A suggestion for youth football development

[Mosiah]

A suggestion for youth football development
BY ANDREW C EDWARDS

Friday, April 12, 2013

TWO recent JFF-sponsored sojourns have enlightened my thinking. In July 2012 I was a student on the first JFF/Brazil Coaching Course, staged in Brazil.
There it was "forcefully" pointed out to us that, at least for the people at Traffic Academy, Sao Paulo FC and Santos FC, football is a business from which serious profits must always be made. Professor Adolfo Canavesi actually stated "Traffic exist not for the love of football, but because someone realised it's good business".

Alvas Powell (left), who has come up through the youth ranks of the national football programme, being chased by Rodolph Austin during a senior team training session at the JFF Technical Centre in preparation for the recent CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Panama at the National Stadium. The game ended 1-1.

Last December, I was a member of a three-man delegation to the annual US Soccer Development Academy's Winter College Showcase. For five days we watched football from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm across 22 football fields all located on one complex in Sarasota, Florida. The quality on display, in my humble opinion, was largely average. Strikingly though, the players had an admirable "sticktoitiveness" that never waned regardless of the score line or which players were on the pitch. It was almost mechanical, from the warm-up to the game to the cool down. Every player knew exactly what his role was and within his own limitations executed the basics with completeness of purpose.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz2QGdmNGyB

[Karl]

Spell out the point. What you take from Colour's comments may not be what another person does?

btw - In the current CONCACAF U-17 tournament on individual player technique USA was always outshone by the opponent...yet USA played simple effective...good football, and if my memory is correct has won all her matches!

[Karl]

..and 'lis ten to this'?

...the overwhelming admiration for the dexterity, guile and showmanship of the Jamaican player, I must conclude we are not doing nearly enough to create real wealth from our little gold mine. On every single coaching course I have attended where foreigners presented and Jamaican kids have been used for demonstration purposes the compliments for the quality of the kids have been nothing short of superfluous. In March 2011, while I was in Brazil with the U-20 team, an instructor brought in to teach our players "football movements" remarked afterwards: "I am currently doing my thesis on this subject and we have concluded it takes approximately 18 months for the typical Brazillian kid to develop these movements, your kids all seem to do it all naturally.' I thought to myself pity you don't know that our culture and daily lifestyles enable the development of these moves naturally.

In Sarasota the coaches made no qualms about their respect and regards for the Jamaican player. They have even coined interesting descriptions for our players; "spice, vanilla, surgeons, magician", and so on.

To enable more Jamaican players to earn scholarships or international contracts and to ensure consistent qualification to at least the youth World Cups I posit the following proposal.

This proposal will require partnerships between the JFF, government, schools and the private sector. Key to this proposal is the development of players. International best practices take advantage of scientific knowledge and know-how. We must endeavour to develop our players along these lines.

Human beings are creatures of habits. The modern football player and team are developed along this premise. Countries/clubs develop a philosophy that is unique to their particular environment and culture. Once developed, this philosophy gauges the development of players throughout the entire structure. Characteristically the Jamaican player is fast, full of guile, strong, athletic, and passionate. To take full advantage of these traits we need to develop a training regimen that will enable the development of good habits that will eventually create the kind of consistent effort and quality that is required at the international level for sustained success.

This idea is based on the development of approximately 1,200 players divided into three age categories playing a minimum of 30 competitive games annually. Ideally speaking this concept would be best developed in an academy structure. In the absence of such a structure using parish teams will have to suffice. Each parish would develop three teams totalling 75 players; U-15 team 30 players, U-17 team 25 players and U-20 team 20 players. A total of 16 teams (Kingston and St Andrew have two each) at each age level would compete in a round-robin format in a season lasting 32 weeks from November to June. National select teams will participate in International Tournaments like the Dallas Cup or the Disney Cup. US Development Academy teams can be invited for pre season training and or off season tournaments.

Each team should be outfitted with a minimum three-man technical staff (one head coach, one GK/assistant coach and a physical trainer/physio) supported by a doctor and manager for each parish programme. This equates to 144 technical personnel and 56 doctors and managers. In the short term, staff should be volunteers rewarded with further training opportunities, travel opportunities, match tickets and a minimal stipend. This, I believe, is feasible given that most young coaches delight at the thought of making a meaningful contribution, which is recognised to the national programme.

Transportation is generally the most problematic cost for football teams. The Government, through the JUTC, should be approached to provide 6-8 buses to transport parish teams each weekend. Government should also be approached re stipend for the technical staff probably through
INSPORTS.

Each parish will identify the two best-playing surfaces in the parish to host games.

The programme will require an eight-week pre-season to run from November through December. The competitive season will run for 24 weeks from January to June with all matches played on Saturdays. A maximum of six weekday matches may be accommodated to allow for forced postponements or to take advantage of holiday breaks.

