01.16.15On Coaching: Teaching Players to Watch Differently
My son is a soccer junkie- a football junkie I should say because if you used that word with him he would think first of it in the rest of the world’s usage. If you asked him about football last week, he’d tell you about Palace beating Spurs more than Colts beating Broncos
We watch matches almost every weekend, but we watch differently, I always notice. I am forever pontificating on the moral lesson provided by Sanchez’ run off the ball, for example, or the cautionary tale of Mertesacker’s loose marking in the box. The game’s on the line and I’m in a lather about how Wanyama closed the space aggressively but kept low with his legs under him.
“Let’s watch that bit again, Bud!”
“Um, dad. Could we just watch the game? I think they’re about to score.”
Now THAT is a tackle! Are you WATCHING this, pal?!
He’s very gracious about the whole thing. I mean I know I am being pedantic but I want to teach him to watch not JUST to enjoy (though I want him to love the game too) but to study and learn.
So I was really happy when I checked my email this morning and his coach, Steve Covino, had sent us a homework assignment designed to socialize players not only watch games but watch them with intention and focus–to learn that is. The assignment asks them to do a quick write up describing, for example, which player had the greatest impact on the game and observing things that players in their preferred positions did.
That HAS to make the highlights, right???
I’m sure you can think of a hundred variations on the questions you could ask. (I hope you’ll share a few in the comments section). I mean there’s nothing in here at all about assessing the angle of flexion in the knees when tackling! Kind of an oversight right??? (Steve, if you are reading this, I am kidding.)
Anyway, I’m grateful that my son’s coach is helping him to see that as a player you watch games technically and that’s part of how you get better and thought I’d share the idea with coaches in case they wanted to steal it. Click the link below and you can see a pdf of the homework assignment (his team is called “Arsenal.”)