tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88200926975014462582024-02-18T23:30:13.040-08:00Positive Kid CoachingTim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-19381593040246342942013-05-25T00:20:00.000-07:002013-05-25T00:20:04.983-07:00Yes -- "Help Us Kick Violence Out of Soccer!"Referees are essential for soccer. Here is a must read article for all soccer players, parents, volunteers, professionals, and spectators:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ayso.org/coaches_referees/referees/news/help_us_kick_violence_out_of_soccer.aspx">http://www.ayso.org/coaches_referees/referees/news/help_us_kick_violence_out_of_soccer.aspx</a><br />
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Sincerely,<br />
TimTim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-35386124924828743032011-07-17T10:58:00.000-07:002011-07-17T11:02:28.344-07:00Accreditation MattersDid you know that AYSO is the only national youth soccer organization whose soccer coach curriculum is accredited? AYSO delivers world class youth soccer programs that enrich children's lives. Go AYSO!<br /><br />For more on why accreditation is important in general, read the <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_18492754">San Jose Mercury News July 17, 2011 article about unaccredited colleges</a>.Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-33915246209726908022011-05-20T21:13:00.000-07:002011-05-20T21:14:15.957-07:00Parents & Kids Emulate CoachesCoaches are role models. Your parents and your players follow your example. If you practice good sportsmanship, so will they.<br /><br />But if you complain about referees, yell onto the field, etc, so will your team.<br /><br />So please be mindful that you, the coach, are the most important AYSO leader in the eyes of your team. AYSO provides free training so that you all can be the best coaches that you can be. Make us proud by modeling the excellent AYSO behavior we want your players and parents to follow.<br /><br />Thanks!Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-38707497355838451982011-04-02T19:04:00.001-07:002011-12-07T12:37:28.526-08:00How to Encourage Young GoalkeepersI'm currently an AYSO coach administrator for Region 64 and Area 2J and an Advanced Coach Instructor.<br /><br />One of my coaches recently asked me: "Shortly after we assigned one kid to be the goalie in second quarter, the other party scored. the goalie collapsed, threw gloves and jersey on the ground and cried. We would like to avoid the situations that disrupt the game and cause a kid to break down, on the other hand, we also want to educate kids to handle adversity and defeats well, help them overcome their own weakness and build confidence."<br /><br />Great question! This situation is one of the reasons that AYSO does not use goalkeepers until U10, and even then it can be hard for kids.<br /><br />Here are some things a coach can to do:<br /><ol><li>Tell the whole team that everyone should be a goalkeeper at least once during the season. To be a great soccer player you need experience in all positions.</li><li>Publicly reward and acknowledge goalkeepers -- they are very special players.</li><li>Let your players know that great goalkeepers are the best all around athletes on the field as they have to use every part of their body and be fast and agile.</li><li>For a goal to be scored, it must have gotten by all the rest of the team before it got to the goalkeeper -- the whole team is responsible, not just the keeper.</li><li>The entire team should thank the goalkeepers at the game.</li><li>"Keepers first!" in the end of game handshake line.</li><li>Have a real cool looking goalkeeper shirt and/or gloves.</li><li>Remind your players that this is a game in which we are all learning how to win and lose gracefully -- this is good sportsmanship.</li><li>Use positive coaching sandwiches: recognize what they did right, show them what will work better next time, then re-emphasize what they are doing right.</li><li>If everyone has otherwise gotten equal playing time, favor keepers first if any have an opportunity to play longer than the others (first picks in playing 3 quarters after everyone has played 2, or 4 quarters after everyone has played 3) </li></ol><br />Here is some additional advice from AYSO's John Ouellette. John is AYSO's top coach, wrote AYSO's soccer coaching curriculum, and got it accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education.<br /><br />----------------<br /><blockquote>February 9, 2010<br /><br />Question: "Now that we're playing with goalkeepers, I'm having a hard time convincing my players to take their turn in goal. What can I do?"