OBJECTIVES OF THE ‘TRAIN TO TRAIN’ / ‘TRAIN TO COMPETE’ PROGRAM
TRAIN TO TRAIN
As mentioned in the introduction, we must be careful not to think of these players as young adults. They have a long way to go for several reasons:
- They may not watch the game on TV to have a reference to what the game looks like from above relative to adult concepts,
- They may not watch the adult game live in order to see the many movements of adult players and how they are connected to their game,
- They practice soccer only a couple of times per week and play games only within the 16-week club season,
- They are not physically prepared to execute the adult game on the full sized field,
- They are not technical proficient enough to execute the adult game on the full sized field in neither attacking or defending, or both.
Consequently, we must be careful. Some coaches will have a great deal of knowledge (adult knowledge) that they want to impart. As long-term athlete development is a marathon (‘Long Term’) and not a sprint, it is critical that you sit down and map out what concepts you would like the players to be introduced to, learn, and automate within the season. If they are U13, I can guarantee that there will be little Automation and even less Perfection/Improvization. However, the Introduction of game concepts and techniques or time spent on truly learning in these areas can certainly be placed into your season plan.
There remains a focus on learning fundamental movement concepts (running, jumping, cutting, stumble recovery, etc.) as they relate specifically to soccer. Emphasis also continues on play in small groups. Games that are simple, easily taught, and ask the players to solve a number of varied game related questions. An increasing amount of emphasis is based around Vision & Awareness. The application of small-game concepts to the big-game. Now we must also touch upon organization of a team and a system, but keep it simple and continue to relate it to the concepts of the small-sided game.
The amount of learning that will take place and the level of stress encountered by the players will hinge on their abilities to treat the practice environment you have set up like play. The more structured, formal and organized you make the training, the harder it becomes for the players to stay relaxed, have fun and learn.
It is important to understand that each coach makes a special contribution to the developing soccer player. In this booklet, we want to acknowledge this special contribution that you are making by outlining the things that a coach should be looking to help his/her players learn.
TRAIN TO COMPETE
Unlike the previous phases within Gorge SA & Lakehill SA’s player development, U16 and older become the years where we can begin to address the competitive qualities of a soccer player, and certainly at the senior level these qualities have been honed over many years.
However, we still must remember, that even a senior player has performance anxieties. When the pressure is on, will they stay present to the task or will they begin to look at other aspects of the game that could further distract them and degrade their performance. As a coach, how will you prepare them to be task focused?
It is our belief, that this is a habit. If you design training so that there is a purpose, a desired outcome from the training session, and every exercise within the session leads to this purpose, you will be helping them train the consistency they need to perform and compete at the top level. It is the unspoken result of your practice design.
We encourage you to spend time researching, preparing and reflecting on training execution. Certainly the players’ execution, but also your own. As a manager, you will have a massive influence on these players so it is important that you spend time on yourself, and your own coaching. It will pay dividends in your team’s preparation and thus your team’s performance.
The objective of this phase is to continue to prepare the players for ‘their’ highest level of play. You do this by creating training and playing structures that help them achieve this. Be consistent with the players, establish your objectives for training and games so they can continue to grow as players and as individuals. Their level of ability, whether technical or tactical, still has room for growth. If you believe in this you will prepare yourself accordingly, and in return, the players will give their best efforts and their best performances.
Enjoy,
EPIC