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Quote of the Week
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"Be a friend to yourself and you will forever be blessed with friendship."
Charles Cotton
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 Recommended Media
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Anson Dorrance is arguably the most successful soccer coach in history. Period! His book, Vision of a Champion, is a must read for coaches, parents and later-stage developing players. Anson is one of the early Soccer Genius pioneers and I highly recommend his book.
(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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Wall Passes with
Sole Trap Switch
Passing the ball to yourself against a wall is one of the best ways to develop your touch and perfect kicking form.
Try this following challenge. All you need is a firm wall in a safe area, a ball, a bit of tape (optional) and a 'can-do' attitude .
1. Place a ball 3-4 steps away from a wall.
2. Optional focus tool: Using masking tape or painter's tape, make a 8 -12 inch (20-30cm) "X" mark along the bottom of the wall. This will be your vision target for the challenge.
3. Perform a perfect technique instep pass (inside surface of foot) against the wall. Make it hard enough so that it comes back easily to your kicking foot.
4. Sole Trap the ball with your kicking foot and roll it across your body to the opposite foot.
5. Complete steps 3 & 4 with the 'new' foot.
6. Continue the rhythm 10 times to develop feel for the challenge.
Then, when you're ready...
Challenge yourself for 60 seconds to see how many you can do with perfect technique and focus.
Progressions:
1. Use the laces to perform the wall pass.
2. Use the outstep to perform the wall pass.
3. Receive the pass with Sole of the Opposite foot by crossing it in front of the body and rolling the ball across to make the wall pass with the same foot.
Mastered the Challenge?
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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News Flash!
Readers are asking "Who is Charles?" and what are his soccer credentials.
Visit www.soccergeniustraining.com to find the up- to-date answers.
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Greetings Soccer Genius!
Let's get right to things in this week's issue - hot off the virtual press!
I have to admit, this issue is focused on one of the most important topics in youth soccer. (In fact, it's probably the most important topic in all of youth sport!) The topic is...
Why Do Children Play Soccer?
Answering this question is not as straight forward as one may think. I explore why in the featured article, which I'm sure will get more than a few heads thinking ;)
The second article asks an equally important question and one that is practically never asked (at least I've never come across the question in all my 35 plus years in sport). That question is...
Who Do Players Want At Their Games?
I've got to tell you that it was an eye opener for me to explore this question further than the expected 'my mum and dad' answer.
This week's Better
Out Than In has me promoting the power of players playing every position during their youth soccer development...and I mean every position.
You'll also find the regular genius tips, habits and sections. Have fun and keep on unleashing your Soccer Genius.
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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Why Do Children and Youth Play Soccer?
This is a great question. Unfortunately, it's rarely asked of the people that can give the clearest answers - the players themselves!
This is not a question for grown-ups to be answering for children, as is often the case when leagues and teams are formed, rules are created and enforced and the 'business' of youth sports takes over. Academics, programmers and analysts, though often very well intentioned, tend to miss the boat when it comes to creating games and long-term development models of play that really speak to what kids want. Even when kids do get asked directly there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between what they say and what the adults hear. Heck, we all know this. We were all once kids ourselves! (Some of us still are. Yes? Yes!)
So, the results are in.
Here's the Top 10 answers by young people ages 7 to 17 averaged across every sport, girls and boys.
1. To Have Fun
Yes, we've all heard this one before, of course. What we probably haven't heard is that 'having fun' is NOT being told what fun is by adults. Kids know what fun is. They feel it in the core of their being, it shines on their face, it's expressed in the joy of their voice. It is NOT simply a catchphrase used by adults to promote their club or sport. Kids are smarter than that - they can see right through what others say is 'supposed to be fun.' Okay...on to #2.
2. To learn new skills and improve
3. To feel good about myself
4. To make friends
5. To run, get exercise and be healthy
6. To be part of a team and play with others
7. For the excitement and challenge of competition
8. To get to a higher level of competition, such as school teams
9. To win (sometimes, not necessarily all the time)
10. To travel to new places
(And one that fell outside the top 20..."Because my parents wanted me to".)
Wow! How's that for a list? Imagine what youth sports might look like if they were all organized on these reasons for playing. (I sure do every time I create a new Soccer Genius development program.) Perhaps we would see a significant change in the following sad statistic:
Over twenty million kids register each year for youth hockey, football, baseball, soccer, and other competitive sports in North America. 70 percent of these kids quit playing these league sports by age 13 -- and never play them again.
