Coaches Corner
Welcome and Thank You
17:59 Feb 5, 2011
We are very pleased to have each of you as a volunteer coach or assistant coach. Without such volunteers, and many others in other League jobs, LAYSL would not be able to function. Almost all of the board is a coach or has coached, and we understand the time commitment it takes. Thank you.
To the right, you will find many resources to make your job easier. First, you will find forms to get reimbursed for purchases and evaluate kids. There is also coaching resources broken down by age group. This includes practice plans, philosophies, and parent tips. We will also have a “Coaches Corner” were we will have articles about coaching from some of the leading coaches in the world.
If there is something you wish would be located here, please do not hesitate to drop the league a note. We will be adding to this section on a regular basis.
iSoccer Membership
11:05 Feb 5, 2011LAYSL has paid for a club membership to iSoccer. It is a new approach to develope the basic skills of players on the ball. The league would like each coach to create team profiles on the iSoccer web site so that each player can start tracking their progress and success. This web site also offers video sessions to help coach kids, practice sessions on paper, and the ability to send homework to kids on your team.
The first step to get access to these resources is to read the Coaches guide for iSoccer and register on their website.
Fields
18:04 Feb 5, 2011Everyone wants to have their field, when they want it. So this leads to many difficulties in scheduling. To compound the issue, our coaches are all asking for full fields to play on, often 3 times a week. The field coordinator does their best to accommodate all of our coaches requests, but let me state that our policy is for coaches to have half a field, with goals, or a full area without goals. Here are some of the contributing factors we as a league goes through when scheduling fields.
In fact, LAYSL has done such a great job of scheduling, we are now the field scheduler for all programs in Los Alamos that wish to use fields. This is a great honor and responsibility. Below are some of the other programs that have just as much right to fields as we do (in no particular order):
- Dog Training
- YMCA Kinderkick Program
- Los Alamos Rugby
- YAFL Football
- Special Programs, like the Kite Festival
Please remember that we are working to do our best. If a field is not available ask the fields coordinator for alternatives and do your best to be flexible.
» Practice Players vs Game Players
12:35 Jan 28, 2011
Ever notice that there are some players whose performance in practice is fantastic, but they are not contributors at game time? There are also players who do not seem motivated at practice, but are extremely effective during the game. Why is this?
I think it has to do with psychology. Some players are very comfortable with the practice environment, because they know the players around them. There is an element of security and familiarity that is not present on game day. Some players also suffer from performance anxiety, so they think too much about the outcome and not enough about the task at hand.
It is also common for players to have mental blocks, so they associate failure with certain scenarios. These players typically stress after a mistake and it takes them very long to recover. Some never do and their performance deteriorates as the game progresses.
Then we have the player that coasts through practice and is your best player on Saturday. This is also a psychological issue. This player loves a challenge and rises to the occasion on game day. He/she is confident and wants to prove to himself/herself as well as to the opponents that they can play. This player is not motivated at training because they have the incorrect interpretation of its purpose. To them it is just practice and they do not see the need to go all out against their teammates.
There are pitfall with both players. The player that works at practice, but can't translate this to game time has to overcome their personal fears. This takes time and experience. Some coaches do not have the patience and these players are left out. Especially at the higher levels. I know you are thinking how does a player with the ability, not translate it to the game? Well here is a possible reason. This player may have played for a coach when he was very young that stressed results…a screamer. This coach probably took players off every time they made a mistake and never offered a solution.
The game player is really no better off in the long run because they never get to full fitness. The training habits begin to catch up with them as their talent alone will not see them through at the next level. Training habits and discipline are key to success, so unless this player gains an appreciation for the intangibles, then they too will be left out eventually.
How is this type of player created? Here is another possibility. He/she was always physically gifted and the team relied heavily upon them for success when they were younger. He/she never had to push themselves at training because they were way ahead of the rest, so it was acceptable to the coach. This player played the entire game and was the focus of the team. They got the ball to him/her at all times regardless of outcome.
Obviously this player gained tremendous confidence, because of the treatment received from the coaching staff. The sad thing is that when these players become part of team where everyone is treated the same and is expected to work at all times, they sometimes fail. They now have to perform a function clarified at practice (an environment they have never taken seriously) and the game no longer revolves around them.
» Deadline for recreational spring season is Feb 18. Fill out the Recreational Registration Packet today and mail it to the address on the top of the form.
» Referee Clinics offered in Los Alamos Feb 26 and Mar 5. Please contact the Referee Coordinator if you are interested.
» We are making plans for a coaches clinic to be held here in Los Alamos the weekend of March 19. The clinic will be ran by coaches from the New Mexico Rush Club in Albuquerque.
