Koach Karl - Here's a post from Coach Troy Stelmack…
Koach Karl,
Thank you so much for helping us youth coaches through your blog. In return I would like to let you know how well your program has worked for me.
I have kept up with your helping coach Rice through his first season and found that we (youth coaches) seem to run into very similar situation.
A few weeks ago, if you recall, you helped me go over some of my issues in getting my players to lay out their fields, esp. the 1+1 and getting my practices to flow. Just as in being a parent, I find that in coaching, to have better kids, I need to be a better coach (parent).
The point you made about being clear with the players about my expectations and holding them to it really brought things back to earth. It forced me to start to think things through and then to really make things simple. The buzz words are absolutely instrumental to keeping it simple.
My boys are doing so GREAT now! At first hey hated the fact that I wouldn’t go one step further into the practice until they mastered the 1+1 set up because, 1) they didn’t like following me around like little ducks, which I did call them and 2) they wanted to play soccer. I put it to them real simple. I said, “You expect to come here to learn and play soccer. I expect you all to set up your fields and go through your games exactly the way you are instructed. When you all do what I expect, you all will be able to do what you expect.” When they started to loose points for not setting up that field their eyes started rolling and t heir lips got tighter, but by the third time I lead them around in a line setting up their cones they were more than willing to do it correctly on their own.
My assistant and I have stepped off the field of play and have made a concerted effort to keep our instructions simple and to the point. We keep our instructions down to about 30 seconds, and we have been amazed at how much the boys talk to each other now!!! And I’ve also been able to see how much they are really developing. When practices started we had 14 boys trying to play soccer. When I look at them now, I’ve got 14 soccer players developing as a team and growing into better and greater players, and really more importantly, they are becoming what I think are better and smarter young men.
I appreciate the way your '9-Step Practice Routine' helps these players to develop in their minds as well as their bodies. The simplicity of your approach allows them to focus on a simple point and then master it, and I believe it does make everything FUN.
I am really enjoying this season. Our boys are 4 and 0 and even if we don’t win another match I know this is going to be a great year for everyone. Thank you again, Coach, for helping me out.
Troy Stelmack
Manteca Blast
U12 Boys