Soccer skills

[Assasin]

Dear Coach,
Q: What do Lionel Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka have in common with Pele, Maradona, Johan Cruyff and George Best?

A: They are some of the most skilful dribblers of a soccer ball the game has ever seen. They are (or were) very exciting to watch and thousands of young soccer players dream that one day they will become the next Pele or Kaka.

Sadly, however, most of them will have the creativity knocked out of them by coaches who are terrified to let any of their players take a risk in case it results in the team conceding a goal and, god forbid, losing the game.

So many coaches insist that young children pass the ball before they are challenged by an opponent that seeing a young player happily take on opponents and dribble the ball towards goal is a rarity.

These "safety first" coaches are backed by a growing army of adult "supporters" who yell "CLEAR IT!" or "PASS!" at children who have hardly had two touches on the ball.

Will we ever see a player with the skills of Messi or Ronaldo emerge from organised youth soccer today? I very much doubt it... unless enough youth soccer coaches stop focusing on results and allow their players to take chances and fail occasionally.

If you remain calm when your defenders try, unsuccessfully, to dribble the ball out of your penalty box, the next Messi or Ronaldo could come from your team.
So why not stop shouting "clear the ball!" and admire the bravery and on-the-ball skills of your players instead?

Yours in soccer,

Steve Watson, Editor

[Gamma]

arsenal and barcelona are 2 of the most attacking teams out there .... the hallmark and STRENGTH of their game is PASSING!!

CLEAR it is not passing. instead encourage the youth players to move off the ball into space to encourage i) putting the ball on the ground and ii) movement off the ball to create space, and iii) PASSING!

i would rather see a young defender make some 1/2 (wall passes) to get the ball out rather than dribbling out of defence OR simply booting it mindlessly.

[Karl]

Yet being able to pass accurately and create goalscoring opportunities out of the passing skill was where Pele, Maradona, Cryuff and George Best most excelled.

It may be that that 'comfort on the ball' lead to teammates passing tthe ball to them often in game...those many touches caused them to be more likely to be in a position to do wonderful things with the ball during games.

Let us face facts a player who gets say 70 touches during a game will have more occasions to 'beat his man' than his teammates who touches the ball 10 times during the same game. The point is the skill of 'taking on a man' and successfully 'beating same' will be seared on the brain if it is done often...unfortunately the wonder pass and the resulting goal that must be a part of why the 'beating' is soon forgotten.

To me, yes there was the 'sweetness' of the 'taking on' and 'beating' of opponents by these great players...but it was the effectiveness of the outcome that 'the beatings' lead to that had me in rapture!

The 'beating' that opened the way to goal...or 'shifted' the opposing team out of shape and created goalscoring opportunities that had me screaming for joy and shouting, "YEEEEEEESSSS!

Messi?
For me the verdict is out. He dances as well as any of the past greats...but does he do as much for team? The World Cup where the very highest level football is played is not the only testing ground for greatness...but it is, for those players fortunate to visit, the final testing ground of true greatness. The 2010 World Cup did not give Messi...or for that matter Cristano Ronaldo...a passing grade!

[Gamma]

listen ... soccer is the opposite of the nfl ... in the nfl "the running game sets up the passing game" .... in proper football the passing game sets up the running game.

if a player has mastered the art of the one and two touch passing game .... he creates the opportunity to mix that in with dribbling. those layers who all they do once they get the ball is to hold their head down and dribble are a source of frustration to their teammates. the passing game of arsenal sets up nasri wonderfully to use his one on one skills ... not to mention every player who scores on the barca team...

[OJ]

Be careful though gamma...one touch passing at the elite level is important to compete and to win... not to develop the player... young players should learn to master the ball, dribble juggle, turn try flicks.. as they mature they learn where and when and when not to take risks. the fact is any of the arsenal or barca players you wee with fluidity and one touch passing will break you down with a feint or dribble... they can use the skill when its needed... the problem is if you never work on the skill and become confident playing in tight spaces you will never have the base to do so when required..

[Gamma]

they can use the skill when its needed that is the point. WHEN ... if one is to be a footballer one has to be comfortable with the ball regardless of whether your are an elite dribbler or not. please read where i say that the PASS opens up the run (by which i mean dribble).

not everyone will be an elite dribbler but everyone MUST be comfortable enough with the ball to be able to complete a pass including a one touch pass. for players who just dribble even if they are good...they become predictable and easy to defend ... double or triple team them knowing that they will not pass the ball.

see above where i make this point regarding nasri as an example.

[Muadib]

I must object.

Football is the ultimate 'off the ball movement' game.. think about it.

Everything in play design is oriented to allowing the 2 people that will probably end up actually touching the ball succeed.. this includes misdirection, lane creation, making space, flooding zones.. the list goes on...

[Gamma]

see my first post above enumerating 4 aspects ... in particular look at point iii)

[Muadib]

Passing games are also used to set up the running game.. it all depends on your skill set and the skill set of the defense.. that is why the Patriots are able to manhandle the Steelers..

NFL Football..the beautiful game..

[Assasin]

you mean like how mi and you did a dweet a di picnic?

[OJ]

sass who an u dweet a di picnic.. mind bricktop hear this..

[OJ]

agreed....

[Karl]

listen ... soccer is the opposite of the nfl ... in the nfl "the running game sets up the passing game" .... in proper football the passing game sets up the running game.

if a player has mastered the art of the one and two touch passing game .... he creates the opportunity to mix that in with dribbling. those layers who all they do once they get the ball is to hold their head down and dribble are a source of frustration to their teammates. the passing game of arsenal sets up nasri wonderfully to use his one on one skills ... not to mention every player who scores on the barca team...

...Arsenal's passing game allows all my GUNNERS to put on display their 'beating'/one-on-one skills.

However, Cesc, Nasri, Alex Song and Van Persie get more touches make more telling passes and thus are more in the spotlight. ...but all my GUNNERS, even by their standards, our worse player has good one-on-one skills...even tactically poor (by Arsenal standards) Laurent Koscielny.

Go GUNNERS!

[Muadib]

as certain as night follows day...

di post last long doh.... considering di nature of di forum..

[Gamma]

er .....