Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
As the Soccer Improves, So Must the Club
Our players are improving with every touch. We have embraced the Player Development Revolution, now it is time to set benchmarks.In soccer communities around the country, there is a lingering question, “how to measure success?” There are theories and philosophies and studies, but the reality is that we won’t truly know until a child reaches their teens. However, I believe that there can be benchmarks or goals to achieve that will better the chances of an individual’s reaching their potential to play at their highest level.
Recently, in a coaching committee meeting I unveiled the next step to improving the club. The concept puts a measuring and benchmarking system in use. The intentions is to help coaches, parents and players better evaluate their current level of play and set goals that help them reach their potential.
One of the most recent tools that we have added is iSoccer. This program does a number of wonderful things if fully taken advantage of by a player. However, the part that I want to focus on is the ability to quantifiably test and measure an individual in 16 core areas, these areas reflect the very foundation of every successful soccer player. The emphasis on “raising the level” of each player through training and testing is simply amazing, as it will transform a player from being decent to good, good to great, and excellent to elite. This is how we have decided to measure our players’ individual development. We believe strongly that if players train at home, are frequently tested and can see themselves reach their individual goals on iSoccer, it will allow the coach to focus on training the “thinking” part of the game and fine tune team style of play and tactics. -More on iSoccer in an interview with iSoccer CEO, Scott Leben-
Players must be accountable for their own skill development, by training at home before a coach can be criticized for not teaching the players how to play the game. The document “Champions are Grown in their Backyard” is a must read, as it puts an emphasis on what will truly make your child great at soccer!
As mentioned above, this winter our Coaches Committee plans to unveil a benchmarking document. Our job, now that our club philosophy is established and we are developing quality players, is to help teams/coaches measure their success as well as map out the road to achieving a team’s potential.
As the club and culture of our community evolves, so must our aspirations. The benchmarking system will provide a list of expected outcomes at certain ages and levels of soccer. It will allow coaches and parents (the adults) to see where each player is during their development. A combination of iSoccer evaluating and benchmarking (i.e. making the Infinity SC premier team of your age, attending tournaments of interest, competition in state cup, making the Olympic Development Program team for their age, making the High School team, gaining exposure from college coaches, earning a soccer scholarship and so on) will allow everyone to know what to expect as well as know what is expected to get there. This type of road map will allow adults involved to keep things in perspective. They can be confident that the system is working because their player is meeting goals set by themselves as well as by the club.
Having accurate expectations will also allow parents to prepare for the demands of future (time, travel and money) endeavors. Many clubs promise college scholarships or high school soccer relevancy. Infinity does not promise. However, we are developing, through research and experience, a road map for achievement. We must also empower each player to work for these types of rewards. The club must provide a vehicle (teams) that makes the players desired destinations accessible.
To help the players (and their parents) that have aspirations of playing college soccer we are establishing a college liaison committee. This committee will start generating contacts with college coaches as well as assist college bound players with the recruiting process. The committee will also be in charge of empowering a person to be the Infinity SC college liaison representative of the club.
Emphasizing player development and focus on Long-Term Development has been our focus for the last three years. It will continue to be the emphasis as we move forward as well. But now that our players are maturing (51 Infinity SC girls playing High School Soccer for their respected schools) it is time to provide a higher level of expectation and a road map on how to get there.
Infinity SC is committed to evolving as our players develop.
Any adult with interest, experience, expertise in college recruiting who would like to help with this project are encouraged to email coachjginn@gmail.com so they can be invited to join a College Liaison Committee.
“The future has been written…
…forever futbol!”
-Ginn
Thursday, September 1, 2011
51 Infinity SC Girls Represented at four High Schools
For a complete list of the girls and their coaches click here.
Pictured: Samantha Burton, Infinity SC '97 Premier, Coached By Sherri Dever plays for Mountain Crest High School as a Freshmen
Friday, July 8, 2011
Infinity is trying to change the soccer culture in Northern Utah...
In an article found in TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER in England we find an article that expresses the same frustrations that Infinity SC feels as it tries to develop a player development philosophy in Northern Utah.
FA head of elite development Gareth Southgate has his work cut out trying to change the future for football
A couple of years ago, the junior football club with which I was associated took an idea to our local youth league. It was that instead of seven-year-olds playing in seven-a-side matches with referees, baying parents on the touchline and results collated into league position, clubs should organise weekly friendlies at four-a-side.
The philosophy behind it was that without the pressure of parentally-imposed competitive structures, children might more enjoy their football, and, with many more touches of the ball available with fewer players on the pitch, develop their skills. There was nothing non-competitive about it: every child would want to win every game they played.
It would be immodest to claim it as our idea. That’s what they do in Holland, in Spain, in Germany, countries that seem to have a reasonable idea how to produce footballers. But when the proposal was raised, the wannabe Fergusons who made up the committee, those managing their little league sides in neatly pressed tracksuits with their initials on the chest, snorted derision.
“Kids want to see their name at the top of the league in the paper,” one said, to much agreement. In fact, most of the committee members thought it would be a better idea to institute competitive leagues for even younger age groups: “How else will they learn how to win?” When it came to a vote, ours was the only one cast in favour. We lost 23-1.
That, in microcosm, was English football : a latticework of self-interest. Never mind the wider good, what about my medals? And I thought of the episode when I heard that Gareth Southgate, the Football Association’s newly-appointed head of elite development, is touring the country, trying to persuade leagues to adopt a policy of small-sided games for young children. Good luck with that, I suggested when I met up with him earlier this week at the launch of the FA’s coaching licence scheme. There are oil tanker captains with easier jobs turning around their ships.
“Actually, there are signs of encouragement,” he said. “I meet lots of young coaches out there who are forward thinking. Yes, there are others set in their ways, but there’s an acknowledgment we have to catch up with the rest of the world. And to do that, one thing is for sure: we can’t carry on with what we’ve been doing.”
Southgate’s task is not a minor one: it is to create a system which nurtures skill. Presently, among Englishmen aged 18 to 25, only a handful demonstrate ball-playing ability to match their European contemporaries. Actually, it is probably only Jack Wilshere who can hold his head up in international company. It is not much better below that: England’s Under-17s were this week evicted from the World Cup by – who else? – Germany.
Partly the issue lies with the Premier League academies, whose processes are under review. But in many ways the problems have been entrenched before young players arrive at elite clubs.
“The under-17s are at the end of the cycle,” Southgate said. “We need to concentrate right at the start of the process. There are so many steps along the way, there’s no scientific path. But I know this: if we don’t give them the right skill base from five until 10 [years of age] it won’t be there whatever you do thereafter.”
In order to do that, Southgate needs to do nothing less than effect an entire change of culture. Through a programme of coach education, he needs to persuade the self-interested parents and junior officials, vicariously living through their offspring, that they are not serving the best interest of the child. He needs to make things fun, with the emphasis on the development of skill. He needs, in short, to reverse the adultification of junior football.
“Parents and coaches have to understand that their child’s enjoyment, what they can learn from the game as people, in terms of team work, defeat and victory, is more important than anything,” he said.
“I do think we have a major cultural issue. We need to end the way in which the little kid is berated for losing the ball on the edge of the area, or the kid is applauded for hoofing it off the pitch.
“Until we alter that mindset then we’ve got a tough task if we want to produce skilful players. None of this will guarantee us a World Cup-winning team. But I’m dead certain that if we don’t change we’ll never have one.”
And as to the critique that the methodology he endorses promotes non-competitiveness, Southgate has a pertinent rebuttal.
“Look at the Williams sisters, they were brought up in an environment of positive reinforcement of hugs and love, they weren’t allowed to play in tournaments until they were 14. And no one could say they lack the will to win,” he said.
