I like this. We can rent one of these fields at about about 1/10th the regular price.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Thursday, 29 March 2012
A Failure to Communicate.
The Great Communicators
Jamie Carragher never shuts up. Of course not many people understand his words, so he often uses hand gestures as well. Dirk Kuyt, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing are relatively quiet. Stevie G, Luis Saurez and Craig Bellamy never ever ever appear to shut up. Why is that? And does anybody else listen?
Players need to communicate, they need to tell each other what is going on, and help each other on the field of play. Ask yourself this question. How many eyes does a soccer player have? The answer is twenty four. His own eyes, plus his team mates, and his coach. This is a lot of territory that can be seen by this player, without actually seeing himself. The challenge?
He has to learn to trust his team mates and what information and intelligence they are providing him. so how do we develop this "trust"
The Team Builder
I sometimes use the following exercise to train both trust and communication skills in my squads.
BLINDFIELD
Set up 2 20 x 20 grids. Put two gates on opposite sides of the grids, anywhere on the edges.
Now have the players scatter kit bags, sneakers, cones, balls, whatever you have on hand, into each grid so there is a similar uncoordinated amount of debris in each grid. This is the minefield.
Divide the team into two equal squads, give each team a blindfold (hence "BLINDFIELD"). Place the blindfold on one player from each team. This player then enters the "minefield" through one gate, and must pass through the minefield and exit at the other gate, The blindfolded player must listen to instructions given by a team mate on the sideline to safely pass through the "BLINDFIELD". If they step on a "mine", they must do a forfeit (time, press-ups etc), before they can continue. The first team to get all of its players across wins (yes wins, because sometimes people lose).
The game encourages a couple of very important techniques;
1. Communication. The "communicator" must use simple, concise and direct language to help the player in the minefield.
2. Listening. Players must learn to listen and to hear what their team mates are saying when under pressure.
3. Both players must learn to trust each other.
No communication in the minefield, then your team mate blows up.
A simple exercise, but a very effective technique to get players to communicate, listen and trust.
Hal White
YNWA
And a little SCTV of "blowin' up real good".
We miss you John Candy!!
Jamie Carragher never shuts up. Of course not many people understand his words, so he often uses hand gestures as well. Dirk Kuyt, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing are relatively quiet. Stevie G, Luis Saurez and Craig Bellamy never ever ever appear to shut up. Why is that? And does anybody else listen?
Players need to communicate, they need to tell each other what is going on, and help each other on the field of play. Ask yourself this question. How many eyes does a soccer player have? The answer is twenty four. His own eyes, plus his team mates, and his coach. This is a lot of territory that can be seen by this player, without actually seeing himself. The challenge?
He has to learn to trust his team mates and what information and intelligence they are providing him. so how do we develop this "trust"
The Team Builder
I sometimes use the following exercise to train both trust and communication skills in my squads.
BLINDFIELD
Set up 2 20 x 20 grids. Put two gates on opposite sides of the grids, anywhere on the edges.
Now have the players scatter kit bags, sneakers, cones, balls, whatever you have on hand, into each grid so there is a similar uncoordinated amount of debris in each grid. This is the minefield.
Divide the team into two equal squads, give each team a blindfold (hence "BLINDFIELD"). Place the blindfold on one player from each team. This player then enters the "minefield" through one gate, and must pass through the minefield and exit at the other gate, The blindfolded player must listen to instructions given by a team mate on the sideline to safely pass through the "BLINDFIELD". If they step on a "mine", they must do a forfeit (time, press-ups etc), before they can continue. The first team to get all of its players across wins (yes wins, because sometimes people lose).
The game encourages a couple of very important techniques;
1. Communication. The "communicator" must use simple, concise and direct language to help the player in the minefield.
2. Listening. Players must learn to listen and to hear what their team mates are saying when under pressure.
3. Both players must learn to trust each other.
No communication in the minefield, then your team mate blows up.
A simple exercise, but a very effective technique to get players to communicate, listen and trust.
Hal White
YNWA
And a little SCTV of "blowin' up real good".
We miss you John Candy!!
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Pre-Season Fitness
This is a simple three week pre-season fitness program promoted by the FA of England. Simple, no expensive equipment and designed for every level of athlete getting ready for the season. Want to win?
Start now.
Hal White
YNWA
Three-Week Programme The FA
This three-week plan is for players who want a head-start when their club's own pre-season training begins.
This three-week programme, unlike the six-week version described elsewhere, does not get you fit for playing football. What it does, however, is give you a solid grounding for your club's pre-season training regime, and a head-start on the rest of your team-mates.
WEEK ONE
Session One
Find a football pitch, ideally somewhere that takes you five minutes to jog to for the perfect warm-up.
