Fundemental Soccer

A few weeks ago I requested recommendations on comprehensive soccer training videos for all ages. I received several great recommendations and based on those recommendations I ended up buying a series of videos that are great!- so thanks for the recommendations.

The thing that strikes me after watching these however is just how few of the skills (sometime even basic) I have actually seen taught in any real depth at Academy/Club soccer levels (and my kids have been at various Clubs). And when they are taught it is usually in passing and not repeated. I played a little when I was a kid and I cannot possible count how many various Academy/Club practices/skill sessions I have watched my kids participate over the years- so before watching these videos I thought I would likely have seen a lot of what the videos would cover (at least for the younger ages). But in fact it was rather eye opening- I have seen very few times when my kids were taught in depth fundamental skills (even at young ages) which these videos consider foundational teaching techniques. In fact after watching these videos I see flaws in my u12 son dribbling/shooting/moves etc. that actually comes from years of doing it the wrong way. To be clear I am not saying I did not see coaches doing dribbling, shooting, moves and other related skill work, it is just that they did not really teach it in depth or even correct it very much when it was not fundamentally sound (i.e. yes the kids dribble around, but not with the right technique and yes they are shooting on goal, but not with the right form, power and technique etc.). Also I have found that there is not really that much practice time focused in these areas (even at very young ages)- way less than these particular videos recommend for all ages.

Or maybe it is just us- did we just happened to land on various teams where the coaches do not see fundamental skills and proper technique as important areas to spend a lot of time on for whatever reason? I mean I am sure given the experience and training of most of these coaches they would know or have been exposed to similar training techniques- so they must have a reason they are not spending much time in this area, So my question is are we just more of an isolated case or is this more wide spread and if so….. why?

,

bigtex wrote:A few weeks ago I requested recommendations on comprehensive soccer training videos for all ages. I received several great recommendations and based on those recommendations I ended up buying a series of videos that are great!- so thanks for the recommendations.

The thing that strikes me after watching these however is just how few of the skills (sometime even basic) I have actually seen taught in any real depth at Academy/Club soccer levels (and my kids have been at various Clubs). And when they are taught it is usually in passing and not repeated. I played a little when I was a kid and I cannot possible count how many various Academy/Club practices/skill sessions I have watched my kids participate over the years- so before watching these videos I thought I would likely have seen a lot of what the videos would cover (at least for the younger ages). But in fact it was rather eye opening- I have seen very few times when my kids were taught in depth fundamental skills (even at young ages) which these videos consider foundational teaching techniques. In fact after watching these videos I see flaws in my u12 son dribbling/shooting/moves etc. that actually comes from years of doing it the wrong way. To be clear I am not saying I did not see coaches doing dribbling, shooting, moves and other related skill work, it is just that they did not really teach it in depth or even correct it very much when it was not fundamentally sound (i.e. yes the kids dribble around, but not with the right technique and yes they are shooting on goal, but not with the right form, power and technique etc.). Also I have found that there is not really that much practice time focused in these areas (even at very young ages)- way less than these particular videos recommend for all ages.

Or maybe it is just us- did we just happened to land on various teams where the coaches do not see fundamental skills and proper technique as important areas to spend a lot of time on for whatever reason? I mean I am sure given the experience and training of most of these coaches they would know or have been exposed to similar training techniques- so they must have a reason they are not spending much time in this area, So my question is are we just more of an isolated case or is this more wide spread and if so….. why?

For most coaches in NTX the fundamental skills are biggest and fastest with their teaching and training focused on how best to use those attributes to win in u4-u14 age groups.

A few focus on fundamentals and skills early on, but it is tough with the way the local leagues are structured and games are called. If they focus on fundamentals, skills and developing players for the longer term they run the risk of not winning enough and will likely lose players and teams to coaches focused on winning with size and speed, particularly at the younger ages. A few of the top teams at the ECNL clubs manage to do both but for others it is tough.

Lefty wrote:,

bigtex wrote:A few weeks ago I requested recommendations on comprehensive soccer training videos for all ages. I received several great recommendations and based on those recommendations I ended up buying a series of videos that are great!- so thanks for the recommendations.