“We are trying to put in place ways to create an environment in which every kid – elite or not – can realise their potential within the game. To make football better for every child who plays it. If we don’t achieve anything else, that’s a worthwhile thing to do.”
Listening to Southgate it occurs to me that the FA seems to have done something unusual: made the right appointment. Only time will tell if anyone is prepared to listen to him.
FA head of elite development Gareth Southgate has his work cut out trying to change the future for football
A couple of years ago, the junior football club with which I was associated took an idea to our local youth league. It was that instead of seven-year-olds playing in seven-a-side matches with referees, baying parents on the touchline and results collated into league position, clubs should organise weekly friendlies at four-a-side.The philosophy behind it was that without the pressure of parentally-imposed competitive structures, children might more enjoy their football, and, with many more touches of the ball available with fewer players on the pitch, develop their skills. There was nothing non-competitive about it: every child would want to win every game they played.
It would be immodest to claim it as our idea. That’s what they do in Holland, in Spain, in Germany, countries that seem to have a reasonable idea how to produce footballers. But when the proposal was raised, the wannabe Fergusons who made up the committee, those managing their little league sides in neatly pressed tracksuits with their initials on the chest, snorted derision.
“Kids want to see their name at the top of the league in the paper,” one said, to much agreement. In fact, most of the committee members thought it would be a better idea to institute competitive leagues for even younger age groups: “How else will they learn how to win?” When it came to a vote, ours was the only one cast in favour. We lost 23-1.
That, in microcosm, was English football : a latticework of self-interest. Never mind the wider good, what about my medals? And I thought of the episode when I heard that Gareth Southgate, the Football Association’s newly-appointed head of elite development, is touring the country, trying to persuade leagues to adopt a policy of small-sided games for young children. Good luck with that, I suggested when I met up with him earlier this week at the launch of the FA’s coaching licence scheme. There are oil tanker captains with easier jobs turning around their ships.
“Actually, there are signs of encouragement,” he said. “I meet lots of young coaches out there who are forward thinking. Yes, there are others set in their ways, but there’s an acknowledgment we have to catch up with the rest of the world. And to do that, one thing is for sure: we can’t carry on with what we’ve been doing.”
Southgate’s task is not a minor one: it is to create a system which nurtures skill. Presently, among Englishmen aged 18 to 25, only a handful demonstrate ball-playing ability to match their European contemporaries. Actually, it is probably only Jack Wilshere who can hold his head up in international company. It is not much better below that: England’s Under-17s were this week evicted from the World Cup by – who else? – Germany.Partly the issue lies with the Premier League academies, whose processes are under review. But in many ways the problems have been entrenched before young players arrive at elite clubs.
“The under-17s are at the end of the cycle,” Southgate said. “We need to concentrate right at the start of the process. There are so many steps along the way, there’s no scientific path. But I know this: if we don’t give them the right skill base from five until 10 [years of age] it won’t be there whatever you do thereafter.”
In order to do that, Southgate needs to do nothing less than effect an entire change of culture. Through a programme of coach education, he needs to persuade the self-interested parents and junior officials, vicariously living through their offspring, that they are not serving the best interest of the child. He needs to make things fun, with the emphasis on the development of skill. He needs, in short, to reverse the adultification of junior football.
“Parents and coaches have to understand that their child’s enjoyment, what they can learn from the game as people, in terms of team work, defeat and victory, is more important than anything,” he said.
“I do think we have a major cultural issue. We need to end the way in which the little kid is berated for losing the ball on the edge of the area, or the kid is applauded for hoofing it off the pitch.
“Until we alter that mindset then we’ve got a tough task if we want to produce skilful players. None of this will guarantee us a World Cup-winning team. But I’m dead certain that if we don’t change we’ll never have one.”
And as to the critique that the methodology he endorses promotes non-competitiveness, Southgate has a pertinent rebuttal.
“Look at the Williams sisters, they were brought up in an environment of positive reinforcement of hugs and love, they weren’t allowed to play in tournaments until they were 14. And no one could say they lack the will to win,” he said.
“We are trying to put in place ways to create an environment in which every kid – elite or not – can realise their potential within the game. To make football better for every child who plays it. If we don’t achieve anything else, that’s a worthwhile thing to do.”
Listening to Southgate it occurs to me that the FA seems to have done something unusual: made the right appointment. Only time will tell if anyone is prepared to listen to him.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Soccer America: Youth Insider
Former U-17 coach Roy Rees: USA should be further along
article can be viewed at www.SoccerAmerica.com
By Mike Woitalla
How many players on the U.S. team currently competing at the U-17 World Cup will make a significant impact on the full national team?
Judging from the average of the previous 13 U.S. teams that have competed at each of the biennial world championships since 1985, the answer would be one.
Roy Rees coached the USA at four U-17 World Cups, from 1987 through 1993. He guided the young Americans to historic victories over Brazil in 1989 and Italy in 1991. After the USA, led by Claudio Reyna, beat Brazil, 1-0, in 1989, Brazil’s coach Homero Cavalheiro said, “The United States deserved to win today. They were better as a team; they were better individually.”
Asked how he imagined the future of American soccer two decades ago, Rees says, “I would have expected it to be further along than it is now. They've done well but could have done much better.
"They have developed a whole bunch of very average players but not the great players you need to get that little bit extra. There's a lack of creative players."
Mike Burns and John O'Brien, who played for Rees in the 1987 and 1993 tournaments, were also among the U-17 alums who had the most success with the full national team.
Rees was succeeded by Glenn Myernick (1995), Jay Miller (1997), John Ellinger (1999, 2001, 2003), John Hackworth (2005, 2007) and Wilmer Cabrera (2009, 2011).
Ellinger's 1999 team, which was the first that went into full-time residency in Bradenton, Fla., finished fourth and remains the only squad to win a knockout stage game. It included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Bobby Convey. That class proved to be an aberration.
Miller’s 1997 squad included Taylor Twellman and Danny Califf, who went on to long pro careers but had limited success with the full national team. Ellinger’s 2001 and 2003 squads included Eddie Johnson and Jonathan Spector, respectively.
Hackworth’s 2005 team included Jozy Altidore and Neven Subotic, now one of the top defenders in the German Bundesliga, but he plays his national team ball for Serbia.
Rees, a Welshman who served as an English FA staff coach and worked for FIFA as an international coaching instructor before taking over the U.S. U-17s, cites many reasons why the USA hasn't made more profound progress in producing exceptional players. Topping the list is an emphasis on athleticism rather than on skill and understanding the game.
"America had the reputation of being better athletically than everyone else, because at the Olympics they ran faster, were stronger, and threw things farther,” he says. “Those are things that have nothing to do with soccer. At the youth level, big, strong and physical may win games. But the smaller players develop skills to combat the big and the physical, and when they get the growth they’re the ones who get the results."
He also warns of the perils of advocating an orthodox approach to player development:
"It was, 'Coach this way, or get out.' There are different ways of developing players, which is obvious when you see how great players have emerged from different countries."
He says that the insight into the game that great players acquire is something that they develop naturally when they're young, not from being told how to play, but by being given the freedom figure the game out.
“What matters is being able to perceive the game, to predict what happens next," says Rees. "They need to be placed in a situation where they can see it for themselves rather than having it laid out for them. That needs to happen at the youngest levels. They need to be allowed to express themselves and not be tied to the coach’s instructions, or they’ll play like robots.”
Now retired and living in Southern California, Rees is watching this U.S. U-17 team on TV. Not judging it by the scorelines, but whether there are within the group some players with that little bit extra that hints of greatness.
* * * *
The USA opened its U-17 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday with goals by Alejandro Guido and Esteban Rodriguez and late sub Alfred Koroma. In their second Group D game, the Americans face Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 pm ET, Galavision, ESPN3.com).