<br /><br />Answer:Young players might not want to take their turn in goal because they're intimidated about getting shot at, because they get bored during the lulls, or for the fear of public failure when the ball hits the net - or they are just plain afraid to play in goal.<br /><br />Rotating goalkeepers frequently - a different keeper each quarter is optimal - is good for the players and makes it easier to convince them to take a turn, because they'll still be getting a good share of field play.<br /><br />Stress to the keepers that it doesn't matter if they get scored on. Look them in the eyes with a smile and tell them, "Do your best, but no worries about getting scored on!"<br /><br />During your practices, you can spend a little time letting players throw and catch. You can even play some team handball in spurts, which also works on teamwork and positioning for passes. These are fun activities and build their confidence to catch.<br /><br />You might let them practice punting the ball in training. Kids seem to like punting and will look forward to doing it in a game. Punting also helps develop striking skills.<br /><br />It's also good to let your goalkeepers take all the goal kicks. That's another thing kids like to do and could help encourage them to take their turn between the posts.<br /><br />However, if a child is just plain afraid to play in the goal, don't force them to do it.<br /><br />Finally, always greet your keepers quickly with a smile and high-five when they've finished their stint in goal.<br /><br />(from: <a href="http://ayso.org/resources/coach_res/ask_the_coach.aspx#february10">http://ayso.org/resources/coach_res/ask_the_coach.aspx#february10</a>)<br /></blockquote>----------------<br /><br />Some comments about John's recommendations:<br /><ul><li>While John likes to rotate keepers every quarter, I find this logistically difficult and prefer to have each play a half unless a keeper is having a major issue.</li><li>At young ages, it is best to have 1 or 2 players cover the goal whenever a goal kick is taken because the ball can come back at the goal very quickly. The keeper should choose who takes the kick and direct the defense accordingly.</li></ul>Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-7811054021418432902010-06-06T08:53:00.000-07:002010-06-06T08:56:17.606-07:00Positive Coaching -- it can even save your marriage!Research and experience show that Positive Coaching works wonders -- for both your kids and your significant other. Being an AYSO coach and practicing positive coaching is good for much more than just your soccer team :-) AYSO is one of the easiest and best places for you to learn and practice this important life skill.<br /><br />-----<br />From "Master This Habit to Keep Your Relationships Healthy":<br /><br />It turns out, however, that celebrating good news with each other may mean even more. Researchers who studied couples’ interactions say that the happiest pairs are those who respond positively to their partners' successes. “This was the strongest predictor of current and future relationship satisfaction,” says Shelly Gable, PhD, psychology professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, who led the study.<br />-----<br /><br />For the full article please see:<br /><a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/master-this-habit-to-keep-your-relationships-healthy-1458993/">http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/master-this-habit-to-keep-your-relationships-healthy-1458993/</a>Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-30461383228208922222010-05-29T17:08:00.000-07:002010-05-29T17:14:34.674-07:00Joe Cannon -- Having Fun AgainA great article about Earthquakes goalie Joe Cannon appeared on the front page of the sports section of today’s (5/29/2010) <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/sports-headlines/ci_15186591">San Jose Mercury News</a>. It turns out Joe was suffering from poor performance the past few seasons because he was focused too much on trying to improve his reflexes, positioning, and the like. What made the difference for him this season was an attitude change. Joe said “I was just too much of a perfectionist. It was an eye-opening experience to realize that no mater what happens, you just have to enjoy it.” Joe is now on a roll with 4 consecutive shut outs.<br /><br />This is an important lesson for all soccer players and especially coaches and parents – to get players to perform at their maximum – you have to keep the game fun!!!<br /><br />AYSO and the Positive Coaching Alliance both recognize that fun is a critical element for players to give it their all and to learn the most. If the game is fun players are more willing to stretch and take risks. The more they stretch themselves, the more they are learning.