It is Fall and time to play football (you know, soccer). I once again volunteered to coach Max, who now falls into the under 8s, which is a whole new world of fun. There are several differences when you move from U6 to U8: there are 7 to a side, there is a goalie, the goal is big (6 ft high, 18 ft wide), there are throw-ins and there is a referee. Curiously, there are no offsides and no slide tackles (more on that later), so the games fall in this never-never land of quasi-soccer, which I guess is a good thing for the boys as they are still learning. At least now score is "officially" kept - the fiasco of trying to keep kids from keeping score that was semi-enforced last year is gone, so now I guess it is O.K. to actually try to compete and win. Sometimes Santa Cruz is a bit too P.C., even for me...
Last season, when there were no goalies and only small goals, the team I coached did very well (but who keeps score?), so it will be interesting to see how things pan out this time around. We will be playing some big kids, ie: 7-year olds, and at this stage the difference in ability between 6 and 7 is quite dramatic. But I am hoping to get our kids to think quick and run quicker so they can run circles around the older kids. I also hope to instill in them the ability to be creative while learning and playing, and to keep them having fun throughout the season. Best laid plans and all that, I'm sure!
I have found some good resources on the web for coaching, and I have even bothered to buy some DVDs to lend out to interested kids to teach the more technical skills of dribbling, and the simple skills of how to kick a ball correctly (and eventually bend it like Beckham, of course). Interestingly enough, the stuff I find on the web is all from the U.K or U.S. - I have specifically gone out and looked for skills training from Brasil in Portuguese, but I cannot find a single one! The legend that Brasilians just grow up knowing how to play and never learn the technical stuff is mighty strong, although it is just that - a legend. Soccer players in Brasil value creativity, no doubt, but at any level they are immediately learning the more technical skills from coaches - it is just that none of this is online yet (or at least I haven't found them).
Anyway, the team is ready to go, they had their first training session yesterday and it went pretty well. At this age it is hard to keep the focus all the time, and mostly the boys just want to scrimmage. But with some positive coaching (a mandatory class I had to take this year which was actually quite good) I think we can succeed in moving those who want to learn along the path, and letting those who don't want to learn at least have some fun, because if you lose the fun, there is no sense to coming out in the hot sun and kicking the ball around no matter how much your parents want you to do it. And we even got a sponsor this year, a candy store! What better motivation is there?
One last thought on slide tackling: I am of two minds about the fact it is not allowed, given that it is part of the game and that if it is done right it is actually quite an effective tool. I think the reasoning behind banning it from U8 is that the kids can get hurt, and no one wants that. But if it is taught correctly, and used correctly, then why not learn it early? I mean, kids can get hurt in the goal, or at any stage of the game, unless they are taught to do things correctly (I have seen regular tackles that look like they belong in American Football on some of the U6 teams we played last year!). And, quite frankly, most kids don't want to slide tackle, but those kids who want to learn should be taught and it should be allowed in games. Let's see how this season goes and I'll get back to you as to whether I still think that once I have seen how the boys do in the games.
Resources:
http://www.soccerhelp.com/Kids_Kid_Soccer_Drill.shtml
http://www.elitesoccerconditioning.com/CoachingSoccer/u8drillsanddevelopment.htm
