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Quote of the Week
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"Winning is temporary - skills can last a lifetime."
Charles Cotton
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 Recommended Media
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This week's recommendation is an amazing video compilation of goals from one of the world's all-time great Soccer Geniuses - Ronaldhino. Simply enjoy the brilliance and then spend time visualizing (imagining on purpose in your mind's eye) yourself doing these very same skills. It's a success habit of all developing Soccer Geniuses.
Enjoy the magic!
Ronaldhino's Top 10 Goals
(click to open in a new window)
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HomeSkills
Challenge |
Weekly challenges for you to do at home. Taken from Charles' groundbreaking Book Series: HomeSkills Magic: The Soccer Genius HomePlay System
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Chair Sit Sole Rolls
With Power Pad Stops
This weeks challenge helps train first and multiple touch while strengthening the core muscle groups and major leg muscles.
You'll need:
- A chair that gives you a 90 to 110 degree angle at your knees when you're sitting with your feet flat on the floor.
- A ball.
- A safe area of 4 x 4 ft (1.3 square meters)
- A fun 'can-do' attitude
Here's how to do the challenge:
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Sit upright in a chair with
legs at 90 angle with a ball just in front of one foot.
- Gently tighten your lower stomach muscles.
- Eyes focused gently on the ball. (do not bend over to look down.)
- Place the power pad of one foot on the top center of ball,
- Gently roll the ball across the front of the body
- Stop it with the power pad of the other foot
on the center of ball.
- Repeat with other foot.
- Continue the rhythm.
Challenge yourself to see how many you can do perfectly in 30 seconds.
Remember: Perfect your technique before increasing speed. Technique can quickly break-down when speed is increased.
Challenge Progressions:
- Complete the above using the Fingertip Focus technique. Holding one arm straight out in front of the body, palm facing forward, fingers open wide. Eyes focused on the tip of the middle finger.
- Complete the challenge with Eyes Closed.
- Complete the challenge with Eyes Closed and Ears Covered.
Mastered the Challenges?
Then email me to tell me about it. I love hearing about and celebrating Soccer Genius Successes.
Email me at:
charles@enlightenedsoccer.com
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You are a Soccer Genius!
A warm welcome to issue #4 of Soccer Genius Planet. Are you ready to unleash more of your Soccer Genius this week?
In this issue I address the fundamentally important choice that all coaches, clubs and parents must make throughout the long-term development phases of youth players: Are you going to start with development as the goal OR are you going to start with
winning as the goal? The choice you make will determine every
single part of the youth players soccer experience. Read my featured
article to see why choosing the development goal is the best for
everyone in the long run.
My second article talks about the value of discovering and setting goals within goals - both on and off the field. I'm sure it will spark a few new Genius goals of your own!
I love the recommended media choice this week. I know you'll love it, too! It's an amazing video with a true Soccer Genius. Video's are a great way to train the developing mind by stimulating and expanding the range of what is possible. In fact, I use a lot of video sampling to help players and coaches unleash the power of their inner Soccer Genius.
You'll also find the regular genius tips, habits and Better Out Than In sections. Have fun trying on the fingertip focus approach to running with the ball. And, of course, have fun with this week's HomeSkills Magic Challenge - Chair Sit Sole Rolls.
Thanks for joining me this week.
From My Soccer Genius to Yours!
Charles Cotton
charles@enlightenedsoccer.com
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Featured Article
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Start With Development as the Long-Term Goal!
Soccer (football) is seeing an unprecedented growth both in global popularity and organized development programs for youth players. Many national soccer programs are starting to consider or adapt long-term player development models, which is encouraging. Unfortunately, many are setting themselves up for long-term failure because of their choice of the end goal of their programs. Local teams, clubs and leagues that are following the national program lead are also likely to experience very mixed results and development problems.
What end goal am I talking about?
The goal of winning. (A goal, which in and of itself is relatively neutral. Neither good nor bad, right nor wrong.)