<br /><br />When parents and coaches take this approach to heart -- helping their players have fun while playing, they are guaranteed to see larger improvements in their players. And the parents and coaches themselves will have a lot more fun too!!!Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-37240559028822838842010-03-09T21:52:00.000-08:002010-03-09T21:53:47.342-08:00If You're a Coach, Get Serious, Get Trained!!!Coaching is rare chance to spend quality time with your kids and be a role model that your kids will remember forever. Time is precious. Our kids are precious. Seize the opportunity to become a coach and make the most of it by getting proper training!<br /><br />AYSO offers the most thorough and well respected volunteer coach training program of any national youth soccer program in the US. Currently AYSO is the only national youth soccer program to get its coaching program accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE). Most of the other accredited programs are all college level ones. Speaking of which, most people make sure they go to accredited colleges and universities because that accreditation shows that the college or university is actually a quality institution -- a respected authority has checked them over to verify that they actually know their stuff and deliver on it. So why settle for less when you can get the best with AYSO?<br /><br />AYSO's coaching program is carefully designed to enable volunteer coaches to train their players effectively using age appropriate techniques and age appropriate objectives. AYSO's slim coaching manuals pack a lot into a very concise package. Between the manual, the in person training, the online training, and the regional, area, and national coach support staff, AYSO coaches have a wealth of resources to help them.<br /><br />Additionally, AYSO's Safe Haven program is role model that is being copied by all ranges of volunteer programs that involve kids -- from sports programs to church programs -- because keeping both adult volunteers and kids safe is a top priority. Luckily an hour or two of Safe Haven training is all that it takes for coaches to be adequately educated in a practical set of operating procedures to ensure safety for all.Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-46840958574116976272009-06-15T23:41:00.000-07:002009-06-15T23:43:48.734-07:00Phil Jackson: Role Model CoachJim Thompson of the Positive Coaching Alliance tells it like it is: "Watching the Lakers win the NBA title, last night I began to count the ways that Phil Jackson is a model for youth coaches."<br /><br />For all of you who believe a good coach must be loud and directive during games, please read how Phil Jackson coaches. He is an excellent professional coach yet is calm and quiet during games. While adult professionals enjoy this, it is even more important for our kids -- who are still in the process of building their self esteem.<br /><br />Please read Jim's article at <a href="http://www.positivecoach.org/Blog.aspx?id=3892">http://www.positivecoach.org/Blog.aspx?id=3892</a> and let me know what you think.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />TimTim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-39581211609576936992009-05-31T14:05:00.000-07:002009-05-31T14:13:09.667-07:00They Play, I Coach, You Cheer!To encourage coaches to finish all their training (and to encourage positive coaching), AYSO Region 64 gave all fully certified AYSO coaches (coaches with both Safe Haven training age level appropriate training) a special custom coach shirt as a reward. This shirt also helps them encourage positive behavior at games. Here is what the shirts looked like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B3_VMvEo14WRWOjqg501tUrLgzpYROeMljtbfXmsylbh6x5T3PUdnpdPCRWlPKn2hWeptULa7EUam908ft5QlYvTYvAScqR8H9WCUR5avXyKhXNpQrgBZcFyIh2DmwRsv29jMqLEjRY/s1600-h/AYSO_Coach_T1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B3_VMvEo14WRWOjqg501tUrLgzpYROeMljtbfXmsylbh6x5T3PUdnpdPCRWlPKn2hWeptULa7EUam908ft5QlYvTYvAScqR8H9WCUR5avXyKhXNpQrgBZcFyIh2DmwRsv29jMqLEjRY/s320/AYSO_Coach_T1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342097679031606962" border="0" /></a><br />The AYSO Store also had another coach shirt design available that looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI8x4Xr5zncz8YFRHWCS7SJ-er1Hh_sGjGHM9uBj31PpELCbNaEpdB3NL4DY4WBhwMUvEAP2MaItp4mC28ZuMq6sU0TxFTouEGP_L2UaExbcmOwTvYnNFM2FbrKlH7ckAdeHIb4D7Htg/s1600-h/AYSO_Coach_T2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI8x4Xr5zncz8YFRHWCS7SJ-er1Hh_sGjGHM9uBj31PpELCbNaEpdB3NL4DY4WBhwMUvEAP2MaItp4mC28ZuMq6sU0TxFTouEGP_L2UaExbcmOwTvYnNFM2FbrKlH7ckAdeHIb4D7Htg/s320/AYSO_Coach_T2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342098324545023858" border="0" /></a><br />We chose to use the simpler text as it was louder and clearer. Both these shirts are available as custom orders from the <a href="http://aysostore.com/">AYSO Store</a>.