Uzbekistan lost its opener, 4-1, to New Zealand, which got a hat trick by Stephen Carmichael. Carmichael, making his first start for the Kiwis, hadn’t been part of the squad during qualifying nor for a pre-tournament tour to Qatar.
Go HERE for U-17 World Cup results and schedule.
(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United in Oakland, Calif. His youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)
article can be viewed at www.SoccerAmerica.com
By Mike Woitalla
How many players on the U.S. team currently competing at the U-17 World Cup will make a significant impact on the full national team?
Judging from the average of the previous 13 U.S. teams that have competed at each of the biennial world championships since 1985, the answer would be one.
Roy Rees coached the USA at four U-17 World Cups, from 1987 through 1993. He guided the young Americans to historic victories over Brazil in 1989 and Italy in 1991. After the USA, led by Claudio Reyna, beat Brazil, 1-0, in 1989, Brazil’s coach Homero Cavalheiro said, “The United States deserved to win today. They were better as a team; they were better individually.”
Asked how he imagined the future of American soccer two decades ago, Rees says, “I would have expected it to be further along than it is now. They've done well but could have done much better.
"They have developed a whole bunch of very average players but not the great players you need to get that little bit extra. There's a lack of creative players."
Mike Burns and John O'Brien, who played for Rees in the 1987 and 1993 tournaments, were also among the U-17 alums who had the most success with the full national team.Rees was succeeded by Glenn Myernick (1995), Jay Miller (1997), John Ellinger (1999, 2001, 2003), John Hackworth (2005, 2007) and Wilmer Cabrera (2009, 2011).
Ellinger's 1999 team, which was the first that went into full-time residency in Bradenton, Fla., finished fourth and remains the only squad to win a knockout stage game. It included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Bobby Convey. That class proved to be an aberration.
Miller’s 1997 squad included Taylor Twellman and Danny Califf, who went on to long pro careers but had limited success with the full national team. Ellinger’s 2001 and 2003 squads included Eddie Johnson and Jonathan Spector, respectively.
Hackworth’s 2005 team included Jozy Altidore and Neven Subotic, now one of the top defenders in the German Bundesliga, but he plays his national team ball for Serbia.
Rees, a Welshman who served as an English FA staff coach and worked for FIFA as an international coaching instructor before taking over the U.S. U-17s, cites many reasons why the USA hasn't made more profound progress in producing exceptional players. Topping the list is an emphasis on athleticism rather than on skill and understanding the game.
"America had the reputation of being better athletically than everyone else, because at the Olympics they ran faster, were stronger, and threw things farther,” he says. “Those are things that have nothing to do with soccer. At the youth level, big, strong and physical may win games. But the smaller players develop skills to combat the big and the physical, and when they get the growth they’re the ones who get the results."
He also warns of the perils of advocating an orthodox approach to player development:
"It was, 'Coach this way, or get out.' There are different ways of developing players, which is obvious when you see how great players have emerged from different countries."
He says that the insight into the game that great players acquire is something that they develop naturally when they're young, not from being told how to play, but by being given the freedom figure the game out.
“What matters is being able to perceive the game, to predict what happens next," says Rees. "They need to be placed in a situation where they can see it for themselves rather than having it laid out for them. That needs to happen at the youngest levels. They need to be allowed to express themselves and not be tied to the coach’s instructions, or they’ll play like robots.”
Now retired and living in Southern California, Rees is watching this U.S. U-17 team on TV. Not judging it by the scorelines, but whether there are within the group some players with that little bit extra that hints of greatness.
* * * *
The USA opened its U-17 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday with goals by Alejandro Guido and Esteban Rodriguez and late sub Alfred Koroma. In their second Group D game, the Americans face Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 pm ET, Galavision, ESPN3.com). Uzbekistan lost its opener, 4-1, to New Zealand, which got a hat trick by Stephen Carmichael. Carmichael, making his first start for the Kiwis, hadn’t been part of the squad during qualifying nor for a pre-tournament tour to Qatar.
Go HERE for U-17 World Cup results and schedule.
(Mike Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, coaches youth soccer for East Bay United in Oakland, Calif. His youth soccer articles are archived at YouthSoccerFun.com.)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Teach Principles, Not Aspects
by Travis Clements
Travis Clements has been coaching in Cache Valley for the past eight years. Travis admits that when he first started coaching that he was the classic screamer, yeller, win at all costs coach. After his first season with coaching youth soccer he took the USSF D license and recognized the long term affects of how he was coaching were not good. The process of change began. He implemented the E and D license courses into his coaching and, more importantly, attended the USSF Youth in 2006. Five years after this course and three years in to training "the Infinity SC way" he wrote this article. Travis currently coaches very skilled u9 and u10 girls teams and is continuously looking at ways to improve as a coach and a trainer.
As a coach and trainer, there are only so many hours in a day, and only so many hours we have with our kids to teach them how to play soccer. If we want to maximize our time and get the most out of the sessions we have, those sessions need to be age appropriate and centered around universal concepts, which I will call “Principles” of the game.
When we see the professional game on a Saturday, what are we impressed with? As adults, we are naturally drawn to the tactics of the game, the formation used, attacking patterns, spacing and spectacular feats of skill and athleticism. We also have an appreciation of team chemistry, the melding of complimentary players and the unity of the squad. It’s a fallacy to project these aspects of the professional game into youth soccer if we hope to develop players into what we see and admire on the weekend. If we spend our time on these aspects of the game, our players will never get there. Why? They will never develop the foundation of skill and understanding of the game needed to play it at a high level.
Unfortunately the novice coach, as well as the coach who’s focused on immediate team success, invariably chooses to spend their time addressing “aspects” of the game. Aspects of the game are concepts or features of play that are not always true. The most common of these aspects is positional play. Information taught to a player to help them play a certain position, like Goalkeeper or Wing, is not very useful if they aren’t playing that position. Youth players need the efficiency of being trained principles that are *always* useful, saving specialized topics for when the basics are mastered. Common examples of narrow, inefficient training topics include the popular “Through ball.” At youth levels it is more accurately described as a “kick into space” because the players lack the technique and tactical understanding to make it otherwise. Some choose to spend all their time with set plays, restarts, and creating patterns of play in the mold of typical “American” sports. These methods don’t advance the development of players in a positive or efficient way. Some are worse than teaching nothing at all! Consider on defense, teaching players to kick the ball out of bounds to be “safe.” It conditions players to not read the game, to not trust their ability on the ball and confirms a lack of faith in them from coaches, parents, and teammates alike! They are denied the chance to execute technical skills under pressure. Those players become mindless robots, predictable and unable to think quickly or solve problems on the fly. They lack creativity, imagination and flair. How ironic that those traits so valued at the elite level are being systematically trained out of our players in youth soccer!
It’s easy to stand at a distance and be critical, point fingers and detail shortcomings. What is the solution? If we are holding the kids back by spending so much time teaching aspects of the game, what do we do to fix it?
In youth soccer the players must first be taught the founding principles of play. This takes years. Shortcuts taken during this stage of training will haunt the players for the rest of their playing career. Just like we teach addition and subtraction before taking on multiplication and division, (let alone fractions and variables!) we need to lay a foundation of basics before expanding and specializing. Technical skill is universal to the game and is only acquired, refined and mastered through constant contact with the ball. If we want our players to have ball skills and to be comfortable and calm on the ball, we must teach possession and dribbling before we teach passing. Good decision-making is a universal skill that is only acquired, refined and mastered by players when they are placed in situations that require it. They must be allowed to play without fear of failure, a master of their own environment, where the competition of the game and their internal motivation to win drives them to find ways to achieve success. A player who is expected to listen and obey during play is not learning to make decisions or solve problems.
