venting

[Pete StuartParticipant]

I had a new club director come out to one of my tournament games this weekend. Always a welcome thing. He watched, made a few comments to the boys – generally all fine. I was pleased with the game. Although we lost 1-2, we moved the ball very well – I counted 76 passes (good, purposeful passes that were completed) in the first half, and 61 in the second half. Very good for us. But we did lose. After, he picked up his chair, said “They look pretty good. Need to work on some things though.” And then he walked off. Yes, we will work on some things, wait, what things?

Then I get an email where he notified me that he would be running my Wednesday session and I was welcome to assist if I wanted to. Ok, what will you be working on? “Possession to penetrate. Something I noticed on Saturday.” Great.

After warming them up, he did a passing drill. Basic pass and follow, but he wanted them to receive with the outside of their right foot and pass with the same foot. Also, they were required to pass into space in front of the receiver, and they were to receive with a big touch forward. He kept yelling at them, “Stop passing to feet! Pass to space! Stop receiving across your body!” *Sigh*

Next was 3v1. Again – pass to space, receive while moving, first touch into space, etc.
Next, a numbers up possession with direction drill. Good drill, but more of the same, pass into space stuff.

Now, I know there’s a time to receive in space, with the outside of your foot, and a big touch. But these guys do that already when they need to. I am trying to develop their muscle memory so that they receive across their body, ready to make the next pass or dribbling move. I want them to move into space and pass and receive to feet. “I get the ball, I pass the ball, I get the ball, I pass the ball.” This Xavi quote is our mantra. And now at practice today, I will contend with, “But coach said to receive with the outside of my foot and run into space.” Great.

In a previous thread, John said “It’s a fucking war.” I hadn’t seen it yet, but I’m discouraged to see that he might be right.

[Jason TennerParticipant]

Isn’t it infuriating?

 

We were at a coaching clinic this past weekend.  We watched a clinician run an activity that was horrendous in every possible way.  Same as the director in your example, this clinician was harping on specific things, such as sprinting to meet the pass and always playing one touch, no matter what.  No mention of body shape or receiving across the body or anything positional.

 

At one point, a player opened up her body shape to the field/players (it was a non-directional activity), received the ball across her body, stopped it dead, and quickly passed it to another girl.  It was beautiful.  The clinician whistled the activity dead.  I was expecting him to compliment the girl and how she handled the pass/play.

 

Nope.  He chastised her for “running around the ball”.  He accused her of avoiding using her weak foot (even though she passed the ball with her non-dominant foot) and he asked her to receive the ball with her back to the field/players.  I would wager every coach on this forum would have praised the player’s choice, but this clinician did the exact opposite.  I was horrified.

 

This clinician is high up in our state – plenty of certificates and experience.  Runs coaching courses and helps with ODP.  It’s going to take a long time to change the incumbent mentality.

 

At one point, I leaned over to my co-coach and told him that I would never use the activity at any age group for any reason.  I still get annoyed thinking about it.  The worst part was that there were probably 30 coaches in attendance, furiously taking notes and nodding their heads in agreement with the clinician.

[Robert KleemaierParticipant]

And nothing has changed up here in the interior of British Columbia either. This is my dilemma: try to effect culture change without any backup or support and watch your work be undone by the next guy with the ‘right’ CV. SMH. But to have this knowledge combined with Gary & Brian’s framework/insights and not share/teach them would be torture to keep inside too. We’ve gotta try somewhere, some time. It’s just the patience requirement that’s killing me. If you know of any financiers with a sincere love for the true Beautiful Game who want to get a club going in Kelowna, please let me know. There’s one down in Penticton that is on the right path already (Pinnacles FC), so it is possible. ‘Courage, mes amis’ as the French say.

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