<br /><br />The stock version of the above shirts without anything on the back can be seen at <a href="http://aysostore.com/aylarlogtee.html">http://aysostore.com/aylarlogtee.html</a><br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Tim Oey<br />Spring Coach Administrator<br />AYSO Region 64Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-27675630531632902152009-05-31T11:43:00.000-07:002009-05-31T11:47:38.802-07:00AYSO Soccer Rocks!The American Youth Soccer Organization is the main reason I've become a big advocate for Positive Coaching. When looking for sports programs for our kids, AYSO really impressed me and my wife. No other youth sports program seemed to deliver as high quality an overall program for as low a cost. And now that i've been volunteering for the program for 8 years, I realize a hidden benefit is that AYSO not only develops better soccer players, it also develops and improves its volunteers.<br /><br />AYSO is a remarkable organization that is the role model most other youth sports programs now follow. AYSO has been instrumental in improving how youth sports is approached. For its work in creating a positive environment for youth athletes, AYSO earned the Positive Coaching Alliance’s <a href="http://www.positivecoach.org/Blog.aspx?id=3646">2009 National Leadership Award</a><br /><br />AYSO strives to give every child an excellent soccer experience based on it's six philosophies:<br /><br />1) Open Registration -- so all youth, regardless of capability, can experience the joy of learning soccer on a team.<br /><br />2) Everyone Plays -- so everyone on a team gets roughly equal playing time, no one is forced to sit on the bench. National AYSO mandates at least 50% playing time at every game and many regions such as Sunnyvale Region 44 shoot for a minimum of 75% playing time.<br /><br />3) Balanced Teams -- so all teams have a reasonable chance of winning some and losing some and no teams dominate all others, there is much to learn from both winning and losing.<br /><br />4) Positive Coaching -- so players, parents, and coaches all have a positive and fun learning experience.<br /><br />5) Good Sportsmanship -- so we all can learn to be better sportsman (and citizens).<br /><br />6) Player Development -- so we remember that developing our players is the focus of the program (this sixth philosophy was just added in May 2009 although it has been core to AYSO from the very beginning).<br /><br /><br />AYSO offers the very best in player and volunteer training. All of its training programs (management, referee, and coach) are well thought out and thorough -- but particularly its coach program.<br /><br />The AYSO coach training program is the only national youth soccer program that is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education. And it is one of only two national youth sports programs with this accreditation. The other is Special Olympics. All AYSO training is designed by soccer, coach, and youth development pros to make the AYSO soccer program efficient, effective, and fun for both youth and volunteers. The AYSO coach training program will make you a better coach, a better parent, and even a better manager. Positive coaching skills are good for everyone.<br /><br />To learn more about AYSO, please see <a href="http://soccer.org">http://soccer.org</a> There are also some good videos at <a href="http://ayso2a.org">http://ayso2a.org</a>.<br /><br /><br />My local Sunnyvale AYSO Region 44 and all other national AYSO regions are now registering players and volunteers for the fall 2009 soccer season. For Sunnyvale, please go to <a href="http://ayso44.org">http://ayso44.org</a> to pre-register online.<br /><br />Sunnyvale AYSO provides one of the best values in local sports -- it is only $85 per player for the fall 2009 season and financial aid is available for those who need it. Compare that to the costs of most other local soccer options.<br /><br />Some other local South SF Bay AYSO regions are:<br />West San Jose - <a href="http://ayso64.org">http://ayso64.org</a><br />Mountain View - <a href="http://ayso45.org">http://ayso45.org</a><br />Cupertino - <a href="http://ayso35.org">http://ayso35.org</a><br />Saratoga - <a href="http://www.saratogasoccer.org/">http://www.saratogasoccer.org/</a><br />Los Altos - <a href="http://ayso43.org">http://ayso43.org</a><br />Palo Alto - <a href="http://ayso26.org">http://ayso26.org</a><br /><br />For other regions in the US and some even world wide, visit <a href="http://soccer.org">http://soccer.org</a>Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-12387294999980144982009-03-29T23:10:00.001-07:002011-10-31T22:11:50.014-07:00The Blowout ChallengeThe goal of sports for kids should be so they can learn and have fun.