December 9, 2010
COPIAPO, Chile — On the eve of the biggest soccer game in the history of this remote desert town, the team knelt in prayer. The Regional Atacama players were one win from a championship and a promotion to the first division of Chilean soccer. The blue-collar mining community felt reborn. So, together in their locker room, they asked the local patron saint for help: Please let us do this, for the people, for each other. They promised to visit the saint’s roadside shrine after the game to give thanks. A few miles outside of Copiapo, built into a steep wall of rock, the place was an outdoor chapel where candles burned in wrought iron grates…
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=101008/Chile
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December 4, 2010
English League Managers Course
In the Striker School blog I take it upon myself to provide readers with articles, videos and ideas on how you can become a better coach. Three months ago I enrolled in the LMA e-course which I have to say has been very beneficial in my coaching progress. I would like to tell you about it and how much fun it is watching the EPL after completing the course because I feel I have more insight into the behind the scenes. I have had the chances to actually have some interaction with some of the actual managers, plus the networking available with colleagues from all over the world.
The English League Managers Association has developed a series of e-learning Football Management Courses known as the ‘LMA School of Football Management’ as leadership education for coaches. The first course ‘Creating a Culture of Excellence ‘is now available. The course includes over 4 hours of video interviews with Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Hodgson, David Moyes, Fabio Capello, Arsène Wenger and Howard Wilkinson . These videos together with interactive tasks, online activities and scenario based problems make up the first course. The learning tasks are most definitely based on practical problems with opportunity for reflection, & discussion
The first course will take approximately 15 hours to complete and is recognized by UEFA as well as the English and Scottish FA’s. To date over 500 learners have enrolled on the course since May 2010 from over 30 countries including at least one member of the coaching staff of 50% of English Premier League clubs
Email Robin Russell at this address lmaschooloffmenrollments@gmail.com to find out more.
I have arranged for you to get a free copy of the LMA World Cup Report on ‘1st Goals ‘if you to mention that you have heard about the course from me.
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November 22, 2010
YOUR MASTER PLAN FOR PLAYING SOCCER
ROBY STAHL
www.thestrikerschool.com
You have decided to play soccer at the college of your choice. It’s good to aim high. If you aim for heaven and you miss, you’ll still hit the stars or at least the tree tops).
You must have a master plan to enable you to head toward your goals. The mistake most players make is making athletics their number one priority. Without hitting the books, you probably won’t get into the school of your dreams.
Academic requirements of admission get tougher each year. Contact the NCAA for a free copy of the latest “College Bound Student Athlete Guide” http://www.ncaastudent.org/NCAA_Guide.pdf to make sure you are well informed. The guide details the courses you must complete and the GPA you must attain to be eligible for collegiate athletes at NCAA Division I, II and III colleges. Honors courses help. The guide also defines the rules of conduct during recruiting.
You should take the SAT or ACT exams early and often. You may submit your highest scores. Coaches will often ask your SAT score, generally expressed as the sum of your math and reading scores. A 500 in reading and a 600 in math will create an 1100 SAT score; pretty average scores for soccer players today.
Participation in extracurricular activities is important. Volunteering for key clubs and charity events helps build character and shows college admissions officers that you are well rounded. Why not get involved in your community as a volunteer assistant coach with a lower age group team. It will look good on your resume and might actually help you develop into a better player!
College coaches look for serious players. This doesn’t mean you have to be the best player on the team. Now is the time to get serious. This entails taking care of your body, i.e. making sure you maintain a balanced diet, undertaking a strength and fitness program (including sprint training and plyometrics) and getting the proper amount of sleep.
Show the proper respect for yourself, your teammates, referees, fans, and most important, the game…especially when you are in the public’s eye. A coach watching you perform will give you negative points in his book if you look sloppy or act like a bum on the field. This means: tuck in your shirt, walk with an air of confidence, no weird haircuts, and watch your mouth. First impressions are lasting impressions. Last impressions are equally important. Don’t throw away all you hard work in the last 10 minutes of a game by doing something stupid.
Recently I asked several major college coaches what they thought of one of the top senior players in a high school tournament. All said they liked his playing ability, but all had crossed him off their lists because of his poor attitude. First and last impressions…
Seek out a good learning environment. Find clubs with experienced coaches who will help you develop, not coaches that just want to win games. My own definition of a good coach is that individual who develops you to be successful at the next level of your career. Good competition during leagues and tournaments is a must. It is vital that you train and play year round. Ask your high school coach and club coaches to constantly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Continue to develop your strengths and ask them for a program to eliminate your weaknesses. Remember that even the professional players in every sport seek advice and spend lots of time relearning the fundamentals. Also play in good club tournaments; if your team doesn’t go often, try to be a guest player on a good team.
