Something is different here

SC Soccer

Take a look at the article below about the South Carolina U-14 boys basketball state champions and see if you can notice the dramatic difference between high-level club basketball and high-level club soccer.

http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/06/02/2209913/elite-headed-to-florida.html

Is it that 90% of the team is comprised of African Americans? Perhaps.

Is it that 90% of the players are from the same county? (One kid is from Chester) Maybe.

Is it that there are 5 coaches for a team of 10 players?
A 2:1 player to coach ratio?
Constant individualized instruction for young players to learn the necessary skills to be effective at each specific position?

Bingo!

Let me know the next time you see a high-level club soccer team training out on the pitch with 8 coaches working with 16 players. How about 4 coaches working with 16 players?

Anybody doing this at the highest level?

Please tell me you are not serious?

How many coaches in the streets of ....

PS: Hurst, you obviously haven't been to a youth game recently, our kids have dozens of coaches!

RECCOS,

They are not coaches, they are "supporters". They're on the opposite sideline (where they should be).

Hate to say it but tend to side with Hurst. Almost every other sport I have seen or been involved with have multiple coaches working with a team, and, as a rule, they are smaller in size.

Can practice times overlap when you just might have only strikers or defenders there working on specifics? Simple example: 0-30min strikers, 30-90min team, 90-120min defenders. Positions can rotate based on what is needed or being worked on.

Our classrooms are in big trouble! But that is another debate!

PlayStation style coaching is reserved for basketball and pointy football! Leave the beautiful game alone!

Let's train EVERY kid on the team (except the goalkeeper) as if they were the center midfielder....and then wonder why we don't score more goals?

Or, RECCOS, to put it in a scholastic perspective, let's teach math for 8 periods a day (except for lunch), and then wonder why our kids can't put two sentences together?

You see these types of coaching staffs in the high school game but not in the club scene. The prep coaches seem to focus on the entire package of training compared to the specialized emphasis that club coaches portray. You aren't going to make a living coaching high school soccer but you can make one coaching club. Many high schools get involvement from all aspects of the school and community. That is rare for a club to be able to generate any interest outside of whichever U13 or U17 team individuals are dealing with (and it's usually something different every year and from vagabond club to club).

Quote:

Or, RECCOS, to put it in a scholastic perspective, let's teach math for 8 periods a day (except for lunch), and then wonder why our kids can't put two sentences together?

Umm, weren't we talking ratio of coaches (teachers) to players (pupils)? Let me guess too many math classes?

Making the leap across the transition gap--hope I don't fall into the Chasm of Lost Translation--I think what Hurst was going for is that one coach = one session = everyone gets trained the same way at the same time, but they're expected to perform very different roles on the field. Multiple coaches = multiple sessions can be going on at the same time = players get specialized training for their specific roles, no matter what that role may be.

Hurst?

all my asst coaches give me a full report monday morning

Reccos, Can we get a definition of "Playstation style coaching" and what is "pointy football"? Thanks.

PSC: When a player is not required - or allowed - to think for themselves.

PF: A sport that has approximately 5 minutes (or less) of action over a period of roughly 3 hours!

I'm not advocating "offensive" and "defensive" coordinators.

I'm suggesting perhaps that a club could consider three coaches, of equal ability (not necessarily specialists), working with kids in smaller groups.

Example: Coach Wren takes 4 forwards and works on shooting while Coach Savitz takes 6 midfielders and plays 4v2 keep-away in a tight space while Coach Tisdale takes 6 defenders and works on directional defensive heading out of pressure.

All of this happens for 30 minutes, at the same time, during the same session. I understand (Old Gal) that this is just not practical in the framework of club soccer.

Reccos, you must be from accross the pond because that has to be one of the most dumbest comments I've ever seen on this board. Have you ever watched a high school, college, pro football or baskestball game. Basketball and football games don't draw 1,000's of more fans than soccer games because the fans want to watch a bunch of dumbies. In football and basketball they actually have to "learn" a playbook and think about the next several steps in front of them, like soccer on every play. And also sports are not "beautiful" our wives and kids are beautiful. Sports are great when there competitive and ugly.

That is funny UncleBucko!

You must be one of those coaches that does not believe others are allowed to think for themselves. Just kills you that a fellow citizen can actually 'think outside the box' and not just follow the masses blindly.

I guess those text books were a real challenge! Book smart is, was, and always will be so over-rated! (It is what is wrong with our schools, and now I guess, our sports!)

PS: I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and guess that you did not literally mean 'steps in front of them' ... umm, because that would be really funny!