WEEK ONE
Session One
Find a football pitch, ideally somewhere that takes you five minutes to jog to for the perfect warm-up.
- Five-minute jog to park/pitch
- Stretch
- Five three-quarter pace sprints from one touchline to the other and back, with 30-second recovery rests between each sprint
- Two and a half minute recovery (jog on the spot or kick a football about)
- Repeat the above
- Five-minute jog home
Session Two
One set of press-up/squat circuit.
Session Three
Imagine the perimeter of a football pitch divided into six sections to run around. From one corner to the half-way line is one section, then on to the next corner flag is another. The goal-line is the next section, and then up to the half-way line is the next and so on until you are back where you began. These six sections provide the framework for this next drill.
One set of press-up/squat circuit.
Session Three
Imagine the perimeter of a football pitch divided into six sections to run around. From one corner to the half-way line is one section, then on to the next corner flag is another. The goal-line is the next section, and then up to the half-way line is the next and so on until you are back where you began. These six sections provide the framework for this next drill.
- Five-minute jog to park
- Running six laps of the pitch, in the following sequence:
- Sprint one section, jog five
- Sprint two sections, jog four
- Sprint three sections, jog three
- Sprint four sections, jog two
- Sprint five sections, jog one
- Sprint all six sections
(Note: you will always be beginning your sprints from the same point on the pitch.)
WEEK TWO
Session One
WEEK TWO
Session One
- Five-minute jog to park
- Stretch
- Five three-quarter pace sprints from one touchline to the other and back, with 20-second recovery rests between each sprint
- Two-minute recovery
- Repeat the above
- Five-minute jog home
Session Two
- Two sets of the press-up/lunge circuit.
Session Three
- Five-minute jog to park
- Stretch
- One lap of full-size football pitch (timed with stopwatch)
- One lap jog for recovery (kick a ball as you go). Repeat the fast and slow laps four more times, on each fast lap attempting to match the time of the first
- Five-minute jog home
WEEK THREE
Session One
Session One
- Five-minute jog to park
- Stretch
- Five sprints across the pitch and back, with 30 seconds recovery between each.
- Two-and-a-half minutes rest
- Four sprints across the pitch and back, with 15 seconds recovery between each
- Two-and-a-half minutes rest
- Three timed sprints across the pitch and back, aiming for 30 seconds or less each time. The recovery time allowed between sprints depends on the time recorded (whatever is left out of the 30 seconds).
- So, a 24-second sprint earns six seconds recovery, a 30-second (or more) sprint earns no recovery.
- Two-and-a-half minutes rest
- Five minutes jog home
Session Two
- Three sets of super circuit.
Session Three
- Dividing the perimeter of the pitch into six sections as in Week One, Session Three, run laps of a football pitch in the following sequence.
- Sprint one section, jog one section for recovery
- Sprint two, jog one,
- Sprint three, jog one
- Sprint four, jog one
- Sprint five, jog one
- Sprint six
- Jog six
Session Four
- Three sets of either press-up/squat or press-up/lunge circuits.
Completing this programme will give you fitness, strength and endurance foundations upon which your club's pre-season will build. It will make pre-season easier, allowing you to push yourself harder and consequently emerge fitter and stronger for the start of the season than you otherwise would have.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Patience Little Grasshopper, Patience.....
When I was young many many years ago, Jimmy Carter was President of the United States, Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister of Canada, Jim Callaghan and then Margaret Thatcher were the Prime Ministers of the UK. The Cold War was hot, and the coaches refrain from the touchline was "GET STUCK IN,TACKLE HIM". All players were expected to tackle and be tackled, it was our principal means of stopping the enemy.
We became focused on this as our pure and masculine means of stopping those opponents who dared cross into our half of the pitch. They were to be stopped, left for dead and their remains collected at the end of the match. It was an athletic version of Bannockburn, the Boyne and Vimy Ridge to be played out over ninety minutes.
The attackers were more than willing to oblige, like heavy cavalry, Sherman tanks, or battering rams they wanted to take the defenders on, knock them down and charge the net. Their strategic arsenal was limited because of rougher pitches, heavier boot/cleats, and balls that weighed three times what they do now. It was hard to get around players with stepovers, and Cruyff turns when the technique hadn't quite developed, and the equipment and terrain favoured the defenders.
Then kangaroo leather and synthetics arrived. Lighter boots meant quicker feet, and more moves. The balls weren't heavy and didn't get heavy in the rain. This too meant increased ability to perform tricks with the ball and to get around defenders.
And defenders, we kept wanting to get stuck in. The result? we started to get beat, turned to our own nets and committing fouls. It was not a happy time. Defenders who were impatient and wanted to get the job done as they did in the past were left looking the worst.
