Proper Learning Environment

1
Proper Learning Environment

• A good elementary school teacher, particularly a
  good gym teacher -- creates an
  environment that is . comfortable,
  fun, and non-threatening.
• The children are under control interested
• The teacher is well prepared, organized, knows
  the subject well and communicates effectively.

2
Dry Swimming

• Think about learning to swim without getting in
  the pool
• What is soccer ?
• A game played with a ball, skills, on a field
  with boundary lines and goals, with rules,
  teammates and opponents
• Teach soccer as it is meant to be played, not as
  dry swimming

3
Ball Friendly

• The ball is the first and biggest obstacle
• Body ball coordination is crucial
• Teach skills in fundamental progressions
• Allow young players plenty of time and space to
  perform skills
• At first, its just 1 player with a ball
• Player must get friendly with ball
• Develop both sides of the body equally

4
Fundamental Stage

• First, with just the ball and a player
• Dribbling big area, with stop and restart,
  change direction speed, avoid obstacles
• Ball Touches rhythm, balance
• Passing -- inside of the foot technique - dead
  ball, 1 step approach,
• alternate feet, 2-3 steps to dead ball, moving
  ball to player, moving ball and moving player,
• add a target to pass through (cones)

5
Fundamental Stage -- 2

• Shooting instep technique --
• toe down, heel up, ankle locked
• follow through to target
• land on kicking foot --
• dead ball, 1 step approach
• Dead ball , 2-3 step approach
• Moving ball, standing player
• Moving ball and moving player

6
Player Development

• It takes about 10-12 years to produce an
  established soccer player.
• While most young players are introduced to the
  game about the age of six or seven,
• It is unlikely that they will begin to master the
  skills requiring eye-foot coordination or fully
  understand the principles of play before they are
  about sixteen years of age.

7
Player Development -- 2

• The progress and development of the young player
  is dependent upon good coaching.
• Coaching is first and foremost creating
  situations where players develop skills and
  insight into the game. The development of the
  soccer brain is paramount to the total
• development of the player.
• It is necessary that players practice in a
  stimulating, challenging and game-related
  environment.

8
Coaching Young Children

• A challenge in patience and understanding and in
  creating an atmosphere on the practice field that
  is conducive to learning
• Young children (U6-U8) may be more interested in
  having fun and being in a happy environment, than
  they are in learning how to become a soccer player

9
Age - Appropriate

• Just exactly what can a 6 year old do
• What is he capable of doing
• Motor skills
• Learning capacity
• Attention span
• Interests relate soccer to their interest
• Star Wars -- Cowboys and Indians

10
Organization / Learning

• The proper equipment can enormously increase the
  enjoyment value of a drill
• A coach can make a drill harder or easier by
  making organizational changes
• Ex size of the field, number of goals,
• how to score, number of players
• Any change in the setup can influence the
  learning process of a soccer player without
  requiring much explanation from the coach

11
Organization / Learning -- 2

• Clear and challenging organization ensures that
  the players can grasp and experience the game
  objective
• Changing the organization is a good way of
  enabling soccer players to learn something new
  without any need for explanations