Creating Quality People and Quality Soccer Players at the Same Time
"Creating quality people and quality soccer players at the same time." - Coaching Philosophy from Alex Ludwig
Dear Players, Parents: The result of strong efforts of players, parents and coaches is a vigorous and successful organization. In guiding the technical and tactical training of the Soccer p-program, I encourage you to join the team and do your part with full attention. Th-e following is a letter that I share with you and these ideas are from my 35 years National, Professional, and International experience. A fun environment during training sessions helps to open a player’s mind. I want to avoid automaticity in our players; this is putting your brain on autopilot and giving the usual responses, even if you aren’t in the appropriate situation. Too often we teach players things like, ‘There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything, regardless of the circumstances.’ What we should t-each them is how to think flexibly, how to improvise, to be mindful of all the different possibilities of every situation, and not close themselves off from information that could help them. But I do believe in repetition and DISCIPLINE!!! The best players in the world put thought and energy into developing techniques and styles of play best suited to their individual talents. We are rarely taught conditionally, being mindful, using your imagination, and creativity to learn what works best for you. That is what makes the difference between an average player and a champion. When players see that there’s more than one technical or tactical solution to each situation, they become mindful. Players learn more when they are having fun and are engrossed with the challenges of a proper training session. Having fun doesn’t mean a "messing about" approach to practice. A training session can be organized, purposeful and still be fun. Many practices are either a bore or drudging work because the coach believes some myths about how players learn. Using activities that are “game-like” at training sessions helps to develop skillful, physically fit, tactically aware, and passionate players. Using drills stifles development, lends to player dropout and dulls player creativity. Many coaches and players operate mindlessly, pursuing routines (drills) rather than looking for new details around them. The results can be disastrous! It’s important for players to be in control of their game and the way to be in control is to be in the active process of mastering some aspect of soccer. It’s in the mastering that mindfulness comes to the player. If players and coaches realize that much of the burnout they experience is the result of mindless over rhythmizing, turnover goes down by a third. If all you think about is how you’re likely to fail at a challenge, you probably will. Children’s interest is best maintained by offering them frequently planned opportunities to play the game so that each player will have the maximum opportunity to touch the ball. Many children, some of them very young, have learned the individual and group skills of the game. These relatively high levels of skill have been achieved through the powerful attraction which the game has exerted at five, six and seven years of age. How can it be possible to teach children who seem to know more than the coach? This is a very real problem. Unfortunately, very few coaches try to solve it. The majority take the easy way out by simply organizing eleven-a-side games. This is in no one’s interest. The majority of the children will be uninvolved for long periods, their contact with the ball will be minimal and they become bored. If we can set problems and also guide a player towards appropriate solutions then we are at a big advantage. Soccer is easy to teach to children because many of them already know a good deal about it and many are so keen on it. If we can add these principles to our lives and to the game it will enable us to develop as people, supporters, and players and as students of soccer. Finally, the role of the parents in the growth of the child is crucial. It would be naive of us to think that the kids are going to learn anything two different ways at the same time: 1. from the coach at practice. 2. from mom/dad in the car on the way home. As the coach of your children I hope that we will not encounter a conflict in the way the players are developing in an environment which has been tried and tested in many countries for many years. On game days I will be insisting that the parents remain seated and quiet, only offering words of encouragement to the team and not just to individuals. We are all in this together and it will take a team effort to enable us to be successful. I will take into consideration the best interest of the team and each individual. "We are committed to providing a quality soccer program that provides the best environment to advance our players through high school, college and beyond" Alex Von Ludwig Master Coach |