Show the proper respect for yourself, your teammates, referees, fans, and most important, the game…especially when you are in the public’s eye. A coach watching you perform will give you negative points in his book if you look sloppy or act like a bum on the field. This means: tuck in your shirt, walk with an air of confidence, no weird haircuts, and watch your mouth. First impressions are lasting impressions. Last impressions are equally important. Don’t throw away all you hard work in the last 10 minutes of a game by doing something stupid.

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Your coach has a lot to do with your success, in the present and the future. Treat him exactly the way you would like to be treated. He does have the ability and the contacts to “make or break you”. Provide your coach with lots of positive reasons to help you. Above all…remember the golden rule…the man with the gold makes the rules!

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Regardless of a player’s performance, their skill, tactical, and physical display, other factors heavily influence a coach’s decision to recruit a given athlete. Coaches will look at their mental and psychological make-up, their mental ability to quickly and correctly read and assess situations, their motivational drive and will power, their self-confidence and emotional stability. Competition reveals character!

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The team comes together on every FIFA international play date. France will play at least one game per month until June in order to further evaluate the team. The players are constantly followed medically with weekly conversations with the club doctors. They are psychologically tested regularly. In this manner, the FFF can measure the progress of not only the player, but also of the person.

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In every sport spectators and coaches look for one player who will make a difference, he or she being that player they are paying money to watch perform on the weekends. When that player’s turn comes up whether it is with the bases loaded and two outs, the last second shot in the basketball game or the final minutes of a soccer match, it is he or she that draws the focus. Have you ever asked yourself why those players seem to regal in the spotlight? There are many factors involved but the one that stands out in my mind is their superior level of skill.

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Technique (skill) is the one thing that sets you apart from the pack. It is something that will stay with you and allow you to be noticed. Skill is only obtained by spending hours alone with the ball away from your coaches training sessions.

The French Football Federation very much operates under the principle that “This work is very important for the game of tomorrow”. The better job they do in the development of quality players at the youth level, the more accomplished professional players will burst onto the scene. The FFF keeps a close eye on the professional clubs because they might not always be concerned with the best interests of the young players. They feel that out of all the elements, the development of the technical ability is the most important.

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Once in a great while a product comes along that really does make a difference in the style, organization and effectiveness of your training sessions. The Soccer Wall is such a product. I use it religiously in training sessions with age group appropriate activities incorporating technique, tactics, fitness and making these activities fun for the participants. Prior to each training session our players are asked to arrive 15-20 minutes early and play various juggling games on the tennis nets provided with The Soccer Wall.

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At the 2000 USYSA workshop in Philadelphia, Elite Directors of Coaching participated in a two-day seminar with Mr. Aime Jacquet, winning coach of the French National team during the 1998 FIFA World Championships. During this period, Aime approached several topics concerning youth development in France.

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PRIOR TO THE SESSION:What are the objectives of the session? Pick one main objective (KISS – Keep It Short and Simple) Teach one option, when the players achieve that option, add another choice. How does it happen in the game? Where does it occur on the field? These and more questions are addressed in this article.

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