Teaching players to play in positions is not necessarily bad. The correct teaching of positional play needs to begin at its most basic elements, its principles, with every player exposed to every position. It begins with attacking and defending individually, and then expands to include a teammate, then eventually teammates. It’s not about Forwards, Midfielders and Defenders. Good positional play is derived through players addressing questions posed by the game, not in relation to a painted line or an area on the field. Players need to be trained in ways that help them recognize space, pressure and support, regardless of their assigned position. Don’t teach them to play a position; teach them to play soccer!
Shortcuts to immediate success on the scoreboard have unavoidable long-term consequences. We must have the maturity to set aside our egos and adult competitiveness to benefit the kids. The topics needing attention by our youth are seemingly endless: Dribbling, Passing, Movement off the ball, overlapping runs, receiving the ball, first touch, checking into and out of space, communication, attacking the ball in the air, ball striking technique…
Teaching soccer through the principles of the game is a slower, deeper approach that requires patience and a long-term perspective of player development. It requires commitment and humility. It demands that coaches remain a student of the game as well as the craft of coaching. Kids need to develop in a system that is firmly committed to the individual's progress, NOT expected to learn to play a system and sacrifice themselves and their development for the sake of the team.
Travis L. Clements
Travis Clements has been coaching in Cache Valley for the past eight years. Travis admits that when he first started coaching that he was the classic screamer, yeller, win at all costs coach. After his first season with coaching youth soccer he took the USSF D license and recognized the long term affects of how he was coaching were not good. The process of change began. He implemented the E and D license courses into his coaching and, more importantly, attended the USSF Youth in 2006. Five years after this course and three years in to training "the Infinity SC way" he wrote this article. Travis currently coaches very skilled u9 and u10 girls teams and is continuously looking at ways to improve as a coach and a trainer.
As a coach and trainer, there are only so many hours in a day, and only so many hours we have with our kids to teach them how to play soccer. If we want to maximize our time and get the most out of the sessions we have, those sessions need to be age appropriate and centered around universal concepts, which I will call “Principles” of the game.
When we see the professional game on a Saturday, what are we impressed with? As adults, we are naturally drawn to the tactics of the game, the formation used, attacking patterns, spacing and spectacular feats of skill and athleticism. We also have an appreciation of team chemistry, the melding of complimentary players and the unity of the squad. It’s a fallacy to project these aspects of the professional game into youth soccer if we hope to develop players into what we see and admire on the weekend. If we spend our time on these aspects of the game, our players will never get there. Why? They will never develop the foundation of skill and understanding of the game needed to play it at a high level.
Unfortunately the novice coach, as well as the coach who’s focused on immediate team success, invariably chooses to spend their time addressing “aspects” of the game. Aspects of the game are concepts or features of play that are not always true. The most common of these aspects is positional play. Information taught to a player to help them play a certain position, like Goalkeeper or Wing, is not very useful if they aren’t playing that position. Youth players need the efficiency of being trained principles that are *always* useful, saving specialized topics for when the basics are mastered. Common examples of narrow, inefficient training topics include the popular “Through ball.” At youth levels it is more accurately described as a “kick into space” because the players lack the technique and tactical understanding to make it otherwise. Some choose to spend all their time with set plays, restarts, and creating patterns of play in the mold of typical “American” sports. These methods don’t advance the development of players in a positive or efficient way. Some are worse than teaching nothing at all! Consider on defense, teaching players to kick the ball out of bounds to be “safe.” It conditions players to not read the game, to not trust their ability on the ball and confirms a lack of faith in them from coaches, parents, and teammates alike! They are denied the chance to execute technical skills under pressure. Those players become mindless robots, predictable and unable to think quickly or solve problems on the fly. They lack creativity, imagination and flair. How ironic that those traits so valued at the elite level are being systematically trained out of our players in youth soccer!
It’s easy to stand at a distance and be critical, point fingers and detail shortcomings. What is the solution? If we are holding the kids back by spending so much time teaching aspects of the game, what do we do to fix it?
In youth soccer the players must first be taught the founding principles of play. This takes years. Shortcuts taken during this stage of training will haunt the players for the rest of their playing career. Just like we teach addition and subtraction before taking on multiplication and division, (let alone fractions and variables!) we need to lay a foundation of basics before expanding and specializing. Technical skill is universal to the game and is only acquired, refined and mastered through constant contact with the ball. If we want our players to have ball skills and to be comfortable and calm on the ball, we must teach possession and dribbling before we teach passing. Good decision-making is a universal skill that is only acquired, refined and mastered by players when they are placed in situations that require it. They must be allowed to play without fear of failure, a master of their own environment, where the competition of the game and their internal motivation to win drives them to find ways to achieve success. A player who is expected to listen and obey during play is not learning to make decisions or solve problems.
Teaching players to play in positions is not necessarily bad. The correct teaching of positional play needs to begin at its most basic elements, its principles, with every player exposed to every position. It begins with attacking and defending individually, and then expands to include a teammate, then eventually teammates. It’s not about Forwards, Midfielders and Defenders. Good positional play is derived through players addressing questions posed by the game, not in relation to a painted line or an area on the field. Players need to be trained in ways that help them recognize space, pressure and support, regardless of their assigned position. Don’t teach them to play a position; teach them to play soccer!
Shortcuts to immediate success on the scoreboard have unavoidable long-term consequences. We must have the maturity to set aside our egos and adult competitiveness to benefit the kids. The topics needing attention by our youth are seemingly endless: Dribbling, Passing, Movement off the ball, overlapping runs, receiving the ball, first touch, checking into and out of space, communication, attacking the ball in the air, ball striking technique…
Teaching soccer through the principles of the game is a slower, deeper approach that requires patience and a long-term perspective of player development. It requires commitment and humility. It demands that coaches remain a student of the game as well as the craft of coaching. Kids need to develop in a system that is firmly committed to the individual's progress, NOT expected to learn to play a system and sacrifice themselves and their development for the sake of the team.
Travis L. Clements
Friday, May 13, 2011
Infinity Soccer u12 Premier Boys with guest coach Rob Karas: Possession with a Purpose
Coach Rob Karas, Real Salt Lake's Youth Camp Director, visited Logan and ran three sessions for different Infinity SC teams on Wednesday, May 11th. The first was the following Session with the Infinity SC u12 Premier Boys. Infinity SC coaches were on hand to take notes, get some new ideas and take advantage of the opportunity to work with Coach Karas.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Letter from the Technical Director
Club, a focus on players
Generating individual players is a top priority in our club. It is what sets us apart from other soccer teams/groups in our community. Even though team success is very important, what’s truly significant is what is happening with each individual in the club that truly makes Infinity SC special.
The ongoing process of developing people over a long period of time is something that the ordinary person understands. We are used to having a curriculum in our education program, piano lessons, scouting programs, skiing and snowboarding programs. If a student is excelling in the second grade, he/she is likely going to be tested to see if they can perform at another level. If an alto sax player is performing poorly at the start and is sitting third chair and suddenly improves they will move up to second and possibly first chair. If child moves from an orange belt to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do, we acknowledge the accomplishment without making his/her peers move up prematurely. In all of these examples, the focus is on the individual, not their group, and each individual is rewarded for their abilities within a curriculum. Why don’t we embrace the same patient scheme with youth sports?
