Montesso laments limited growth in Jamaica's football

[Stonigut]

To win you must develop you must organize, marshall resources to get a result. Schoolboy football is not the issue, merely symbolic of the lack of structure, method and way of how kids learn to play ball in jamaica and how they continue to learn as they get older, as a matter of fact high schoolboy football s probably the best leg in our development process as it stands right now. Looking at it in four stages, 1. primary; 2. Secondary/high; 3. Tertiary or the 18-22 age group; 4. Club.

It is the fundamentals of playing ball, our loose, unstructured learning environment which creates a place for the development of individual one on one skills, but it does nothing for discipline, routine, method style learning. then the key is putting that together with the best individual skill creating the base for a superior program.

At the end of the day the process should have eliminated all the weak players whether it is lack of speed, lack of discipline, lack of defensive instinct and isolate the fastest, most disciplined, most skilled, instruction hungry, excellent passers and instinctively hawkish on defense. We are still seeing all kinds of players with multiple weaknesses make it to the national team and with one isolated strength that cannot survive in professional football outside jamaica.

[Assasin]

many traditionally good sports schools don't understand what is happening in many schools in Jamaica. Is not that some don't have any talent but a lot of schools don't have a paid soccer coach, it is any "man teacher" attached to the school that take part. Do you believe Andrew Edwards wasn't paid as a coach most of his time at Titchfield??

Some schools have no field to practice on. Some have no gears at all. Some schools do not even enter DCup or Manning cup every year so I don't know how we can depend on them for development?

[Peter R]

Stoni,

Are you saying that a school is the place that will/should provide the lack of structure that you see existing?

And yes, the issue is "football" and how best to develop the kind of players needed for international competitiveness.

[Stonigut]

No, but don't tear down build up, you have four stages and that is the best part now, in any kind of operation you do a fundamental Pareto analysis and focus on your biggest problem first, biggest problem is the first exposure to ball, then build up from there. That first stage is the most critical, right now we have nothing. I did not play any kind of organized ball until first form at Calabar. Calling that organized ball is way too high a compliment, that was just playing in a 11 man side on a real marked field with real goals etc, i would imagine for many kids this may still be the case.

[Karl]

Karl,

The talent "resides" in the school because most (I think) kids do go to school at some point in their life. But as Madib says the "talent" has to be identified and development begun from a young age... 6 years and even younger.

Who is against that?
Not even a 'dim wit' would be against that.

I put it to you that the people's money should not be spent on developing any sport, not beyond physical education as a subject in school and a "reasonable" contribution to a team's participation in whatever competition there is among schools for various sports.

...and I put it to you that you do not have a full grasp of "education".

"Football DEVELOPMENT" should not be mentioned in the same breath as "school" IMO.

The development of a person begins at the onset of life. Plus it is a proven fact that 'greatest development' occurs at earliest ages. If you can accept that then you must realize that the very basic of foundation must be laid at those earliest ages.

Let me ask you something: How will you discover a child has great talent for anything if you fail to expose that child to it?

Anyone who can tell me how to go about that I would be eternally grateful.

Football development should be the purview of clubs and coaching schools that have a twelve month programme with the requisite break to accommodate a school's competition.

What then would you say of the development of our track and field, netball and cricket athletes?

No development takes place at the schools? ...or if some development do take place, cut it out?

A school's purpose is to produce students with "mens sana in corpore sano" which a good academic and PE programme should provide and that's it... IMO.

Aaaah?!

Think on this? - Do you think we can foster mediocrity at teaching life skills in schools save for academic subjects and get anywhere near 100% academic achievements...forget near 100% well rounded students?

Boss: Do you think our country's woeful state has anything to do with a culture of acceptance of mediocrity?

Do you think even each of us...is a victim of that conditioned reflex acceptance of mediocrity fed to us, among other environment, in the school environment?

...but then you are a 'figures man' - What are the stats to support or disprove being introduced to 'master teaching' at earliest years produce poor academic students?

---

btw - The topic is football - Right?
It seems to me that you have fallen into or aligned yourself with the group that 'thinks'/promotes the idea that somehow introducing our youngest to excellence (teaching, learning environment) in our schools is somehow an awful thing?

That surprises me.

Why being introduced to best instructions in any one discipline suggests that either of the following - poor students at academics or poor life skills - holds 'beats me'? (scratch head emoticon).

I would have thought that The Massive would be desperately seeking introduction of our kids to excellence ~ period!!! Math, The Sciences, Foreign Languages, Literature, Art, Music, Sports, Personal Development mores, etc., etc?

Why this wish to sell out our kids?
Why this wish to not give each of our kids the opportunity to enter areas - *deliberately targeted "areas" - best suited for each. Why deny some best preparation for advance in any specific area. In the case of football - what is it so many of us have against football? ...or for that matter, any other sport?

On subject matter that can enhance life - Generally - Makes sense to 'pick and choose' areas in which we must have excellence in delivery of instructions and information and others in which that delivery must be sub-standard? Really? ...that makes sense?

How could we have known a Merlene Ottey had an affinity for the sprints...if she had been trapped in a school with less than the quality instructions (whatever level it then was) at Ruseas and then Vere Technical? What if Ruseas - (it was as a result of her development at Ruseas why she went on to Vere Tech) - had not provided an environment for her development?

The question is, how many more Merlene Ottey's were 'dumped' because the decision was taken that no school should provide development at sports? ...other potential greats in others of our taught sporting disciplines? One? Ten? One thousand? Ten thousand? ...more?
Are we saying we are comfortable with that?

