In addition to being an athletic performance coach, I am also a sport coach who works with young soccer players. I get very little time with my players during our 2 practices in the week. We have roughly 2.5 hours of practice to cover a multitude of topics.
There's technical work like passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, shielding, controlling balls out of the air, heading, crossing, etc.
And don't forget the tactical side of the game where we deal with team and individual defending and attacking, set pieces (goal kicks, corner kicks, kick offs, free kicks, throw ins), shadow play, etc...
But there is another side to the game that we as coaches don't get enough time to address. And that side is the psychological one. It is this area of the game that can truly make or break an individual's or team's performance. An athlete needs the proper skill and situational awareness to be able to execute at the right time and place in order to be successful. However, without some of the traits that are illustrated in the article below, the opportunity to showcase themselves wouldn't even present itself.
http://iyca.org/5-traits-of-a-champion-that-youth-sport-coaches-love-to-see/
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Early Specialization of Youth Athletes
Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with a father of one of my former soccer players. He is the father of 3 very athletic children, 2 girls and 1 boy. All 3 of them play soccer, but they all participate regularly in another sport or athletic activity. His oldest, a girl, is a very good soccer player, but a very good dancer as well. She recently told him that she most likely wants to concentrate on dance next year and quit soccer. The dad and I had a very interesting conversation about whether or not kids should play multiple sports and when, if ever, they should begin to specialize in just one.
It is my personal belief that kids should be free to try any and all sports and athletic activities and regularly participate in them as they grow and mature. Particularly important in my opinion are the "tween" and early teen years when they are beginning to go through puberty and their bodies are starting to change physically and hormonally. Developing a well-rounded sense of athleticism that comes from participating in multiple sports can only help a young athlete hone their physical skills as they grow up. From a cogntive standpoint, most young athletes between 10-14 years old are much too emotionally and mentally immature to maintain a concrete focus on just one sport.
However, I do feel that by the time an athlete reaches high school, the focus on a particular sport should begin to be refined and defined a bit more, especially in the "pay for play" situation that club sports provide. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense for an athlete to be paying to participate in a sport where they are not able to take full advantage of the coaching and organizational benefits that are provided to them because they are involved in another sport at the same time. From a time standpoint, obligations from each sport and team organization increase. I believe that the ability to perform at a high level across multiple sports and seasons while remaining heathy, minimizing fatigue and injury, and maintaining the proper academic levels may be beyond most young athletes.
The article listed below was shared by an extremely well-known strength and conditioning expert who I respect and admire very much. If I end up being a fraction of the strength coach that this man is, I will consider my career a massive success. It details a the story of a professional baseball player who played and lettered in 5 sports in high school and how the overall athleticism contributed to his success as a professional athlete. It is my opinion that this story is the exception to the rule and that this athlete is extremely gifted and would have most likely exceeded in whichever sport he chose. After all, what percentage of youth athletes actually go on to play a professional sport? I also feel that by choosing to play most of his sports in the high school setting, it was actually easier to achieve as the seasons don't tend to overlap as much. While I agree in principle that early specialization of youth athletes is not a good idea, I do feel there is a time and a situation for most youth athletes (once they have reached high school) to hone in on their preferred sport a bit more in order to optimally reach their highest level of performance.
I welcome any and all feedback and comments on this issue as it certainly is a relevant topic in these times where we put so much emphasis on our youth athletes developing their abilitites faster and earlier in their lifetimes.
http://www.news-press.com/article/20120318/SPRINGTRAINING/303180051/Ellsbury-once-athlete-all-seasons
It is my personal belief that kids should be free to try any and all sports and athletic activities and regularly participate in them as they grow and mature. Particularly important in my opinion are the "tween" and early teen years when they are beginning to go through puberty and their bodies are starting to change physically and hormonally. Developing a well-rounded sense of athleticism that comes from participating in multiple sports can only help a young athlete hone their physical skills as they grow up. From a cogntive standpoint, most young athletes between 10-14 years old are much too emotionally and mentally immature to maintain a concrete focus on just one sport.
However, I do feel that by the time an athlete reaches high school, the focus on a particular sport should begin to be refined and defined a bit more, especially in the "pay for play" situation that club sports provide. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense for an athlete to be paying to participate in a sport where they are not able to take full advantage of the coaching and organizational benefits that are provided to them because they are involved in another sport at the same time. From a time standpoint, obligations from each sport and team organization increase. I believe that the ability to perform at a high level across multiple sports and seasons while remaining heathy, minimizing fatigue and injury, and maintaining the proper academic levels may be beyond most young athletes.
The article listed below was shared by an extremely well-known strength and conditioning expert who I respect and admire very much. If I end up being a fraction of the strength coach that this man is, I will consider my career a massive success. It details a the story of a professional baseball player who played and lettered in 5 sports in high school and how the overall athleticism contributed to his success as a professional athlete. It is my opinion that this story is the exception to the rule and that this athlete is extremely gifted and would have most likely exceeded in whichever sport he chose. After all, what percentage of youth athletes actually go on to play a professional sport? I also feel that by choosing to play most of his sports in the high school setting, it was actually easier to achieve as the seasons don't tend to overlap as much. While I agree in principle that early specialization of youth athletes is not a good idea, I do feel there is a time and a situation for most youth athletes (once they have reached high school) to hone in on their preferred sport a bit more in order to optimally reach their highest level of performance.
I welcome any and all feedback and comments on this issue as it certainly is a relevant topic in these times where we put so much emphasis on our youth athletes developing their abilitites faster and earlier in their lifetimes.
http://www.news-press.com/article/20120318/SPRINGTRAINING/303180051/Ellsbury-once-athlete-all-seasons
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