Georgia Soccer - Youth PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAM

Careful !! - Children at Play  Our Generation  Had more unsupervised free time  Made our own rules  Ownership/power to decide what to play/how long  Our Children  Constantly supervised/shielded  Monitored by overbearing adults  Evaluated to adult standards  Fast tracked to achieve goals  Losing their autonomy/creativity opportunities

YOUTH SPORT HIJACKED BY ADULTS  WHOSE NEEDS ARE CONSIDERED?  WHOSE EXPECTATIONS ARE MET?  WHOSE AGENDAS ARE FULFILLED?  WHY PARENTS FIND IT HARD TO VIEW YOUTH SPORT AS JUST ANOTHER LEISURE ACTIVITY? (the return on investment syndrome)

THE CYCLE OF UNDER-DEVELOPMENT Parents put pressure on coach Coach focus on team development Individual player development suffers Players don’t reach their potential Parents transfer child to another club

HOW CHILDREN DEVELOP This presentation will cover:  Cognitive development  Understanding players’ needs  Phases of commitment  Trainable components  Optimum practice to game ratio  State of flow for max creativity  Player Evaluation / Playing up  Responsibilities of the soccer parent

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (Piaget)  SENSORY – MOTOR (birth to age 2)  PRE-OPERATIONAL (from 2-8 years)  Egocentric – Imagination – Non logical thinking  CONCRETE OPERATIONAL (8-11)  Logical thinking related to concrete objects  Less egocentric – more cooperative - rules  FORMAL OPERATIONAL (11 and up)  Logical thinking related to abstract objects  Time and space – Thinking in advance - rules

Characteristics of Children  U-10 Players  Boys and girls begin to develop separately  Motor skills starting to refine  Rapid gains in learning  Starting to think ahead  Loves competition  Ability to sequence thoughts and actions  Peer pressure and Team identification important

Characteristics of Children  U-10 Players – Implications  Small group activities emphasis on Technique  Make it a competition as much as possible  Short explanations. It has to make sense  More confident psychologically – but still needs positive feedback  Ready to assume more responsibility  Allow them to solve problems  Fundamental Tactical concepts (2v2, 3v3)  Don’t dictate. Guide.

Phases of Soccer Development  Phase 1 – Introduction to soccer (romance)  Phase 2 – Commitment to soccer (refine skill)  Phase 3 – Commitment to excellence (perfect skill)  Phase 4 – Commitment to winning (fitness, tactics)

TRAINABLE COMPONENTS  TECHNICAL  Ability to control the ball. Touches  TACTICAL  Ability to solve soccer problems (cognitive)  FITNESS  Endurance, speed, strength, agility  PSYCHOLOGICAL  Enjoyment, coping with anxiety, confidence

TRAINABLE COMPONENTS  PRACTICES FAR MORE IMPORTANT FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT THAN GAMES (MANY MORE TOUCHES)  YOUTH SOCCER’S BIGGEST PROBLEMS:  OVER COACHING BY PARENTS AND COACHES  MISGUIDED EMPHASIS ON GAMES  WHY TEAM DEVELOPMENT CAN STIFLE INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT  TOURNAMENTITIS

PRACTICES VS GAMES (*R = REC, S = SELECT) AGE GROUP GAMES PER YEAR PRACTICES PER WEEK U U U (R*) 3(S*) U (R) 4(S) U U (R) 5(S)

FLOW STATE MODEL (Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)  Activity or task matches ability  Do not treat training like medicine  Achievement = happiness (artists, athletes)  Finished product less important than process  If not in state of flow, other behavioral states:  Distracted, bored, frustrated, anxious, defensive, mischievous, undisciplined

Player Evaluation - What parents should ask the coach  U-10/U-12  Is he/she having fun?  Is he/she learning skills?  Is he/she socially adapted to team?  Too early for analysis of strengths/weakness

Playing Up  Whose wishes?  Key Considerations:  Age (might need to return later to own age)  Maturity (physical, mental, social)  Leadership development opportunities  Survival skills vs expanding skills

Playing up  Recommended only if:  Player is 12 years old or older  He/she really craves the challenge  Can handle the physical demands  Is an impact player with the older team NO SCIENTIFIC OR RESEARCH STUDY SUPPORTS THE NOTION THAT EARLY SPECIALIZATION OR EARLY CHALLENGE IMPROVES POTENTIAL OF PLAYERS. IN FACT, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THIS IS A ‘MYTH’ THAT DESTROYED THE POTENTIAL OF MANY CHILDREN PUSHED TOO SOON TOO HARD.

Responsibility of the Soccer Parent  Understand the role of sports  Understand the odds  Be a role model  Evaluate the club and coaches  Understand pursuit of excellence

Role of the Soccer Parent Understand the role of sports  Develop a healthy lifestyle (Sport = Leisure)  Develop sport skills  Develop life skills  Social skills  Positive self-image  Values character and coping skills  Mission of youth organizations

Role of the Soccer Parent  Understand the odds  Academy/Select no guarantee of success  Only 6% high school soccer players to NCAA  Only small percentage get athletic scholarship  Only 2% of NCAA soccer players to pro  Only 0.08% high school to pro  Need to prepare your child for disappointment. Not build up his/her hopes unrealistically.  College coaches only interested in U-16+  ‘Exposure’ over-rated

Role of the Soccer Parent  Be a role model  Listen to your child (likes/dislikes)  Sideline behavior – NO COACHING!!!  Dealing with game results (unconditional love)  Don’t compare or be critical  Focus on positives  Be supportive (towards child, coach, club)  Shield from abuse, NOT from life lessons  It’s your child’s game. Not your game.

Role of the Soccer Parent  Evaluate the club and its coaches  Consistent with mission statement  Club coaches  No lines/lectures/laps  Certification level  Philosophy of coach, motivation skills  Ethical issues  Best interest of the individual players  Playing time  Zero tolerance for abuse

Role of the Soccer Parent  Understand pursuit of excellence Intrinsic motivation (if you need to push….) Know the opportunities Rec- Academy- Select soccer – ODP Know the two best coaches in the world: Watching professional soccer Playing pick up games How to reach potential Touches on the ball Self training Learning from the pros Practice to game ratio Perishable vs transferable skills Focus on process. Where is he/she at 18?

If we take care in the beginning, the end will take care of itself