How is the coronavirus impacting youth soccer? Like many states, the FYSA, Florida Youth Soccer Association, has canceled all events until April 16, when it will review this fluent situation. Yes,that tournament you were traveling to will no longer operate. And yes, your league may be suspended for a time. These are minor inconveniences in […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Tom Byer: 'This is an opportunity to focus on individual technical skill development'
As children across the USA have been restricted from playing soccer with their teams because of the coronavirus pandemic, we checked in again with Tom Byer, a longtime advocate ofchildren playing with the ball on their own to develop and sharpen skills. The New Yorker, who has spent 25 years running youth soccer programs inJapan, […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Let the Game Be the Teacher: A Whole-Part-Whole Approach to Practice
The following is an excerpt from John O’Sullivan‘s latest book, “Every Moment Matters: How the World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams.” ————– When I began my soccer coaching journey, I was frustrated by the way U.S. Soccer* instructed coaches to build their practices. We were told to start small, one child […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Dreaded Side Ache: Possible Causes and Prevention Methods
A side ache (also called side stitch) can be a real pain. It seems to occur most often in runners and cyclists, but I’ve seen plenty of athletes in team sports that also experience sideaches. The athlete typically feels a sharp, localizedpain just below the right rib cage. The pain can come on suddenly and […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Start practice with real soccer: U.S. Soccer rolls out its Grassroots 'learning through play' courses in Spanish
I was 9 years old, no kidding, when I became aware of U.S. Soccer Federation coaching schools. In 1975, my father took and passed the C license course taught by Dettmar Cramer inDallas. He told me about the experience and took me along on the final day of the course. A German immigrant, Horst Woitalla getting in on […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
How Referees Deal With Trash Talking
“You can’t stop me,” “The only way that you can stop me is by fouling,” “You got nothing” and “Look at the scoreboard” — are the words of a trash-talker. I’ve written about trash-talking severalyears before and I would like to add some additional insights. As soon as trash-talking starts, there are problems and the […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Why kids keep playing sports — and inaccurate gender-based stereotypes
What makes kids drop out of sports, and equally importantly, what can we do to keep kids playing? It’s been commonly believed that boys play for the “competitive” aspects of teamsports and girls play for the “social” aspects of sports. However, a recently published study of young soccer players shows that there are many similarities […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Ride Home is Not a Teachable Moment
Numerous researchers have asked athletes of all ages and abilities what was their least favorite sports moment, and their answer was nearly unanimous: after the game and the conversation on the ridehome. Emotionsare high, disappointment, frustration, and exhaustion are heightened for both player and parent, yet many parents choose this moment to confront their child […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
My view of the new rules after months of enforcing them
During the past six months, the majority of my games have used the new rules while the college and high school games that I officiated last autumn still used the old rules. Actually, college and highschool soccer was ahead of its time as two new rules — the chance to select the kickoff after winning […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Five tips to help you come back from an injury
Most folks come to the orthopedic surgeon after they’ve been injured. We’ll often prescribe rehabilitative therapy or surgery to help with the condition. Either way, you’ll be makingyour way back to your objectives, starting typically from a deconditioned point. Here are a few things I often recommend, and with some modifications these are applicable for […]