This is a drill that works for basketball, football, and soccer... I'm sure there's some way it applies to baseball, but I haven't convinced myself of that yet.
Setup: Have the kids face you, and space themselves out. Explain the drill.
Activity: The coach moves the ball in one of 4 directions - left, right, up, or down. The kids follow by moving 2 quick steps in that direction (up is backward, down is forward). Adjust speed of movements to the age of the kids.
This one applies to pretty much all ages, and can be used to get the kids to focus on watching the ball and reacting to it. I've used it extensively in football this season, because we were having a problem tracking the ball on handoffs.
This one can be tiring for the kids, but it also can emphasize quickness and agility. To increase the intensity (for older kids - middle school+) - have the players use "happy feet" between movements.
Basic setup, simple drill... Good luck!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Which sport should my kid play?
Everyone has a theory about which sports their kids should play and why. I do too. I'm not an expert in child development, but I was a kid and I am a parent - and I can tell you what worked for me...
First off, I'm a believer in encouraging your kid to get involved in something at a young age. It doesn't matter if it's ballet or basketball or basket-weaving. Activities allow them to be engaged, interact with others, and gain confidence as they have success. Once the activity is chosen, it's important to stick with it through the commitment - usually, that means the season. Quitting early, or not giving full effort sends the message that sticking with something isn't important.
For really young kids, maybe up to at least 3 years, I think it's best to play informally. Maybe put them in swimming lessons, but play ball in the backyard, kick the soccer ball around and help them develop basic motor skills. But at some point, they're ready for soccer.
Soccer is great for 4 year olds and up. There's really 2 things to think about - kick and run. Yes, the games are usually a pack of kids surrounding a ball in close proximity... but it's cute. During the practices and games, the team bonds, and learns the basics of sportsmanship along with the actual game. It can be rough going, but it sets the stage for enjoying soccer further, or playing other sports.
It was difficult for me to explain "offense" and "defense" to 4 year olds. I gave up on that, and instead talked about kicking the ball toward "our goal" and away from "their goal". That's probably another topic.
My son was able to play basketball as a kindergartner. Of course, you have 6' hoops, and there's not much dribbling or passing, but there's only slightly more to think about than soccer (run, shoot, and then anything else they can remember). With basketball, offense and defense is a little bit clearer, because you're doing different things.
When I was a kid, I played tee ball in first grade, and so we tried baseball (coach pitched) with Alex at 6. This added the next step in complexity - when batting, you just swung the bat and ran when you hit it... easy. But what do you do in the field? Usually the rules are set up so that baserunners stop either at first base, or at the base they're on after the ball is touched by the defense - so for fielders, you can tell them to "throw it to first" all the time, and that's pretty safe. But, baseball has lots of complex rules about force outs, tag outs, etc. It takes a little bit of practice and playing the game for the more advanced concepts to begin sinking in...
At 7, Alex begged to play football. I was ok with that. Flag football. He's now at the age where he understands games and rules, and can easily adapt. We rotate sports, although he has his favorites (which doesn't include soccer). The most difficult part about the football team is that there are 6-8 year olds, covering kindergarten through THIRD GRADE. If you've made it this far in the post, you probably understand how that's a bit of a challenge...
Most importantly - encourage your kid to do something. Every child is different, and - maybe there's a football prodigy out there who's 4... But if you're scratching your head, pick a soccer league, and see what happens.
First off, I'm a believer in encouraging your kid to get involved in something at a young age. It doesn't matter if it's ballet or basketball or basket-weaving. Activities allow them to be engaged, interact with others, and gain confidence as they have success. Once the activity is chosen, it's important to stick with it through the commitment - usually, that means the season. Quitting early, or not giving full effort sends the message that sticking with something isn't important.
For really young kids, maybe up to at least 3 years, I think it's best to play informally. Maybe put them in swimming lessons, but play ball in the backyard, kick the soccer ball around and help them develop basic motor skills. But at some point, they're ready for soccer.