The thing that strikes me after watching these however is just how few of the skills (sometime even basic) I have actually seen taught in any real depth at Academy/Club soccer levels (and my kids have been at various Clubs). And when they are taught it is usually in passing and not repeated. I played a little when I was a kid and I cannot possible count how many various Academy/Club practices/skill sessions I have watched my kids participate over the years- so before watching these videos I thought I would likely have seen a lot of what the videos would cover (at least for the younger ages). But in fact it was rather eye opening- I have seen very few times when my kids were taught in depth fundamental skills (even at young ages) which these videos consider foundational teaching techniques. In fact after watching these videos I see flaws in my u12 son dribbling/shooting/moves etc. that actually comes from years of doing it the wrong way. To be clear I am not saying I did not see coaches doing dribbling, shooting, moves and other related skill work, it is just that they did not really teach it in depth or even correct it very much when it was not fundamentally sound (i.e. yes the kids dribble around, but not with the right technique and yes they are shooting on goal, but not with the right form, power and technique etc.). Also I have found that there is not really that much practice time focused in these areas (even at very young ages)- way less than these particular videos recommend for all ages.

Or maybe it is just us- did we just happened to land on various teams where the coaches do not see fundamental skills and proper technique as important areas to spend a lot of time on for whatever reason? I mean I am sure given the experience and training of most of these coaches they would know or have been exposed to similar training techniques- so they must have a reason they are not spending much time in this area, So my question is are we just more of an isolated case or is this more wide spread and if so….. why?

For most coaches in NTX the fundamental skills are biggest and fastest with their teaching and training focused on how best to use those attributes to win in u4-u14 age groups.

A few focus on fundamentals and skills early on, but it is tough with the way the local leagues are structured. If they focus on fundamentals, skills and developing players for the longer term they run the risk of not winning enough and will likely lose players and teams to coaches focused on winning with size and speed, particularly at the younger ages. A few of the bigger ECNL clubs manage to do both but for others it is tough.

Well said.

There are several things that I think hamper the development of individual skills for a lot of players when they work with coaches. When I read your post, here are some of the reactions that I immediately had…

1. The win-now mentality… Even when a player gets paired with a coach that does put development ahead of winning, if those “development coaches” don’t win a majority of their games parents look elsewhere. Development-focused coaches lose their most advanced players to recruiting-focused coaches. This mentality ultimately hurts programs that focus exclusively on development.

2. Large rosters in NTX… The more kids that you have on the practice field with one coach, the less attention each individual will get. Your son may have been dribbling fundamentally wrong but the coach that he was with may have had his attention on other kids that had it more-wrong.

3. Different Learning Styles vs. One Way to Coach… People learn through several different methods. (Hearing, Seeing, Touching, Doing, Varied Combinations) but most coaches only know 1 way to coach. A coach may do excellent demonstrations, but if your son isn’t a “seeing” learner than he’s not going to get all of it. Your coach may explain things extremely clearly, but if your son isn’t a “hearing” learner than he’s not going to get all of it. Most people don’t realize how important it is to pair a coach's teaching style with a player’s learning style.

4. Touching… (This goes along closely with point #3) A coach touching kids is a big no-no. Parents don’t want their kids being touched by adults and I don’t blame them. The problem here though… sometimes to show proper technique you have to touch a kid. “Here is where you should hit the ball on your forehead, not here.” “For a shooting touch, the ball should be struck with this part of your foot.” “When you step next to the ball, your legs should be like this, your arms should be like this, your foot…” Without touching, just trying to explain that can be time consuming and frustrating.

If I was giving advice to a new coach that wanted to focus on development, I’d tell them that they need to make no promises about winning, be selective about the families you work with, and that they need to adapt their coaching methods to cover as many of the different learning styles as possible.

bigtex75081 wrote:There are several things that I think hamper the development of individual skills for a lot of players when they work with coaches. When I read your post, here are some of the reactions that I immediately had…

1. The win-now mentality… Even when a player gets paired with a coach that does put development ahead of winning, if those “development coaches” don’t win a majority of their games parents look elsewhere. Development-focused coaches lose their most advanced players to recruiting-focused coaches. This mentality ultimately hurts programs that focus exclusively on development.

2. Large rosters in NTX… The more kids that you have on the practice field with one coach, the less attention each individual will get. Your son may have been dribbling fundamentally wrong but the coach that he was with may have had his attention on other kids that had it more-wrong.