Now one kid I played with, who was given the ironic nickname of "Flash" for his tremendous lack of pace, seemed to do a little better than the "GET STUCK IN" crowd. Why? Because he was patient, he watched the ball, and jockeyed the attacker until they made the first move. I am absolutely certain he did this because he understood his limitations, not because he was an outstanding tactical thinker. He was just prudent. We were lucky to have him.
What is this discussion leading to? I would suspect most of the coaches reading this would anticipate jockeying, and they would be correct.
To Jockey, Not To Jockey, and When to Jockey?
The above video show a really simple way of explaining the art of jockeying.
1 The defender closes down the attacker and keeps her in front of her;
2. She angles her body to direct the attacker (in a game she would stay between her and the goal);
3. She maintains the angle to prevent the attacker from putting it between her legs (And if she does she blocks the attacker in any event);
4. She is light on her feet, with her weight on her toes. This allows her to quickly respond to any change of direction;
5. She maintains a distance (about arms length) between herself and the attacker. This allows space to respond to the attackers changes of direction.
In this drill she doesn't tackle, she puts all the pressure on the attacker and patiently waits for the opportunity to tackle. This keeps her between the attacker and the net, and although the attacker has the ball, the attacker is no threat.
Jockeying, in my opinion should be the first option in defending. The attacker wants the defender to be impatient and to dive in and get turned. What they don't want is to be slowed down and have all the pressure put on them. Secondly it allows the opportunity to allow other defenders to get back and help defend (look at Stoke and Sunderland in this regard), and lastly it gives the defender a greater opportunity on when to decide to tackle. This too puts more pressure on the attacker as they really don't know when to expect the physical attack for the ball, if ever.
Now one last video of Irish international and now Sunderland player jockeying the daylights out of two Tottenham attackers. This is great defending.
Walk On
Hal White
We became focused on this as our pure and masculine means of stopping those opponents who dared cross into our half of the pitch. They were to be stopped, left for dead and their remains collected at the end of the match. It was an athletic version of Bannockburn, the Boyne and Vimy Ridge to be played out over ninety minutes.
The attackers were more than willing to oblige, like heavy cavalry, Sherman tanks, or battering rams they wanted to take the defenders on, knock them down and charge the net. Their strategic arsenal was limited because of rougher pitches, heavier boot/cleats, and balls that weighed three times what they do now. It was hard to get around players with stepovers, and Cruyff turns when the technique hadn't quite developed, and the equipment and terrain favoured the defenders.
Then kangaroo leather and synthetics arrived. Lighter boots meant quicker feet, and more moves. The balls weren't heavy and didn't get heavy in the rain. This too meant increased ability to perform tricks with the ball and to get around defenders.
And defenders, we kept wanting to get stuck in. The result? we started to get beat, turned to our own nets and committing fouls. It was not a happy time. Defenders who were impatient and wanted to get the job done as they did in the past were left looking the worst.
Now one kid I played with, who was given the ironic nickname of "Flash" for his tremendous lack of pace, seemed to do a little better than the "GET STUCK IN" crowd. Why? Because he was patient, he watched the ball, and jockeyed the attacker until they made the first move. I am absolutely certain he did this because he understood his limitations, not because he was an outstanding tactical thinker. He was just prudent. We were lucky to have him.
What is this discussion leading to? I would suspect most of the coaches reading this would anticipate jockeying, and they would be correct.
To Jockey, Not To Jockey, and When to Jockey?
The above video show a really simple way of explaining the art of jockeying.
1 The defender closes down the attacker and keeps her in front of her;
2. She angles her body to direct the attacker (in a game she would stay between her and the goal);
3. She maintains the angle to prevent the attacker from putting it between her legs (And if she does she blocks the attacker in any event);
4. She is light on her feet, with her weight on her toes. This allows her to quickly respond to any change of direction;
5. She maintains a distance (about arms length) between herself and the attacker. This allows space to respond to the attackers changes of direction.
In this drill she doesn't tackle, she puts all the pressure on the attacker and patiently waits for the opportunity to tackle. This keeps her between the attacker and the net, and although the attacker has the ball, the attacker is no threat.
Jockeying, in my opinion should be the first option in defending. The attacker wants the defender to be impatient and to dive in and get turned. What they don't want is to be slowed down and have all the pressure put on them. Secondly it allows the opportunity to allow other defenders to get back and help defend (look at Stoke and Sunderland in this regard), and lastly it gives the defender a greater opportunity on when to decide to tackle. This too puts more pressure on the attacker as they really don't know when to expect the physical attack for the ball, if ever.
Now one last video of Irish international and now Sunderland player jockeying the daylights out of two Tottenham attackers. This is great defending.
Walk On
Hal White
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)