Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Direct soccer is not the same as kickball. Kickball is simply kicking the ball forward to advance it with no real intent on getting the ball to a certain teammate. We can all agree the pure kickball is a poor approach unless completely outmatched and the team is simply fighting for its life. Even then it would be better to attempt to play good soccer.
Direct soccer is a conscious tactic to swiftly but accurately positively penetrate the other team’s defense causing a breakdown or numbers mismatch and therefore a scoring opportunity. Direct soccer tactics are great and when mixed with possession soccer create superior results. Just ask Liverpool and France. Too much possession stagnates an offense (see Germany’s performance in 2018 WC and Japan women’s recent performance against Argentina). Too much direct soccer spreads your own defense thin leading to counter attack opportunities. They must be balanced and taught consistently by coaches including the subtle art of understanding when to possess and when to be direct.
Thank you. All of these people talking about kickball, but misunderstanding actual tactics of playing direct.
But again, direct play is not something that should be prioritized at any of the youngest age groups. The focus on results and direct play at the young ages is why we have "top" players unable to do the basics like passing and trapping accurately to the correct foot, with the correct foot and with the body in the correct position. Those are the intricacies that are not taught here and kids at U9 are definitely capable of starting to learn these things so that they become engrained in them as players.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Direct soccer is not the same as kickball. Kickball is simply kicking the ball forward to advance it with no real intent on getting the ball to a certain teammate. We can all agree the pure kickball is a poor approach unless completely outmatched and the team is simply fighting for its life. Even then it would be better to attempt to play good soccer.
Direct soccer is a conscious tactic to swiftly but accurately positively penetrate the other team’s defense causing a breakdown or numbers mismatch and therefore a scoring opportunity. Direct soccer tactics are great and when mixed with possession soccer create superior results. Just ask Liverpool and France. Too much possession stagnates an offense (see Germany’s performance in 2018 WC and Japan women’s recent performance against Argentina). Too much direct soccer spreads your own defense thin leading to counter attack opportunities. They must be balanced and taught consistently by coaches including the subtle art of understanding when to possess and when to be direct.
Thank you. All of these people talking about kickball, but misunderstanding actual tactics of playing direct.
Anonymous wrote:Read an article from Soccer America that goes into it a bit. This was the Arlington/Alexandria U-10 Virginia Cup Final.
https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/82566/a-refs-view-playing-styles-clash-amid-the-scream.html
Let the debate begin!!!
Anonymous wrote:Direct soccer is not the same as kickball. Kickball is simply kicking the ball forward to advance it with no real intent on getting the ball to a certain teammate. We can all agree the pure kickball is a poor approach unless completely outmatched and the team is simply fighting for its life. Even then it would be better to attempt to play good soccer.
Direct soccer is a conscious tactic to swiftly but accurately positively penetrate the other team’s defense causing a breakdown or numbers mismatch and therefore a scoring opportunity. Direct soccer tactics are great and when mixed with possession soccer create superior results. Just ask Liverpool and France. Too much possession stagnates an offense (see Germany’s performance in 2018 WC and Japan women’s recent performance against Argentina). Too much direct soccer spreads your own defense thin leading to counter attack opportunities. They must be balanced and taught consistently by coaches including the subtle art of understanding when to possess and when to be direct.
Anonymous wrote:did people read the article linked there?
talks about the benefits of direct soccer
https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/81583/have-we-been-too-harsh-on-direct-soccer.html
Anonymous wrote:In the younger years, go with the classiest coaches.
I have moved my kids from Clubs with coaches that play antics and scream the entire game and I don't care if they are 'winning' or the biggest.best.Club in the area. They raising a generation of little sh*ts and a sideline of awful parents.
My kids play for a Club where the coaches are virtually silent during matches. They don't get overly emotional. They don't scream at the refs. They are managing their players emotions (esp the 13/14 year olds) when the testosterone is raging and they start getting mouthy. They will pull even their star out of the game and have him sit for awhile.
They have the players shake the refs hands after the match even if they didn't care for the calls. It's sport and it's over at the end.
I will never understand the screaming at a ref. I played soccer for 25 years quite competitively and the only thing I learned is that if you scream at the ref that most likely the future questionable calls will not go your way the rest of the game or you will be booted from the field and be watching it from the sidelines. My boys know this and don't do this. IF either of my sons snapped at the refs or their coach or teammates, they would be in a whole helluva lot of trouble later that day.
And, my number 1 pet peeve of all time, is the sideline coaching from parents. I literally want to neck throttle parents when they start doing it. And, once one starts in they all start getting worked up and the entire sideline changes. And, here's the thing, by the time your voice reaches the field a player has already had to make a decision in his/her head. You are already 3 steps behind. This is leaving out the fact that the majority of these sideline offenders don't even know what the hell they are watching and are often yelling things completely contradictory to what the coach has told the players to do.
Kids learn by making decisions themselves on the field. And, most often, it's the WRONG decisions that end up making the biggest change in their future play. They will never forget they were the reason a goal went in by leaving a man unmarked or that they weren't at the outside post in time when the cross was made. let.them.make.mistakes.
Anonymous wrote:Read an article from Soccer America that goes into it a bit. This was the Arlington/Alexandria U-10 Virginia Cup Final.
https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/82566/a-refs-view-playing-styles-clash-amid-the-scream.html
Let the debate begin!!!