Participate in ODP if you can. It is a good program and should provide you with good competition, an honest evaluation, and if you progress, a chance to be seen by an enormous amount of college coaches. Take the case of Danielle Bordman of Cincinnati. She never was involved in ODP because she heard negative things about how political it is (it usually is only if you aren’t selected). She finally tried out her sophomore year in school and progressed from district, to state, to regional, all the way to the U-16 National Team. She has been a constant fixture at the last two U-20 national team camps and will be attending perennial national champions University of North Carolina. All because she took a chance! A great example of my motto – HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD. Of the 85 players currently on our U-23, U-21, U-18, and U-17 men’ s national team squads, 78 came through the state ODP program.
During the summer, find a good training center to attend. Do your homework and find an environment that challenges you mentally, physically, technically and tactically. Not just one that plays a lot of games (see the article: Selecting a Soccer Camp). This is a good time to develop your master plan. Your staff coach will love to help you with it.
Far too many players and parents think that being a good player is enough. IT’S NOT! Start today developing your master plan, a road map to take you where you want to go.
CLOSE YOUR EYES, FEEL IT, SMELL IT, HEAR IT. YOUR MIND IS LIKE A GUIDED MISSLE. WHEN YOU PROPERLY PROGRAM IT,
YOU CAN’T HELP BUT HIT THE TARGET!
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November 22, 2010
Sporting Club of Portugal (Lisbon)
By Roby Stahl
This article will focus on my 10 day visit to Sporting Lisbon’s new “Academia” in February 2003 with two of my colleagues and friends, Håkan Jansson and Anton Publik as the guest of Mr. Laszlo Bölöni, head coach of SCP.
Håkan Jansson is an old friend and my former co-coach at Tyresö FF in Stockholm, Sweden and has developed many youth players for Sweden’s AllSvenska (Elite League). He is currently working with 2001 Swedish champions Hammarby FF and as an instructor for the Swedish Trainer’s Association. He and Anton authored the Scandinavian best seller, “Techniques for Developing High Speed in Soccer”. I had the pleasure to work with them in translating this outstanding book into English.
Anton Public is famous figure in both Hungary and Romania where he played for both the Romania national team and for the Bucharest team for many years. He is a well renowned sports writer in both countries and is currently living in Sweden training elite players. Anton has a unique ability to spot and train technique with elite athletes. His ideas are very insightful. Anton’s relationship with the SCP coach, Laszlo Bölöni afforded us this unique opportunity.
Sporting Lisbon is coached by Laszlo Bölöni who played professionally for Steaua Bucharest, clubs in Belgium and for A.S. Nancy in France. During this period he played 108 times for the Romanian national team. While playing he attended the prestigious French Football Federation coaching schools, obtaining his youth diplomas and his professional license involving studies with Ajax of Holland and Juventus of Serie ‘A’. After retiring as a player Laszlo coached A.S. Nancy, gaining promotion from the Second Division to the First Division. He left France to become the national team coach for Romania for one and one half years before accepting an offer to train SCP, recognized as one of Europe’s biggest Clubs.
The SCP Academia:
Sporting Lisbon has built a 13 million dollar facility (The Academia) that houses training for all their teams from U13 to the professional side. Opening in June of 2002, it is one of the finest faculties in Europe. There are five lighted fields exclusively for training, one artificial grass field and one small stadium with seats for 1000. The ‘B’ team and youth teams for league games use this facility. There is a 65 X 45 yard roofed artificial field for training in special conditions. All the modern training necessities, i.e. free kick walls, portable goals (both regular and special size), pendulum balls etc. is provided for the coaching staff and set up by the managers
The Academia has a hotel with 46 rooms, half on the youth side for players’ aged 14 and above who might live there and half for the professional players who use them between their frequent two-a-day training sessions. Player’s lounges, dinning rooms, and club official’s offices are housed here. The youth facilities are separate for the profession ones and include state of the art weight rooms and special rehab rooms. The locker rooms are kept separately and the large staff cares for all the equipment each day.
Youth Training:
The emphasis in the youth program is several-fold; the identification and recruiting of players and development both athletically and academically once they are in the SCP program. Sporting has teams from 13 years of age until 18 under the heading of Infantile and Juniors. Once a boy reaches the age of 18, he is promoted to the ‘B’ team, loaned out to another club to develop or is released. Following the French model, academic opportunities are provided at a nearby school if the player lives at the Academia. Players under the age of 13 are brought into the SCP program but do not train at the Academia but at various locations surrounding Lisbon. Occasionally they will come to the training center in order to see what lies ahead of them if they continue to develop.
