Senior Boys

I am of course playing on the senior boys team, and not coaching, but I can still take a lot out of how we are coached. The biggest thing I find about coaches, is that they have to CARE. I don't mean that they have to care immensely about every kid in a camp type environment where they have to care about the level of soccer. But on a team especially the coach must care about winning, but more importantly how his or her players are performing individually, and as a team.

Coaching Hugh Williams Camp

The second to last week in August I coached for an entire week with Hugh at his camp. I think that this was a perfect place for me to do my sort-of final coaching hurrah. The way that Hugh puts the soccer in these camps together really embodies what I want to be as a coach. I will go through day by day.

Monday: Warm up. Warm up in Hugh's camps include game like drills (tottenham, soccer volleyball, small sided possession) but also things like lanes. After warm up there is a skill rotation. This includes two finishing drills, a larger possession drill, and a dribbling station. Not only is this helpful for the kids skill. It also allows the coaches to asses how skilled each player is. The day finishes with first world cup competition, and then 3 v 3.

Tuesday: warm up is the same. Team competition begins. The entire camp is split up into 4 teams allowing a tournament to happen. This tournament encompasses 4v3 rapid fire, king louie, and a passing competition on the first day of the tournament. Points are awarded to winning teams in each event.

Wednesday: warm up. Team competition continues. Today is 7v7 points gambling, and shootouts. The winning team at the end of the day gets prizes which are usually expensive shorts, socks, and tshirts.

Thursday: warm up. 2v2 tournament. Every participant is put onto a team of 2 or 3 (1 sub). Tournament takes place. Winning team receives expensive full team kit.

Friday: warm up. 3v3 tournament. Ever participant is put onto a team of 3 or 4 (1 sub) this time. The winning team gets kit as well.

The main reason I love this camp setup so much is for a few main reasons. First off, it makes it fun for the kids. No one ever feel like, "damn we are doing this drill". The large majority of drills are incredibly fun. This often leads to high effort from kids. Second, the large number of competitions (and great prizes) teaches competitiveness, which of course in a competitive sport like soccer is incredibly important. And finally, all of this together increases kids skill. Competitiveness leads to faster play which makes kids better, and fun drills also increases intensity allowing the kids to become better players over the short week period.

All in all it was a great place to work, and I learned a lot!

Last/This Week

Last week I was lucky enough to be asked to help out with two days of Hugh Williams first week of camps. I was helping out at the 3 vs. 3 tournament. Since it is a tournament the majority of what I was doing was calling corner kicks, and making officiating decisions.

This week I will be coaching for the entire week with Hugh at one of his camps. Hopefully I will have fun and lots will be learned.

Camp

I have been participating in a soccer camp this week. There is a guest coach named Max who plays for the Victoria Highlanders. He also played for Sheffield Wednsday in the UK. He has his UEFA B coaching license which is one of the highest levels of coaching licenses you can get in the world! There are a few things that I have picked up from his coaching, and that I have linked to almost all of the coaching I have ever had.

Every practice (or day in the case of a camp) should have a theme. Or at least an area that is being looked at. This allows for drills to picked accordingly, and for certain areas to be looked at during scrimmages.

As well the session typically starts with a warm up. Then a skill/technical aspect. Followed by drills. Typically one followed by break and then one more. After that there is typically a game situation type scrimmage where the areas looked at in the drills are covered and reinforced.

Max is a highly accomplished coach and anything I can pick up from him is definitely something I should hang on too!

Summer Pt. 2

So far this summer what I have realized is that I am terribly busy. I have tried to get as much coaching in with World Cup Soccer but the issue is that I am also trying to have a job this summer. I am unable to really find any weeks that I will be able to coach, other then the weeks I have set with Mr. Williams in August. Although, when I have been playing this summer I have been paying particular attention to coaching techniques and the ways that coaches get kids to understand their systems, and more importantly want to be a part of them.

With the lack of coaching so far I decided that it is necessary for me to begin doing some reading. I have received a copy of "Football: Bloody Hell" which is a biography of Sir Alex Ferguson. The manager of Manchester United. He is widely believed to be the best manager of all time.

I have also injured my back playing soccer this summer. Thankfully I am not doing any coaching soon, because having an injured back could definitely make coaching more difficult, and definitely more painful!

Summer

The last few months has been terribly busy, but as summer begins Personal Project will be getting a lot more time! Just to recap lets look at what I have done so far. I have coached for a week over spring break with the World Cup Soccer Camp. I have talked to both Mr. Williams, and Steph (World Cup Soccer) and I have a lot of coaching to do this summer! Unfortunately over easter I was unable to coach in the World Cups tournament since my application was lost, or screwed up or something. As well over then summer I will be able to get my coaching license done!

It has been a little while since I posted, but hopefully over the summer I will be posting every few days: maybe a Monday, Wednsday, Friday type schedule.

So thats the summer plan. Can't wait to get started!

The Final Two Days:

I have now completed a full week of coaching with World Cup Soccer Camps. It has been a lot of fun. I have really enjoyed it. I have learned a lot though. When you coach young children soccer, you are less coaching and more being child care. The number one thing that I think I understand now is this: you are not trying to teach kids to be amazing soccer players at this age. If you do they will become uninterested, and burnt out. The only thing at this age you have to do is keep them interested. If the kids are willing to come back, and keep playing. There will be plenty of time to develop and improve when they get older.

Another thing that I learnt is that you have to show off. As ridiculous as that sounds it is true. When you play with the children, sometimes you have to do tricks and run around with them. Obviously don't try and smash the ball and score or anything, but make them look up to you. I remember when I was younger and I was coached by some really good players, who would play in the scrimmages with us. Having a coach playing who is amazing and is doing cool tricks, and easily beating all of the other players is good to have. It makes the kids strive to do their best. They all want to beat the coach. To be like the coach. And at that age having a coach that they want to be like is probably not a bad thing.

Those are some of the things that I learnt in my first real coaching environment. Hopefully I will be able to take those things into my next job, and even build on those skills more.