Tryout season is nearly upon us. As in other years, I’ve heard parents talking on the sideline about switching clubs. I once asked a coach to compare two clubs. He said, “Same shit, different shirt.” I appreciate honesty. So you’re probably not going to see much difference if you switch clubs. They all claim “development” […]
I love this video. Obviously not the only way to play or the only formation to use, but the simplicity of explanation is compelling. Of course, there are always questions: Why would you use this formation over another? How do you teach it? When is this formation not ideal? What type of players does this […]
Read this: 2 Fundamental and Objective Metrics to Judging a Coach?s Quality. In fact, read every post in that blog. I don’t agree 100% with every post, and disagree with several, but 3four3.com put into words what I’ve always felt instinctually but couldn’t articulate. It’s the best exploration I’ve found of what is wrong with soccer in […]
So, how should you pick a youth soccer club for your child? The answer is, you shouldn’t. By definition, most kids are average, or below average, soccer players, and really should be playing recreational soccer. “Select” soccer is a misnomer. There’s nothing select about it after the first or second team per age group. If […]
A friend asked me for advice about his toddler’s impending soccer “career”. After thinking about it, here’s what I came up with: My only advice is, whatever you do, find the best coach you can. It makes all the difference. 99% of coaches don’t know jack and their “coaching” is actually detrimental to your kid’s […]
So I went to watch some other teams from our club play this past weekend. I thought (hoped?) maybe it was just my kid’s team and coach that played American kickball. I was curious to learn if there was any good soccer being played elsewhere, perhaps a coach teaching possession, or maybe if I was […]
It started with one pass, when my kid was six years old. From the right sideline, with barely a glance, Sam I Am caressed a perfectly threaded diagonal through ball from beyond midfield, landing sweetly on the striker’s foot. The striker promptly toe punched it to the next field, but the seed was sown. It […]