At the global level this shows up as the goal of winning The World Cup or The Champions League or the EPL or La Liga or whatever other professional and commercial championship is available. At the youth program level it comes in the form of winning every game, the league championship, the state or provincial championship, the national championship, the U15, U17, U19 worlds. At every stage the goal is to win, plain and simple. Naturally, players and teams are selected based on winning records and performance.
Let's contrast this with another option.
The end goal of development. (A goal, which in and of itself
is relatively neutral. Neither good nor bad, right nor wrong.)
This goal shows up in program creation that establishes clear and objective talent identification, equal technical development and equal playing opportunities for early, mid and late maturing players. Emphasis is placed on a progression from individual skills, knowledge and complete soccer literacy to team unification, late-stage position specialization and complex systems of interplay.
So, which one will you choose?
Are you going to start with development as the goal or are you going to start with
winning as the goal? The choice you make will determine every
single part of the youth players soccer experience, including:
- the path you take to creating practices
- evaluating and recruiting players
- forming and selecting teams
- their opportunities to learn from mistakes and take risks on the field
- how much and how often they practice (the goal of winning often leads to overpractice, increased injury and early burn-out)
- organizing leagues
- how children are 'used' in games, including how and when they get to play
- what skills are developed (and,
more-often, left undeveloped)
- what positions or position they are allowed to play
- the style and system of play that is encouraged
- what long-term values and life skills
the children learn
- the likelihood of continued soccer and sport participation for
the remainder of their life
- the community experience of the 'soccer team' (the players, the coaches, the parents and families)
- the likely 'creation' of a completely soccer literate and capable player or a relatively one-dimensional, position dependent player
The evidence is very clear, whatever your choice may be.
When winning is
the long-term goal of a youth soccer program, players are developed and progressed through the system based on results and performances. Late bloomers are left out and players are cut early and often. There becomes less and less room for 'underperformers'.
When development is the long-term goal of a youth soccer program, players are progressed through the system based on equal opportunities to play, experiment, learn and master the complexities of the highest levels of the game. There is always room for players committed to learning and developing.
The irony is that programs choosing development as the long-term goal far more often realize winning success on the field and in the talent production for the highest levels of adult play where winning really does matter.
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Goals within Goals
| Players best succeed in an environment that clearly sets and encourages the achievement of realistic goals. It's important and fun to pattern goal-setting at an early age. I encourage you to take it one step further by working with the principle of 'goals within goals'. Let's have a look at how I do this in the Soccer Genius Training programs, beginning with Level One for the 7 and 8 year old players.
Level One players have a dozen 'big' goals that they are working toward throughout the course of the program in order to successfully meet the Level One Genius Benchmarks and move on to Level Two. These goals include soccer skills like juggling and dribbling, soccer knowledge and rules mastery, as well as soccer geometry and practical Fair Play.
For example, one of the Level One juggling goals is to be able to 'one-bounce' juggle the ball 20 times in a row without stopping. This goal can be daunting for the new player, to say the least. However, by setting smaller goals within the bigger goal (a practice often referred to as 'chunking') things become a lot more manageable and 'acceptable' for the young player's developing mind. Here's how it works in a 30 week program:
The Benchmark goal is 20 consecutive one-bounce juggles.
I start by shrinking this goal down to weekly goals, starting with:
- Week One Goal: a single one-bounce juggle
- Week Five Goal: 5 consecutive one-bounce juggles
- I continue to add one extra juggle per week for the duration of the program.
- The players are on track to actually surpass the goal weeks before the benchmarking session occurs. This also gives them extra time to 'catch up' as necessary or to help others master the one-bounce technique.
This is only one of the many goals that each developing player will realize over time. The ultimate goal being the development of complete Soccer Genius players; a goal that shapes and drives the realization of literally thousands of smaller goals over the course of the 11 year development cycle.
This approach also works wonders in the rest of the player's life. They'll be equipped to break down and successfully realize big goals in education, travel, finances, career, family and many other areas. And to think they will have mastered this wonderful life skill while playing soccer!