3. Different Learning Styles vs. One Way to Coach… People learn through several different methods. (Hearing, Seeing, Touching, Doing, Varied Combinations) but most coaches only know 1 way to coach. A coach may do excellent demonstrations, but if your son isn’t a “seeing” learner than he’s not going to get all of it. Your coach may explain things extremely clearly, but if your son isn’t a “hearing” learner than he’s not going to get all of it. Most people don’t realize how important it is to pair a coach's teaching style with a player’s learning style.

4. Touching… (This goes along closely with point #3) A coach touching kids is a big no-no. Parents don’t want their kids being touched by adults and I don’t blame them. The problem here though… sometimes to show proper technique you have to touch a kid. “Here is where you should hit the ball on your forehead, not here.” “For a shooting touch, the ball should be struck with this part of your foot.” “When you step next to the ball, your legs should be like this, your arms should be like this, your foot…” Without touching, just trying to explain that can be time consuming and frustrating.

If I was giving advice to a new coach that wanted to focus on development, I’d tell them that they need to make no promises about winning, be selective about the families you work with, and that they need to adapt their coaching methods to cover as many of the different learning styles as possible.

#4- communication with parents. Explain, when and how you will guide players and that here are the techniques I will be using and this will be the situation I will use them.

Communication with the player, ask for permission always! Is it okay that I put my hands on your shoulders to guide you through the technique?

Read the individual player, just because you think you covered all your basis continue to read the signs that they may say yes, but their body language says no! Stop immediately!

Then of course, it is always safest to not touch players!

I do believe with good intention you and a enormous amount of communication you can use "touching" but always be very careful!

Great posts! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

My advice to all players.

#5 Get off your ass and pick a ball up

Your coach is not a magician and if the only think you do is at practice then you will not be very good. It's not about skill sessions, coaches standing over your shoulder, perfect technique or even videos. It's about mastery of the ball and thinking quick. Brazil is littered with legendary greats with technical flaws. Even Messi has tons of them. I read an article that said the reason there is no messi coming from the US is that instead of allowing him to be himself and accentuating his great things. The US would have coached to all of his flaws and weaknesses until he was absolutely average at everything but special at nothing. I see kids playing here and many of them you can practically see the box label on their skill moves. You can tell "that kids been going to skill sessions (thats not a good thing)". When you see the real players out on the field you can talk to the parents and find out how many things they have broken at home. How they drive mom crazy with balls all over the floor at home. Those kids know how to make the ball dance.

go99 wrote:My advice to all players.

#5 Get off your ass and pick a ball up

Your coach is not a magician and if the only think you do is at practice then you will not be very good. It's not about skill sessions, coaches standing over your shoulder, perfect technique or even videos. It's about mastery of the ball and thinking quick. Brazil is littered with legendary greats with technical flaws. Even Messi has tons of them. I read an article that said the reason there is no messi coming from the US is that instead of allowing him to be himself and accentuating his great things. The US would have coached to all of his flaws and weaknesses until he was absolutely average at everything but special at nothing. I see kids playing here and many of them you can practically see the box label on their skill moves. You can tell "that kids been going to skill sessions (thats not a good thing)". When you see the real players out on the field you can talk to the parents and find out how many things they have broken at home. How they drive mom crazy with balls all over the floor at home. Those kids know how to make the ball dance.

I will add to go99's statment. I recently heard that it takes 10,000 hours of experience to "master" something like soccer. (Disclaimer - I don't know how they defined the term "master" and I don't know where they got the number 10,000.) Let's assume though that the information is accurate.

Our goal is to achieve 10,000 hours only using 5 hours of playing per week....

10,000 hrs / 5 hrs each week = 2,000 weeks

Let's say your kid plays year-round and only takes 2 weeks off each year...

2,000 weeks / 50 weeks each year = 40 years

So if your kid only attends practice and games and never does anything else with a soccer ball, it should take 40 years to master soccer.

I couldn't agree more with go99.

The problem is that tricks and skills seem to have the same meaning to many in NTX. Skills are first touch, turning with the ball, change of direction, etc. These can be taught but take thousands of repititions and many parents think it is redudant and boring. Passing, trapping, turning and shooting are all skills that take a lifetime to master.

On the other hand, how many times have you heard a parent or a coach scream "use your skills" only to see the little 6 year old girl begin her routine of stepovers and dipsy dos with no defender within 20 yards of her. I can't help but laugh at this because it happens in every game.