Teams will be coached Mondays through Fridays following a prescribed format, for example:
Mondays - technical defensive
Tuesdays - technical offensive
Wednesdays - tactical defensive
Thursdays - tactical offensive
Fridays - activation (scrimmage) and set play actions

Training sessions should last no more than two hours each day and must follow well-developed programme and session plans approved by the technical director.

Players should be fed a meal after training. This is where private sector partnerships, including the PLCA through its clubs, should be sought.
All technical staff should meet to assess and appraise the programme once per month.

The national kit sponsors should be approached to sponsor kit for each team.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz2QN9tQq9o

No methods!
No 'teaching plan'!

The question arises who will be the teachers?
If they are those currently doing the teaching...why would we expect from the above proposal --- Good students=good footballers?

There is a saying, "it is madness to keep doing the same thing over and over and expect to get a different outcome"!

Poor teachers produce poor graduates?
Why would moving the poor teachers from one classroom to another have them suddenly become excellent teachers?

NB: Note it is also proposed that teaching/learning sessions on any one day be not more than 2 hours. Do our high schools squads sessions last longer than 2 hours?

[Mosiah]

Really?!? I was taught "practice makes perfect".

So, should our training methods be different every day? Because clearly, if we do the same thing over an over again...

[Tilla]

"practice makes perfect".

This is applicable in situations where one learns from mistakes and is committed to constantly improving. Jamaica's football product has been stagnant for over twenty years if you ask me. Maybe a big part of that is that we have no long-term plan for development, we think that grabbing a Brazilian and installing them in the national set up each times it comes around to a World Cup and hope this will fix everything.

As to "practice makes perfect". How many ties have we seen Boyous (Downswell) take teams to competitions and failed miserably? In February 2011 I was in Jamaica to witness the CONCACAF Under-17 WC qualifiers and although it was obvious that we had some talented players in the team, there was a lot that was lacking in how they played as a team. It left me wondering whether Boyous really knew what he was doing. He has again been assigned as coach for this Under-17 team this time around and I am wondering what has changed. I see a team that play without any tactical awareness, no game plan and players seem more inclined to play individual ball than as a team. Downswell seem to have no answer to what is happening and how to fix it. He somehow gets the job to do all over again with the Jamaican papers keep referring to him as "the veteran coach".

I really do not know if things will improve in the next 20 years from the way I see things happening right now.

[Plush]

It's simple for me, we need international coaches to come in and educate at the youth stage. MNon Brazilian preferably. The youth need to be taught discipline, tactics, and teamwork. Our current crop of coach ain't cutting. Time for a change. We need better teachers who are committed to decipline, teaching the basis and teaching how to think quickly. Believe me, u cam learn all that stuff when put in pressure scenarios in your training

[Karl]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl
There is a saying, "it is madness to keep doing the same thing over and over and expect to get a different outcome"!

Really?!? I was taught "practice makes perfect".

So, should our training methods be different every day? Because clearly, if we do the same thing over an over again...

Perhaps that is why our players performed this evening as they did...they have practiced and perfected 'chupidness'!

Our U-17 team clearly showed that what is being taught is either incorrect or the methods are failing to produce desired results...
...so yes the training methods need changing as what is taught needs to be/must be right for practicing.

...as to the suggestion that methods be changed daily...first one would need to know what is the aim of the day's lesson before a determination is made.

At times... on attempts at imparting knowledge...concepts...etc. it is found that the students are 'not getting it' and new approach or
different approaches need to be taken.

[Karl]

On point, sir.

Look it is simple...our local coaches have been at the job from before 1998...every visiting expert has said - TALENT ABOUNDS. Yet the results are appalling. If we accept that talent abounds...then it must be that those entrusted to 'teach' are failing!!!

Colour's suggestions are interesting ones...but my thoughts run along the line of teachers failing. What the hell are they teaching the kids???

[Rockman]

I guess a team is as strong as its weakest link so the problem with this team would be solved by fortifying a few links.Players up top showed more commitment to defense than our defenders.
Not convince we lost because of tactical ineptness,more like individual incompetence.
Nevertheless, WD should have made a difference still.

[Karl]

I think we have the talent that with good teaching we could have made it.

[HL]

Maybe coaches from the US?

If I am not mistaken the US has qualified for WC U-17 more than 10 times.

Often times the answer to a problem is right in front of you.

It starts with organization:

Ask Assasin about the levels of organization in soccer even at the kindergarten level.

It's not that Jamaica is not capable of achieving the same levels of success. It's simply that organization and discipline is not a part of the local make-up.

[Gamma]

"practice makes permanent".....

[Exile]

One of the problems is that youths don't want to be defenders anymore...everyone wants to be a forward or midfield...so you get square pegs in round holes...some players are just adept at defending.have to find them early and groom them and let them know their importance to the team...salad and bruk can't in game.

[Exile]

He needs to be fired. Like he's God gift..I remember when they gave him a team he had not even coached before and he messed up real bad with the youths...I think he's the WEAK LINK.

[Jawge]

"No lie cam live forever".