Jean Paul oversees the youth set up. Under him each team is assigned two coaches, many of them former SCP players. Working as trainers (although with the professionals) are players such as Hilario who played as left back in Portugal’s semi-final appearance in the 1966 World cup and Jordanov, center-back in Bulgaria’ semi-final spot in World Cup 1994. All the trainers could play and demonstrate at a high level.
The emphasis on youth training is changing since Laszlo Bölöni arrived in 2001. The emphasis is now on the smallest of details within the individual player’s techniques. The players work on one certain technique for long periods of time. Lots of coordination training takes place first without the ball. All the players received large doses of balance activities beginning with the proper running styles yet in a relaxed manner. In the U.S. we tend to concentrate on explosive type activities but that comes later in the learning process for the SCP players. The French are very good at taking small portions of the game and then breaking them down into the precise movements needed to improve techniques. This training begins at age 6 while the player is still flexible in his learning process. These are very simple but important exercises. Even the stretching at the beginning of training and after activities is very soccer related in terms of moment.
As the player’s technique and ages grow so does the focus on the understanding of the simple procedures that are necessary to play soccer. The focus now shifts on understanding the player’s roles during 1 v 1, 2 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 2 and 3 v 3 play. Again it sounds simple, but these points are central to the player’s success through his career. The training was highly organized, realistic and is dependant on the coach’s knowledge and ability to instantly see and correct the smallest detail or fault. Each player was involved in each part of the session and was constantly moving. Juggling activities while moving were included and once again the emphasis was on balance and coordination. Even throw-in techniques were incorporated in to the training.
The youth program is paying dividends as several of the youth players have been or will be sold to other teams. Hugo was just sold to Newcastle of the English Premier League at a cost of 13 million dollars. Two other players, Quaresma and Christiano Ronaldo aged 18 and 19, will possibly be sold to top clubs for 10-20 million dollars. This is a two-edged sword as the money is necessary to finance the new Academia and the new stadium that is being built in time for Euro 2004, yet it is hard to compete with Portugal’s best when you are always selling your top young players. *2004 – Quaresma is now playing for Barcelona and Ronaldo is playing at Manchester United.
The Professionals:
Sporting Lisbon has a proud tradition as one of the top clubs in Europe. Winner of the league and Portuguese Cup in 2001-2001, SCP was in third place as we visited. The coaches and players are under tremendous pressure from the fans and players, as the media reports on their every move. Last year two players, Jardel (Brazil) and João Pinto (Portuguese national team) scored 61 goals between them. This year, both have missed games through injuries and suspensions. It is important that SCP finish in the top two in order to automatically qualify for the Champions League. Qualification brings in large amounts of money.
The Sessions:
Laszlo Bölöni is a very intelligent, reserved coach and man. His training sessions are brilliant and always relate to small precise sections of the game. All of his tactical trainings are done through the use of small-side games building up to large. Teaching is simple to complex and everything on the weekly schedule is done to a tee. Everything is timed and appropriate water breaks accounted for.
Usually the attacking players had functional training while the rest of the team was working on tactical ideas. Laszlo feels that they do not need to be involved in much of the work in the middle and defensive thirds of the field. He does have some strong ideas about their participation in the attacking third however. Of course the focus was on their tactical understanding in attacking schemes and options.
All activities ended up going to goal and especially the fitness training. I have never seen professionals work as hard as the SCP did during their explosive training sessions.
The fitness staff was more than willing to share ideas with us. All the players are tested and then put in four groups. Training was on a two-week schedule with three precisely planned activities depending on the group you were in. For example the older players did not do as much explosive work as the younger players, working instead on strength training. Emphasis was on explosive training (Force Max) for the legs and arms, strength training for overall and explosive training for the legs only. The last grouping worked outdoors. Each activity during the plyometric sessions ends with a ball function activity derived from the game and always at top speed. The players are tested every eight weeks and their individual program planned.
The players are extremely technically and can play at high speed. They however have a great ability to be relaxed on the ball under pressure. Tactically they are not as sophisticated as their professional counterparts of other European nations. Laszlo is bringing this dimension to the team.
Paulinho:
There is a very special story at SCP. In Lisbon there was a young boy who was hit by a car and lived for months in a coma. During this time his family abandoned him and he was given very little chance to survive. During his coma months the only thing that seemed to get any response from him was when the doctors would start talking about Sporting Lisbon. When he eventually got better the doctors asked if he Sporting would take care of him. He has been at the club for 20 years now helping to take care of the equipment. He is loved by all the players and fans and is one of the most recognizable personalities on the team. The times when he leads the team out, the biggest cheer is for Paulinho. He never pays for anything when out in Lisbon, lives by himself and the players take turns inviting him to their houses for the holidays. In 2000 FIFA recognized him with a special award at their world awards ceremonies. It was truly heartwarming to see how the players played with Paulinho, now 34, and teased him but always looked out for him.
