First let me say how excited I am to work with the team this spring! I would like to take some time to get to know you as parents and will probably phone at some point to chat and get to know you better. Also, I commonly schedule time to meet with each player individually to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and set realistic goals for them as well as to help them in their improvement. I do this for all my players and as they get older also spend time talking with them about college soccer.
This also enables the player to get to know me better and for me to get to know them as well and helps me to try to do the most I can to help the player and, of course, the team.
Typically, I do this at away tournaments - but we will probably have to try and schedule it a different way. If we are able to get a meeting scheduled, then you as a parent are welcome to attend or not attend depending on what you feel is appropriate.
I want to stress that I have no intention to change the style of play or the formation that the team is presently playing or try to undo any of the excellent work that Paulo has already done with this team - only add to what they already know and can do!
There are several things to outline to everybody and the schedule and why we are doing things a certain way. The team will be training for the most part with the U15 Girls Elite. This team is a high level team with quality players that will challenge the U14 team both technically and physically and demand them to play at a high level as opposed to training and scrimmaging against lower level teams in the same age group, where the 14 Elite will dominate in every aspect and not be stretched to perform and frankly, get better. All of the best teams and player have developed by being challenged - not being comfortable. On the flip side - this team is quite capable of challenging the 15 Elite and ensuring that they are improving as well. This will also enable the team to work on learning things in a larger 11v11 setting where they can also develop the skills to cope with all teams need to work on - Set pieces attacking and defending, Team organization and shape, and organized team defending.
The main
topics that we plan to address in the group are as follows:
●
Tactically- team organization and decision making
●
Individual and team defending- team defensive shape, - when to drop, when to
step, recovery defending. This also includes pressing teams immediately
when the ball is lost, and when it is appropriate to do so. High level soccer
has been going this way for years and you will see all the high level
teams (Barcelona, U.S. Women's National team) press teams in an
organized way when it is "on" to do so- but it must be done with a
plan- Pressing does not mean not playing attacking soccer or passing the ball-
if you watch Barcelona play, the best team in world for the past few years-
they pass and play- but one of their secrets to success is that they press
teams when they lose the ball so that they can have it to attack!
●
Defending at Set Pieces from balls flighted into the box both from free
kicks and corners- how to mark, clear push out and organize - building into
counter-attacking from served set pieces and corners
●
Attacking at Set Pieces- corners and free- kicks
●
Defending in transition (when the ball changes hands)- defensive recovery and
tracking runners
●
Attacking in transition - counter- attacking at speed- patterns of play to do
this
●
Crossing and Finishing from Crosses , both in terms of the techniques needed to
score as well as runs into the box, and the technique of how to cross the ball
and different types of crosses for different situations
●
Finishing and Shooting from all angles- including from the pass/combination
play, also from off the dribble
●
Advanced Technical Skills (Really, a combination of Technical- the how to/
skill and Tactical- decision making- the actual term is Technical-
Tactical) These are techniques and skills used to expand the players
range of decisions, vision and reading of the game- particularly as they apply
to their position.
● Weak
foot for passing/ receiving- being able to play from right to left as well a
left to right.
● All
aerial controls and volleys
●
Receiving and Turning- different types of receiving techniques- opening the
body to the field of play- decision to turn or lay off- double passing- third
man runs and passes- how to show for the ball -use of eye contact.
●
Heading- jumping off one foot to attack balls both offensively and defensively-
heading in different situations
● Playing
with the back to goal and playing while receiving from a diagonal run- these
are similar but different/ distinct techniques and situations
● Runs of
forwards- linking with the Midfield and backs
●
Tactical delivery of Passes - bending the ball into runs (with the run
and into the run), Chipping, driving balls and "dropping" balls into
forwards, slotting the ball through flat defenses, disguising passes- some of
these are longer passes- some shorter
This
list is not all the stuff we will do, nor is it necessarily in the order that
we intend to do them but are some the main things that we need to focus on- a
few of the topics every training session - this is true for some of the
topics for these teams in particular and for many teams in general.
These teams can already play but we need to expand the range of things they can
do / know and understand to play at a higher level. We will play
some 11v11/scrimmage in order to work on some of the topics outlined above
. Some of these topics may change as the season goes on and we analyze
and watch their games. Some of it also depends on the players and
the time of season- sometimes it is good to get them out and there and just
play- but not all the time.
Looking
forward to working with the team! Thank you for letting me coach
your daughter- hopefully I can help her to improve on her soccer journey.
Bob Downs
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