Soccer is great for 4 year olds and up. There's really 2 things to think about - kick and run. Yes, the games are usually a pack of kids surrounding a ball in close proximity... but it's cute. During the practices and games, the team bonds, and learns the basics of sportsmanship along with the actual game. It can be rough going, but it sets the stage for enjoying soccer further, or playing other sports.
It was difficult for me to explain "offense" and "defense" to 4 year olds. I gave up on that, and instead talked about kicking the ball toward "our goal" and away from "their goal". That's probably another topic.
My son was able to play basketball as a kindergartner. Of course, you have 6' hoops, and there's not much dribbling or passing, but there's only slightly more to think about than soccer (run, shoot, and then anything else they can remember). With basketball, offense and defense is a little bit clearer, because you're doing different things.
When I was a kid, I played tee ball in first grade, and so we tried baseball (coach pitched) with Alex at 6. This added the next step in complexity - when batting, you just swung the bat and ran when you hit it... easy. But what do you do in the field? Usually the rules are set up so that baserunners stop either at first base, or at the base they're on after the ball is touched by the defense - so for fielders, you can tell them to "throw it to first" all the time, and that's pretty safe. But, baseball has lots of complex rules about force outs, tag outs, etc. It takes a little bit of practice and playing the game for the more advanced concepts to begin sinking in...
At 7, Alex begged to play football. I was ok with that. Flag football. He's now at the age where he understands games and rules, and can easily adapt. We rotate sports, although he has his favorites (which doesn't include soccer). The most difficult part about the football team is that there are 6-8 year olds, covering kindergarten through THIRD GRADE. If you've made it this far in the post, you probably understand how that's a bit of a challenge...
Most importantly - encourage your kid to do something. Every child is different, and - maybe there's a football prodigy out there who's 4... But if you're scratching your head, pick a soccer league, and see what happens.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Communicate Effectively - With Parents
One of the reasons I have been so involved in coaching my kids' teams is an experience we had with a "bad" coach. "Larry" was assigned to be the coach of my son's soccer team many years ago. His son was also on the team, and he seemed like a nice enough guy. However, throughout the season, Larry would routinely send out cryptic emails, cancel practice at the last minute, and sometimes not show up for games. Larry was a decent enough coach on the field, but he was a poor communicator.
This irritates and frustrates parents, and it can impact the kids and their performance.
No one expects a coach to do everything perfectly. Jobs, illness, and life sometimes get in the way of making every practice and game on time - or at all. That said, it is important to build repoire with parents. Find out how to communicate with them (email works great for me, but some prefer phone). In addition to coaching, you are obligated to either be or find a "team coordinator". I am lucky - my kind and loving wife has helped me during he past several seasons - organizing email lists, sending reminders, keeping the snack schedule... this may seem like "little stuff" - or even stuff that doesn't matter. But it does.
Set the expectation - what can they expect from you? What do you expect from them? This likely changes a LOT as the kids get older...
Players whose parents know when they practice, where they practice, and when the games are will usually pay you back by being on-time and supportive of your efforts. They will be more apt to communicate with you - or even volunteer to help you out. Your communication style can create harmony on your team, which will lead to a much more rewarding experience. ...and the mood impacts the kids, and their enthusiasm (or not) for the game.
Communicating effectively with parents takes a little work, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. These skills also transfer directly into the actual coaching work - but that's for another time.
This irritates and frustrates parents, and it can impact the kids and their performance.
No one expects a coach to do everything perfectly. Jobs, illness, and life sometimes get in the way of making every practice and game on time - or at all. That said, it is important to build repoire with parents. Find out how to communicate with them (email works great for me, but some prefer phone). In addition to coaching, you are obligated to either be or find a "team coordinator". I am lucky - my kind and loving wife has helped me during he past several seasons - organizing email lists, sending reminders, keeping the snack schedule... this may seem like "little stuff" - or even stuff that doesn't matter. But it does.
