Who actually develops players?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a good question and I personally think this comes down to your goals and the position your kid plays.

Coaches, for the most part, are best at coaching where they played in their prime because that is where they have the most personal experience and intimate knowledge. That doesn't mean they can't coach other positions but this is where they shine and also these are the types of players they are naturally drawn to, players that played like them and where they can see themselves in them. It's human nature. And of course a coach can coach anyone but we are talking.about the strongest developers.

So, if you take PG for instance, who has been mentioned on this thread, if your player is a winger who relies solely on speed and 1v1 attacking ability to influence games and that will be your players value to a team going forward, then he could be good as he was a left footed winger/forward with pace that liked to try and run past people. And his trainings focus a lot on 1v1, pace building/stamina (running hills, around the track etc etc) and attacking and his methodology is very old school. And I would argue his trainings are not built for the current physical rigors of the modern game. You can't train like they did 40 years ago today because the game has changed, the physical demands on a players body are higher and if you have that type of frequency in training sprinting and power, your body WILL break down. FAST. If you're asking him to teach your CAM, CDM, CM Wing back, that may be more of a stretch because the knowledge base is just not there. Yes, he could teach some things about those positions but it wouldn't be remarkable. He certainly has experience in the game that a lot of coaches don't and that is valuable and he does understand the landscape in the US which is also valuable. But again, if you have a defensive player or a player that plays centrally, I would look elsewhere.

SC, who is also mentioned in this thread, is certainly polarizing. Some love him and some.hate him. What is pretty clear is that he does work well with central midfielders. Again, that is where he played. His approach to youth players in terms of how he treats them is up to parents to decide but he does have some decent results with midfielders and regardless of whether you like his approach, he does seem to give kids a solid technical foundation to build on especially at central positions on the pitch.

Devin Payton who is at Juventus is an excellent developer of talent. Probably one of the only true students of the game that I have seen in our area. And because of this, he is very versatile in terms of the positions he can coach. He was a top attacking player but can coach it all and is also very good with teams and most importantly, cares about the kids and their well being. Very underrated coach, who has a knowledge base and experience that many coaches in our area do not. Including playing on the US futsal national team and truly understanding how to transition those futsal skills to the field (which is not easy). A great all around coach and you will see quickly that he has coaches or currently coaches some of our areas top talents. He just doesn't trumpet those accomplishments.

Generally speaking you have to find a coach who knows what they are talking about and has unique experience (obvious) 1. But 2 can get through to your kid in a way that his productive and healthy. It can be challenging but if you use some of the criteria here as a guide it can narrow down your choices.

This was so helpful, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing so much talk about this and that club taking credit and not actually developing the player. I am interested to see what coaches are actually developing players here in the DMV.

Two off hand are Phil Gyau and Sal Caccavale.

No need to berate if you disagree. Despite what others think, who has impacted your player?

Been with Sal for two years. Would not go anywhere else.

NGL when you leave him finally you will see the horrible toll the screaming, swearing and negativity had on your child. It’s hard to see it when you are in it but one day you will. It’s not worth it!

Club soccer is only about 25% of my kids time on the ball per week. If I allow one person to control who my kid becomes in this little time, that is my parenting issue, not a coaching issue. I am currently at BSC and can't stand my current coach as we are not with SM or PG. My mistake, I should have done my research. My kid knows you still follow and listen to the coach, learn something from them but do not let them impact "who you are" which comes from my parental foundation. Please stop with blaming SC for your parental shortcomings. Learn from what you did wrong and correct it for your younger kids or grandkids. Have a great day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing so much talk about this and that club taking credit and not actually developing the player. I am interested to see what coaches are actually developing players here in the DMV.

Two off hand are Phil Gyau and Sal Caccavale.

No need to berate if you disagree. Despite what others think, who has impacted your player?

Been with Sal for two years. Would not go anywhere else.

NGL when you leave him finally you will see the horrible toll the screaming, swearing and negativity had on your child. It’s hard to see it when you are in it but one day you will. It’s not worth it!

Club soccer is only about 25% of my kids time on the ball per week. If I allow one person to control who my kid becomes in this little time, that is my parenting issue, not a coaching issue. I am currently at BSC and can't stand my current coach as we are not with SM or PG. My mistake, I should have done my research. My kid knows you still follow and listen to the coach, learn something from them but do not let them impact "who you are" which comes from my parental foundation. Please stop with blaming SC for your parental shortcomings. Learn from what you did wrong and correct it for your younger kids or grandkids. Have a great day!

I am currently at BSC and can’t stand my current coach? Weird.

[Anonymous]

If my kid had an amazing coach, I wouldn't post about it here bc I don't want more competition for his spot from people showing up wanting to play for the coach.

