Learning from our U-Littles

Denied said:
My daughter, who is 21 and playing soccer in college, sent me a text to inform me that she is now a coach for a boys U8 soccer team. This is right up her alley because she plans on teaching. She asked me for advice, the only thing I told her was make practice fun.
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More scrimmage, less drills. Let the kids run the scrimmage, pull players aside for quick 0ne-on-one tips.
 
Denied said:
My daughter, who is 21 and playing soccer in college, sent me a text to inform me that she is now a coach for a boys U8 soccer team. This is right up her alley because she plans on teaching. She asked me for advice, the only thing I told her was make practice fun.
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U8 means they're six turning seven, right? Hand out candies at the end of every practice.

If she has a small budget :), go to Dollar Tree store and buy some cheap super hero craps. Hand them out to kids that did something special during training sessions.
 
Lambchop said:
Your comment is so off on the "wealthy suburban players" it isn't even funny. I work two jobs so that my kids can play and so that I don't bounce checks. At one point I worked three jobs because I am a single parent. Maybe if some of the parents of those who can't afford to pay would pick up an extra job or two, they could afford it too. But I guess it is easier to sit back and complain, oh poor me, I can't afford it. By the way, my kids have plenty of passion and you can usually find them in the street, yard or house kicking the ball around for fun when they aren't at school or practice. So many stupid assumptions.
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Are you seriously saying that you work 2 jobs to pay the range rover's lease of some tracksuit wearing used car salesman?
 
In my 8 years of rec/club soccer experience, I have seen some women get out of control with the yelling and berating of refs and kids. However, it's typically the men that start problems with coaches, refs, and other parents. Then they wonder why their child wants to quit. I always yell at them and tell them to "relax,it's just a youth soccer game, it's not the world cup". This typically works and they shut up.
 
Too bad this thread got sideways with all the banter....

Just wish everyone would call out the U-Little coaches that suck the life out of our kids.

Maybe then they would start teaching the kids on the team instead of recruiting the next athlete.

I know wishful thinking...Maybe we should just look at all the clubs that suddenly become irrelevant after U11.
 
Or how about calling out the parents who suck the life out of a program because they cant accept their player isn't any good.

It's funny how year in and year out its always the bench players parents who always make the biggest stink and end up blaming the coaches or other players on the team for their lack of ability.

AYSO serves a great purpose for these special walks of life
 
Chalklines said:
Or how about calling out the parents who suck the life out of a program because they cant accept their player isn't any good.

It's funny how year in and year out its always the bench players parents who always make the biggest stink and end up blaming the coaches or other players on the team for their lack of ability.

AYSO serves a great purpose for these special walks of life
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My younger boy hasn’t been in that position, but it does suck watching the managers kid pick daisy’s and carve out time from players.

The Elite st coach can’t fit his head in the car by the end of the day after getting told how wonderful he is. Where are they when those same super stars are sitting on the bench in 2-3 years? Polishing their U-9 trophies I bet!
 
toucan said:
In other words, USSF has decided that there is only one true way to structure practices, and one true way to train players, and it will not give licenses to those who don't agree with its homodoctrinal approach.

In 17th-century Europe, you couldn't get a degree in medicine unless you could show proficiency in astrology. Galileo was put under house arrest by the Church for suggesting that the universe did not revolve around the Earth. In 21st Century America, USSF will not license you unless you confess that its "play-practice-play" doctrine is the only correct doctrine.
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This has always been this way at USSF licensing. To pass the course you need to do what instructors tell you. Once you are coaching, it's all up to you now.
 
toucan said:
In other words, USSF has decided that there is only one true way to structure practices, and one true way to train players, and it will not give licenses to those who don't agree with its homodoctrinal approach.

In 17th-century Europe, you couldn't get a degree in medicine unless you could show proficiency in astrology. Galileo was put under house arrest by the Church for suggesting that the universe did not revolve around the Earth. In 21st Century America, USSF will not license you unless you confess that its "play-practice-play" doctrine is the only correct doctrine.
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First let me say ... "Heretic, Heretic, HERETIC!!!!" :)

Now that we have that out of the way, I think many of us forget that the vast majority of soccer players are not in the club/competitive system. They are just kids looking for fun and exercise and play multiple sports. The coaching ranks are filled with Dads and Moms that don't know how to run a practice and make it fun. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some Recreational Coach spend 15 minutes having 7 year olds do "static warmup/stretches" and then move to drills, drills, drills and finish with some game like "sharks and minnows" because "dammit, that is how we did it when I was a kid." The grassroots courses are for these guys.

The move is to put in a system that allows those parent-coaches to get some basic guidance on how to keep these kids in the sport and create a love for the sport so "futbol / football / soccer" becomes something they recreationally play and watch.

With regard to the 10% of kids that will move into the club ranks and the .05% that will play at a high level, the D-A licenses exist.

Nothing in the grassroots courses and upper level courses prevents a coach from running a practice however they see fit, but at least they will be taught a system the USSF believes in.
 
Flame suit on-
But the AYSO u8, u10 and u12 courses pretty much mirrors what ussf is doing with these new grassroots courses. And the AYSO courses are free of charge.
Too bad US soccer couldn’t work with AYSO instead of reinventing the wheel ($$$$).
 
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timbuck said:
Flame suit on-
But the AYSO u8, u10 and u12 courses pretty much mirrors what ussf is doing with these new grassroots courses. And the AYSO courses are free of charge.
Too bad US soccer couldn’t work with AYSO instead of reinventing the wheel ($$$$).
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Why on earth do you expect adults to work together for the benefit of the kids?
 
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