Set the expectation - what can they expect from you? What do you expect from them? This likely changes a LOT as the kids get older...
Players whose parents know when they practice, where they practice, and when the games are will usually pay you back by being on-time and supportive of your efforts. They will be more apt to communicate with you - or even volunteer to help you out. Your communication style can create harmony on your team, which will lead to a much more rewarding experience. ...and the mood impacts the kids, and their enthusiasm (or not) for the game.
Communicating effectively with parents takes a little work, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. These skills also transfer directly into the actual coaching work - but that's for another time.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Drill of the Day: "Butch Lee Dribble"
Despite it being my favorite sport to coach, thus far I have paid very little attention to basketball. That's unfortunate, but it all changes now.
Today's drill is great for ages 7-8 on up, and it's called the Butch Lee Dribble. I can fondly remember back to my youth, when Pulaski High School head coach Fred Kesley introduced me to this drill at a summer basketball camp. I thought it was really dumb, and I didn't even know who Butch Lee was... but it turns out, this drill has grown on me a lot.
The player will start out with the ball in a low, strong dribble with their right hand. Then they take two short, quick steps forward. After a brief pause, the player maintains the dribble and takes two quick steps back. The ball is then crossed over to the left hand, and the action is repeated there. The player should move in a slight "V" pattern during the drill as they move back and forth, then cross over to the other side.
I like this drill for younger players because it lets them control the dribble going both forward and backward with each hand. It also gets them taking quick steps with the ball and switching hands in rhythm. Stress looking up and defending the dribble with the off-hand. For older kids, this is a good quickness and agility drill, especially combined with other speed dribbling drills.
In case you were left wondering, Butch Lee was an All-American point guard for Marquette in the late 1970's, and was an integral part of their 1977 NCAA Championship team. Born in Puerto Rico, he was an excellent ball handler and had a brief NBA career.
Today's drill is great for ages 7-8 on up, and it's called the Butch Lee Dribble. I can fondly remember back to my youth, when Pulaski High School head coach Fred Kesley introduced me to this drill at a summer basketball camp. I thought it was really dumb, and I didn't even know who Butch Lee was... but it turns out, this drill has grown on me a lot.
The player will start out with the ball in a low, strong dribble with their right hand. Then they take two short, quick steps forward. After a brief pause, the player maintains the dribble and takes two quick steps back. The ball is then crossed over to the left hand, and the action is repeated there. The player should move in a slight "V" pattern during the drill as they move back and forth, then cross over to the other side.
I like this drill for younger players because it lets them control the dribble going both forward and backward with each hand. It also gets them taking quick steps with the ball and switching hands in rhythm. Stress looking up and defending the dribble with the off-hand. For older kids, this is a good quickness and agility drill, especially combined with other speed dribbling drills.
In case you were left wondering, Butch Lee was an All-American point guard for Marquette in the late 1970's, and was an integral part of their 1977 NCAA Championship team. Born in Puerto Rico, he was an excellent ball handler and had a brief NBA career.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Anatomy of a Practice - 4/5 Soccer
I've gotten a bunch of questions about practice over the years. Practice. Practice?! For those of you who follow the NBA, it's inevitable that Iverson's "Practice" rant just entered your skull. For those who'd like a recap -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUYjD7A75HQ Sorry. Several of the questions involved what is done during a practice, and why. I figured I'd take a few paragraphs to explain my philosophy on preschool and kindergarten soccer practices, which are never dull.
These kids can handle about 20-30 minutes, and that's it. Occasionally you'll get a kid who is really (really) into soccer, and he or she can keep going, but everyone else is pretty much spent - maybe even way sooner than 20 minutes. At this age, they can also handle about 2 or 3 instructions - so your drills must be simple, and direct.
