| Myths and the Volunteer Coach (May 2005) |
By Jay Martin
It happens every few years. It seems that every “soccer dad” generation needs to be educated. The United States still is a generation or two away from its volunteer youth coaches having played the game in high school, club or college.
We need volunteer coaches. We need coaches who have played the game. We need coaches who understand the teaching principles of the game. We are just not there yet.
The new volunteer coach must be educated about small-sided games. Most of you reading this understand why small-sided games are so important to the development of the youth soccer player. But, unfortunately, not all youth coaches understand the necessity and benefits of small-sided games.
A new volunteer coach runs to a bookstore and buys a soccer book (clearly not “The Soccer Coaching Bible,” produced by the NSCAA) and reads it cover to cover. This is great. The new coach wants to do what is right and wants to help the kids on the team. The problem is that most soccer coaching books are written for older players and teams, not young players, so the rookie coach insists upon using the 11 v. 11 format. The reasons? Here are some that new volunteer coaches give:
The real game is 11 v. 11
That’s true. But the 11 v. 11 game is not suited physically or mentally for players under 13 (US Youth Soccer recommendation). The field is too big, the ball is too big and the players do not get a chance to touch the ball. For bigger, stronger and faster players, it is fine. They will touch the ball, play hard and have fun, but the smaller player has no chance. The fewer players on the field, the more often all players will touch the ball. One of the most often-used activities in an NBA practice session is the 3 v. 3 full court game. You can’t hide when you play 3 v. 3 basketball. You must defend, attack the goal, run the court and touch the ball. The same is true with small-sided soccer games.
It’s not “real soccer”
In order for our players to learn soccer, they must play real soccer. It is important that every six-year-old understand the importance of the left back position. It is important for the player to stand there for the entire game and never touch the ball, but they learn to play left back. We cannot afford soccer specialists in this country. We need players who can play the game. Small-sided soccer forces the players to play and learn the game.
It will not prepare the players for travel team “tryouts” or competitive soccer
In fact, small-sided games prepare the players to play soccer far better than the full-sided 11 v. 11. Small-sided games:
• Allow the players to make more decisions
• Allow for individual fitness training
• Allow coaches to teach the game in a variety of situations
• Allow more playing time for all the players
• Allow the players to attack and defend and not hide
• Allow the players to score more goals and that is fun
• Allow the players to think more often because they are involved
• Allow technique and tactical training
• Allow an introduction to the concept of “shape”
• Allow an understanding of the concept of “transition”
Small-sided games are an administrative nightmare
SSG mean more coaches, more fields, more officials, more goals – more of everything. This is simply not true. If you use the modifications that are suggested by US Soccer, none of the above is a problem. By “splitting” your team into two groups and playing on two adjacent fields, all the problems are gone.
You will find in this issue another great article by Adam Owen of Glasgow Celtic, who discusses the uses of small-sided games for player development, technical improvement, tactical awareness and improved fitness. Everything he says is true and supported by his research, but the real reason we need small-sided games in this country is because we are eliminating young players from playing soccer.
We eliminate kids in two ways: first, intentionally eliminating them from teams by “cutting” them; second, we unintentionally eliminate them because they have no fun, grow bored and leave the game. Either way, the kids feel unwanted and their self-esteem suffers.
By playing “regular” soccer under the age of 13, most kids have no fun. The bigger, stronger and faster kids have a great time. The smaller, slower and less mature kid never touches the ball and gets bored. If kids are bored and are not having fun they will not come back. They are eliminated from soccer, and who is eliminated? The kids who most need the soccer/athletic experience are the very ones who leave the sport. Then those kids find the FIFA video games where, ironically, they can play 11 v. 11 soccer.
Those of us in positions of leadership in the soccer universe should make sure young players are not eliminated from playing the great game. We should field as many teams as necessary and we should play small-sided games. |
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