The Riot Pig is my outlet. This blog is where I come to voice my often criticized opinion. I see this as my platform to share information that I deem relevant to this global quest for progression in youth soccer development.
Yes, global.
Soccer is an international language that billions of people speak. Out of those billions of people- only a small fraction speak it fluently. But out of those billions of people- there are many that are willing to practice and learn more. I feel like that might be why you’re here.
I must warn you… I’m no expert.
By no means am I claiming to be one of those few fluent speakers of the sport. I am and always will be a student of this game. The day that I claim to know it all will be the day that I win the Lotto and buy an entourage to follow me around and agree with every word that I say. But slavery is illegal and my chances of winning the Lotto are slim to none. I think it’s safe to say that I am always going to have to more to learn.
That is the mentality that we as coaches must have.
The day that we stop trying to learn is the day that we start doing an injustice to ourselves and our players.
Here are some questions that I ask myself frequently. These questions have helped mold me into the type of coach that I am. They have motivated me to do better and to do more. I hope that they can do the same for you.
- Are you committed to bettering yourself as a coach? Truly committed? If not, can you expect your players to be committed to learning from you?
- What do you do to further your education? And how often? Is it daily? Weekly? Monthly? Annually? Is it enough? Are you really doing enough to assist your players in reaching their maximum potential?
Last set of questions for now…
- Is your goal to help your players reach their maximum potential? If not, what is your goal? What is your reason for coaching? Money? Fun? Exercise? You’re wife accidentally signed up to coach your daughters rec team?
“Anyone want bacon?” -The Pig
A conversation my bro and I have …. oh I don’t know …. around once a month, goes like this.
Brian, are we just f’ing crazy?
Do we really know this much and everybody is just light years behind, idiotic even?
How is that possible? Aren’t the odds of that being true, pretty bad?
I mean pretty much everybody thinks they’re special (one way or another), but they’re not. Are we falling in that same trap?
This line of questioning has been going on for years.
It’s a difficult thing to assess where one truly stands, but I think it’s important to have a good idea.
And I think I’ve got some methods / ideas on how that’s possible.
I guess I’m just reiterating your statement:
“The day that we stop trying to learn is the day that we start doing an injustice to ourselves and our players.”
There is still a ton to learn, regardless of the level one has achieved.
I asked my daughter’s assistant coach why the team is together? What is the purpose of training and being part of the team? We had only been with the new team about 3 months.
He paused and didn’t say anything. I looked at him and was waiting??? I guess nobody had ever asked him that in 5 years of existence. I replied for him, “Is it just to play games and go to tournaments?” He responded, “Yes…Oscar…we don’t want to push our players. We don’t want intensity. We just want to have fun. We are a family team.”
That night we quit the team. We have yet to find a team that deliberately develops players.
I don’t want bacon. I want the whole pig or at least some carnitas!
Carnitas. Yum. I think it’s lunch time!
I have the same problem within my club. There is a younger team that I work with as a “trainer” that has several very good players. The rest of the team is filled up with less dedicated and less talented players. The team is basically an competitive rec team, but has players with great potential. It’s sad to see them in an environment that has more road blocks than avenues :-/
I see most youth comp teams really as glorified rec teams.
How do you talk, yell, discipline players so they can learn effectively?
Communication with players is the most difficult aspect for me. I have a very hard time getting players to focus, listen, and be serious during training sessions and games.
Is it my fault or the players?
Please share your insights.
“I have a very hard time getting players to focus, listen, and be serious during training sessions and games.
Is it my fault or the players?
Please share your insights.”
Very interesting thought here, and I’d love to hear what people have to say about this. We all talk about developing players, but how is it, or is it even possible to develop soccer junkies throughout our youth teams? If this can be found out, it will very much lead to developing great players. I feel like players can feed off your passion a little bit as the coach, but it’s no guarantee that it will transfer, other factors like family environment, and culture all play factors to, among many other things. Running a great practice is all nice and well but if you have a group of kids that during their water breaks are talking about yesterday’s champions league game instead of the NFL, or school drama, or whatever, and watching and playing game after game, just living and breathing soccer without forcing it, that is something unique and special. These things make the difference between good players and great players. Unfortunately, there seem to be very few with this hunger and legitimate passion about the game.
Man- I’ve never had a problem with communication until this week. I’ve been leading a YMCA soccer camp for six and seven year old boys and girls. Coming straight from my U17 girls team, this has been a challenge for me. I’ve left everyday with a headache.
I’ve had very few problems with my club teams and my high school teams, though. The tone of my voice demands their full attention when we’re in an instructional setting. The players know the difference between my ‘business’ tone and my ‘playful’ tone. I like to think I’m good at balancing the two.
I think it comes down to the players, though. Part of being the ‘best’ or ‘improving’ is actually wanting to be there. I’ve never had a problem with a kid who wants to be at practice, only the kids that can’t wait to leave. I’m not sure how to break through to those ‘bad seeds’ without harming the entire group, though. That seems like an art.
This horrible experience with the YMCA camp has motivated me to study child psychology a little more. I might even sign up for a couple of classes at the local community college. If I come across any useful info I will make sure to pass it on!
This is one reason I refuse to be the head coach of a youth team. Connecting with kids is a different animal than connecting with adults, and I have all my energy directed to the latter.
Thank you for your useful comments. I have felt alone for quite some time. Child psychology does help. A big issue for me is the ethnic diversity in our kids. What works for 1 kid does not work for another. There is definitely an art and science to coaching. Each alone can probably only get you to 50% effectiveness. Sometimes I think many coaches have it easier because there teams appear to be very homogeneous.