...or worse are we saying it is A-OK to have this uneven playing field whereby in the years of greatest learning we provide some of our kids with sub-par instructions, deny exposure to quality teaching...because of the false premise that introduction to best environment in the targeted area of sport translates into producing kids with poor academic performances even if those kids where also in environment where best academic instructions were the norm?

...or is it an underlying belief, perhaps even at the subconscious level, that our teacher-administrators are incapable of creating and administering schools where excellence in all areas is the norm? ...a bit of self-loathing?

*After all each of us is sum of our parts...and it is best (best needed) in each part that together makes us, us.

[Karl]

Check this: It may have been posted already. One of the things that struck me is this comparison between the "modern coach" and the "traditional coach" : The modern coach focuses on "development". The traditional coach focuses on "winning at all costs". That is, maybe, just one summary of what Montesso is talking about versus playing in a school competition. School football is about winning a trophy; football development it is not.
http://blog.thebeautifulgame.ie/

There you go!!!

[Karl]

Those that don't have the quality will be discarded...they weren't going to live comfortable lives as professional footballers anyway...that's the point...weed them out from early...

So how do you arrive at - Those not having the quality...if they have never been properly introduced...arguably never introduced...to the sport?

Would you say the same - i.e. not having the quality - for a child on reading if that child had never been properly introduced...never introduced at all...to reading?

How do you weed out early when they have never been in the pool? ...weed them out from what?

[Bricktop]

That is the function of an academy...recruit those that have potential to make a living from professional football...recruit from where you ask? from youth clubs...what so difficult to understand bout that...why you want to reinvent the wheel?

[Assasin]

School bwoy football needs to be changed as well. It is too much about the schools on the top level and less about the players. It identify talent but it stifle them as well. What is Alvas Powell doing playing DCup??? He is not even in a strong zone, he may not even be surrounded with players that can aid his development? None of our top 20 18-20 year old should be playing Dcup. They should be playing at a higher level in all year round programs or with professional clubs or top division one colleges.

[Karl]

Alvas?
...not for D'Cup he would not have been known.

Unfortunately if his D'Cup teacher knew how to teach the sport he would be an even better defender.

You know what is frightening?
OK! I will tell it - When you review results at D'Cup level in that area it appears that this inept teacher of football is one of the top teachers. Can you imagine what those less 'proficient' are doing to our talented youngsters?

[Assasin]

No reason why Powell should currently be playing DCUP. None, that is holding back his talent by a bout 4 footballing years.

Talent can be identified by 12 years old. We all knew most of the good ballers from 2nd form. Playing in a weak St.Thomas division in Dcup will not help his development especially after 16 years old.

[Karl]

No reason why Powell should currently be playing DCUP. None, that is holding back his talent by a bout 4 footballing years.

Talent can be identified by 12 years old. We all knew most of the good ballers from 2nd form. Playing in a weak St.Thomas division in Dcup will not help his development especially after 16 years old.

Why is the D'Cup in this area weak?

The same reason the academic results are less than stellar. Not lack of talent. TALENT ABOUNDS!
Poor teaching!

[Assasin]

Karl there is no school in Jamaica that is prepared to take 18 and 19 year old players to the next level. NONE.

[Muadib]

ahm.. you do realize our schools are under-performing in the function they are designed for.. educating..

You want to do what now ?

[Karl]

Karl,

Are you saying that schools should morph into sports development academies??

Schools should be schools!
Our schools as track and field academies...or cricket academies...or netball academies...have not detracted from the academic performances.

Re: Academic performances
They are all awful and in our best schools 'less awful'...and that is as they have always been.

I don't think you fully grasp what football development entails.

I wonder if you are looking at development in the relative few academies around the world that are top rate?

*Relative to number of talented kids.

Check my link at the bottom of this thread please. Karl, the example of what successful footballing countries do is not a frivolous one... why should (even if JA could and I put it to you JA CAN NOT) JA diverge from a formula with proven success?

It is "Japanese it" - as per the saying on what they did to the manufacture of motor cars. The Japanese did not just say OK...the system already in place is great therefore let us adopt it as is and do not improve on the it? ...did they? - No...it is said that they made the already successful even better.

Are kids going to play football ten months of the year while in school? doesn't make sense Karl. How do you think the sporting pie will be divided if schools adopt what you suggest? EVERY sport, not to mention other disciplines like music, pottery, whatever, will demand or at least want their discipline to be catered to over a ten month period. How does a public school system sustain such a model? it can't, IMO, I just don't see how that could happen.

Do the kids in the football academies go to school? ...do they give to the other disciplines 10 months? ...or do they spend all their time learning/playing
football? ...what no academic studies? ...no Dr. Socrates, ...no lawyers, investors, bankers, sports agents, whatever?

What just dummies/incompletely developed humans?

My reading on those academies have me remembering that 'schooling' on academic subjects are of paramount importance. Take no backwater to 'schooling' on football.

E.g.
FIFA -

1.
The Catalan Way to Grow Players on Home Soil

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/sp...anted=all&_r=0

2.
Arsenal (My GUNNERS) - Youth Academy Head of Education and Welfare
http://www.topfootballjobs.com/arsen...d-welfare.html

The people's money is not to be spent on sporting academies but rather on education and phys ed to the extent it is a part of that.

Who says so? ...and why are they saying so?