SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States

SCYSA just posted the following item to their website [www.scysa.org]: "New Coaching Guide Available"
The 70-page �Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States� coaching book serves as the sport�s definitive new player development guidelines and is available at ussoccer.com:
http://images.ussoccer.com/Documents/cms/ussf/Best_Practices.pdf

Just curious to collect your thoughts as to the recommendations in the guide and the likelihood that South Carolina will adopt the guidance on tournaments, division schedules or even if clubs will adopt it's guidance on playing up, coaching time, coaches credentials, etc.

Some of that stuff is pretty humorous.

For U14 players, the guide recommends "...Ideally, a three game event should be played over a five day period..."

We went to a three day tournament at Disney and played four games. I guess that should have been extended over a six day period.

I know that, for example, the Palmetto Cup Tournament going on right now in Columbia, is a four day event, but other than High School Varsity, who has four day tournaments? And, at a time other than Spring Break?

Regarding credentials, they recommend a "B" license for U14 and U16 coaches. I think two things would happen if that were followed by SC:
1) there would only be about four U14 and U16 coaches in the state, or
2) parents would be paying about three times as much as they are now for training fees.

I've stated on here before, I have seen coaches with an "A" license who I wouldn't let coach my dog, and I've seen coaches with NO license who I would recommend to anyone anytime.

In a perfect world, I guess all of their recommendations would be great.

I'd love to know SCYSA's official stance on this guide.

Speaking of coaching certification requirements, I'm wondering how that will be enforced for 2006/7.

By all measures, I am not a very good coach. However, I do have an 'E' certification. I plan to turn my team over to a great coach, who does not have a certification. I could go through the effort of upgrading to a 'D' certification this summer, and stay on as a carded coach for next year. But that would be fairly hypocritical, since I know that with the new coach, I would add very little value to the training of these kids.

Has SCYSA confused qualification with capability?

In most large markets, I would guess that there are enough 'D' and higher licensed coaches. But in the smaller towns, that's just not the case. Are any other clubs scrambling to meet the new certification requirements?

SCYSA Coaching requirements

lurker,

From what I have heard, the "D" licensing course should give you a new appreciation for the game that you might not have had before. Don't underestimate your value to the team - any further knowledge of, or insight into, the game, can only help you and your team. That being said, I don't think taking the "D" course would be hypocritical at all.

>>[lurker] Has SCYSA confused qualification with capability?<<

Licensing, in any profession, isn't about establishing a causal 1-1 link between qualification and capability. Rather, it's about establishing a minimum (let me stress that again, minimum) baseline of knowledge deemed necessary for the practitioner.

With that said, I find it interesting that in several of their recent decisions to force standards upon their member clubs that the SCYSA has seemed to be out of touch with the needs of clubs -- both large and small.

It's probably time to look into electing a new SCYSA board; however, it's only going to happen if people like you, "lurker", and others get their club board presidents to vote for alternate candidates.

With respect to "playing up", I thought that the book was dead on. You leave it to the coaches and the final person deciding is the DOC. It always bothered me when a set of parents (not of the player, but volunteers in the club) take it upon themselves to make the decision.

More importantly, however, I really, really liked their recommedation for club registration versus team registration of players. The ability of a club to be flexible and offer different opportunities to different pools of players depending upon circumstance is a powerful one -- and one that the SCYSA has restricted. So far, if I could have just one of their recommendations implemented for next season, that would be it.

Chico.... Sounds alot like US Club Soccer...HMMMM!

I think this thread is especially appropriate at this time for the following reasons:
1) Clubs are trying to merge regions, ex. discussions here about certain regions NOT offering a set of services (i.e. CESA's attemp to penetrate the market in Columbia).
2) Dissatisfaction with USYouthSoccer vs US ClubSoccer.
3) Bridge/CESA having an entire team play up (U12 to U13) for their reasons (I'm not saying if its good or bad) and SCYSA allowing the registration vs the Guide (Case by Case basis).
4) Games schedule, where 2 division games are allowed in a day (probably done to accomodate travel).
5) Scheduling travel for games where the distance is greater than an hour (would almost require the state to be divided into 2 divisions like NC [east-west]).
6) Scheduling ODP practices, travel for a practice has been at times 3.5 hours?
7) How does each club stack up as kids start tryouts (i.e. Coaches' licenses, practice schedules, etc)

I'd like to see 200 posts on comparisons and Club reps' statements regarding implementation of the standards recommended in the Guide. Let's improve the quality and consistancy in the state. What are CLUB Presidents doing about it? Do Club Presidents meet to discuss these issues? The only Club Rep that I am aware of that posts here is BEAR: Darren, any others?

I see alot of collaboration by the coaches at the HS level and a forum pretty much dedicated to them. What about one for "Club Coaches"? Clubs are the feeder to HS.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lurker:
[QB] Speaking of coaching certification requirements, I'm wondering how that will be enforced for 2006/7.


and it's not as if there a whole lot of coaching oourses being offered.

>>[Soccer For Fun] Bridge/CESA having an entire team play up (U12 to U13) for their reasons (I'm not saying if its good or bad) and SCYSA allowing the registration vs the Guide (Case by Case basis).<<

With regard to "their reasons", I would tend to believe that those reasons would be the perceived best interest of those players. Unless a new rule is written [e.g., 50% of players on a team must be in the maximum age bracket] it seems it's going to be a club discretionary thing. Probably helps smaller clubs more than larger clubs in any case.

The negative that I can see is if these teams playing up a year were clearly uncompetitive in their higher age brackets -- but you'd think that would be self-correctly after a season.