Skills are boring, repititious things that are the foundation of soccer. It's funny that everyone brings up Messi. He has less tricks in his books than most playing at his level, but his first touch is far and away the best the game has ever seen.

lol I see that all the time. I always think mom and dad paid good money for those skills.

OK, I attended a seminar on self improvement many years ago. I went in expecting to work on all those things I found fault with in myself. The instructor asked all of us to write down ten things we felt were our weaknesses and that needed improvement. Once we had complied, she told us to crumple up the list and throw it on the floor. She then asked us to name five things we thought we did well. "That," she said, was what we would work on. She then explained that focusing on perceived negatives keeps us in a negative frame of mind. Focusing on positives and making them stronger would not only improve good habits but take the emphasis off of negativity. Over the years I have found she is right. So what does this have to do with this topic? I have seen countless young players who "play" with the ball only to lose it to an opponent who just steals it away mid touch. "Skills" as defined by trick plays don't necessarily equate to making a star player. Yes, DDs need foot skills to be able to hold onto the ball and get around players. They also need to be very comfortable with their feet so that they are not dribbling with their heads down watching the ball. But the biggest skill of all that needs to be developed is how to play the game by reading their opponents, where to find holes to dribble through, and where to find their team mates to pass to.

It never ceases to amaze me to watch how few "tricks" professional players use. Yes, they might do a fake move on the occasion, but by and large, they use their brains and their foot to make basic plays winners. I say, focus on the fundamentals and if a trick play becomes as second nature as the fundamentals then by all means let the player use it. Otherwise, focus on good standard play and a girl's thinking cap to make her an outstanding player.

Like many of you have said, fancy footwork is fun to watch, but what wins the game is good use of basic skills and the ability to think on the fly. A focus on first touch, passing, and dribbling cannot be replaced by a few seconds of fancy footwork.

You are correct.

The issue is that most parents do not have a background in the sport and want to see something out of the ordinary from their kids. The top level of soccer they have seen is youtube videos, highlights, etc. That is what they believe is the norm.

One soccer quote that has always stuck with me: "Creativity is a function of the brain, not the feet."

slrsoccer wrote:I couldn't agree more with go99.

The problem is that tricks and skills seem to have the same meaning to many in NTX. Skills are first touch, turning with the ball, change of direction, etc. These can be taught but take thousands of repititions and many parents think it is redudant and boring. Passing, trapping, turning and shooting are all skills that take a lifetime to master.

On the other hand, how many times have you heard a parent or a coach scream "use your skills" only to see the little 6 year old girl begin her routine of stepovers and dipsy dos with no defender within 20 yards of her. I can't help but laugh at this because it happens in every game.

Skills are boring, repititious things that are the foundation of soccer. It's funny that everyone brings up Messi. He has less tricks in his books than most playing at his level, but his first touch is far and away the best the game has ever seen.

Great post. The fundamental skills, of trapping and first touch are critical. If you can't cleanly trap a ball on the ground or in the air most every time then all the moves and tricks in the world will be of little use, as you will never have the time and space to do anything during a game.

You don't need anything to work on trapping and first touch other than a ball, a wall and 10,000 repititions.

InaB wrote:OK, I attended a seminar on self improvement many years ago. I went in expecting to work on all those things I found fault with in myself. The instructor asked all of us to write down ten things we felt were our weaknesses and that needed improvement. Once we had complied, she told us to crumple up the list and throw it on the floor. She then asked us to name five things we thought we did well. "That," she said, was what we would work on. She then explained that focusing on perceived negatives keeps us in a negative frame of mind. Focusing on positives and making them stronger would not only improve good habits but take the emphasis off of negativity. Over the years I have found she is right. So what does this have to do with this topic? I have seen countless young players who "play" with the ball only to lose it to an opponent who just steals it away mid touch. "Skills" as defined by trick plays don't necessarily equate to making a star player. Yes, DDs need foot skills to be able to hold onto the ball and get around players. They also need to be very comfortable with their feet so that they are not dribbling with their heads down watching the ball. But the biggest skill of all that needs to be developed is how to play the game by reading their opponents, where to find holes to dribble through, and where to find their team mates to pass to.

It never ceases to amaze me to watch how few "tricks" professional players use. Yes, they might do a fake move on the occasion, but by and large, they use their brains and their foot to make basic plays winners. I say, focus on the fundamentals and if a trick play becomes as second nature as the fundamentals then by all means let the player use it. Otherwise, focus on good standard play and a girl's thinking cap to make her an outstanding player.

