For AYSO 183 Coaches here are some important links at the Region's Web Site.
General Coach Information - https://www.ayso183.org/coach
Coach Training - https://www.ayso183.org/coach/training
For AYSO 183 Coaches here are some important links at the Region's Web Site.
General Coach Information - https://www.ayso183.org/coach
Coach Training - https://www.ayso183.org/coach/training
Here is a great caption from an article written about Naomi Girma at Soccer America.
For those of you who don't know Naomi Girma, she is a currently a soccer player on the United States Women's National Team and has gained a lot of respect as the best defender / center back in the world. You can read numerous articles about her play on the internet.
Here
is one of them. But let's not talk about how she defends, and the #
of good touches, or good tackles on the ball. I'd like to point out
what her "core" experience was like when growing up and 1st loving the
game.
The “Maleda Soccer” that Girma, who was born in San Jose to immigrants from Ethiopia, started attending at age 4 was Saturday soccer in the park, organized by her father and friends to get the Bay Area Ethiopian community together. (Maleda is an Ethiopian term for morning or dawn). She attended with her brother, who’s two years older.
“It was just a free-for-all, splitting up the little, medium and big kids — and scrimmaging,” she said. “We’d go after it in many games until we eventually decided it was time to play on the playground.
“It was really informal. There was no pressure. It was for fun. It was the start of me loving soccer and I think that was because of that free environment. It was an environment where I could do what I wanted.”
That description sounds different to the common soccer introduction for American children, who arrive at a field with cones for drills, and on game day get sideline instructions on when to pass, when to shoot.
Often times at youth soccer games, more specifically at the 08U, 10U, and 12U levels, I often hear parents and fans along the touchlines (on the side) state
KICK IT !
Remember, when you have given up on the ball and KICKING IT the ball is given back to the other side.
DO WE REALLY WANT THAT ?
From a technical skill perspective, yes we want the player to kick the ball appropriately.
BUT
We also want the player as to when to make the RIGHT decision as to WHEN to kick the ball.
Can a 8U ( 6 or 7 year old ) kick the ball spectacularly from the defending half of the field to 1) another player in transition or 2) score a goal!
NO!
In the defending 1/3 of the field, the player (6 or 7 year old - who is still learning the game ) - we need the player to
Possess the ball with more graceful touches on the ball with first touch, then second touch and then third touch and so on.
THEN
To make the right decision because at this point, the player would have won the 1 v 1 situation and then make the right decision to
1) pass the ball (OR)
2) keep possession (OR)
3) yes if in the attacking half or attacking 1/3 of the field, then SCORE ( yes KICK IT ! )
But as I described the ball the words from the PARENTS should NOT ALWAYS BE
KICK IT
Is it really a benefit to everyone ?
If we were to reduce the number of teams by adding players to teams because of the lack of volunteers, regardless of single gender or co-ed teams at the 8U Level the game is at minimum 4 v 4 or 5 v 5.