Rob Berkowitz   Coaches Corner

The NSCAA Convention 2010 – Philadelphia Continued

Field Session – Dynamic and Functional Technique by Romeo Jozak FC Dinamo Zagreb Academy Director – Featured Clinician

Immediately from the beginning of the session it was obvious there is a major disciplinary component with the European club.  Romeo Jozak was extremely demanding and expected perfect execution with even the most simple tasks.  A 10X10 box was setup for the warm up.  Different types of movements were used to warm the players up without a ball.  Once the session began it was obvious that the technical and tactical demands were probably going to be too much for the group that Jozak had to work with.  There was a heavy emphasis on technical ability and mistakes were not tolerated.  For the 1:15 minute session the players were put through a series of combination play that the group had a hard time grasping.  It was evident that the clinician was getting very frustrated with the lack of technical ability as well as the ability of the group to comprehend the intricate passing combinations.  In a team session I personally would have changed the activity because the frustration level of the players and coach were both very high, but in a clinic setting it is not possible to change topics.   All of the ball work was done without pressure from an opponent.

 

Field Session Dynamic Warm-ups: Maximizing Training Time by Chris West Director of Fitness Education – Level All

Chris began the session by talking about Active Mobility and the 5 S’s (Speed, Stamina, Suppleness, Strength, Skill) and how these need to be trained in some capacity in every session.  The focus of the session was on how to maximize your training time to accomplish this.  Chris made a point of saying the days of having your team run around the field and get in circle and stretch should be over.  Stretching and warm up movements need to be dynamic and replicate the game as much as possible. 

Some different movements that were used to warm up the group were:  Walking knees to chest, Walking quad stretch, Pull knee up rotate hip out, Pull knee up rotate hip in, forward lunge, lateral lunge, Open gate – close – gate twist, heels up, squat position.  The movements were done in a figure eight type grid because movements in a game are rarely in straight line.

 

Field Session – Possession for the Future Game by Dick Bates English FA – Featured Clinician – Level Advanced

Dick Bates began the session talking about the how the game has changed dramatically over the last 20, 10, and 5 years in the English Premier League.  It is much more athletic, physically, technically and tactically demanding and he believes it will continue as such.  Teams are more organized with zonal defenses and there is more of an emphasis on counter attacking soccer.  With the reduction of time and space the players have to play in now they must be prepared work in tight areas.  Teams must have the ability to play around and over teams in the final third if they are going to be successful.  No longer can teams play through or in behind because of the limited space they are given teams adopting a more defensive mindset (ie. 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1)

Couple of interesting statistics: 80% of passes in the English Premier League are 1 or 2 touch.  The average time a player has on the ball with no pressure is 2.1 seconds, not much time at all….

The session itself dealt with the players playing different type of balls: 1 touch in the air with the laces, 1 touch with outside of the foot, 1 touch with inside foot.  Playing volleys with both feet off the ground, passing with the chest.  Using different surfaces to create backspin, sidespin, no spin.  Dick harped on the fact that aerial possession is a must in the future game and the players must be proficient in these areas or they will struggle. 

Some different possession activities were also done.  Points were given for everyone one touch pass in the air.  This encouraged players to put their teammates in situations in which they had to play out of the comfort zone.  Also in the possession activities a “safe zone” was set up.  If the player did not feel comfortable they could pull the ball into the safe zone and could not be defended.  This replicated the idea of a packed zonal defense with having very little chance of success trying to play through. 

This was definitely one of the more creative sessions I have seen.  It was certainly an advanced session and it’s implementation would certainly be challenging at the youth level.  The demonstration group was the 3^rd ranked U-17 boys club team in the country and they had a hard time with it.

 

Field Session – Winning in Transition by Sasha Cirovski Head Coach University of Maryland – Level Advanced

“Hate Not Having the Ball” that is his motto for his team and is the foundation that one of the most successful programs in the country is based upon.  In every session with his college team Sasha creates an environment where there is constant transition (gaining or losing possession).  He wants his players to have a mindset that is ok if you lose possession but it is not ok if you don’t try to get it back immediately. 

The session itself focus on numbers up or numbers down situations 3V1, 4V2, 7V3.  He tries to put his players in situations that are difficult and have to develop a mentality that they will do whatever it takes to get the ball back for their team.  Concepts of pressure and cover were introduced throughout the session.  Stoppages were used to focus on a lack of commitment to win the ball back.  A line that he used that was very profound “I used to stop the play during a session and try to impress myself with how much I knew”.  “Once I got passed that point in my coaching career my sessions flowed a lot better”   Definitely makes sense and probably something we have all been guilty of at one time or another.

 

 

Field Session – Position Training by Uli Ballweg German Women’s National Team Asst. Coach – Level Advanced

Uli did position training for defenders, midfielders, and forwards at the convention.  The session I observed was training your midfield players.  This session was probably the most tactical of all the sessions I watched.  He described the fact that in Germany players are functionally trained, in other words they try to replicate the game as much as possible for the players. 