Like many of you have said, fancy footwork is fun to watch, but what wins the game is good use of basic skills and the ability to think on the fly. A focus on first touch, passing, and dribbling cannot be replaced by a few seconds of fancy footwork.

Functionality of the game possession soccer encourages first touch, passing, reading the game. 3v1, 5v2 5v2+1 , 3v2+1

Lefty wrote:

slrsoccer wrote:I couldn't agree more with go99.

The problem is that tricks and skills seem to have the same meaning to many in NTX. Skills are first touch, turning with the ball, change of direction, etc. These can be taught but take thousands of repititions and many parents think it is redudant and boring. Passing, trapping, turning and shooting are all skills that take a lifetime to master.

On the other hand, how many times have you heard a parent or a coach scream "use your skills" only to see the little 6 year old girl begin her routine of stepovers and dipsy dos with no defender within 20 yards of her. I can't help but laugh at this because it happens in every game.

Skills are boring, repititious things that are the foundation of soccer. It's funny that everyone brings up Messi. He has less tricks in his books than most playing at his level, but his first touch is far and away the best the game has ever seen.

Great post. The fundamental skills, of trapping and first touch are critical. If you can't cleanly trap a ball on the ground or in the air most every time then all the moves and tricks in the world will be of little use, as you will never have the time and space to do anything during a game.

You don't need anything to work on trapping and first touch other than a ball, a wall and 10,000 repititions.

To add to this thought process I wanted to give my experience, although my child is only 9 and has been in academy soccer a full two years. She came from a 3v3 team where the focus was on ball mastery and learning space (triangle) in the smaller sides of the game.

My kid was an average player, by no means a standout. One of her friends, whom she still plays with today in academy, took to juggling. Her friend became a phenom at juggling at the age of 7. My kid was so enamored with her juggling that she became motivated to start juggling and to try to be as good as her friend. I remember asking her father, how in the world does she do that and what has juggling done for her? To which he replied, it has done so much for her first touch and also with her striking the ball. She started off with her dominant foot, and whether by design, or her dad encouraging her,after she mastered the dominant foot juggling, she went on to juggling only with her non dominant foot. She became just as good with her touch with her non dominant as her right. She rarely uses her knees, because your feet are what you use the most. 3 years later and she doesn't juggle as much but she is very consistent with it, which is key.

To watch my kid for a whole year try and master juggling was hard in a way because it was so frustrating for her, but I learned she has so much tenacity and is such a hard worker and perservered, and that will get you a long way in anything you set out to do.

Now, two years later, she is one of the most finesse players on the team, not the best, but very focused and her first touch is excellent. First touch is so key (something I see now that the speed of the game gets faster as they get older and play against more competitive teams). A bi product of her juggling every day, at least 30 min to an hr, for a year.

I can say, without a doubt, have your child start juggling, as it will surely pay off.

Drlaura wrote:

Lefty wrote:

slrsoccer wrote:I couldn't agree more with go99.

The problem is that tricks and skills seem to have the same meaning to many in NTX. Skills are first touch, turning with the ball, change of direction, etc. These can be taught but take thousands of repititions and many parents think it is redudant and boring. Passing, trapping, turning and shooting are all skills that take a lifetime to master.

On the other hand, how many times have you heard a parent or a coach scream "use your skills" only to see the little 6 year old girl begin her routine of stepovers and dipsy dos with no defender within 20 yards of her. I can't help but laugh at this because it happens in every game.

Skills are boring, repititious things that are the foundation of soccer. It's funny that everyone brings up Messi. He has less tricks in his books than most playing at his level, but his first touch is far and away the best the game has ever seen.

Great post. The fundamental skills, of trapping and first touch are critical. If you can't cleanly trap a ball on the ground or in the air most every time then all the moves and tricks in the world will be of little use, as you will never have the time and space to do anything during a game.

You don't need anything to work on trapping and first touch other than a ball, a wall and 10,000 repititions.

To add to this thought process I wanted to give my experience, although my child is only 9 and has been in academy soccer a full two years. She came from a 3v3 team where the focus was on ball mastery and learning space (triangle) in the smaller sides of the game.

