U4 - Active Start - A new Group

This morning I started with a new group of players (and parents) for a 10 week Active Start program.

Of the 18 players, 8 are returnees.  When we got the group together, I explained how the program worked to the parents and we were fortunate that each player had a parent partner right from the start.

Parents were all too happy to join the kids on the field.  It was awesome!  As long as they were given direction on what to do, they seemed more than comfortable being there with 18 young footballers running around.

Involving them is such a wonderful thing.   The most important bi-product is that they get to be with their children, have some fun and be encouraging every step of the way.  Their involvement also increases the probability of their child being involved in EVERY exercise and achieving some success, week after week.  Parents are also becoming more comfortable on the field, among children, and a few might come to the realization that they might want to stay involved as the children get older.

With their parents on the field, children feel safer; socially and as learners.  They are far less likely to run off scared as they might in a group of children.

Every week, I  enjoy the Active Start stage more and more.  It's different from other coaching experiences.  It's a true test of a coach's ability to engage the group as this age is easily distracted or scared.  Your coaching certifications gets lost in the shuffle and you depend on your ability to get right down to the player's level to earn their trust (with their parent's help, of course!).    Sir Alex Ferguson is more than welcome to come to our club to run a session, but if he's not willing to put himself "out there" for the children, they'll eat him alive.

I work with different ages all the time, but there is a very different feeling with this type of setup.  It's not just cones, balls and drills.  It's a lot of physical activity, laughing, high-fives, experimenting and love.  I love the way the kids are loving being close to their parents.  I love the way the parents want to be on the field and get involved.

The craziness that is sometimes equated to sports is completely absent.  And, by the end of the 10 weeks, they will all be more comfortable with the ball.

Now that we've started, my goal is to identify parents who would make decent Active Start coaches for the summer and draw them closer to what I doing, get them into the Active Start course and working with the children this summer.

Is your yearly plan almost ready for 2013?

By this time every year, I always had a yearly plan done.  This year feels weird because I have no team this summer.

I always took November and December off (minimum) but by the end of December I have indoor training space booked until March 31, tournaments planned, a rough budget set and calendar set up.  I don't take myself seriously, but I take what I do seriously.

When I offer advice to coaches I suggest:

• Communicate with players before the end of the previous year.  You can tell them where you are in your planning, remind them of upcoming dates or just say Merry Christmas.  It shows them you are thinking of them and getting excited about getting started.
• Book indoor space in local indoor facilities or gyms.
• Contact and make informal arrangements with other teams for friendlies or joint training sessions.
• Plan tournaments for summer and local hotels if traveling.
• Set a budget for families and communicate this to them as early as possible.
• In accordance with LTPD, your best training practices and what you've learned during the off-season, set your goals for the upcoming season.  Share your plan with assistants and friends and ensure it's realistic and appropriate for their level and age.
• Plan possible dates for non-soccer team activities (pool party, BBQ, etc)
• List volunteer positions to be filled by parents.

When you plan ahead, you have more co-operation from parents and players. It demonstrates that you are happy you are coaching the team and concerned enough that you want the season to run as smoothly as possible for the players.  It also demonstrates that the team is not a fly-by-night operation and you expect commitment in return from the people involved.  Sometimes planning ahead 8-10 months scares people because it makes them realize what a commitment coaching is, if done correctly.  But scaring people is not the purpose of planning.  If anything, it should ease the mind in the sense that it frees you to just coach after the work is done.

Make sure your plan:

• Leaves opportunities for tweaking.  Revisit the plan on occasion and ask yourself tough questions about it's effectiveness.
• Is presentable and organized so there is no misinterpretation.
• Is presented in a meeting type of atmosphere and you are open for questions of clarification.
• Is defensible by you in case anybody questions "why" or "how" with certain areas.

The hassle you put into planning up-front saves you a lot of time the rest of the season.  I know school teachers who know exactly what they are teaching on which day before a semester begins.  If you plan week-to-week and are flaky with your scheduling, players and parents see a casual program.  You will also cause yourself stress over attendance and facilities if you do not plan ahead.

Just as you plan, assess, adjust and reflect your sessions, so should you do the same with your yearly plan.

Practice Planning and Reflection

One thing is for sure: if a practice doesn't go well, it's the coach's problem.  How do you fix it?

“Wisdom comes from reflection.”
― Deborah Day, BE HAPPY NOW! 

Regardless of how busy I am before training, I always find a way to have something written on paper for that session.  Most times it's a very formal plan, other times it's scribbling and doodles and lines.  But I always have something to refer to.

Can I run a session without a written plan?  Of course.  But that's not very smart.  In the chaos that sometimes develops from the presence of a group of youngsters, you can easily forget your sequence or to include coaching points along the way.  I always have my paper tucked into the waist of my shorts ready, if/when I need it.

My plans are simple.  At minimum:

• Type of session (technical/small sided game/GAG/phase of play/11v11/etc)
• theme
• draw a quick sketch of the organization
• equipment required (balls, cones, pinnies, etc)
• list possible progressions
• list key factors/coaching points
• list possible detours if something is not available (players/equipment/space).  This is called "thinking on your feet", but it's easier if you have ideas already.
• action points from the reflection of previous session

Coaches will have their personal preferences as to how they prepare for training, but something tangible, in writing, is a must.  And it has to be on the coach while they are on the field.  Leaving it in your bag is half a job.

Here are some links to sample practice plan templates:
http://www.norcross-soccer.org/docs/Practice_Plan_Template.doc
http://www.powhatansoccer.org/files/Documents/NEW%20USYSA%20Lesson%20Plan.dot

After training you want to perform some form of personal reflection.  These are some questions to ask yourself:

• How was your mood?
• Did you look and sound like a coach?
• What went wrong?
• What went right?
• Was the session enjoyable for you and the players?  Why?  Why not? 
• Did the players improve?  Did the team improve?
• What could/would you change?
• How will your observations today affect your next session?

