Coach's Objectives and Expectations

• My goal as the coach to teach the kids everything they will need to know about the game and to prepare them to compete against players their own age.
• To achieve this, I like to run a very structured and disciplined practice. I usually plan 90% of my practice from beginning to end. I know which drills/skills we will use and I have an objective skill or concept that I hope the games and drills will help develop.
• The boys (as a whole) will need more of the fundamental information, and we will be covering many of these items. Offense, defense, positions, and roles, as well as all of the ball skills that they will need to succeed against the other teams they will be playing.
• Some of the girls are also brand new to Pride Soccer and are either moving over from recreational soccer (YMCA) or playing for the very first time.
• Because some of the girls are also just learning positional play, and roles and responsibilities I believe we can combine many of the basic topics and coordinate practices to overlap.
• When on the field, be it at practice or at a game, I always try to speak as loudly and as clearly as I possibly can throughout. I believe that the entire team can learn from the successes of, or corrections to any player or group of players performance. If we are spread throughout the playing field, I want all of the players to have the benefit of that correction, I achieve that by speaking loudly.
• I expect that if I, or any coach, is speaking or demonstrating (to the group) that the entire group is listening. This means that all players pay attention to the coach, and no talking or horseplay during these times. Disruptions of demonstrations and/or instruction will not be tolerated. Players who continue to disrupt practice are usually asked to sit aside and watch. Not with their attending parent, but alone on the sideline. Close enough that they can still hear and watch but far enough that they can no longer disrupt the others from learning the skills being delivered. It has been my experience that no player has ever been "sat out" more than once.
• Regarding player equipment and preparedness, as most of you know, I will bring practice balls for both teams to each practice. I do this to avoid the inevitable chasing of "my ball". At the end of the season, each player will get to keep one of the practice balls -- we will have a signing party at the end of the season and they can all sign each others ball. With the team and season information added to the ball this becomes a "trophy" of sorts for the kids and as they move from size 3 to 4 to 5 will give them a "history" of their progress.
• Each player should come to every game and practice with at least protective shin guards and athletic shoes which cover the entire foot (cleats are recommended but not required). This is to insure that the player is not injured, and also provides the player with the best opportunity to succeed.
• In closing, the charter of this league, is developmental in nature. I try to adhere as closely as possible to that charter. I don't turn away any player regardless of skill level, I don't recruit players from other teams, and I don't hold tryout like practices (as some teams do). If a child wants to play soccer, I will work with that child and teach them as much as I can; hopefully empowering them to play better soccer and to learn to love the game.
  

Herricanes' Practice Field - Frontier Park

Practice is Essential (and FUN!)

• Practice will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 1700-1830 at the Frontier Park. There are no bathroom facilities near by so please do your best to take care of business before you come out to the field.
  
• We urge parents to help with skills outside of practice and the games.
• Players are expected to be at every practice and at each game. If your daughter cannot make it, please contact one of the coaches prior to practice.
• Please practice and reinforce the soccer skills learned at practice with your girls. It's all about fun but it's much more fun for the girls when they get more proficient with their feet and their moves.

Things to Remember

• Soccer at this age level focuses on learning basic skills and having fun, not on winning games. All players will have equal playing time during the games.
• We have the same number of players and the same positions as last season. All of the players will be exposed to all of the skills at practice and we will do our best to rotate the girls through positions that they want to play.
• Parents should focus on the positive things the players are doing and offer words of encouragement to all players during games and practices.
• It's all about the snack for another few years yet!

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Photo Transfer Complete!

The Yahoo to Flickr photo transfer is complete. We currently have 2641 photos going back to the Fall 2004 season. You can view these photos at the following address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorainbows2/

Fall 2007 Goal Keeper Training

FALL 2007 - GOAL KEEPER TRAINING

LOCATION: BONFORTE PARK

Goalkeeper Coach: David Bluetrich

DIRECTIONS: From Nevada and Jackson, go east on Jackson to Wahsatch. Field is on the corner of Wahsatch and Jackson.

U7 – U8 Boys and Girls:
Sept. 7^th 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Sept. 21^st 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Oct. 5^th 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Oct. 19^th 5:00 to 6:00 pm

U9-U12 Boys and Girls:
Sept. 14^th 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Sept. 28^th 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Oct. 12^th 5:00 to 6:00 pm
Oct. 21^st 2:00 to 3:00 pm

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Fall 2007 Game Schedule

The Herricanes' schedule for the Fall 2007 Season can be found on the Pride Soccer web site. I've also posted a copy of it here.