The beauty of our club philosophy, enabled by having multiple teams, a technical director and licensed/experienced coaches, is that we have been through the bumps and bruises of forming teams, enjoying success, only to dissolve (in quality and/or quantity) as the teams mature in age. We understand that players may find themselves jealous of the teammate that moves up a team because they are excelling faster, questioning what their team is going to do without them. Or that also that parents may find their child moving up to be challenged more because all of the sudden they are no longer the star of the team. However, our club is focused on placing each player in the most ideal environment for their development as a soccer player. This, for some reason, is very difficult to grasp and it is our mission to educate and change the culture in our community. We want a club that focuses on player development first, and team success second. I say this openly, knowing very well that winning is important, and that we should be striving to win every time we are placed on the field, but not at the cost of our players development. Winning is secondary to each player’s skill development and decision making abilities. I will not go in to detail about this, but feel free to check my blog for articles that support the philosophy (www.coachginn.blogspot.com).
On Tuesday, March 12th I received a phone call from one of the u11 girl’s parents around 12:45pm. They were stumbling around the District 7 web site and recognized that we had a game in less than five hours. Due to the chaos the weather had brought, we had a game rescheduled without any notice at all. The next six hours were insane, but the commitment to the players that coaches and parents showed was more than just synergetic. We acted like a club determined to make things work, not just for this newly scheduled game, but for each player throughout the club that was affected by this added match.
The scenario was this: two of the u11 girls were already committed to play with the u10 boy’s team at the same time as their new game because the u10 boy’s team had a couple of injured players and a couple of absent players. They needed players, so as a club we provided two u10 girls that were “playing up” at u11 to play with the boys. These two girls helped the boys to a 9-2 win and contributed by scoring two goals and 2 assists. The comment from the u10 coach was that it was nice to be able to plug two players, regardless of gender, and be confident that they will be able to contribute due to similar training and playing styles. The girls train often enough with the boys that the boys are comfortable playing with the two girls while the girls were confident that they could play with the boys as well.
As the u10 boys kicked off so did the girl’s teammates (the u11 girls). They are playing in the u11 boys league this season to be challenged more after running the table in the girl’s league. The beauty of this game was that although they were missing two stronger players (the players that were playing with the u10 boys,) two players from the 2nd u11 team (u11 select girls) were invited. Even though the girls were down 2-0 at the half, the two select girls started over two of the premier girls, they fit in, contributed, and there was no drop in play. The two select girls contributed in an eventual 3-2 win over a very fast and physical independent u11 boy’s team. They train with each other, they compete with each other and they plan to play with each other when they move to 11v11 next year when they are u12 players. It is fun to be involved with these players, teams and coaches. Although the circumstances may not always be ideal, and that the team may suffer on game day at the younger ages, we are seeing individuals nurtured to become quality players that are comfortable playing in every position, on any team, under any circumstance and team players who openly accept the guest players and work with them.
The other amazing part in the chaos of that day was that every player made it to the game with only three hours notice. The parents and coaches among the three teams were great at tracking down player passes, doing the online paperwork to allow the players to use the developmental pass and simply making things happen. When we place the needs of the kids above our own needs, we find out that little miracles happen. Raising a soccer player these days requires players, coaches and parents (especially) to make some major sacrifices. It is not convenient at all to have kids running around. But if anyone saw the girls smiling at half time while they were down 2-0 they will admit that it is all worth it. The girls knew that they had out possessed and out played their opposition. They wanted to be winning, but they knew what they were accomplishing as individuals and as a group. This highly competitive group of players was smiling ear to ear, happy with the way they were playing. They regrouped at half time, were guided in a conversation on how to improve their attack and before we knew it, the opposing side was stunned with a 3-2 loss being handed to them.
On the very same day, another shining moment occurred. I had a training session planned for three other teams at the exact time of these games, but due to the field closures, I had to change it to a street soccer session. I asked a coach that I have been mentoring to help out. He gladly accepted and made it happen. The club unity and synergy was amazing. During this time the u12 Premier boys were training with the u12 Select boys, and the u9 boy’s team impressed everyone watching with their skills and decision making in a loss to a much more physical team.
We often hear the phrase, “it takes an entire village to raise a child,” and in similar fashion it takes a club to create a culture that will develop a player. Over the last three years we have overcome many hurdles in an effort to build a quality premier club for our community. We have changed the culture of youth soccer and continue to be constantly on the cutting edge of U.S. Youth Soccer Association philosophy and curriculum. In an effort to improve our coaches, players and educate the soccer parents we have followed and will continue to follow U.S. Youth Soccer’s BEST PRACTICES manuel while improving our services to our community. We have taken the approach of thinking and researching globally while serving locally. Our community is unique in that we can rally together and build something together if we understand what the potential outcome can be.
We believe that as we all work together, like in the examples above, and help our kids get the appropriate training, our coaches will receive opportunities to continue their coaching education and the club members find ways to volunteer (even in the smallest of ways) that we will continue to lead the charge within our community.
Understanding the many sacrifices it takes from everyone in the club, I am very grateful for the board members that serve diligently to represent the parental and administrative side of our club. They are priceless, and sacrifice countless hours to improve the experience of the players and their families. The coaches are the lifeline of our club; the sacrifices that they make to be on a field with your child are amazing and frequently taken for granted. As parents of the players, you have been outstanding with adapting to the many schedule changes due to weather this spring, and in general our parents make many sacrifices for their children and I applaud them for pulling it off. I can’t even imagine how strenuous it is to get your children everywhere. Last, but not least, the players- all of you work hard, play hard and train hard. I enjoy being part of your development on the soccer field.
As mentioned at the start of this letter, it is Infinity’s goal, as well as mine, to help you fall in love with the game while learning the game. However, I hope that you are learning important life lessons during your experience with Infinity SC that will help you be quality citizens now and forever.
Forever Futbol,
Coach Jeff Ginn, Technical Director
Generating individual players is a top priority in our club. It is what sets us apart from other soccer teams/groups in our community. Even though team success is very important, what’s truly significant is what is happening with each individual in the club that truly makes Infinity SC special.
The ongoing process of developing people over a long period of time is something that the ordinary person understands. We are used to having a curriculum in our education program, piano lessons, scouting programs, skiing and snowboarding programs. If a student is excelling in the second grade, he/she is likely going to be tested to see if they can perform at another level. If an alto sax player is performing poorly at the start and is sitting third chair and suddenly improves they will move up to second and possibly first chair. If child moves from an orange belt to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do, we acknowledge the accomplishment without making his/her peers move up prematurely. In all of these examples, the focus is on the individual, not their group, and each individual is rewarded for their abilities within a curriculum. Why don’t we embrace the same patient scheme with youth sports?
The beauty of our club philosophy, enabled by having multiple teams, a technical director and licensed/experienced coaches, is that we have been through the bumps and bruises of forming teams, enjoying success, only to dissolve (in quality and/or quantity) as the teams mature in age. We understand that players may find themselves jealous of the teammate that moves up a team because they are excelling faster, questioning what their team is going to do without them. Or that also that parents may find their child moving up to be challenged more because all of the sudden they are no longer the star of the team. However, our club is focused on placing each player in the most ideal environment for their development as a soccer player. This, for some reason, is very difficult to grasp and it is our mission to educate and change the culture in our community. We want a club that focuses on player development first, and team success second. I say this openly, knowing very well that winning is important, and that we should be striving to win every time we are placed on the field, but not at the cost of our players development. Winning is secondary to each player’s skill development and decision making abilities. I will not go in to detail about this, but feel free to check my blog for articles that support the philosophy (www.coachginn.blogspot.com).
On Tuesday, March 12th I received a phone call from one of the u11 girl’s parents around 12:45pm. They were stumbling around the District 7 web site and recognized that we had a game in less than five hours. Due to the chaos the weather had brought, we had a game rescheduled without any notice at all. The next six hours were insane, but the commitment to the players that coaches and parents showed was more than just synergetic. We acted like a club determined to make things work, not just for this newly scheduled game, but for each player throughout the club that was affected by this added match.
