Is anyone on here a licensed coach?

[Paul Marin]

Provincial B. Anyway i think your approach is right and your buddy very wrong. Kids 5 and 6 should be playing 3 v 3 ideally Experiencing all aspect of the game. Key here is they need to just play and have fun. Results are not important and technique development will be within the game. Stay away from line drills or anything that has them waiting ( not enough attention span) keep them moving with exercises not drills and see the game from their perspective. I think you are on the right track. Horst wein has a wonderful book the Soccer Development Model which is the bible around developing kids at that age. I would recommend it to your pal. it deals with the phyiso and psychological aspect of the age group.

Thanks OJ. I sent a copy of your response to my friend. Wooiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee... he is Brazilian. He jokingly responded with the following:

"How many times have Jamaica won the world cup? Remind me!" He and I have a good relationship, so it is good we are learning from each other. I am detailed oriented, and he is not. He says things like, "In Brazil, we can do two things - dance and play football - nobody tells us how to do it, we just do it". On one hand, I see his point as you don't want to over coach (I do 40 mins playing to 20 mins instruction), but for every Ronaldo out there, I wonder how many "could have been" had they been taught properly. I will check out the book. Thanks.

[Paul Marin]

I have a FA Level 2 licence, working towards my UEFA B, I would say your approach is spot on Paul when dealing with young kids!!

Thanks Dunny - I a applied to take the E license this month. We will see if I get in as there are limited spots. If I do, I'll try for the D license in January (you need 6 months to go by before you can sit the D after you get the E). I am determined not to see them mess up my son's game like they did my daughter's. I have take to coaching her myself and already am seeing improvement in areas I thought were BASICS that they were covering in practices. Not so. Can you believe that these girls (13 y.o.) have no practices that have them controlling or playing the ball out of the air? They duck half the time when the ball coming to their head. KMT.

[Paul Marin]

Okay - so here is his position:

Wrong. Just throwing a ball to every kid and expecting all with ball playing talent to become engaged is unrealistic.
In fairness, this is not what he's saying. But he does say, "let them play" meaning that he wants them to develop through their own means. This doesn't mean there is no instruction, but very very limited.
There are always some individuals who must be introduced to an activity in 'formal way' before an appreciation for the activity is developed.


What exactly does he mean. Formal teaching of dribbling and shooting ignoring the other activities? First it cannot be done as dribbling and shooting demand skills that incorporate passing - (SHOOTING IS PASSING!!!!).
Yes. He doesn't teach anything else, just these two things. I understand why, because at this age, they can't organize, but I encourage my boys every chance to pass, dribble and shoot when appropriate. He doesn't believe in passing (yet) because they won't be able to do it.

Dribbling has a starting point - receipt of the ball. ...in Jamaica parlance we speak of "control de ball". The kid has to take the ball under control before setting off on the dribble. Think on it; even as the kid starts with a 'dead-ball' or runs to meet a moving ball that first touch and each subsequent touch is all about "having the ball do his bidding"/controlling the ball.
He won't touch this for another 2 years.

Cussing is a distraction...brings out fear of failure and impacts (self-)confidence.
I couldn't agree with you more.

See comments above. Thanks. Very helpful.

[Karl]

I saw it and smiled at your answer to or kept response to your friend's comment. How many kids playing football in Brazil...number of players? ...Brazil certainly can afford to allow many great talents to go to waste.

Keep up the good work with your kids and team, boss.

[Assasin]

you don't even need the team to teach your kids header and "keep it up"

Right now is off season for my kids but every Saturday morning I take them to the field at 9:00 and teach them to head the ball, and my friend told me how to start them at "keep it up" by letting them throw the ball chest height and keep it on one tigh and then throw again on the other and a few other drills. I want them to have other coaches and I have two but I am afraid they will not develop that little "I can do that" killer instinct by been too much of a team player at this age.

[Gamma]

At 6 their co-ordination is not likely to be there and I am more in favour of positive reinforcement (yours sound too positive though &#128540

His way is likely to produce bruckyboos