The Games:
Lisbon has three Division One teams and we saw them all. We had the privilege of meeting and dinning with my old fiend and current Portuguese national team goalkeeping coach Dan Gaspar. Dan is one of the top goalkeeper trainers in the world and has been the coach for many professional goalkeepers and teams including Sporting Lisbon, Grampus Eight (Japan), the Metro Stars (MLS) and the Connecticut Wolves of the ‘A’ League. Over the years Dan and I have had many long discussions on developing youth players. I value his principles and innovative ideas. Dan was just returning from the Portugal – Italy national team match, which they lost. Together we traveled to watch Belenenses defeat Varzim 4-1 in the afternoon. Afterwards Dan presented me with his Portuguese national team shirt, which I will always treasure! *Note – Dan is now the assistant coach at Benfica.
That night we were Laszlo Bölöni’s guests at the Sporting – Braga game at the Estádio José Alvaladehe t (30,000). We walked out the same tunnel the teams came out just prior to kickoff and were treated to a superb 2-0 win. Afterwards we sat with Laszlo in his stadium office, went back to his home and then out to dinner to his favorite restaurant. It was a priceless opportunity to pick one of the great coach’s brains.
Midweek the Columbus Crew of the MLS played a game at the Academia versus the ‘B’ team. The Crew was just starting preseason-training camp and despite the 2-1 loss looked very promising. The next day we visited with the Crew coaches at the Rio Maior training facility. That night we were USISL (‘A’ League and PDL) president Francisco Marcos’ guest at his beautiful coastal home and at his favorite restaurant. Obviously the discussions were about cooperation’s between MLS and youth clubs and their Portuguese counterparts.
The last day of our stay we spent at the Academia watching the ‘A’ team train. It was hard to say goodbye to all the friends we had made on the staff. Laszlo presented each of us with a Sporting Lisbon game jersey with our name printed on the back. It is a memento that will be framed and hanging in my den along with other priceless soccer treasures from my travels.
That night we watched Benfica destroy Vitória 6-2. This game was full of all the flag waving and flares that one sees on television with European games.
Summary:
Over the course of my professional playing and coaching career I have been to many top quality facilities and clubs. None can hold a candle to the Academia of Sporting Lisbon. I went hoping to seek more knowledge in the development of training youth players. I came back renewed with many great ideas and, more importantly, with many new colleagues and friends
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November 11, 2010
BY HANNAH STORM (reprinted from Family Circle 10/18/05)
It’s that time of year again-homework, car pools and, of course, sports. If your family is like mine, you’re probably headed back to the field to cheer on your kid’s games and practices. As a mom of three active girls, I’ve seen how great organized sports can be, helping kids learn cooperation, discipline and respect while also encouraging lifelong exercise habits. But I’ve also seen how even the most well-meaning parents can undermine the many benefits that sports have to offer.
Yelling advice from the stands, challenging coaches or referees, or putting too much emphasis on winning isn’t the support your child needs. The simple golden rule in youth athletics: Make it fun. As I learned while researching my book Go Girl! Raising Healthy, Confident and Successful Girls through Sports (Sourcebooks), as many as 70 percent of kids quit organized sports by the age of 15. And one of the top reasons why is they weren’t having fun, according to a nationwide survey by the Youth Sports Institute at Michigan State University.
And after two decades as a sportscaster covering the best athletes in the world, and more recently as an anchor on CBS’s The Early Show, I can attest to the fact that even the most elite sports stars play for the love of the game-and so should your child. Follow these tips to nurture that passion without putting on pressure.
Redefine winning and losing. A few years back I enthusiastically took my four-year-old to her first team soccer game. We were both so excited-after all, I loved soccer as a kid. When we got to the field, the coach asked the preschoolers to “take a knee” and huddle right up. Then he told them they were there to beat the other team and win! These little kids didn’t even know what a goal was, much less which one was theirs! While it’s natural for kids to become more competitive as they get older, when they’re little, it’s more important that they simply be participating than winning. Indeed, several studies have shown that kids would rather play on a losing team than sit on the bench of one that wins all the time.