The scenario was this: two of the u11 girls were already committed to play with the u10 boy’s team at the same time as their new game because the u10 boy’s team had a couple of injured players and a couple of absent players. They needed players, so as a club we provided two u10 girls that were “playing up” at u11 to play with the boys. These two girls helped the boys to a 9-2 win and contributed by scoring two goals and 2 assists. The comment from the u10 coach was that it was nice to be able to plug two players, regardless of gender, and be confident that they will be able to contribute due to similar training and playing styles. The girls train often enough with the boys that the boys are comfortable playing with the two girls while the girls were confident that they could play with the boys as well.
As the u10 boys kicked off so did the girl’s teammates (the u11 girls). They are playing in the u11 boys league this season to be challenged more after running the table in the girl’s league. The beauty of this game was that although they were missing two stronger players (the players that were playing with the u10 boys,) two players from the 2nd u11 team (u11 select girls) were invited. Even though the girls were down 2-0 at the half, the two select girls started over two of the premier girls, they fit in, contributed, and there was no drop in play. The two select girls contributed in an eventual 3-2 win over a very fast and physical independent u11 boy’s team. They train with each other, they compete with each other and they plan to play with each other when they move to 11v11 next year when they are u12 players. It is fun to be involved with these players, teams and coaches. Although the circumstances may not always be ideal, and that the team may suffer on game day at the younger ages, we are seeing individuals nurtured to become quality players that are comfortable playing in every position, on any team, under any circumstance and team players who openly accept the guest players and work with them.
The other amazing part in the chaos of that day was that every player made it to the game with only three hours notice. The parents and coaches among the three teams were great at tracking down player passes, doing the online paperwork to allow the players to use the developmental pass and simply making things happen. When we place the needs of the kids above our own needs, we find out that little miracles happen. Raising a soccer player these days requires players, coaches and parents (especially) to make some major sacrifices. It is not convenient at all to have kids running around. But if anyone saw the girls smiling at half time while they were down 2-0 they will admit that it is all worth it. The girls knew that they had out possessed and out played their opposition. They wanted to be winning, but they knew what they were accomplishing as individuals and as a group. This highly competitive group of players was smiling ear to ear, happy with the way they were playing. They regrouped at half time, were guided in a conversation on how to improve their attack and before we knew it, the opposing side was stunned with a 3-2 loss being handed to them.
On the very same day, another shining moment occurred. I had a training session planned for three other teams at the exact time of these games, but due to the field closures, I had to change it to a street soccer session. I asked a coach that I have been mentoring to help out. He gladly accepted and made it happen. The club unity and synergy was amazing. During this time the u12 Premier boys were training with the u12 Select boys, and the u9 boy’s team impressed everyone watching with their skills and decision making in a loss to a much more physical team.
We often hear the phrase, “it takes an entire village to raise a child,” and in similar fashion it takes a club to create a culture that will develop a player. Over the last three years we have overcome many hurdles in an effort to build a quality premier club for our community. We have changed the culture of youth soccer and continue to be constantly on the cutting edge of U.S. Youth Soccer Association philosophy and curriculum. In an effort to improve our coaches, players and educate the soccer parents we have followed and will continue to follow U.S. Youth Soccer’s BEST PRACTICES manuel while improving our services to our community. We have taken the approach of thinking and researching globally while serving locally. Our community is unique in that we can rally together and build something together if we understand what the potential outcome can be.
We believe that as we all work together, like in the examples above, and help our kids get the appropriate training, our coaches will receive opportunities to continue their coaching education and the club members find ways to volunteer (even in the smallest of ways) that we will continue to lead the charge within our community.
Understanding the many sacrifices it takes from everyone in the club, I am very grateful for the board members that serve diligently to represent the parental and administrative side of our club. They are priceless, and sacrifice countless hours to improve the experience of the players and their families. The coaches are the lifeline of our club; the sacrifices that they make to be on a field with your child are amazing and frequently taken for granted. As parents of the players, you have been outstanding with adapting to the many schedule changes due to weather this spring, and in general our parents make many sacrifices for their children and I applaud them for pulling it off. I can’t even imagine how strenuous it is to get your children everywhere. Last, but not least, the players- all of you work hard, play hard and train hard. I enjoy being part of your development on the soccer field.
As mentioned at the start of this letter, it is Infinity’s goal, as well as mine, to help you fall in love with the game while learning the game. However, I hope that you are learning important life lessons during your experience with Infinity SC that will help you be quality citizens now and forever.
Forever Futbol,
Coach Jeff Ginn, Technical Director
Letter from the Director of Operations
What an exciting time to be a part of Infinity Soccer Club! It has been almost one year since I was asked to serve as Director of Operations and it has been a great year to be involved with our club. We have explored many options to improve what we offer you, and have asked for your input as we made some decisions.
Overwhelmingly the people that I talked to wanted to stay the course and work together to continue to make something special for our community in Cache Valley. As a result, we are moving forward, proudly wearing our blue and green and working hard to make sure we keep the players first and foremost in every decision we make.
As we get ready to start our spring soccer season I want to list for you just a few of the things we have in the works:
· May 9th we will be getting together as a club to celebrate the year in our annual banquet. This event will be held at the Riverwoods Conference Center, and we are so grateful to Dell Loy Hansen for his generosity in helping us make this happen. Please order your tickets today: http://www.infinitysc.com/banquet.html
· We have formed a relationship with Dr. Matt Rhea and Race Rx to help our athletes become better conditioned with his state of the art, sport specific conditioning programs. We currently have over 100 athletes working with Dr. Rhea and are excited about the overall performance enhancement our kids are experiencing.
· We have approximately 200 recreational players with District 7 signed up for our Infinity Academy during the spring season.
· We are working on a new website with lots of improved functionality. We are targeting rolling it out at the banquet (wish us luck!).
· Our coaches committee is meeting regularly to work on soccer curriculum and planning documents. We are actively planning for the future and the needs of the club.
· And finally we have great parents who are helping us with new marketing ideas and materials. Thanks to Tad Thornton and Ruth Ashton for all of their hard work. Ruth is responsible for this newsletter and I am so very grateful for her help!
Please feel free to contact me at lisa@infinitysc.com with any of your questions or concerns. And please don’t hesitate to let me know if we do something right along the way as well. Best of luck to all of our teams and
players this spring! Go Infinity!
Lisa Godfrey, Director of Operations
Overwhelmingly the people that I talked to wanted to stay the course and work together to continue to make something special for our community in Cache Valley. As a result, we are moving forward, proudly wearing our blue and green and working hard to make sure we keep the players first and foremost in every decision we make.
As we get ready to start our spring soccer season I want to list for you just a few of the things we have in the works:
· May 9th we will be getting together as a club to celebrate the year in our annual banquet. This event will be held at the Riverwoods Conference Center, and we are so grateful to Dell Loy Hansen for his generosity in helping us make this happen. Please order your tickets today: http://www.infinitysc.com/banquet.html
· We have formed a relationship with Dr. Matt Rhea and Race Rx to help our athletes become better conditioned with his state of the art, sport specific conditioning programs. We currently have over 100 athletes working with Dr. Rhea and are excited about the overall performance enhancement our kids are experiencing.
· We have approximately 200 recreational players with District 7 signed up for our Infinity Academy during the spring season.
· We are working on a new website with lots of improved functionality. We are targeting rolling it out at the banquet (wish us luck!).
· Our coaches committee is meeting regularly to work on soccer curriculum and planning documents. We are actively planning for the future and the needs of the club.
· And finally we have great parents who are helping us with new marketing ideas and materials. Thanks to Tad Thornton and Ruth Ashton for all of their hard work. Ruth is responsible for this newsletter and I am so very grateful for her help!