If his coach did NOT develop players I would happily post the club and initials to warn people off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my kid had an amazing coach, I wouldn't post about it here bc I don't want more competition for his spot from people showing up wanting to play for the coach.

If his coach did NOT develop players I would happily post the club and initials to warn people off.

haha same.

[Anonymous]

On the MD side and agree that PG and SM are the gold standard for boys.

Have heard good things about HG at SYC, CD at Arlington and BH at Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

In the soccer world unfortunately, topics are discussed without definition and universal understanding

We all aren't thinking the same thing in the meaning of development for starters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a good question and I personally think this comes down to your goals and the position your kid plays.

Coaches, for the most part, are best at coaching where they played in their prime because that is where they have the most personal experience and intimate knowledge. That doesn't mean they can't coach other positions but this is where they shine and also these are the types of players they are naturally drawn to, players that played like them and where they can see themselves in them. It's human nature. And of course a coach can coach anyone but we are talking.about the strongest developers.

So, if you take PG for instance, who has been mentioned on this thread, if your player is a winger who relies solely on speed and 1v1 attacking ability to influence games and that will be your players value to a team going forward, then he could be good as he was a left footed winger/forward with pace that liked to try and run past people. And his trainings focus a lot on 1v1, pace building/stamina (running hills, around the track etc etc) and attacking and his methodology is very old school. And I would argue his trainings are not built for the current physical rigors of the modern game. You can't train like they did 40 years ago today because the game has changed, the physical demands on a players body are higher and if you have that type of frequency in training sprinting and power, your body WILL break down. FAST. If you're asking him to teach your CAM, CDM, CM Wing back, that may be more of a stretch because the knowledge base is just not there. Yes, he could teach some things about those positions but it wouldn't be remarkable. He certainly has experience in the game that a lot of coaches don't and that is valuable and he does understand the landscape in the US which is also valuable. But again, if you have a defensive player or a player that plays centrally, I would look elsewhere.

SC, who is also mentioned in this thread, is certainly polarizing. Some love him and some.hate him. What is pretty clear is that he does work well with central midfielders. Again, that is where he played. His approach to youth players in terms of how he treats them is up to parents to decide but he does have some decent results with midfielders and regardless of whether you like his approach, he does seem to give kids a solid technical foundation to build on especially at central positions on the pitch.

Devin Payton who is at Juventus is an excellent developer of talent. Probably one of the only true students of the game that I have seen in our area. And because of this, he is very versatile in terms of the positions he can coach. He was a top attacking player but can coach it all and is also very good with teams and most importantly, cares about the kids and their well being. Very underrated coach, who has a knowledge base and experience that many coaches in our area do not. Including playing on the US futsal national team and truly understanding how to transition those futsal skills to the field (which is not easy). A great all around coach and you will see quickly that he has coaches or currently coaches some of our areas top talents. He just doesn't trumpet those accomplishments.

Generally speaking you have to find a coach who knows what they are talking about and has unique experience (obvious) 1. But 2 can get through to your kid in a way that his productive and healthy. It can be challenging but if you use some of the criteria here as a guide it can narrow down your choices.

No problem! I also wanted to add that you have to be strategic about team versus individual goals. Good coaches understand this dynamic. You have to be a team player but end of day, colleges and pro clubs don't sign teams. They sign individuals. You have to make sure that whatever system you are in that it is progressing your player the way you want it to and you have to be obsessed with this and hold people accountable to your standards, not theirs. Having a good u12 team doesn't mean crap and most of those kids will be out of the game in 3-4 years. Keep your eye on the prize.

If you want your kid to reach the highest levels you have to find coaches that aren't what I call "show coaches". These are coaches that set up a lot of cones and do a lot of unrealistic, game irrelevant drills that look cool but don't have net impact. You have to find coaches that stress doing the simple things correctly at the highest possible speeds and under the most amount of pressure. Good coaches know that if you have poor fundamentals at low speeds, when the game speeds up you will have no chance at succeeding. If you see kids doing drills with low intensity and the coach is not telling them to push themselves, then you know the goal is making money, not progressing players.

Also, find coaches that actually show your player how to execute. This is what is missing in lot of our coaches in this area. They tell them something l but rarely take the time to show them...position your foot like this, open your body like that, check to the ball with your body facing here, etc etc. the more of these nuggets the player can put into their mental bank the better player they will become over time. If he's just running through cones with no one telling him, that was a bad turn because of this or that then they are literally just running through cones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a good question and I personally think this comes down to your goals and the position your kid plays.

Coaches, for the most part, are best at coaching where they played in their prime because that is where they have the most personal experience and intimate knowledge. That doesn't mean they can't coach other positions but this is where they shine and also these are the types of players they are naturally drawn to, players that played like them and where they can see themselves in them. It's human nature. And of course a coach can coach anyone but we are talking.about the strongest developers.