It's time we started listening to the youth players a whole lot more.
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Who Do Players Want at Their Games?
| The scene is repeated literally thousands of times a day everywhere around the world:
Kids playing an organized game, decked out in their league sponsored gear, coaches yelling on the sidelines (mostly encouraging words), parents yelling and cheering from the sidelines - the "FOR" and "AGAINST" sides clearly marked out within their territory, referees plying their trade (sometimes without complaint from the sidelines), goals being scored, skills being practiced and mastered, the "oohs" and "aaahs" of the crowd rising and falling, the final whistle, the kids stop playing the game. Minivans, buses, and cars packed up with chairs, blankets and hot kids for the ride home. Well, maybe after stopping for ice cream ;)
Sound familiar? It's a ritual I've witnessed and participated in thousands of times.
It's one I rarely participate in any more. Why? Because I decided to start asking the question:
Who Do Players Want at Their Games?
I first started asking this question of my daughter, who's been playing for 8 years and whom I used to coach. I started to notice that she played more tentatively, looked more anxious and seemed 'out of sorts' whenever I watched her play. So I asked her "Do you want dad to come to your games?". The answer was that she did not want me to come to her games unless on the specific times when she would ask me to.
While this was admittedly a little awkward at first, the honesty has transformed both my relationship with my daughter and her relationship with the game. Now we can talk about her soccer experiences like we talk about the other experiences in her life. She knows that she has my support and I know that she's playing the game for herself.
Then I started to watch other players whom I knew either through coaching or years in the game. They too seemed to play differently when one or the other parent (or both) were watching their games. So, I've started to ask other players between the ages of 7 and 17 who they want at their games. The answers have been most illuminating both in the content and consistency.
Here's the Top 7 People Players Want at Their Games
1. Friends (top of the list by a long shot)
2. Teachers (the favourite ones)
3. Grandparents (or older close relative)
4. Friendly/Close Sister or Brother
5. Coach
6. Parents (both, whenever possible. Ranked as high as #4 for kids 7-9, lower for the 14 plus age group)
7. No-one (often because the player felt too much pressure to perform or did not want the distraction of others)
What a fascinating list, although not entirely surprising. All the research over the years has shown that children and youth prefer to have the most unconditional and supportive people in their lives attending their public life events.
Interestingly, the majority of the most successful youth soccer development programs in the world either limit or altogether prevent viewing by parents or others during the 7-12 year old program years. The reasoning goes that the children are there to learn, improve and develop with professionals specifically trained to fulfill this role.
So, who do your children or players want at their next game? I encourage you to keep on asking them this question each and every time because the answer is very likely to change over time.
This is another part of 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 "I Want To Play Every Position Coach!"
An earnest plea from every developing player....
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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!
This week's Genius Tech Tip is a guideline of HOW TO practice as opposed to WHAT TO practice. When we learn to master the HOW the WHAT often becomes secondary and mastery flows with less effort.
Eight Perfect Practices
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When committing to mastery of any new Soccer Genius technique or skill it's best to follow these Eight Perfect Practices:
1. Be gentle with yourself
2. Make every moment count
3. Learn from a Master
4. Make it your own to become your own Master
5. Discover the fun in the practice
6. Be Patient with yourself
7. Smile a lot
8. Rest
And remember to celebrate your success at learning to master the Eight Perfect Practices. It may very well be the most challenging and rewarding part of your long-term development.
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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
Learn from a Master
The term 'Master' has a number of definitions and connotations. I'm using the term Master in the following way:
To refer to a person who is so exceptionally capable in some work, profession, science or calling that they have achieved the highest degree of skill.
History has given us a host of truly gifted Masters in all areas of life: Athletics, Music, Mathematics, Language, Philosophy, Architecture, Art - the list goes on. We continue to benefit from and enjoy their great works and examples all around us. Today our own generations are offering up new Masters, soccer Masters included!!
When we commit to learning from a Master we engage our highest capacity to be our best. We are making an inner declaration to live at the peak of our talents.
So, I encourage you to seek out and learn from a 'true' Master in whatever area of life you choose to grow and develop. Your life will be infinitely richer, your skills more brilliant and your works more pure.
It's a Genius Success Habit that's worth starting today!!.
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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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