Coach: Phew! Two steps forward, one step back. Tough practice yesterday
Karl: I am surprised that because you did not take the time to teach them what to expect at YOUR practices is coming-back at you this soon. I figured it would take at least two or three practices for you to begin realizing that you are working with 8-9 year old girls who need to know what they are supposed to do. Let’s see what happened?
Coach: I was disorganized; kids didn’t remember the pattern and it was hot!
Karl: Nothing we can do about the weather
Don’t worry about being disorganized in the future because our ‘9-Step Practice Routine’ is very specific and will guide you through what to do at each and every practice.
The kids did not remember the pattern because they did not do enough ‘repetitions’ of the pattern to learn it. You will find that one of the emphases in our methodology is to repeat until it becomes a habit. Once you begin using our 9 Steps you will make hard work seem like FUN!!!
Coach: I got off on the wrong foot by warming the kids up before started practice!
Oh well…
Karl: Again, this will be alleviated once you begin to introduce and consistently follow the Steps in our 9-Step Practice Routine. There will be no more “Oh, wells” in the future and that is guaranteed..!
Karl: Half of 1.5 hour doing something new that they don’t understand and maybe don’t enjoy could feel like a life time of pure torture to an 8-9 year old. Remember they come to your practice to play Soccer.
Let’s get specific and spend your time more wisely. You told me that your team plays using the quarter system and they play 15 min. quarters.
Introduce your players to the following schedule:
• Begin Practice – Take less than 3-5 minutes introducing the theme
• Warm- up — 15 minutes of each individual with the ball – Figure 8 Routine
• 1+1 and 1vs1 — 15 minutes
• Break — Length your league allows during the league game
• Small Sided — 15 minutes
• Scrimmage — 15 minutes
• Cool down — Brief
• End Practice — Brief and give homework assignment
Let me know after a few practices how things are going? Once they have the routine down… That is, once they are able to get from one Step to the next after hearing the ‘Buzz’ word… Then, we will start adding some challenges to this “Their Routine”!
Coach:I plan on scaling this back once they get it better. What do you think?
Karl: Your scaling has been covered in the schedule above.
Karl: Way too many themes. We will introduce them, ONE at a TIME, once they have learned to respond the routine ‘buzz’ words. Be Patient..!
Coach: I have yet to introduce any fakes or any other technique.
Karl: More themes that will be introduced once they are able to run a session pretty much on their own. Be Patient..!
Karl: Children get bored once they get it and you keep asking them to do it again and again. These individuals need to be challenged.
Have these individuals help those who ‘don’t get it’ You create better team unity by having players help each other. The ‘teaching player will become better at ‘the theme’. The learning player may catch on quicker because they speak the same language, etc.
Or, introduce ONE of the ‘themes’ you mentioned earlier to these players to practice… if they ‘get’ the current theme/activity!’
Coach: The rest (9 or 10) are/seem bored and confused with the 1 + 1.
Karl: Children get bored if they don’t get it and you keep asking them to do it again and again. These individuals need extra help!
Either you or one of the players who ‘get it’ should help them. Your homework assignment for them could be this theme/activity. Be patient with them and allow them to make some progress on this theme/activity at each future practice. Repetition is the key to their learning and you must disguise the fact that they are still working on the same theme/activity. They key to good coaching is making hard work seem like FUN!
Karl: You allowed them to play Soccer and that made it alright. In the future keep your games even-sided and without restrictions. We will start adding restrictions in the future as the need (challenge) arises. Glad to see that you allowed them to play Soccer!
Karl: Of course they liked the scrimmage. They have played this game before and understand what is expected. We will now aim at their ‘liking’ all the other soccer games that they will be playing in future practices as individuals, in pairs, small groups, or large groups. Finally, we will finish with the Scrimmage which we know they ‘like!’
You got the entire 9 steps in and we will aim at them understanding what the 9 steps are.
Coach: They were tired when we were done..
Karl: And were they smiling???????????
Karl: Your schedule for the next practice is above. Let’s see what happens at the next two practices. The readers and I are eagerly waiting to hear about your and your player’s progress
Karl: You have been advised. Now, find the courage to follow this advice!!