Development Strategies.

[bettermirror]

Hi, since we've been talking about development I thought it might be a good idea to put them all in one place. As a coach, a first year assistant coach with only youth coaching certificate for now, I must admit this is a bit selfish because I'd like to steal a lot of your ideas!

I'll start at the top of the pyramid.

A national league - in all it's shapes and forms. I for one, think that the national league must have 8 top national level teams. Underneath must be 8-10 provincial leagues (combining the maritimes into one or joining quebec). An open cup, of course. Each of the 8 top teams will have a full reserve squad in the provincial leagues. Each of the top 8 will have a youth team in every age from u13 to u18 as well as a u21 team.

Youth development specifically.

Skills, skills, skills, skills. Promote skills, not tactics until at least u13. Yes, there are competitive leagues where you need certain tactics to win, but in the long run it's the individual skills that will help. The top teams must have two formal practices a week and a drop in "Street-soccer" (thank you for the idea Abby Youth Soccer) on the third day where the kids organize themselves and just play.

Unfortunately, I have to go to work and may edit this post and expand it later.

But it comes down to needing a national league - even if it's semi-professional and only draws 400-800 fans a match. It can work with the appropriate sponsorship deals.

Time to deal with the snow!

[juaninho]

I'll address your youth development scheme.

Yes, skills are really important, but i think leaving out tactical training until 13 may be a bit foolish. I would think maybe around 10-11 start talkin' tactics. Some tactics are in fact skills, like passing into space for example. As some have mentioned, small sided games would be a good way to develop tactical sense.

But i think the method of teaching/coaching is what needs to be addressed. Merely demonstrating the skill and then having the kids mirror it won't be enough i think. The Russian Psychologist Lev Vygotsky has this theory of learning called scaffolding. This is a rough paraphrase, but the theory states that learning is a social endeavor, in which the teacher/faciltator provides a portion of the desired knowledge, and then the student works to complete it. The student must provide the 'bridge' to complete the learning. If the student gets stuck, the teacher/facilitator can ask guided questions to help move the student along the right path - the teacher shouldn't give the answer, unless the student is really stuck. Because this is more personal, the child will remember/develop/learn the skill better and not just use it verbatim, but rather APPLY the skill in novel situations. If your program incorporated this theory of learning into its curriculum, you'll probably churn out smarter, more skilled, and more creative soccer players. You'd need a few helpers/facilitators on the team to assist the coach.

That's my 2 cents bettermirror. Hope the info is of some help.