What’s more, your child learns lessons when his team loses a game-like how to give a strong effort, show grace in defeat and overcome setbacks-that are just as valuable to his growth as winning. Kids seem to have an inherent understanding that there are other priorities in playing sports: One national study found that among girls ages 10 to 18, winning wasn’t even mentioned as one of the top 10 reasons they played sports, and for boys it ranked only number seven. Also, when these same kids were asked what they would change about youth sports, they overwhelmingly stated they wanted to see less emphasis on winning.
Help your child set realistic goals. Your child has a lot less control over the final outcome of a game than she does over maximizing her individual potential. To help her keep a healthy perspective, encourage her to set goals that have some wiggle room. For instance, instead of, “I’m going to make every free throw I take,” have her aim at shooting 70 percent in practices and 65 percent in games. Make sure goals match your child’s age and skill level. They might include reaching base at least twice in a baseball game or getting in three out of four first serves in a tennis match. With my daughters, rather than asking, “Did you win?” or “How many points did you score?” I’ll ask your hardest?” or “Did you do something better today than yesterday?” That way, even when the scoreboard isn’t in their favor, they can still walk off the field feeling accomplished.
Show up for practice. Every parent is time-crunched, but try to make room in your schedule to attend at least a few of your child’s team practices as well as the big games. This sends the message that you value his hard work and appreciate the process of playing sports, not just the outcomes. This also gives you a chance to see if the sports program is run properly, such as whether the coach lets everyone play, how he interacts with the team, and whether everyone is having a good time.
Get your head in the game. Learn the rules, since youth guidelines often vary from the way pros play. And when you show up, pay attention, avoiding the temptation to chat it up with other parents on the sidelines. That way, when your kid says, “Mom, did you see the pass I made?” you’ll be able to offer specific praise and feedback. You might say, for instance, “Weaving the ball between those two defenders really helped set up your team to score.”
Keep it positive. As part of a special feature for The Early Show, I recently attended a soccer camp with my 8-year-old. She routinely beats me badly when we play in our backyard, so I hoped to pick up a few pointers from the woman running the camp, Olympic gold medalist Kristine Lilly. It happened that the best female soccer player in the world, Mia Hamm, was also there that day as a guest coach. I’ve interviewed her several times, but took that chance to ask her what was the most important thing her parents did to help her succeed in sports. Hamm said it was giving her hugs! Kristine Lilly also chimed in with this advice: What really matters to kids is a pat on the back and the words “Nice job, I’m proud of you.”
Mind your manners. Sports create so much emotion, and we’ve all heard ( incidents in which parents go to the extreme-like the New Jersey soccer mom who allegedly attacked 17-year-old player on the team opposing her daughter’s, or the Massachusetts father convicted of beating another dad to death in a fistfight over rough play during their sons’ hockey practice. Thankfully, such violence is rare, but parents on the sidelines still indulge in plenty of appalling behavior.
No matter how heated a game gets, never yell at your child, other players, the coach or referees. Remember, your kids model their sportsmanship from you. How can you expect them to show respect for opposing players and officials if you don’t? If you disagree with the coach’s decision, speak to him after the game once you’ve calmed down and can talk without your child present. Also, never approach a game official: Leave it up to the coach to sort out any problems with the officiating with the referees. And it goes without saying, but never use profanity in a youth sports setting.
Applaud good play– no matter who makes it. Focusing solely on your child sends the message that you’re more interested in grooming the next sports phenom than encouraging team effort. Compliment other players as they get substituted in and out of the game. A great move by the opposing team deserves a cheer, not boos or taunts. And show respect for the other team’s players, parents and coaches by welcoming them onto your field and congratulating them after a good game. Mix things up.
During my 20 years of covering both college and professional sports and hosting four Olympic Games, I learned one irrefutable fact: My children and yours have a minuscule chance at a college sports scholarship, much less a pro career. Elite athletes are few and far between, and while your child may be talented, he’ll most likely go on to do something else wonderful with his life. Nurture a well-rounded child by supporting his interests in several extracurricular activities. I’ve interviewed the greatest athletes in the world, and even they played multiple sports in high school. For example, my friend and former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was a much better baseball player than football player in high school, even though he went on to become a Super Bowl MVP.
Unfortunately, these days’ parents tend to be overzealous and a bit unrealistic, pushing their kids to win medals or trophies at one sport in particular, hoping they’ll become the next Michael Jordan or Michelle Kwan. Specializing in one or two sports all year can cause burnout and injury, putting too much stress on certain body parts. What’s more, by not participating in a mix of activities, these kids miss out on learning a variety of physical skills and meeting different groups of people. Your child’s chance of going pro may be tiny, but he does have a 100 percent chance of growing up to love sports and physical activity with your winning support along the way.
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