Under Pressure!

Get the ball! Get the ball! Get the ball!

If I had a penny for every time I heard a parent yell "Get the ball!", I could buy a couple of tacos. And not taco tuesday tacos either. We're talking deluxe, over the top, guacamole on the side type tacos.

Get the ball! We yell this at (to?) our kids for years, and for good reason. The ball is where the action is. We don't want our kid, our future soccer star, to continue to chase butterflies or pick dandelions. We want them to play soccer, and playing soccer means kicking the ball!

Get the ball!

No wonder it's so hard to get our defenders to stop trying to "get the ball." They've been told to do this for years. It's ingrained in their soccer psyche. Like my dog Maisy, start yelling "Get the ball!", and players start juming up and down and salivating.

But we have to stop. We have to stop as parents, and we have to stop as players. Our first thought can't be "Get the Ball!", it needs to be "Pressure!"

Pressure!
Pressure!
Pressure!

Perhaps one of the most important fundamentals of defense is also the hardest to teach young players. The closest person to the ball does not have the responsibility to win the ball. Let me repeat that more boldly:

The closest person to the ball does not have the responsibility to win the ball.

The first defender should instead concentrate on:

• Slowing down the attack.
• Applying just enough pressure to get the attacker's head down.
• Making the attack predictable and push the attacker to the least dangerous part of the field.
• Being patient.
• Only attempting to tackle the ball if the attacker makes a mistake.

While theses principals may not apply in every situation, they give us a much better place to start than "Get the ball!"

EDIT:

We don't always mean what we say!

A few years ago, a friend of mine was trying to potty train his two-year-old boy. He was frustrated because everytime the boy needed to go to the bathroom, he would grab hold of his privates. This was a little embarassing to my friend when it would happen at the store, at church, or on national tv.

Why did his kid do this? At first, we assumed it's just something kids do. But then, I noticed something. We were driving down the road, when the little boy said, "Excuse me dear Father, I need to use the restroom (or something like that).

What his dad replied was a bit of a revelation to me. He said, "We're almost home. You need to hold it for just a minute." He literally told his son to hold it! Who can blame the kid for actually holding it?

What's my point? Well, last night at practice, I found myself yelling at players to "Get the ball." I realized it's a pretty common expression on the field that doesn't actually mean that you want the player to get the ball. Instead, every time I yelled it, I really meant for the player to pressure the player who had the ball.

Dang it! I'll try to do better and yell pressure. But, try to remember that if someone yells "Ball!" or "Get the Ball!" what they really mean is "Pressure!"

3-4-3 Formation

If you’d asked me ten years ago which formation I would use on my team, there would have only been one option: the 4-4-2 diamond. That diamond would have had Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers on the back line. Kyle Beckerman would be the super-active defensive midfielder. Javier Morales would have been at the point of the diamond controlling the attack. My view of the world of soccer may have been somewhat biased and limited by a certain team that played a beautiful game of possession-based soccer.



Here I am many years and hundreds (thousands?) of soccer games later, and thankfully my understanding of formation has increased. Form should follow function, and not the other way around. We are not a cup-winning MLS team. We are 12-year-olds on a full-sized field for the first time. Therefore, our formation this year is based on careful consideration of both the type of soccer that I want our team to play, and the type of opponents that we’re likely to face.

That consideration brings us the the 3-4-3; 3 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 3 forwards.

Why the 3-4-3

I like to score goals, and having three forwards should give us lots of opportunity to do so. These three forwards will spend much of their time very high up the field. They should help us create many opportunities to break down a defense with quality passes, crosses, and through balls. They should give us more opportunity to go 1v1 with defenders to move into the scoring zone. Overall, we should have more shots on goal and more goals.



Four midfielders gives us offensive width right where we need it. Utilizing width in the middle third will help us to unbalance the opponents defense and allow us to create numbers up situations on which we can capitalize and score. The attacking midfielder will be free to move forward into the attack to increase our ability to move the ball around the scoring zone.

Furthermore, this combination of 4 midfielders and 3 forwards will serve to encourage overlapping runs and position switching, which we will talk about later.

The 3-4-3 is also a very strong defense against central attacks. Our forwards and attacking midfielders will be available to press and defend very high up the field, hopefully tackling or intercepting the ball before it crosses into our defensive half. However, if the ball does make it to our side of the field, we’ll have a defensive midfielder and THREE center backs to intervene!

Weaknesses of the 3-4-3?

We don’t get to put 3 players on our front line without making sacrifices in other areas of the field. However, I think these sacrifices are minimized at this level due to the age and skill level of our opponents.