	Saturday	September 8, 2007	10:00 AM	H	Bobcats	L ?-?	Grant Park West
	Saturday	September 15, 2007	9:00 AM	A	Bobcats	W 2-1	Jefferson Park
	Saturday	September 22, 2007	3:00 PM	H	Cougars	W 5-3	Grant Park East
	Saturday	September 29, 2007	10:00 AM	H	Hurricanes	?-?	Grant Park West
	Saturday	October 6, 2007	4:00 PM	A	"GWA"	?-?	Bon Forte
	Saturday	October 13, 2007	2:00 PM	H	Pixie Stix	?-?	Grant Park West
	Saturday	October 20, 2007	2:00 PM	A	(Berger)	?-?	Bon Forte
	Saturday	October 27, 2007	11:00 AM	A	Mustangs	?-?	Jefferson Park

Please have your daughter there 15 minutes prior to game time with both shirts just in case there is a mixup. (H) stands for Home Team. The Home Team wears red jerseys. (A) stands for Away Team. The Away Team wears white jerseys.

If you have a Google Account clicking on this button will let you subscribe to the Herricanes' Google Calendar and add it to your Google Calendar.

The iCal address for the calendar is
http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/goherricanes%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics
You can copy the link and paste it into an iCal enabled calendar program like Outlook or Mozilla's Sunbird/Lightning or click on the link to download the iCalendar ICS file and import it into those same calendar programs.

Herricanes!! - The Soccer Team Formerly Known As the Rainbows

Well, the votes for the name the Rainbows contest came in earlier this week and the Rainbows are now known as the Herricanes!!

Pride Soccer

The Herricanes are part of the Pride Soccer Developmental League.

Pride Soccer
1515 N Academy Blvd
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
(719) 597-6700
(719) 597-4040 - Fax
pridesoccer.com

Kicking to open space

The effective use of open space includes:

• Getting into open space if you don't have the ball (to look for a pass) and;
• Kicking the ball hard into open space and chasing it (so you can run faster)

Someimtes we'll play a game sort of like freeze tag in the sense that the person with the ball must freeze and pass rather than dribble or run with the ball. This is meant to teach the girls to get into open space and look for a pass rather than bunch around the ball.

Positions, clearing, and driving for a goal

Let's take a look at where to go when you play a particular position. Sometimes it can be confusing, so a refresher never hurts. Work with your player occasionnally by doing a pop quiz on where they would go for the following positions:

• Left Fullback (left side on defense) - puts pressure on attackers on the left side of the defensive zone and pushes attackers outside until the right fullback yells "COVER"
• Right Fullback (right side on defense) - same as the left fullback but handles the right side.
• Left Forward (left side on offense) - hangs around the center line looking for a pass from the defense and attacks from the right side.
• Right Forward (right side on offense) - same as the left forward but handles the right side.
• Wonder woman (center of the field) - this is the only player that covers the whole field playing offense and defense. This position is one of the hardest working on the field.
• Keeper - (in the goal box) - primarily hangs in the goal box where she can use her hands to pick up and cover the ball.

It is important that the girls understand each position so when they are given an assignment they know what to do.

We also worked on the concept of clearing the ball to the side, passing up field near the center line, and taking the ball outside to drive on offense. Another good pop quiz is to ask your player where to clear the ball. The answer should always be "TO THE SIDE" or "DOWN THE SIDELINE". If they clear to the center it's too easy for the other team to take the opportunity to score.

After the defense transitions the ball to the offense the attacker should drive down the side while the other forward and wonder woman position themselves in open space. The attacker should look to center the ball to the other players when there is an opening.

Last but not least, the girls should work on controling the ball before they go for the big kick. It is key to control the ball and get one or two touches on it before passing or clearing out of the zone.

Shielding the Ball

We've seen this one before but it's a very important skill to learn. It's deceptively simple in that you are trying to put your body between the defender and the ball. Here is a link that provides some of the basics: http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/shielding_the_ball.htm.