My kid was an average player, by no means a standout. One of her friends, whom she still plays with today in academy, took to juggling. Her friend became a phenom at juggling at the age of 7. My kid was so enamored with her juggling that she became motivated to start juggling and to try to be as good as her friend. I remember asking her father, how in the world does she do that and what has juggling done for her? To which he replied, it has done so much for her first touch and also with her striking the ball. She started off with her dominant foot, and whether by design, or her dad encouraging her,after she mastered the dominant foot juggling, she went on to juggling only with her non dominant foot. She became just as good with her touch with her non dominant as her right. She rarely uses her knees, because your feet are what you use the most. 3 years later and she doesn't juggle as much but she is very consistent with it, which is key.

To watch my kid for a whole year try and master juggling was hard in a way because it was so frustrating for her, but I learned she has so much tenacity and is such a hard worker and perservered, and that will get you a long way in anything you set out to do.

Now, two years later, she is one of the most finesse players on the team, not the best, but very focused and her first touch is excellent. First touch is so key (something I see now that the speed of the game gets faster as they get older and play against more competitive teams). A bi product of her juggling every day, at least 30 min to an hr, for a year.

I can say, without a doubt, have your child start juggling, as it will surely pay off.

The key is she is now just as comfortable using her non-dominant foot as her dominant foot very early on. She now has twice the options in a game situatiion as players who are only capable with 1 foot.

You will be amazed how many times you see kids running in circles or passing up easy shots while they try and get the ball to their good foot.

slrsoccer wrote: It's funny that everyone brings up Messi. He has less tricks in his books than most playing at his level, but his first touch is far and away the best the game has ever seen.

I don't know about all that. Messi (like his idol Maradona) is more of a one footed player than other all time greats. Plus 90% of his first touches come from short passes on the ground so don't know how one can say he has "far and away" the best 1st touch the game has ever seen.

He's scored a boat load of goals in a watered down league that has at most 3 other decent teams AND only ONE serious competitor to the all world team for which he's played his entire career.
Put him on City and see if he scores 90 goals - doubt it.

I agree with your general point but this Messi and FCB lovefest has gotten out of control. Messi's change of direction and close control dribbling is probably the best the game has seen in a few decades, but to say his first touch is "Far and Away" the best ever is just a man crush talking.

Lefty wrote:

Drlaura wrote:

Lefty wrote:

slrsoccer wrote:I couldn't agree more with go99.

The problem is that tricks and skills seem to have the same meaning to many in NTX. Skills are first touch, turning with the ball, change of direction, etc. These can be taught but take thousands of repititions and many parents think it is redudant and boring. Passing, trapping, turning and shooting are all skills that take a lifetime to master.

On the other hand, how many times have you heard a parent or a coach scream "use your skills" only to see the little 6 year old girl begin her routine of stepovers and dipsy dos with no defender within 20 yards of her. I can't help but laugh at this because it happens in every game.

Skills are boring, repititious things that are the foundation of soccer. It's funny that everyone brings up Messi. He has less tricks in his books than most playing at his level, but his first touch is far and away the best the game has ever seen.

Great post. The fundamental skills, of trapping and first touch are critical. If you can't cleanly trap a ball on the ground or in the air most every time then all the moves and tricks in the world will be of little use, as you will never have the time and space to do anything during a game.

You don't need anything to work on trapping and first touch other than a ball, a wall and 10,000 repititions.

To add to this thought process I wanted to give my experience, although my child is only 9 and has been in academy soccer a full two years. She came from a 3v3 team where the focus was on ball mastery and learning space (triangle) in the smaller sides of the game.

My kid was an average player, by no means a standout. One of her friends, whom she still plays with today in academy, took to juggling. Her friend became a phenom at juggling at the age of 7. My kid was so enamored with her juggling that she became motivated to start juggling and to try to be as good as her friend. I remember asking her father, how in the world does she do that and what has juggling done for her? To which he replied, it has done so much for her first touch and also with her striking the ball. She started off with her dominant foot, and whether by design, or her dad encouraging her,after she mastered the dominant foot juggling, she went on to juggling only with her non dominant foot. She became just as good with her touch with her non dominant as her right. She rarely uses her knees, because your feet are what you use the most. 3 years later and she doesn't juggle as much but she is very consistent with it, which is key.

To watch my kid for a whole year try and master juggling was hard in a way because it was so frustrating for her, but I learned she has so much tenacity and is such a hard worker and perservered, and that will get you a long way in anything you set out to do.

