“Young players arrive in MLS from colleges. They don’t know tactics and very little technically. Physically, a lot.” -Andrea Pirlo, one
read more Quality of college players according to superstar Andrea Pirlo
Here’s a real-life story to share with your son or daughter next time their attitude needs some, shall we say,
read more Homeless girl succeeds in (and with) soccer against all odds
Here’s another topic from a very interesting brief article superstar Thierry Henry wrote about Pep Guardiola’s key coaching principles. Henry played
Most of you probably agree that the youth soccer journey has many ups and downs for everyone involved. Lots of
read more The good, bad, and ugly of information sharing amongst parents
Here’s what is expected at FC Barcelona according to an article written by superstar Thierry Henry: Training sessions were never
There is no other sport that gives our youngsters as much exposure to the many different nationalities on this planet
This post goes to the core of coaching quality and player development, and the problems that come from focusing on ‘winning’ instead of ‘competing’. I have posted about this topic many times before including here, here, and here. Failing for the Future is a term coined by Todd Beane, former professional player, coach, teacher, father, and blogger. He is the son-in-law of Johan Cruyff, one of the legends of the game. Here is his post in its entirety: My son failed this weekend and I was so proud of him for doing so. Unfortunately, while I was in awe of his courage his coach was screaming at him. Let me explain how the very same event can be a point of pride for his father and a point of disgust for his trainer. My boy sprinted down the right flank toward the goal as Jan, the left winger, centered a low driven ball toward the top of the box. Jordan beat
Now that the fall soccer season is over it’s time for some of us ‘crazy’ soccer parents to take a
read more The very very very low odds of making it big in soccer
A careful person, a wise person, when faced with an unexpected situation says, “Hold on, I’ll think about this for a minute. I’ll mull it over and then I’ll decide”. When a lawyer finds himself being asked a tricky question by a client he the possibility, or rather the duty, of saying, “I’ll see you in a week, let me consider this”. A doctor can ask for further analysis before deciding on the best treatment. And even the figure the referees most often compared to, the judge, before pronouncing his verdict, retires to his chambers to ponder, to evaluate, before making his decision. We’re not allowed any of this. What we are asked to do, even in the most unexpected, unforeseen of situations is to make a decision in what’s called ‘real time’, in a fraction of a second. This is not a simple matter. I wish this enormous difference were understood by those who sit in an armchair… Pierluigi
Your son or daughter… is scoring too many goals; is faster than pretty much everyone else on the field; is
I came across an interesting blog post about behavior of visiting North American parents during a couple of youth games in Barcelona. Most of us probably recognize this kind of behavior from our games? Do the ‘instructions’ sound familiar? I’m pasting it here with some edits for clarity and brevity: About three weeks ago we had some visiting teams from North America in the Barcelona area. Two of my sons (2003, 2004) had the opportunity to play a game each against their North American opponents. English is also not very common in these parts so when we had these visiting teams from North America it was a good excuse to practice my English just in case I am forgetting it. I quickly got in some conversations with visiting parents. Many had questions as to how we like it here, how is the soccer, how is the coaching, schools and many other questions about Catalonia and Spain and general. The conversation
read more Behavior of visiting North American parents during youth game in Barcelona
It’s the end of another soccer season so tryouts are upon us once again. And this time we are going
Pay to Play, and the Link to Promotion Relegation http://t.co/K1O2KBoWor — Gary Kleiban (@3four3) September 14, 2015
“Football is not only about victory, draw or defeat. It’s much more than that. It’s not just we versus them.
read more Youngsters need to have fun practicing and playing the game!
“I have two daughters who don’t play soccer, but if they should ever decide to take it up I’d be glad to know that they were being helped along by the many volunteer referees who come out in any weather and at any time when they could quite easily stay in bed on a Sunday morning or go to a cafe for breakfast and read the newspaper. I would be happy and I have no words to express fully my respect and my gratitude. For this reason I am truly saddened when I see that often in youth matches the referee receives an avalanche of insults because, for example, he has or hasn’t whistled for a penalty. Soccer is a sport, it allows youngsters to be together, to socialize, to learn how to live together and achieve things together. Soccer is essentially a microcosm of life. In life you work with others to achieve results, just as you do in
This is just as important for the youngster playing recreationally as it is for the youngster with elite talent. They
Referees have to apply the laws of the game to a fast moving game, and they have to do so
read more Parents, coaches, players and the Laws of the Game
U.S. Soccer resolved an ongoing lawsuit yesterday and agreed to strictly limit headers for youth players. Players who are 10
As we head into another busy soccer weekend here’s a great article from a top soccer referee regarding dissent. Key parts: Rugby
Mark Suster tweeted this today. Thank you for making me smile @msuster.
Originally posted on Live, Learn, Laugh At Yourself:
For anyone who has ever coached youth sports of any kind, from pee-wee to middle school,…
Repeat after me: youngsters HAVE to enjoy the game, their teammates, and their coach. Find the right fit! According to
“The results are second. The game is first. The most important is that people going home are happy. It’s their time
“FC Barcelona take a lot of care over their principles. They teach you to be respectful of opponents, respectful to
read more Memo to all youth clubs, coaches, and parents: humility and respect @FC Barcelona
On Saturday I had to give an eight year old boy playing on his club’s top U9 team a red
CLICK HERE for a sobering article on the money (and time) spent on competitive youth soccer by one family near
