The following posts have been tagged with "soccer the game is the best teacher"...
Soccer The Game Is The Best Teacher
This is a frequently repeated statement in soccer & there is truth to it, but don’t think it means that a coach isn’t needed. I can’t imagine a child who wouldn’t benefit from being taught proper soccer technique & basic soccer terms, concepts & rules. These aren’t things a child will learn by themselves in the backyard. However, “over coaching” can be as bad as “under coaching”, & that is what “The Game Is The Best Teacher” warns against. Thinking of yourself as a “teacher” & not as a “coach” may help you avoid the tendency to “over coach”. Some coaches believe that the best way for players to learn to play is by playing or scrimmaging instead of practicing. This idea doesn’t make any more sense for soccer than it does for basketball, hockey or any other sport. Scrimmaging is no substitute for practicing specific skills. Also, if you scrimmage a lot your players may be less excited about their real games. (See “Over Coaching” & “Small Sided“).
Soccer Small Sided
Most youth leagues play with less than 11 players per side until U-12 or U-14. This is called playing “Small Sided”. At U-6, there may be as few as 3 per side; at U-8 4 or 5 per side; at U-10 6 to 8 per side, etc. At young ages it is much better to play small sided; the players get many more “touches” on the ball & it is much easier to teach them the important concepts such as “support”, “First Defender”, to “shift & sag”, and to spread out & get open for passes. In small sided games with 5 or less players per side, you shouldn’t worry about “formations” or “positions” but should teach basic concepts, teamwork, passing, dribbling & basic tactics such as “shifting & sagging” & to mark up behind a man when the other team has a throw-in or is near our goal. To quote Bobby Howe, Director of Coaching Education for the U.S. Soccer Federation & author with Tony Waiters of 2 excellent books (see “Recommended References” in Chapter 3 for the titles):
Fewer players on the field
Reduces the size of the “swarm;”
Creates more touches;
Does not allow players to “hide” or be excluded from the activity;
Presents realistic but simple soccer challenges;
Requires players to make simple but realistic soccer decisions.
Realistic Experience + Fun = Improvement In Play.
Some coaches incorporate small sided play (e.g., 4 vs 4) into practices. However, this can be difficult to administer and is not a substitute for practicing specific skills.
(See “Number of Players“, “Formations“, “The Game Is The Best Teacher“, “Small Sided Games & Formations” which is No. 11 in the Section of Chapter 3 titled Basic Information & Tips for Beginning Coaches and the Comments at “Small Sided Scrimmage Without A Goalkeeper” in the Practice GamesTM).
Soccer Scrimmaging
See “The Game Is The Best Teacher“.
Soccer Practicing
See “The Game Is The Best Teacher“.
Soccer Over Coaching
Over Coaching means controlling or trying to “program” a soccer team to the point that they have no creativity & can’t think for themselves. (Soccer is different from American Football in that the game is more continuous & players must make many decisions. It is more like basketball, except you can’t call time outs).
Over Coaching has been criticized, and rightly so. Some of these critics argue that “The Game Is The Best Teacher”. There is some truth to this, but my experience is that the best approach is for the coach to teach technique and basic terms & concepts but also to incorporate small sided play, practice games that teach technique or tactics, or “situational scrimmages” (like the “Corner Kick Simulation” Practice Game on SoccerHelp Premium). One role for a soccer coach is to show the right way, to teach basic terms & concepts, and to teach soccer players the “rules” to guide their decision-making (see “Coaching Rules”) & then let them play. I can’t imagine a child who wouldn’t benefit from being taught proper technique and basic soccer terms, concepts & rules. “Over Coaching” is bad, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t teach kids how to play. Thinking of yourself as a teacher & not as a coach may help you avoid the tendency to over coach. (See “The Game Is The Best Teacher” & “Small Sided“).