I was watching a video a few weeks ago where Ronaldinho was being interviewed and he said that he loves the feeling of having a ball at his feet. When he’s relaxing with his friends and family, he needs to feel the ball. This type of connection can be very rare. I imagine only the greatest players feel like this.
This led me to wonder if America could ever produce a player with the calibre of a Ronaldinho, and if so, would we recognise it?
I found an article today about how the clubs in Asia are importing Brazilian coaches to teach their youngsters, and apparently it has had an immediate effect with the kids suddenly flourishing with technical ability.
I’m a stickler for technique – a player needs to be comfortable with the ball at their feet and then the know-how to figure out what to do with it. But, the American culture is that of winning, this country loves winners. Unfortunately because of that love of winning and it’s immediacy, kids who have decent technical ability could often be overlooked for the more physical player who isn’t afraid to put him or herself about. I’m encouraging all of my players to be creative – I don’t care if they fall flat on their butts trying, they tried something different, and with a little practice and repetition, that move or feint becomes second nature.
I also read today about the Youth Program at Sporting Lisbon on the NSCAA website and how they focus on ball mastery and 1v1, 2v1, 2v2, 3v2, and 3v3 situations. This happens all the way until the kids reach their mid-teens.
As a youth soccer coach focusing and putting such an emphasis on technique, this is a breath of fresh air because if the youth players at the highest level are being coached technique, I know I’m on the right track.
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