Now, two years later, she is one of the most finesse players on the team, not the best, but very focused and her first touch is excellent. First touch is so key (something I see now that the speed of the game gets faster as they get older and play against more competitive teams). A bi product of her juggling every day, at least 30 min to an hr, for a year.

I can say, without a doubt, have your child start juggling, as it will surely pay off.

The key is she is now just as comfortable using her non-dominant foot as her dominant foot very early on. She now has twice the options in a game situatiion as players who are only capable with 1 foot.

You will be amazed how many times you see kids running in circles or passing up easy shots while they try and get the ball to their good foot.

This is a true statement. My daughter can now use both feet as a result of her juggling with both feet (I learned from her friend's dad to have her juggle with both feet early on in her learning to juggle) and now she is very comfortable using either one with dribbling, shooting, passing.

The mental aspect of the game is what makes a special player, great. Vision, creativity, all come from the mental side. Pirlo and Xavi are two players that come to mind..You can teach and learn skills until you are blue in the face, but in the end, if you lack the mental side, you won't ever reach the full potential. Joe Cole is a perfect example of being a technically sound player, absolute fantastic skills, but average overall. How many kids are truly being taught the game? How many kids are being taught intricacies of his/her position? The "must win" mentality of US soccer is what continues to damper progression to the top..

Messi would get beat up in the Premier League from the physicality of it, and his length of time to excel at the height he has would be diminished. It's already starting to take its toll on Aguero.

Busby Babes wrote:The mental aspect of the game is what makes a special player, great. Vision, creativity, all come from the mental side. Pirlo and Xavi are two players that come to mind..You can teach and learn skills until you are blue in the face, but in the end, if you lack the mental side, you won't ever reach the full potential. Joe Cole is a perfect example of being a technically sound player, absolute fantastic skills, but average overall. How many kids are truly being taught the game? How many kids are being taught intricacies of his/her position? The "must win" mentality of US soccer is what continues to damper progression to the top..

Could it be that most of the coaches we have here in NTX never had the 'mental side' of the game which makes it impossible for them to teach what they do not know.

We always look at how the coach played the game when considering teams. The couple of times we went with coaches who did not get the mental side things did not turn out well.

I also think it is the toughest part of someones game to substantially improve. Changing the speed at which one sees and reads the game and reacts is tough sledding.

pitchdweller wrote:

Busby Babes wrote:

pitchdweller wrote:I think Messi would be the best player in Premier as well. It is not that his first touch is the best the game has ever seen I agree. But his ability to know what he is doing with the ball as it approaches is far and away the best in the game currently. He hardly ever receives the ball and makes a decision. He reads the game and sees opportunities better than anyone since Zidane.

Messi would get beat up in the Premier League from the physicality of it, and his length of time to excel at the height he has would be diminished. It's already starting to take its toll on Aguero.

That is the beauty of football. The physical players from Premier would be negated by the ball movement in La Liga and why they struggle with the fast pace of the South American nations. Brasil struggled with France during their World Cup Final by France's ability to control the pace of the game negating their strength. Britian has far and away some of the best talent in the world but in world competition they negate the strengths of the English in match play by changing the way the game is played.

Two different views, but some accuracies here. Messi simply would not be the player he is at Barca, were he to be a Premier League player, bottom line.

Lefty wrote:

Busby Babes wrote:The mental aspect of the game is what makes a special player, great. Vision, creativity, all come from the mental side. Pirlo and Xavi are two players that come to mind..You can teach and learn skills until you are blue in the face, but in the end, if you lack the mental side, you won't ever reach the full potential. Joe Cole is a perfect example of being a technically sound player, absolute fantastic skills, but average overall. How many kids are truly being taught the game? How many kids are being taught intricacies of his/her position? The "must win" mentality of US soccer is what continues to damper progression to the top..

Could it be that most of the coaches we have here in NTX never had the 'mental side' of the game which makes it impossible for them to teach what they do not know.

.

That is precisely one of the biggest issues. Most club managers are expected to win now, and many simply do not have a firm grasp on how exactly to develop the mental side, because they don't teach the area's in which harness that development.
There is a reason why the youth level in The Netherlands, Germany, England, Italy, Spain, etc.. are so far ahead. They are being taught the mental side at an early age, and learning positions and how to read the game at an early age. Rinus Michels,Joachim Low, Berti Vogts and many other great managers have talked about it's importance.