The obvious concern is that we will be vulnerable on defense due to the fact that we’ll only have 3 players on our back line. I actually don’t think this is going to be true for two reasons. First, the majority of teams that we’ve faced in the past tend to attack more centrally. Rather than weakening our defense, the use of three full backs will be ideal against exactly this type of attack.

Second, the few teams that do try to work the ball up the flanks and cross it in will be limited by their ability to provide quality crosses. I’ve yet to see a team at this level that provides consistent crosses from the outside to beyond the far post. Not only can we easily defend this portion of the field with three defenders, it should also simplify the process by giving our defenders more specific and limited responsibilities.

Will It Work

Yes! But, we have work to do. Primarily, we must have fast and athletic defenders who are both willing and able to cover a greater portion of the field. Our defenders will be shifting from side to side more than any other team working with a 4 player back line. Our defense line will often be pressed up as high as possible, which means our defenders will be running back and forth A LOT!

Our midfielders must be disciplined. This means knowing where they should be, what their responsibilities are in every situation, and having the individual skill to fulfil their role both offensively and defensively.

We will need to communicate! I honestly think this is one of the hardest skills for young girls to develop on the field (ironic, eh?). I want to be the loudest team in the league.

Summary

Strengths
Forwards are always high and wide.
Four midfielders provide width.
Attacking midfielder allowed to move forward into the attack.
Encourages overlapping runs and position switching.
Strong defense against central attacks.

Weaknesses
Awards space down the flanks
Limits ability to play balls in the flanks in the attacking and defending third

Requirements
Fast and athletic defenders to cover the length and width of the field.
Disciplined midfielders
Forwards with the ability to beat defenders off of the dribble and to provide quality crosses.
Effective communication

What are your thoughts? Can we/Should we do this? I know this is a fairly brief intro, but what have I missed? What else do we need to think about?

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

About ten years ago, my piano teacher, a good friend of mine, told me that she would no longer be able to teach me piano. I was confused. I'd been taking lessons for almost three years. I paid my bill every month. I never complained about having to go to lessons. As far as I knew, I was the perfect student.

“I feel too guilty taking your money,” she'd said. “You come every week, but you never practice.”

“What!” I explained confused. “I practice every week right here with you? I pay a lot of money for that practice.”

But she was right. My skill at piano had been progressing so slowly because I’d been missing that one key element which is required of anyone who wants to get better at anything: a parent who made me practice.



Piano lessons are expensive and it’s rare that a parent signs their child up for piano without understanding that they’re going to have to have daily practice sessions. Do kids like these practice sessions? If you hesitated even for a moment before shouting “Yes!”, then it’s probably likely that you’ve never had a kid in piano lessons, never had piano lessons yourself, or possibly never even been a kid.

The reality is that if you want to get better at anything, be it piano, soccer, or anything else, you’re going to have to practice. And two days a week with the team is not going to be enough. Soccer practice happens every day. 15 minutes a day if you’re in a hurry or just not feeling it. 30 minutes a day when you have a little extra time and there’s a specific skill that you really want to get down. Hours a day when you forget that you’re practicing and just start playing!

All practice is not created equal. I can sit down and pound out a pretty sick version of Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater on the piano every day for a week, and I’m not going to get better at anything other than wasting time and annoying my wife. With this in mind, I’ll be assigning homework. Each student should have individualized assignments each work to improve skills that they need to improve in order to progress. I'm not sure yet what form this homework will take. I've been exploring a few ideas and should reach a decision before next week's training.

Parents, help your player remember to practice. Make them practice when they don’t want to. Teach them what dedication and work ethic really mean when applied to something that they want to achieve.

Players, practice! Even on days when you don’t want to. Even if you’re busy. Even if you’re already so good that you could dribble laps around Ronaldo with your eyes closed. Practice!

Hello Rampage Parents!

On Monday, June 11th we will be officially kicking off our "Extra Mile" program.  I am very excited to do this with the team.  For ease of communication, I am sending the players home with a paper to help them keep track of their time spent at home.  The paper is divided into weeks.  At the first practice of each week, your player needs to return the slip reporting their activity for the week prior. I have asked for parents initials to keep everyone honest.

The point of the program is to have the player condition for soccer at home. There are four things that they can do that count for this program.