The warm had players working in groups of 3 and creating movement based upon what your partner was doing.  This is similar to what midfield players experience in a game. 

A 3 grid game was set up for the main activity.  The team that was being focused on set up with 7 player plus 1 goalkeeper (going from back to front) 3V2, 2V1, 2V3.  In order to move into the attacking 3^rd the backs had to play into the midfield.  With the 2V1 situation whichever player was being marked they would create space for the other midfielder to work into.  A progression was used and restrictions were put in place and taken away to make it more game like.  The session concluded with an 11V11 game with no restrictions. 

 

Field Session – Building Zonal Defenses One Player at a Time by Thomas Carlin Head Coach Villanova University – Level Advanced

In today’s game very few teams use a true man marking system like in years past.  This session was a good foundation to introduce zonal defending to a team.  It focused on the individual player and how they fit into the system.  In introducing a zonal system it is much easier for players to first be taught the individual side before the team side. 

The players were taken through a warm up that used a speed ladder.  All of the movements were things players were going to be asked to do when the session began (forward, back, lateral, combination, quick changes of direction).  After the warm up players were instructed on basic body positioning.  A 4 channel game was used and the team defending concept was introduced.  Many stoppages took place and Thomas looked at the individual and team shape.  Next the teams played 7V7 and were set up with a back 4 and 3 midfielders and played a four goal game.  In the final phase keepers were introduced and an 8V8 game with no restrictions except for an offside line.  Teams were encourage to compress the space the opponent had to play in.

 

Lecture – The Benfica Way: Teaching the Game Through the Game by Hugo Vincente – Level All

This was a very interesting lecture and how one of the top clubs in Portugal runs their youth academy.  The Benfica motto is “You Can’t Teach the Game without Playing the Game”  Everything they do is put in game situations.

Some of their philosophies:  There must be a tactic present in every exercise (Mental Thought).  Players must be stimulated in every exercise (technically, tactically, physiologically, socially, and emotionally).  Every situation in training should involve pressure from an opponent.  They don’t do individual ball work, they don’t teach players “moves” the game does.  From the youth team to the senior team fitness involves a ball and the game. 

Hugo posed the question if you add up all the 30 minute fitness sessions without a ball over the course of a season think how many practices that adds up to.  They create thinking patterns for the players with individual and collective preferences. 

The two most striking things from the lecture were: Benfica thinks speed is the most important aspect when looking at youth players.  You can teach kids soccer, you can’t teach them speed. 

The second thing was the fact that everything replicates the game and has a decision making aspect.  Every Benfica (from youth academy teams to Champions League Teams) session ends with unstructured play.  The game is the best teacher and that is why great players are developed through the game.

 

Lecture – Long Term Player Development:  A Curriculum Approach by Tony DiCicco and David Newberry – SoccerPlusFC – Level All

Tony And David operate SoccerPlusFC which consults for youth clubs.  Basically clubs pay SoccerPlusFC to come in and implement a player development plan.

The first phase when looking at a club according to Tony and David is to make sure they have a strategic plan in place.  This needs to be in place before anything else.  Once this is in place six steps are recommended

1. Adopt a philosophy (club wide)
2. Implement a curriculum (Not a list of drills or sessions or a checklist)
3. Player Development Program – Stages of Development
4. Coaching and Parent Education
5.  Year Round Assessment (Not just tryouts) 4X’s Per Year
6. Player and Parent Feedback – Engage Parents

 

Some other topics that were discussed and what they see at many clubs:

• Soccer has become big business and unfortunately, many decisions are based on this fact.
• Clubs generally put better coaches with highest level teams, make sure you have good coaches with entry level teams
• Vertical (Traditional Clubs separated by age and gender) vs. Horizontal Integration (Age based vs. Skill based).  They encourage more of a horizontal model where groups are determined more by level than age (within reason 5,6,7 year olds not 5,9,14 year olds playing together).  In the horizontal model it is easier for coaches to manage a team because skill level is very similar.
• Use of paid trainers is becoming very common.  Clubs must be careful not to mistake this as a player development plan.  If trainers are not used properly it is simply a band-aid fix.  There should be a 3 year exit strategy in place by having the trainer work with the team and educate the coach at the same time.

 

Their 8 Reasons For the Lack of Player Development at the Club Level in the U.S.

1. Poor Appreciation or Understanding of Player Development

2. Little or No Emphasis on Coach Development

3. No Strategy or Long Term Vision

4. Loss of Focus (Team vs. Individual)

5. Wrong People Making Decisions

6. Being Good is the Enemy of Being Great

7. Conflict Not Collaboration

8. Those Who Can Are Not Doing Enough

 

 

I hope you found the overview of my convention experience valuable.  I highly suggest attending a future convention.  It really is a great learning experience as long as it is approached with an open mind.  More so than any of the sessions, drills or lectures that I observed it was the different ideas and approaches by extremely successful clubs and coaches that will leave a lasting impression.  To steal a line from a 77 year old coach at the convention I heard say “the day I stop learning is the day I stop coaching”.  Hope to see everyone in Baltimore in 2011.

Rob