For me, I know how I feel after a good session and that's the feeling I want during the drive home.  When I don't feel right,  I look inward to find out why and work to fix it next session.   If I have a good session I work to build on it next time.

Reflection is not an option if you're looking to improve as a coach.   Honest reflection is your biggest tool in running a continuously improving program.  Create action points from your reflections to help plan your next session.

U4 -Last "Active Start" session for this group

Nobody would ever guess that you prepare more as the age group gets younger.

Yesterday was the last U4 Active start session for this group.  It was my third with them, but they had 8 as a group.

What I learned:

• I am not afraid of professionals, college players or youth travel teams.  U4 players keep me on my toes and nervous enough that I come to the field with nothing less than my very best.
•  The LTPD recommendations for this age group are useful and very applicable.
• Parents being involved on a 1v1 level is essential for success with U4.
• Parents want to learn what you're showing the children.
• Children do want their parents close by.
• The level of participation is high when parents are involved.
• Parents start to sweat quickly in their jeans and sweater  :)
• One ball per player is the most basic and important requirement.
• Spending time on physical literacy is a must.  Children that young do not total control over their bodies.  Some can barely run in a fluid motion.
• Preparing for a U4 session requires time and effort as you have to make sure the session is busy enough that the players do not disappear on you.
• These children are not ready for games.  Getting them to play 1v1 with parents and understand their direction of attack is a major undertaking.

This week, in addition to activities they were familiar with, we introduced tumbling (from a stand still and a short run) and dribbling with some direction.  The dribbling was a bit of a challenge but we got it on the table.  For those who return, they will see it more often and we will build on it every week.  There was still a lot of time to manipulate the ball and learn basic soccer movements. 

My goal for the next set of sessions after Christmas is to work with at least 8 of the parents and have them attend the Active Start course, so they can start delivering sessions when summer arrives.

What cultivates creativity and imagination?

Sometimes, to help shape our coaching philosophy, we need to access information that has nothing to do with soccer.

I was motivated to finally write about this after tweeting back and forth with @nlevett 

Who has imagination?  Who is creative?  Are you born with it?  Can you learn it? Does it run in your family?  Will Lionel Messi's newborn son be just as good as he is? 

I don't believe everything is "natural" or that you are "born with it".  Many stories you read about the great players have a similar theme ... lots of practice and exposure (formal and informal) in an environment that is crazy about the sport they excel in.  The problem with accepting that much of that may be learned is it puts more onus on coaches and teachers to ensure the environment around children is always positive and nurturing.  For some people, that responsibility is too much.

My opinions about imagination and creativity do not have their roots in soccer, but affect how I think players should be coached.  It's always been topic that has captured my interest.

"...imagination is based on your past experiences and perception of reality..."

We want our players to solve problems in game.  Be imaginative.  But how can they if they've not seen the same situation before, several times?

1. Problem solving is about imagination.
2. A positive environment makes you feel better about what you're doing.
3. A solid fundamental base gives you the freedom to act in given situations.
4. Playing small-sided-games (4v4, 5v5, etc) exposes you to more situations more often that relate to bigger field game situations.
5. With solid fundamentals and previous exposure to a certain situation, a player is in a position to be more effective during a similar game situation.

The science and stats of small sided games varies from source to source.  But the long and short of it is: more touches, more situations, more combinations with teammates, more confrontations with opponents, more goals, more learning.

To learn more about why small sided games work, you need to learn more about imagination and creativity as it relates to anything.

I've read several good books and many articles on development and talent that have little to do with soccer.

The Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell  and The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle were my favourites, but constitute only a small amount of what I've read over the years.

I would also refer you to two excellent podcasts on CBC Radio dealing with Imagination.  These are from the radio show "Ideas".   They are about an hour each but well worth the listen.

Imagination Part 1
Imagination Part 2

There is an old saying "Without fundamentals, there can be no creativity". 

Most of the literature I've read discussed development and technical proficiency as a way of freeing the person to be able to express themselves using the techniques learned.  Simply put, if you don't have to worry about whether or not you have the ball under control, you are free to put more thinking into what you want to do with the ball.

The podcasts were a little more cerebral, but said the same thing in a round about way.  They dealt with the theme that imagination was based on your past experiences and perception of reality.

Here is my imagination handbook in 5 points :)

• Solid fundamentals give you greater confidence and a positive feeling about what you're doing.
• A positive environment gives you a positive perception about what you're doing.
• More exposure to what you're doing in a positive environment gives you access to more situations and problems that need to be solved, building on your past experiences.
• Positive scenarios around failures builds your experiences even more.
• You can imagine/foresee more options about how to solve a current problem because of your memories on how you resolved similar problems and your confidence in that you have the tools to solve the problem.

The environment and culture is HUGE in my opinion.  There is a reason that not many hockey players come from Mexico or baseball players come from Uganda.  It;s tough for a hockey player in Mexicoto build a love for the game if there is little hockey around him.

Your job as coach is to nurture as many aspects of a player's toolbox as you can and set them up to be in positions of having to solve problems, all in the proper environment.

You don't have to wonder why the player who rarely plays has little idea of what to do and even less confidence in whether or not he/she can do it at all. How can they succeed if they have had little to no exposure to a situation?  Then deal with it under pressure?

I'll leave the deep explanations to the books and podcasts.  I hope you find time to enjoy them

P.S.  The podcasts have a wonderful section on how imagination also shapes or kills hope.  It's really good.