Please feel free to contact me at lisa@infinitysc.com with any of your questions or concerns. And please don’t hesitate to let me know if we do something right along the way as well. Best of luck to all of our teams and
players this spring! Go Infinity!
Lisa Godfrey, Director of Operations
Letter from the Infinity President
Dear Parents:
It’s an exciting time to have your child involved with Infinity SC. We continue to grow and develop as a club and there are obvious signs of a maturing organization. There are a lot of initiatives going on, many of them driven by you. As many of you have discovered, it’s good to get involved, be a part in the development of your children, and share your talents with the others. We all have heard the saying, “Many hands make light work”; this is very true within the club. I thank those who willingly share and encourage us all to be involved in some positive way.
We have wonderful coaches in the club. I attended a coaches meeting recently and was reminded how lucky we are to have such committed people who are willing to coach our kids. It’s also great when we see the efforts of our coaches and trainers pay off. In the words of Sam Snow, “Soccer is sport, winning is fundamentally important”. Recently our U14 boys Premier Team coached by Jeff and Jamie Wood, won the Icebreaker tournament in Mesquite, Nevada. Congratulations U14’s, it’s great to see your success; it instills within the rest of the teams a desire to do the same. Thanks for your leadership!
The board is working on many initiatives to enrich your experience with the club. We have your best interest at heart. You’ll see incremental progress and I’ll share more at a later time. Thank you for being a part of Infinity SC. Let’s make some noise!
Paul Gibbons, President
It’s an exciting time to have your child involved with Infinity SC. We continue to grow and develop as a club and there are obvious signs of a maturing organization. There are a lot of initiatives going on, many of them driven by you. As many of you have discovered, it’s good to get involved, be a part in the development of your children, and share your talents with the others. We all have heard the saying, “Many hands make light work”; this is very true within the club. I thank those who willingly share and encourage us all to be involved in some positive way.
We have wonderful coaches in the club. I attended a coaches meeting recently and was reminded how lucky we are to have such committed people who are willing to coach our kids. It’s also great when we see the efforts of our coaches and trainers pay off. In the words of Sam Snow, “Soccer is sport, winning is fundamentally important”. Recently our U14 boys Premier Team coached by Jeff and Jamie Wood, won the Icebreaker tournament in Mesquite, Nevada. Congratulations U14’s, it’s great to see your success; it instills within the rest of the teams a desire to do the same. Thanks for your leadership!
The board is working on many initiatives to enrich your experience with the club. We have your best interest at heart. You’ll see incremental progress and I’ll share more at a later time. Thank you for being a part of Infinity SC. Let’s make some noise!
Paul Gibbons, President
Friday, April 22, 2011
u6 & u8 Academy with Lady Aggies ~ Benny Hill style!
Thanks to the USU Women's Soccer team for working with our youth!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Soccer America Magazine 'Whether boys or girls: be consistent, send clear message'
Two Interviews by Mike Woitalla
INTERVIEW #1
A youth coach for nearly three decades, Theresa Echtermeyer is a director of coaching with Colorado United and also coaches the Mountain Vista High School boys and girls teams. She is a National Staff Coach and Instructor for the NSCAA. Echtermeyer spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider's ongoing interview series on key issues facing American youth soccer.
SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?
THERESA ECHTERMEYER: This would have to be a magic, magic wand. I would like to see us all work together more so that we would be supporting our players of all ages and all levels.
You’ve got USYS, the Federation, US Club Soccer. You’ve got recreational, competitive. You’ve got professional, collegiate, high school, youth. There are so many different things that have the potential to pull us apart. Because sometimes when you’re competitive, whether to win a championship or to have players at your club, we forget we’re really all in it together.
SA: As someone who oversees the recreational program at Colorado United/Highlands Ranch Soccer Association, has coached competitive youth ball, W-League, and coaches high school ball -- you’ve been involved in many different areas of the game …
THERESA ECHTERMEYER: What I’ve seen is we really have more opportunities to learn from each other and help each other out, which at the end of the day helps the kids.
The more we share ideas and the more we work together the better it is for our kids. So we should always be asking two questions with every decision we make.
First, “Is this what’s best for the kids?”
Second, “Is this what’s best for soccer in America?”
REST OF INTERVIEW CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE
INTERVIEW #2 Tom Howe helped found St. Louis' Scott Gallagher SC in 1976 and coached future stars such as Tim Ream, Brad Davis and Pat Noonan. One of his alums, Cal coach Kevin Grimes, calls Howe "a legend, one of the best youth coaches ever." Last year, after Scott Gallagher merged with Busch SC and Metro United, Howe left and started a new club, Woodson City Rangers. Howe, a St. Louis product himself who starred at SIU-Edwardsville and played in the old NASL, spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider's ongoing interview series with leaders of U.S. youth clubs.
SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?
TOM HOWE: I wish everybody would try and play like Barcelona. If all the clubs across the country did that you’d have some pretty smart players when they hit the ages of 18, 19, 20.
And there’d be more people wanting to watch soccer in this country. Barcelona’s the best team I’ve ever seen. They’re just fun to watch.
Another thing about Barcelona -- they don’t have a lot of these gigantic athletes who everybody wants to get these days.
SA: What’s the key to playing like Barcelona?
TOM HOWE: The ability to play in tight spaces. You spend tons of time playing in small, tight areas, and then when you get on the big field it’s not a big deal.
I think more teams need work on the possession game. All the best teams in the world over the years have been great technical teams – like Spain, Barcelona. Teams like that play the best soccer.
At the youth level, too many people play more to win. My point is, if you teach your kids to play like Barcelona you’re eventually going to win.
SA: But while you’re learning to play like that you might not win …
TOM HOWE: That’s exactly right. Learning to play like that takes a long time, but once you get it, you’re going to be good. The problem is a lot of people don’t have the patience.
You tell your young players don’t boot it no matter how much pressure you’re under. We want you to get good at this. And at a certain age, you know what, they learn how to deal with it.
Look at how many players we have in this country. At this stage we should be a lot better than we are.
SA: Over the years, have you seen American youth teams playing better soccer?
TOM HOWE: At the youth level, I still see a lot of long balls -- not from all teams. There are more and more better teams each year, but I wish more would try to play good soccer.
We play against teams that boot the ball a lot, and they might beat you. But they won’t beat you five years from now.
You’re going to lose until you get to a certain age. Then you get to a certain level you’re going to be really good. You’re going to play the game the right way – and it’s a beautiful game when it’s played right. I don’t think it’s such a beautiful game when it’s played in a different way.
I can hardly watch college soccer except for a couple teams. Akron -- I like watching them play. They play well and they won the national championship playing like that. Why do a couple of teams play like that and nobody else does?
SA: Tim Ream is a remarkably good young American defender in that he relies more on smarts than brawn and keeps possession for his team after he wins the ball. He said you were his biggest influence as a coach in his youth days …
TOM HOWE: He was on one of our last really good [Scott Gallagher] teams. He said that because he learned that at Gallagher, where we made our defenders pass it out of the back. We’d get criticized for passing too much.
I think when you play like that you get good at it. I think that’s the proper way to approach it. Timmy’s just a very good passer out of the back. I think that’s why Timmy’s so calm on the ball. He’s been doing that since he was little.
REST OF INTERVIEW CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING HERE
INTERVIEW #1
A youth coach for nearly three decades, Theresa Echtermeyer is a director of coaching with Colorado United and also coaches the Mountain Vista High School boys and girls teams. She is a National Staff Coach and Instructor for the NSCAA. Echtermeyer spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider's ongoing interview series on key issues facing American youth soccer.
SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?
THERESA ECHTERMEYER: This would have to be a magic, magic wand. I would like to see us all work together more so that we would be supporting our players of all ages and all levels.
