FCArmstrong

Hey team this goes down in the why your coach does what he does column. This is me journaling for you to better understand why I focus more on player development and team building at the JR. High level instead of winning games and tactics for winning games.

I remember somebody saying I couldn’t play soccer when I got older, but I’m still on the field some 30 years later. This weekend was about me giving back to the game. Part of it was helping U10s play with the offside rule and buildout line. Some of it was dealing with lights that didn’t turn on before it was too dark to play.

Then there was the referee development piece where we worked with new high school aged referees on how to discipline adult coaches when they were stepping over the lines. We also discussed letting higher level players play while protecting the recreational player. Yes I did admit that I don’t always call fouls the same. As an experienced referee we learn to let talented players work through fouls applying advantage instead of interrupting the game when the foul is something the players can play through. This little skill takes knowledge and time to get right and can annoy the recreational player and coach. We worked on mechanics to make sure we were on the same page even if we were all wrong and how to be certain before calling a penalty.

We discussed who should address adult coaches and how to speak with them when they are not in line with US Soccer’s 6 Tasks as a grassroots coach.

This week’s overview:

• Monday training
  • FIFA 11 & Nets warmup.
  • Play, practice, play. Defending corners and set pieces.
• Tuesday game vs Hempfield
• Wednesday training 2:40-4:10
  • The boys play at 3:30 so we will either be in Gym B (bring flats) or mini-field
  • FIFA 11 & Nets warmup.
  • Play, practice, play. Defending in our half. Denying skilled players.
• Thursday game @ Indiana 4pm White Twp. Park Complex
• Friday OFF- Labour Day weekend.
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