oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
Our youth players and their progression to and in the first team have been highlighted recently in discussions about Clarke Cameron etc. Got me wondering about the way we teach the kids to play. There are plenty of edicts from the FA, but frankly I think their plan is confused simply because it changes from one year to the next. It seems to be the rebranding of the same stuff each year rather than any cohesive planning to get technically skilled players.
Personally I hate to see on a Sunday morning parents shouting at their 7 or 8 year olds because little johnny hasnt turned out to be the local Rooney. I coach at a club and it is the expectations and lack of understanding of the parents that is the biggest problem. It is easy to be that way and I admit when my lad started playing I was just as they are. However I quickly realised that shouting and screaming at him from the side, analysing and badgering him after the match were actually spoiling the enjoyment for both of us, threatening his potential and destroying the relationship between us. It isnt easy to keep mouth shut in the excitement but over time it gets easier, the reward is we can have some great conversations about his game or football in general and above all he loves his football!.
I have bought into the ethos that persuasion and positive encouragement is the way to go. It doesnt mean you do not point out faults or offer advice but it is how that is done that is important. I try to get the lads I coach to think and make their own decisions - once they are on the pitch no matter how much I could shout I cannot play it for them. In training it isnt about shouting and bawling but talk and advice. Of course they dont know everything, nor do I but by sharing knowledge they learn and do not fear making mistakes. In fact mistakes are not punished but used as something to learn from to improve from.
My own lad trains with a training academy Coerver. It isnt affiliated to a club and I pay for the priviledge. It concentrates on teaching "ball mastery" first and progresses to 1 v 1 drills and so on. It isnt about competitive teams but the development of an individuals skills, technique and confidence. The tactics can come later at his club, but the abilities developed make those tactics easier and allow more options. There are other such set ups around the area and nationally. They dont as club academies do take in young players at 8 or 9 teach them the Clubs way of playing, the tactics of the adult game and deem them a failure after 6 7 8 weeks. It has made a very noticeable positive difference to how my lad plays and sees the game.
Dont get me wrong the sport is about winning, everyone loves to win, but it isnt the most important factor why people do any sport. They do it to enjoy it. Am not coaching the lads to lose but they will and they have to learn to deal with that, but I dont want them to be scared to express their abilities. They know if they have made a mistake, and before anyone else, its what they do next I look for. It isnt about rigid discipline, I expect well behaved respectful players and there are consequences if not, but you get those standards because the lads enjoy training. When it all comes together on the pitch, as a coach then there isnt anything better.
Ok so this is a personal view of coaching. The guy who started the football school my lad goes to has worked with the top teams in the world (including Barca and Real Madrid) so that makes it easier for me to see what his ethos brings. Then I contrast that with the mixed messages from the FA where tactics are all the older you get, (442 or 451 or 433 etc). Surely above all enjoy the football ?
So my question is this. If we do not invest the right skills time money and ethos into the grassroots level of football (the 8 year olds on a parks pitch on a Sunday morning etc) how do we expect players to force their way into clubs, first teams or the National squads? There is a reason that the Spanish teams Nationally and the top of La Liga pass others off the pitch......... they have a very different football set up to ours!
Personally I hate to see on a Sunday morning parents shouting at their 7 or 8 year olds because little johnny hasnt turned out to be the local Rooney. I coach at a club and it is the expectations and lack of understanding of the parents that is the biggest problem. It is easy to be that way and I admit when my lad started playing I was just as they are. However I quickly realised that shouting and screaming at him from the side, analysing and badgering him after the match were actually spoiling the enjoyment for both of us, threatening his potential and destroying the relationship between us. It isnt easy to keep mouth shut in the excitement but over time it gets easier, the reward is we can have some great conversations about his game or football in general and above all he loves his football!.
I have bought into the ethos that persuasion and positive encouragement is the way to go. It doesnt mean you do not point out faults or offer advice but it is how that is done that is important. I try to get the lads I coach to think and make their own decisions - once they are on the pitch no matter how much I could shout I cannot play it for them. In training it isnt about shouting and bawling but talk and advice. Of course they dont know everything, nor do I but by sharing knowledge they learn and do not fear making mistakes. In fact mistakes are not punished but used as something to learn from to improve from.
My own lad trains with a training academy Coerver. It isnt affiliated to a club and I pay for the priviledge. It concentrates on teaching "ball mastery" first and progresses to 1 v 1 drills and so on. It isnt about competitive teams but the development of an individuals skills, technique and confidence. The tactics can come later at his club, but the abilities developed make those tactics easier and allow more options. There are other such set ups around the area and nationally. They dont as club academies do take in young players at 8 or 9 teach them the Clubs way of playing, the tactics of the adult game and deem them a failure after 6 7 8 weeks. It has made a very noticeable positive difference to how my lad plays and sees the game.
Dont get me wrong the sport is about winning, everyone loves to win, but it isnt the most important factor why people do any sport. They do it to enjoy it. Am not coaching the lads to lose but they will and they have to learn to deal with that, but I dont want them to be scared to express their abilities. They know if they have made a mistake, and before anyone else, its what they do next I look for. It isnt about rigid discipline, I expect well behaved respectful players and there are consequences if not, but you get those standards because the lads enjoy training. When it all comes together on the pitch, as a coach then there isnt anything better.
Ok so this is a personal view of coaching. The guy who started the football school my lad goes to has worked with the top teams in the world (including Barca and Real Madrid) so that makes it easier for me to see what his ethos brings. Then I contrast that with the mixed messages from the FA where tactics are all the older you get, (442 or 451 or 433 etc). Surely above all enjoy the football ?
So my question is this. If we do not invest the right skills time money and ethos into the grassroots level of football (the 8 year olds on a parks pitch on a Sunday morning etc) how do we expect players to force their way into clubs, first teams or the National squads? There is a reason that the Spanish teams Nationally and the top of La Liga pass others off the pitch......... they have a very different football set up to ours!
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