This is the way of the Soccer Genius.
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Charles' "Better Out Than In!"
| Charles' weekly video clip highlighting an area of youth training, play and/or development that is in need of some serious updating. At the end of the day, it's better to get it out than to keep it in. Enjoy!
Focus on "Learning to Walk with the Ball BEFORE you learn to Run"
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Weekly Genius Tech Tipd
Each week in this section I include a detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as well do it perfectly!
The Soccer Genius Ready Stance
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One of the missing elements of most developmental sports programs is learning the correct postures and stances that are the foundations of long-term technical and artistic excellence. Think of how many young players you see standing either hunched over or straight as a board when they are waiting for the play to come their way again.
A major part of all Soccer Genius Training is learning the best stances and postures that contribute to on-field readiness and purpose of play. The stances also help prevent injury by training the body and mind to be ready to react and intuitively move in a soccer specific way.
The SOCCER GENIUS READY STANCE is the foundation of all Soccer Genius stances and postures. Here's how it's done:
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart with one foot slightly in front of the other.
- Bend knees slightly.
- Weight is a bit forward
toward the power pads (balls of the feet) as if you might
leap forward, back or sideways at any moment.
- Back is straight and lower
stomach area is gently tightened.
- Arms at the sides 2-3” (5-8cm) away
from body with a ¼ bend at elbows, ready to spring into action.
- Palms facing in toward the sides of the body (not out or back)
- Fingers are open – as if ready
to make a save. (no clenched fists)
- Face is relaxed.
- Breathing is steady.
- Eyes focused straight ahead.
- Senses are alert.
How to practice mastering the Soccer Genius Ready Stance.
- Get into the stance by following the steps above.
- Then do some quick feet running on the spot.
- Quickly stop and return to the Ready Stance.
- Hold the position without moving for 5 seconds.
- Repeat three times.
Move on to the Soccer Genius Ready Stance with Ball Focus.
- Place a ball 3-4 steps in front of you.
- Get into the Genius Ready Stance as above.
- Focus 100% of your attention on the bottom center of the ball. Keep your eyes fixed on the ball.
- Then do some quick feet running on the spot.
- Quickly stop and return to the Ready Stance. Eyes focused on the ball.
- Hold the position without moving for 5 seconds.
- Repeat three times.
And remember to celebrate your success at learning to master this essential soccer technique by shouting out "I am a Soccer Genius!"
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Weekly Genius Success Habitd
Each week I provide a Genius Success Habit for you to practice perfectly for the next 7 days. If you're already doing the habit, then keep on keeping on!
And did you know that practicing the habit everyday for at least 42 days will give you a
far greater likelihood of making it a permanent success habit.
Some habits are harder to practice and make part of our life than others. Some are guaranteed to push a few buttons, as well.
adsf
| This week's Genius Success Habit
Celebrate all successes!
I have found that it is extremely important to record, recognize and
celebrate the success of each player at every
step of the development process. This can often be as simple as a
'high-five' for a newly learned skill or a check on the Soccer Genius Development Chart when a goal is achieved. Keeping a success record for the players (and having them keep one as well) trains their brains to be prepared for and expect success - on and off the field - and for it to become a regular part of their play and life.
I've also found it
really helps with group dynamics and modeling empathy and supportive
behaviour when I get all players to cheer and celebrate the individual
successes of the other Soccer Genius players in an informal and spontaneous way. Literally everyone gets
the opportunity to be celebrated and recognized.
Just think how much we, as adults, can benefit from celebrating all of our successes. One of my teachers said that "what you focus on expands". So, if you're focusing on your successes there's a good bet they'll expand in both quantity and quality.
It's a Genius Success Habit! Make it one of yours starting now.
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See you next week!
Thanks for spending your time enjoying this week's Soccer Genius Planet.
Be on the look out for next week's issue loaded with new tips, challenges and more words from the heart, mind and spirit of Charles.
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