Shoulder Tackles and More Passing

There are a couple of things that you can do to help your daughter have more fun and progress in the game faster:

• NO-MO-TOE! We really want the girls to stop kicking with their toes. It comes naturally and feels good but it's time to transition into the proper techniques. When you are at home practicing (as we know you do) please emphasise that big kicks are done with the laces (instep drive) and passing is done with the inside of the foot. They don't like it right now because it feels wierd and they need the practice so please help reinforce the proper kicking techniques.
• USE BOTH FEET! Praise, bribe, and otherwise provide incentive for your daughter to practice kicking with her non-dominant foot. This skill is critical to developing soccer players and the more they do it the better they will get. Several of the girls point out with pride when they use their opposite foot. Make it fun, a challenge, or whatever works but get them to practice with both feet.

More about the shoulder tackle - coach Drew said it best "it's like jogging with your friend shoulder to shoulder and then you decide they're not your friend and you push them to the side with your body". Some of the do's and don'ts of the shoulder tackle:

Do

• wait until you hear the cover girl yell "COVER" before you go for the tackle
• catch up to and run along side the attacker (the person with the ball)
• look for the attacker to have their weight on the foot closest to you
• lean into the attacker with your shoulder to put the attacker off balance
• take the ball

Don't

• use the arms, elbows, or hands to engage the attacker
• run into the attacker
• go for the tackle unless you are sure there is a cover girl

Throw-ins, Passing, and PCB Defense

Let's focus on throw-ins and passing using the inside of both feet. Some key points for the passing technique include:

• Strike the ball with the side of the foot at the equator of the ball with the toe of the kicking foot pointed slightly up
• Follow through with the kick so that the receiver sees the sole of the passers shoe (like every other sport, follow through is important)
• USE BOTH FEET. I know the girls don't like to use their non-dominant foot but now is the time. I challenge Nicole at home all of the time to use her left foot for basic practice skills and it's amazing how fast they can do great things if they just try.

Here are some passing links that describe the technique in more detail:

• http://www.ayso751.org/coaches_tecs.html#pass
  
• http://www.sweetspotworld.com/players.html

For the throw-ins the key points include:

• Both feet must stay on the ground during the throw (lifting either foot is a foul and results in a turn over). "Listen" for your back toe to drag in the grass when you throw.
• Throw with the whole body (not just your arms) by transferring your weight forward during the throw. This technique is what puts the power in the throw.

• http://www.ayso751.org/coaches_tecs.html#throw
• http://www.ehow.com/how_5100_develop-throw-skills.html

Let's talk about the defensive strategy Pressure, Cover, Balance (PCB). One other way to remember the strategy is to remember, Pretty Cute Boys. This extends another one of our techniques the stacked defense (one girl forward and one girl back).

• Pressure - The defender closest to the ball (the first defender) forces the opponent outside
• Cover - The second defender gets into position between the opponent and the goal to cover the opponent in the event that the pressure player misses the tackle. In games we want the girls to start communicating so that the cover girl yells "COVER" to let the pressure girl know it is safe to try to steal the ball.
• Balance - The girls should start to be aware of the opposing players and "mark up" (guard) them. The coaches will start using "mark up" during the games to give the players in indication that they need to look around them and guard an opponent.

Here is a long-ish article that I found interesting. Skip to section 1.a. for a brief description of the PCB fundamentals.

The Instep Drive

This week's skill is called the instep drive. For those of you who missed practice or need a refresher here are some links that describe the technique:

• http://www.ayso751.org/coaches_tecs.html#instep
• http://www.expertfootball.com/training/instep_drive.php
• http://www.expertfootball.com/gossip/answer.php?qid=84

By now you're asking yourself, "How can I help teach my daughter this important soccer technique?"

One exercise you can do in the comfort of your own home is to sit on the floor and support a soccer ball with your feet. Then have your daughter approach and go through the kicking motion up to planting their kicking foot on the ball. If you have stairs you can also set the ball up against the bottom step and let your daughter go crazy. The stair will hold the ball so you can concentrate on watching the technique. Things to watch for during this excercise:

• The plant foot (non-kicking foot) should be placed slightly behind the midpoint of the ball and should be pointed in the direction that the kick should go (you don't want the plant foot in line or ahead of the ball)
• The ankle of the kicking foot should be locked with the toe stretched out like a ballet dancer
• The kicking foot should contact the ball on the shoe laces.

In practice we noticed that many of the girls have difficulty approaching the ball, cocking the kicking leg and executing the kick in one smooth motion so you can work on this when they understand the mechanics of the kick.

U8 Positional Play 2-1-2 Formation

The 2-1-2 web page does not seem to work for me in the Firefox browser. It should would fine in Internet Explorer. So, for those of you without Internet Explorer here is a pdf of the same thing.

Herricanes Calendar