So, if you take PG for instance, who has been mentioned on this thread, if your player is a winger who relies solely on speed and 1v1 attacking ability to influence games and that will be your players value to a team going forward, then he could be good as he was a left footed winger/forward with pace that liked to try and run past people. And his trainings focus a lot on 1v1, pace building/stamina (running hills, around the track etc etc) and attacking and his methodology is very old school. And I would argue his trainings are not built for the current physical rigors of the modern game. You can't train like they did 40 years ago today because the game has changed, the physical demands on a players body are higher and if you have that type of frequency in training sprinting and power, your body WILL break down. FAST. If you're asking him to teach your CAM, CDM, CM Wing back, that may be more of a stretch because the knowledge base is just not there. Yes, he could teach some things about those positions but it wouldn't be remarkable. He certainly has experience in the game that a lot of coaches don't and that is valuable and he does understand the landscape in the US which is also valuable. But again, if you have a defensive player or a player that plays centrally, I would look elsewhere.

SC, who is also mentioned in this thread, is certainly polarizing. Some love him and some.hate him. What is pretty clear is that he does work well with central midfielders. Again, that is where he played. His approach to youth players in terms of how he treats them is up to parents to decide but he does have some decent results with midfielders and regardless of whether you like his approach, he does seem to give kids a solid technical foundation to build on especially at central positions on the pitch.

Devin Payton who is at Juventus is an excellent developer of talent. Probably one of the only true students of the game that I have seen in our area. And because of this, he is very versatile in terms of the positions he can coach. He was a top attacking player but can coach it all and is also very good with teams and most importantly, cares about the kids and their well being. Very underrated coach, who has a knowledge base and experience that many coaches in our area do not. Including playing on the US futsal national team and truly understanding how to transition those futsal skills to the field (which is not easy). A great all around coach and you will see quickly that he has coaches or currently coaches some of our areas top talents. He just doesn't trumpet those accomplishments.

Generally speaking you have to find a coach who knows what they are talking about and has unique experience (obvious) 1. But 2 can get through to your kid in a way that his productive and healthy. It can be challenging but if you use some of the criteria here as a guide it can narrow down your choices.

Bolded above has been our experience as well. We have a great coach who was a great Goalkeeper. Guess which part of our team gets the most attention...Goalkeeping and Defense. I hate to say it, but our offense is getting zero attention and development. Knowing the Coach's background and where they played growing up, will impact how your player is developed. Our GK is constantly being given extra attention by the Coach, technical instruction, extra guest playing time & extra clinics all the while, our offense can hardly execute corner kicks, they don't practice foot skills or winger distribution & crossing. The development is very lopsided solely because the Coach only knows Goalkeeping and Defense.

[Anonymous]

No club will as a whole and only really good coaches so with a team. Oh, and private trainers. Invest in your player outside of club practices if you want them to get better unless you've got a unicorn coach that cares about more than 3 players on the team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No club will as a whole and only really good coaches so with a team. Oh, and private trainers. Invest in your player outside of club practices if you want them to get better unless you've got a unicorn coach that cares about more than 3 players on the team.

If only parents truly saw that as a red flag which it truly is, the better coaches treat their players the same and hold them to the same standards and accountability whether they're at the top of the roster or the bottom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No club will as a whole and only really good coaches so with a team. Oh, and private trainers. Invest in your player outside of club practices if you want them to get better unless you've got a unicorn coach that cares about more than 3 players on the team.

Yep, we have 3 players who get all the attention. One gets attention because they do lots of private training within the club. Same 3 players are called out for Examples over and over. Same 3 players are given opportunities to play the neutral. Same 3 players are given guest playing opportunities and are always getting technical instruction. Same 3 players's parents are always talking to the Coach and the other Coaches before and after practice. Same 3 players play most of the whole game. I am paying the same Club fees as those 3 families, but those players are literally receiving twice the development and feedback.

[Anonymous]

When parents figure out experience doesn't equal knowledge, or which experiences are actually of value as a coach, they will make better choices

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No club will as a whole and only really good coaches so with a team. Oh, and private trainers. Invest in your player outside of club practices if you want them to get better unless you've got a unicorn coach that cares about more than 3 players on the team.

Yep, we have 3 players who get all the attention. One gets attention because they do lots of private training within the club. Same 3 players are called out for Examples over and over. Same 3 players are given opportunities to play the neutral. Same 3 players are given guest playing opportunities and are always getting technical instruction. Same 3 players's parents are always talking to the Coach and the other Coaches before and after practice. Same 3 players play most of the whole game. I am paying the same Club fees as those 3 families, but those players are literally receiving twice the development and feedback.

What are the other two sides to this story?

[Anonymous]

Background in child psychology and not born not US born only criteria I’ve used and it’s been peaches