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.

First Two Days:

Over the last two days I have been coaching with Steph at World Cup Soccer Camps. In the morning I am coaching with a camp of 10 kids. All of them younger then 10 years old. There are a few things that I have learned already: First of all, when coaching young kids you have to keep them entertained! If you keep doing drills, or things they don't enjoy, they will never give you their full attention, or any attention at all! The second thing is that you have to be crazy. Be really silly and get right into the role. Use drills or games that you know, but change the names, or change parts of it so that it is really entertaining and fun for the kids! The final and most important thing is make sure that everyone is included. At that age, there are bound to be kids that are better then others. Make sure that those kids who aren't as good get a chance to be on the ball. During scrimmages play with the kids, and make sure everyone is getting touches.

Those are some of the things I have learnt in the past two days, hopefully I will learn more as the week comes to an end.

Spring Break

Over spring break my project will really start to begin. I am going to be doing some coaching with the World Cup Soccer Camps that are taking place over spring break. I will be doing full days of coaching, from 9-4 (I think) the entire first week! I hope to understand more what I need to be doing as a coach this week. After this week I will hopefully be doing my course before I actually get back on the field and coach.

Things I like in coaches:

1. Nice, but not pushovers.

2. Strict enough to make you better, but don't dwell on the little things.

3. A good mix of fun drills/ scrimmages and technical drills.

4. Have a point to each drill. Don't just do a drill for the sake of doing a drill.

5. Have fun! Soccer is a fun sport, make drills and decisions based on wanting players to have fun!

Hopefully, if I am able to be what I like in a coach, I will do a good job!