Before practice, be sure to inform your parents to bring their kid AND a properly-sized ball. For this age, it's usually size 3 (this will not be confusing to someone who works at a sporting goods store). My practices for this age change very little week to week. The kids fall into the routine, and the session is much more productive, and less time is wasted.
I like to start with some basic speed dribbling after warmups (which are brief, if at all - more on that some other time). This will involve lining the team up along one line (or between cones, etc), and having them dribble the ball to another landmark and back. Doing this a couple times will take about 5 minutes. An interesting twist on this drill is to have a whistle and get the kids to stop and start on the whistle. This allows them to get practice controlling the ball and stopping the ball at different speeds.
Next is usually dribbling around cones. A series of 4 cones is set up in a line - each about 5 yards apart. One group of kids starts on one side, and one on the other. Having kids going each way makes them look up, and not at the ball all the time. Sometimes I'll "race them" around the cones if things seem to be slow. This also takes about 5 minutes, and then it's time for a water break. When it's hot, I may decide to take water breaks more often - both for health, and so it's not an issue during the next drill.
In the middle of practice, it's time for a partner-passing drill. Here, two kids pair up using one ball, and pass to each other about 10 feet apart. I let them sort of wander around the field here, because it's inevitable a few passes will not be that accurate. The focus, though, it on good passes right to the partner (which the partner can stop and send back).
Next is usually a "fun" activity. One thing we do is a "race the coach" dribbling drill to a landmark that's 50 or more yards away. This gives the kids a chance to continuously dribble for a longer distance (and they love it). They always win. Another idea is to set up a 10 foot - by - 10 foot box with cones and play "Takeaway". This is a drill where you try to kick away your teammate's ball while keeping control of your own. Chaotic, but also a favorite.
After a quick drink, the final 5-10 minutes are spent on either offense or defense. If we're focusing on offense, I'll do anything from just plain kicking at the net to dribbling and kicking, or passing, dribbling, then kicking. Adjust to your kids. If it 's defense, we usually focus on guarding the goal, turning the ball around (to go our way) or goalie work. Some leagues in this age group don't have goalies, so read your rulebook! As a note, I do always work on defense at practices during the year before offense. Most kids are already wired to score goals... but read your team.
In summary (about 5 minutes each)...
- Speed or straight-line Dribbling
- Dribbling Agility
- Passing
- Something Fun
- Offense or Defense
A few parting notes. Remember, you're the coach - set whatever rules you want. For me, everyone wears shin guards, no one talks or fiddles while I am talking, and everyone is expected to do their best.
These kids can handle about 20-30 minutes, and that's it. Occasionally you'll get a kid who is really (really) into soccer, and he or she can keep going, but everyone else is pretty much spent - maybe even way sooner than 20 minutes. At this age, they can also handle about 2 or 3 instructions - so your drills must be simple, and direct.
Before practice, be sure to inform your parents to bring their kid AND a properly-sized ball. For this age, it's usually size 3 (this will not be confusing to someone who works at a sporting goods store). My practices for this age change very little week to week. The kids fall into the routine, and the session is much more productive, and less time is wasted.
I like to start with some basic speed dribbling after warmups (which are brief, if at all - more on that some other time). This will involve lining the team up along one line (or between cones, etc), and having them dribble the ball to another landmark and back. Doing this a couple times will take about 5 minutes. An interesting twist on this drill is to have a whistle and get the kids to stop and start on the whistle. This allows them to get practice controlling the ball and stopping the ball at different speeds.
Next is usually dribbling around cones. A series of 4 cones is set up in a line - each about 5 yards apart. One group of kids starts on one side, and one on the other. Having kids going each way makes them look up, and not at the ball all the time. Sometimes I'll "race them" around the cones if things seem to be slow. This also takes about 5 minutes, and then it's time for a water break. When it's hot, I may decide to take water breaks more often - both for health, and so it's not an issue during the next drill.