<br /><br />Kids learn best when they are challenged, have fun, and experience some success. Games that are blowouts are a loss for both teams. For the team that "lost" it can be disheartening and frustrating. For the team that "won" they probably were not challenged and so were not able to learn much from the game. Plus a game is no fun if it is too easy to win every time -- it becomes boring. Ideally only well matched (balanced) teams will play each other but this is not always possible for many reasons. So it is important for every youth sports team to have a blowout mitigation strategy.<br /><br />In soccer, if you are up by 2 points very early in the game or it otherwise becomes very obvious that one team is much stronger than the other, it is best for a coach and team to use one or more blowout prevention techniques. A blowout in soccer is typically a score differential of 5 or more goals.<br /><br />Here are some techniques you can use to prevent blowouts in soccer as well as improve the skill of the stronger team:<br />- Positions -- Put players in positions where they are least comfortable (most challenged), play strong scorers as defense or goal keeper, play weak scorers as forwards and mids.<br />- Opposition -- Reduce the number of players on the field for the stronger team (1, 2, 3 or even more players), increase for the weaker team<br />- Passing -- Every player must touch the ball before a shot is taken<br />- Passing -- Two-Touch, every player can only have two touches of the ball in sequence, no dribbling<br />- Passing -- Must complete 5, 10, or more passes before shooting.<br />- Shooting -- Only take shots from outside the opponents penalty area<br />- Shooting -- Each player can only score 1 goal, must pass to a player that has not yet scored for a shot<br />- Shooting -- Only 1 designated player can take shots until they score once, then another player becomes the designated shooter<br />- Shooting -- All shots must be with weaker (off) foot [added 3/30/2009 based on feedback from AYSO-L]<br />- Crosses -- can only score with a cross and 1 touch kick (U10 & under)<br />- Crosses & Heading -- can only score with a cross and header (U12 & up)<br />- Do two or more of the above at the same time<br /><br />These techniques will force your players to play harder and learn more in the process. It is after all just a game and they are likely to have more fun too.<br /><br />Some additional options which involve sharing players with the other team:<br />- If the weaker team is playing short to start with, loan them your best players (good players often enjoy playing against their own team)<br />- Swap a few players (spot balance teams)<br />- Swap offensive lineups so that your forwards and mids play against your defense and goalkeeper - this will usually result in very balanced teams and each group knows some of the others so can play reasonably well together. This option usually requires that both coaches have a full set of pinnies for both teams and the referees are ok with the challenge.Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-58742761368141622402009-03-10T21:55:00.000-07:002009-03-10T21:59:17.837-07:00Taking coaches to new heightsWell, I've become an AYSO Coach Instructor so am training new coaches this spring in AYSO Region 64 (in addition to coaching and being a stand in coach administrator).<br /><br />Cheers,<br />TimTim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-23300121163329021762009-02-08T07:37:00.000-08:002009-02-08T07:41:31.622-08:00Game Day SayingOne of the best game day practices and sayings I've run across is:<br /><br />They Play<br />I Coach<br />You Cheer<br /><br />This is great to put on the back of coaches' shirts and jackets to remind those behind them of what is what on game day.<br /><br />The game is the teacher, especially in soccer. It's best for all to honor the game. The kids play the game. The coaches are responsible for coaching. Everyone else should just be cheering for the players. It's all for our kids.Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-85852444556411261702009-02-02T09:16:00.000-08:002009-02-02T09:17:02.615-08:00Become a Double-Goal Coach!It's easy and will help you be a better coach. Everything you need can be found on the Positive Coaching Alliance website at http://positivecoach.org<br /><br />There is even an online version of this certification course that you can take at https://www.positivecoach.org/DGC.aspx<br /><br />The cost was $25. It took me just over an hour to complete the whole course (but I've been through PCA training twice before). It would probably take a new person about 1.5 hours to finish it successfully. One caveat -- be very careful on the test because once you click submit for a question, you can no longer change your answer (I mistakenly clicked too quickly on one and could not go back even though I knew I had mis-entered my answer when I had clicked submit). Still I got 90% (I validly missed a 2nd question with an incomplete answer).<br /><br />The course was pretty well put together. It has well written text, good examples, some short videos, interactive worksheets, an overall table of contents, progress indicators, PDF handouts you can download and print if desired, and a concluding test where if you pass (80% or better -- at least 16 of 20 questions correct) you get an instant online certificate. I think it is worthwhile for very coach to become certified at least once if not yearly.<br /><br />Coaching is challenging and coaches deserve to be well trained.Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-22065437344261266082008-10-21T09:15:00.000-07:002009-05-23T23:12:51.449-07:00"Silent" SaturdaysHere is an excellent article on more reasons why parents (and coaches) should not yell instructions from the sideline during games: <a href="http://soccer.org/Resources/PLAYSOCCER/playsoccer_fl08_story1">Why Sideline Screaming Can Stifle Your Child's Game</a>.<br /><br />In a nutshell: the players on the field need to figure it out themselves during games to really learn.<br /><br />[Added 5/23/2009: I personally don't do truly silent Saturdays but do strongly discourage giving on field instructions during games. Spectators should focus on just cheering.]Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-84629385887238519072008-10-14T22:42:00.000-07:002008-10-15T00:12:24.150-07:00Honor the Game, Honor the PlayersOne of the most beneficial things a soccer coach can do is to be *quiet* during his/her team's soccer game.<br /><br />What!!! you say? I thought coaches were supposed to be yelling, cursing, shouting, and goading their teams to victory! And don't we want them to win? They need my instructions in order to win! Otherwise they will make mistakes that could cost us the game!<br /><br />Well, not in soccer. And not in many other sports. In soccer the field is big, the play is fast, and the players own the game. It is hard enough for players to pay attention to themselves, their opponents, their teammates, the officials, the rules, and the ball in this dynamic game let alone have a backseat driver on the sidelines trying to yell them instructions while they are busy playing. Either they cannot hear you most of the time or you distract them from the game when they try to hear what you are saying. Do you want players eyes on you or the ball during the game?<br /><br />The players are closest to the action. They have the best information about what they need to do. They are in the driver's seat.<br /><br />The best thing a coach can do during games is to sit back, relax, observe, talk to players sitting out, and take notes about what players are doing well and what the team needs to work on as a whole.<br /><br />Plus the coach is the role model that everyone else on the team looks up to -- players, assistant coaches, and parents. The behavior the coach exhibits is the behavior others learn to emulate.<br /><br />In soccer and many other sports, the best times for coaches to talk is when others can listen. The best times are at practices, before games, after games, and to players who are sitting out during games.<br /><br />Let the players play, let the spectators cheer, and conserve coaching energy by applying it when and where it can have the biggest positive impact.<br /><br />Honor the game. Honor the players.Tim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8820092697501446258.post-49496380302295661832008-10-05T12:23:00.000-07:002008-10-05T12:30:33.498-07:00Positive CoachingHi all,<br /><br />I'm a long time soccer coach and referee for <a href="http://soccer.org">AYSO</a>. I'm also a huge fan of the <a href="http://postivecoach.org">Positive Coaching Alliance</a>. Following and living the principles of the Positive Coaching Alliance will not only make your sports coaching experience easier and more effective, it will also make it a lot more fun for you and your kids!<br /><br />This blog will focus on soccer youth coaching but is applicable to sports coaching in general. This post marks my debut as a Positive Coaching Alliance Champion.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Tim OeyTim Oeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11950416117686776062noreply@blogger.com0