You’ve got USYS, the Federation, US Club Soccer. You’ve got recreational, competitive. You’ve got professional, collegiate, high school, youth. There are so many different things that have the potential to pull us apart. Because sometimes when you’re competitive, whether to win a championship or to have players at your club, we forget we’re really all in it together.
SA: As someone who oversees the recreational program at Colorado United/Highlands Ranch Soccer Association, has coached competitive youth ball, W-League, and coaches high school ball -- you’ve been involved in many different areas of the game …
THERESA ECHTERMEYER: What I’ve seen is we really have more opportunities to learn from each other and help each other out, which at the end of the day helps the kids.
The more we share ideas and the more we work together the better it is for our kids. So we should always be asking two questions with every decision we make.
First, “Is this what’s best for the kids?”
Second, “Is this what’s best for soccer in America?”
REST OF INTERVIEW CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE
INTERVIEW #2 Tom Howe helped found St. Louis' Scott Gallagher SC in 1976 and coached future stars such as Tim Ream, Brad Davis and Pat Noonan. One of his alums, Cal coach Kevin Grimes, calls Howe "a legend, one of the best youth coaches ever." Last year, after Scott Gallagher merged with Busch SC and Metro United, Howe left and started a new club, Woodson City Rangers. Howe, a St. Louis product himself who starred at SIU-Edwardsville and played in the old NASL, spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider's ongoing interview series with leaders of U.S. youth clubs.
SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?
TOM HOWE: I wish everybody would try and play like Barcelona. If all the clubs across the country did that you’d have some pretty smart players when they hit the ages of 18, 19, 20.
And there’d be more people wanting to watch soccer in this country. Barcelona’s the best team I’ve ever seen. They’re just fun to watch.
Another thing about Barcelona -- they don’t have a lot of these gigantic athletes who everybody wants to get these days.
SA: What’s the key to playing like Barcelona?
TOM HOWE: The ability to play in tight spaces. You spend tons of time playing in small, tight areas, and then when you get on the big field it’s not a big deal.
I think more teams need work on the possession game. All the best teams in the world over the years have been great technical teams – like Spain, Barcelona. Teams like that play the best soccer.
At the youth level, too many people play more to win. My point is, if you teach your kids to play like Barcelona you’re eventually going to win.
SA: But while you’re learning to play like that you might not win …
TOM HOWE: That’s exactly right. Learning to play like that takes a long time, but once you get it, you’re going to be good. The problem is a lot of people don’t have the patience.
You tell your young players don’t boot it no matter how much pressure you’re under. We want you to get good at this. And at a certain age, you know what, they learn how to deal with it.
Look at how many players we have in this country. At this stage we should be a lot better than we are.
SA: Over the years, have you seen American youth teams playing better soccer?
TOM HOWE: At the youth level, I still see a lot of long balls -- not from all teams. There are more and more better teams each year, but I wish more would try to play good soccer.
We play against teams that boot the ball a lot, and they might beat you. But they won’t beat you five years from now.
You’re going to lose until you get to a certain age. Then you get to a certain level you’re going to be really good. You’re going to play the game the right way – and it’s a beautiful game when it’s played right. I don’t think it’s such a beautiful game when it’s played in a different way.
I can hardly watch college soccer except for a couple teams. Akron -- I like watching them play. They play well and they won the national championship playing like that. Why do a couple of teams play like that and nobody else does?
SA: Tim Ream is a remarkably good young American defender in that he relies more on smarts than brawn and keeps possession for his team after he wins the ball. He said you were his biggest influence as a coach in his youth days …
TOM HOWE: He was on one of our last really good [Scott Gallagher] teams. He said that because he learned that at Gallagher, where we made our defenders pass it out of the back. We’d get criticized for passing too much.
I think when you play like that you get good at it. I think that’s the proper way to approach it. Timmy’s just a very good passer out of the back. I think that’s why Timmy’s so calm on the ball. He’s been doing that since he was little.
REST OF INTERVIEW CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING HERE
Friday, April 1, 2011
Infinity SC's 2nd Annual Banquet Announced
The banquet will be held on Monday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m. at the Riverwood Conference Center. Please check your game schedules and make any necessary adjustments so you can be with us.
Tickets will cost $15.00. The event space is being graciously donated by Dell Loy Hansen and Elements will be providing the food. More details on how to purchase the tickets will be forthcoming.
A silent auction will be held. Each team is responsible for providing 3 items for the silent auction. The money raised by the silent auction will be split 50/50 with the teams.
Teams are encouraged to get team sponsors for the event. We will be recognizing those sponsors at the tables and throughout the event space. Team sponsorships will begin at $100.00, but are not limited, so any higher amounts work as well. Teams get 100% of their team sponsorship money.
Any items provided by the board of directors will go directly to the club.
I will be forwarding forms to use for your silent auction items and team sponsorships early next week. I also have a list of businesses in town that have given in the past if anyone needs ideas. Plan on having all silent auction items turned in by Friday, April 29th.
Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to Infinity Soccer! We are building a unique club that we can all be proud of.
-Lisa Godfrey
Director of Operations
Tickets will cost $15.00. The event space is being graciously donated by Dell Loy Hansen and Elements will be providing the food. More details on how to purchase the tickets will be forthcoming.
A silent auction will be held. Each team is responsible for providing 3 items for the silent auction. The money raised by the silent auction will be split 50/50 with the teams.
Teams are encouraged to get team sponsors for the event. We will be recognizing those sponsors at the tables and throughout the event space. Team sponsorships will begin at $100.00, but are not limited, so any higher amounts work as well. Teams get 100% of their team sponsorship money.
Any items provided by the board of directors will go directly to the club.
I will be forwarding forms to use for your silent auction items and team sponsorships early next week. I also have a list of businesses in town that have given in the past if anyone needs ideas. Plan on having all silent auction items turned in by Friday, April 29th.
Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to Infinity Soccer! We are building a unique club that we can all be proud of.
-Lisa Godfrey
Director of Operations
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Three Infinity SC Players have been called to U.S. Soccer camp
Three Infinity Players have been called to a special camp with the U.S. National Coaching staff being held in Utah. Lexi Vance (u15 & u16), Kaitlyn McCusky (u15 & u16) and Annalee Davidson (u14) were all invited to e U.S. Soccer Training Center in the Salt Lake City area. The players profiles can be viewed by clicking here.
Congrats Girls!
A brief description of the camp is below:
U.S. Soccer Training Centers are designed to replicate national team training camps, and as part of creating this type of environment only players and coaches are welcome. Parents are not invited to stay and watch the training session.
As the National Governing Body of soccer in the United States, and under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee, we are empowered and charged with developing the teams that represent the United States in all international competitions such as the Olympics and World Cup. The Training Center Program is an integral part of this.
process.
Congrats Girls!
A brief description of the camp is below:
U.S. Soccer Training Centers are designed to replicate national team training camps, and as part of creating this type of environment only players and coaches are welcome. Parents are not invited to stay and watch the training session.
As the National Governing Body of soccer in the United States, and under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee, we are empowered and charged with developing the teams that represent the United States in all international competitions such as the Olympics and World Cup. The Training Center Program is an integral part of this.
process.
Monday, January 10, 2011
US Youth Soccer's Director of Coaching, Sam Snow to visit Infinity Soccer
In preparation of Coach Sam Snows Visit in January he asked our community and club to review the following video(s) of a presentation he gave to a soccer club and community in Philadelphia.
The presentation is broken down in to 10 minute segments on YouTube. Thank you for taking the time to watch these videos as well as taking the time on the 20th to be in attendance. More info on Coach Snow's visit can be found at www.infinitysc.com
Videos
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7
PART 6 is below "more training, less games."
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