In the middle of practice, it's time for a partner-passing drill. Here, two kids pair up using one ball, and pass to each other about 10 feet apart. I let them sort of wander around the field here, because it's inevitable a few passes will not be that accurate. The focus, though, it on good passes right to the partner (which the partner can stop and send back).
Next is usually a "fun" activity. One thing we do is a "race the coach" dribbling drill to a landmark that's 50 or more yards away. This gives the kids a chance to continuously dribble for a longer distance (and they love it). They always win. Another idea is to set up a 10 foot - by - 10 foot box with cones and play "Takeaway". This is a drill where you try to kick away your teammate's ball while keeping control of your own. Chaotic, but also a favorite.
After a quick drink, the final 5-10 minutes are spent on either offense or defense. If we're focusing on offense, I'll do anything from just plain kicking at the net to dribbling and kicking, or passing, dribbling, then kicking. Adjust to your kids. If it 's defense, we usually focus on guarding the goal, turning the ball around (to go our way) or goalie work. Some leagues in this age group don't have goalies, so read your rulebook! As a note, I do always work on defense at practices during the year before offense. Most kids are already wired to score goals... but read your team.
In summary (about 5 minutes each)...
- Speed or straight-line Dribbling
- Dribbling Agility
- Passing
- Something Fun
- Offense or Defense
A few parting notes. Remember, you're the coach - set whatever rules you want. For me, everyone wears shin guards, no one talks or fiddles while I am talking, and everyone is expected to do their best.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Lessons from a Little Green Guy, Part 1
There are really very few barriers to beginning your volunteer coaching career. Yes, it does help to know a little about the sport you're coaching... But even more important than that, you'll need tons of patience. There are hundreds of websites which can explain the rules, strategy, and give coaching tips and techniques for any sport - you're on one right now. But, I'm not aware of anyplace where you can get more patience, or learn patience. Trust me, it will either be there or not when you run that first practice, or step on to the field for the first game.This is where the "Little Green Guy" comes in. To be an effective youth coach, you must tap your inner Jedi. As a huge Star Wars fan, I can quote many lines - the best of which come from Yoda, the 900 year old Jedi Master. To harness the power of the Force, a young Jedi must learn control and have patience. In this case, you will not be fighting Darth Vader (probably), but frankly there's nothing you can do about it if a 5 year-old isn't interested in a dribbling or agility drill. The best plan for these situations is to be flexible. For practices, always have more planned than you can do in case you need to switch things up. For games, make a substitution or call a quick time out. Redirection works well, as does moving quickly through practice and drills to avoid downtime.
Along with patience comes that control mentioned above. This means being in control of both yourself and the kids. I always start each season with a few rules - when the coach talks, no one else does, and there's no fiddling with equipment either. If either happens, I stop, look, and wait. If it takes more than a few seconds, saying the child's name usually gets things moving.
All of this sounds great, right? Then you find out that practice is tonight after a horrible day at work. You're hungry, it's hot out, and that little kid who's always screwing around starts yanking other kids' flags off and flinging the flags as far as he can... Assuming you're dealing with youngsters who are just beginning their sports careers, gather your thoughts and redirect to a different drill - or even suggest a quick break.
By age 8 or 9, your options increase. They are now old enough to "run lines" until behavior improves :) But until then, when coaching gets more serious, have some ideas to keep things moving along without stressing you out. ..."anger, fear, aggression... the Dark Side are they..."
May the Force Be With You.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Drill of the Day: "Monkey in the Middle"
From time to time I'll share drills or practice activities which I've found to be successful... I'll mainly focus on drills for the littler kids, but I'm sure there's ways to adapt any drill to various ages.
"Monkey in the Middle" is very popular with the 6-7 year old crowd, and it is effective at teaching both defensive and passing skills in soccer and basketball. This is a great thing to do when practice isn't going that well, no one is paying attention, and you're getting frustrated.
