury on the field occurs; the referee will blow the whistle.   All players are to stop; and the player will be first be checked by the referee.    No parent is to walk on the field until the referee asks.    The referee will first ask for the coach before the parent.   The coach and referee may then ask for help from the parent.

Also as a reminder, no parent, fan, player, coach or anyone should be behind or next to the goal.   

U06 and U08 Training and Game
As a reminder, the U06 Division plays 3 v 3.   If you do increase the numbers for from 3 v 3 to 4 v 4 or 5 v 5, you'll tend to see aggressive play and that there are additional feet on the field which reduces touches between players.    We as coaches need to increase the number of touches and be sure that we stay within our guideline with regards to short-sided play at U06 and U08.

At the U08 Level, the game is played 5 v 5 with good reason.   The larger field of play is meant to increase the players mobility by working in width and depth.   The player with the ball is penetrating, so you'll need to work in concepts of sharing the field and working together with players that are not on the ball.   U08 Coaches should review their manuals to find games that work-in skill (theme) of attacking with dribbling and passing.

What's a touch?
A touch on the ball is actually the movement of the foot with the ball.  A good first touch is control of the ball with the instep or outstep where the ball is still infront of the player.    A bad touch is a touch where the player immediately reacts to the ball and kicks it back!   If a player kicks it back to the other team, parents say "Good Kick!".    No!  Ensure that the players keep possession of the ball and works on that first touch; and then second touch; and then third touch.