The drill: Have all team members stand around in a circle - this works best with 6-10 kids. Designate a "monkey" to go in the middle of the circle and steal or at least alter the path of the ball as it is passed to the members in the circle. When the monkey makes a steal (or deflects the pass for younger kids), they replace the passer on the outside of the circle, and the passer becomes the new Monkey. No passes to the person right next to you on the circle, and if you throw a pass someone has to run to get, you're in the middle... If a child holds the ball too long, warn them to keep it moving, or move them into the middle.
This will seem a little chaotic, but the kids really like it. This is a great drill for stressing fakes, quick decisions, and accuracy for the passers, and defensive skills (blocking passing lanes, watching the ball, etc) for the Monkey.
"Monkey in the Middle" is very popular with the 6-7 year old crowd, and it is effective at teaching both defensive and passing skills in soccer and basketball. This is a great thing to do when practice isn't going that well, no one is paying attention, and you're getting frustrated.
The drill: Have all team members stand around in a circle - this works best with 6-10 kids. Designate a "monkey" to go in the middle of the circle and steal or at least alter the path of the ball as it is passed to the members in the circle. When the monkey makes a steal (or deflects the pass for younger kids), they replace the passer on the outside of the circle, and the passer becomes the new Monkey. No passes to the person right next to you on the circle, and if you throw a pass someone has to run to get, you're in the middle... If a child holds the ball too long, warn them to keep it moving, or move them into the middle.
This will seem a little chaotic, but the kids really like it. This is a great drill for stressing fakes, quick decisions, and accuracy for the passers, and defensive skills (blocking passing lanes, watching the ball, etc) for the Monkey.
Why?!
This is my first entry in my first blog.
I have never been one to keep a diary or take a lot of notes. I don't really even like writing all that much. That said, I think now is the right time and youth sports / coaching kids / volunteering is the right topic. Why? I love coaching and inspiring kids through sports, teamwork, and sportsmanship. I like teaching, and I like seeing them "get it". I've been coaching my son, Alex for almost 4 years now through many sports, and have begun my first season of coaching my daughter, Nikki. I was also involved in coaching younger kids when I was growing up. During that time, I have seen a lot of bad coaches. I have seen TERRIBLE coaches. I have seen marginal coaches, and I have encountered some very excellent coaches. I have also met many parents - some just happy to have their kids involved. Some wanting to coach (or assist) but not knowing how. Some wonderful, some obnoxious. If you are interested in any of these topics, then maybe this blog is for you.
I hope to share everything from little stories to drill ideas. Some topics may be "from the archives", while others might be fresh that day. I will cover basketball, baseball, football, and soccer - not sure my knowledge is the same depth and breadth across all of those, but I'm sure you'll quickly find how I feel about each...
Your comments will always be welcome. I would prefer welcome, thoughtful comments - but I realize this is the Internet...
Happy coaching!
I have never been one to keep a diary or take a lot of notes. I don't really even like writing all that much. That said, I think now is the right time and youth sports / coaching kids / volunteering is the right topic. Why? I love coaching and inspiring kids through sports, teamwork, and sportsmanship. I like teaching, and I like seeing them "get it". I've been coaching my son, Alex for almost 4 years now through many sports, and have begun my first season of coaching my daughter, Nikki. I was also involved in coaching younger kids when I was growing up. During that time, I have seen a lot of bad coaches. I have seen TERRIBLE coaches. I have seen marginal coaches, and I have encountered some very excellent coaches. I have also met many parents - some just happy to have their kids involved. Some wanting to coach (or assist) but not knowing how. Some wonderful, some obnoxious. If you are interested in any of these topics, then maybe this blog is for you.
I hope to share everything from little stories to drill ideas. Some topics may be "from the archives", while others might be fresh that day. I will cover basketball, baseball, football, and soccer - not sure my knowledge is the same depth and breadth across all of those, but I'm sure you'll quickly find how I feel about each...
Your comments will always be welcome. I would prefer welcome, thoughtful comments - but I realize this is the Internet...
Happy coaching!
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