1. Run the mile and get themselves in shape and prepared for the bigger field
2. Work on their personal goal
3. Any other conditioning activities.  This includes but is not limited to: running and dribbling the ball, juggles, sprints, pull-backs, pretty much anything soccer related.  If they are touching the ball at home then this counts.  The more they touch the ball the better they will do in the game.  Coming to additional conditioning activities counts towards this as does any other soccer clinics that your daughter attends this summer. 
4.  Working on homework from Nic. 

The one player with the most time spent at home for the week OR making noticeable progress by the coaches will be awarded a $5 prize. Encourage them to participate and to try their best. I want this program to be a positive experience for everyone. Please remind your daughter that they should be conditioning for the season anyway even if they aren't chosen that week for the $5 prize. The whole team benefits when individuals practice at home.

We will be having a party at the end of the summer for EVERYONE on the team. It will be a pie throwing party. (Not an actual pie, but whip cream on a paper plate... still extremely fun. No one will be asked to make a pie, just in case that thought crossed your mind! LOL)   For every two weeks your daughter participates, they will earn 1 pie to throw.  There are 10 weeks in the summer so each girl could earn five pies.  I am hoping the coaches agree to have pies thrown at them, but if they don't the girls will be throwing pies at each other. If your daughter chooses not to work on soccer at home, that is okay.  They can still come and laugh as the pies start flying. I will work out the details for this party as the summer progresses.  Parents will be asked for donations for this party of either a food item or whip cream. I'll keep you posted. I am also OPEN to suggestions if you have an idea on how to make this celebration a memorable and fun experience for the girls.

Registration

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Rampage NS 06 Parents,

Thanks to everyone who came to the parent meeting tonight. It was nice to meet everyone. I am looking forward to working with your girls and meeting your family this year.

For those of you who missed the meeting, my name is Kristy Boatright and I am going to be the team manager this year. My cell phone number is 801-430-1452. Please reach out to me if you have any questions, if you need to miss practice, or can't make it to a game.  I will keep Nic updated so he can plan meaningful practices for those who will be in attendance.

I also introduced something that I'd like to do this summer with the girls to get them in condition for playing on the big field.  I am calling this program the "Extra Mile" program. I would like each girl to discuss with their parent something that they can work on over the next 10 weeks.  I would like this to be a measurable and attainable goal.  Please fill out the information below and send it to me this week or send it with your daughter to practice.  This way we can see what your daughter is going to be working on this summer.

2018 Summer Soccer Goal Sheet
Name: _____________________
1. My soccer goal for this summer is:     __________________________
2. I am going to work on this goal by: __________________________
3. I have talked to my parents about this goal and they will encourage and support me: 

Parent’s Signature: __________

Besides setting a goal, I would like the girls to practice running a mile this summer.  For HOMEWORK I asked the girls to have a parent help them clock what a mile is around their neighborhood. I would like for each girl to be able to independently tell you that they are going to run a mile and be able to clock their time.

I am going to need weekly feedback from parents as to how the goals your daughter is working on is coming and how many extra miles they ran during the week.  Each week Nic, Mitch and I will discuss the progress the girls are making and recognize one girl that has REALLY been going the extra mile during the week. This girl will be rewarded for her efforts with a $5 prize. (Who knows... maybe they will take you out for ice-cream or a Slurpee for a change!) There are no rules that a girl cannot be awarded this more than one time. I am hopeful that this will encourage outdoor active time instead of indoor screen time as tends to happen during the summer and that you won't have to nag them to practice at home.  There are 10 weeks in the summer and 15 girls on the team. I'm hoping a little internal competition like this will be good for the team as the entire team benefits when individual girls practice and improve their skills.  

I will also have a few additional conditioning activities during the summer. These activities are not required. I know what it is like to taxi kids everywhere and another thing to do can cause stress. If they work with your schedule and your daughter can come then that is great. If not, don't stress.

Thanks for all you do as parents!  

Kristy

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Rampage 06 NS

Coach: Nic Shellabarger 801-682-6234

Assistant Coaches: Mitch Boatright 801-732-9780

Team Managers: Amber Shellabarger 801-388-4277

rampagesc.blogspot.com

Practice: Practices will be at Kanesville Elementary. Time and dates tbd. Please fill out the survey on the blog.

Uniforms:  You will order uniforms from Soccer.com.  Rampage will set up a page just for us. You should recieve the info via email very soon. We are required to purchase a set of uniforms including home and away jerseys, shorts, and socks.  Warm ups, practice jerseys, and soccer bags are optional, but recommended.

Registration, due as soon as possible, you will pay online. Team manager will have instructions soon.

●       Please print and sign a copy of the “Participant Registration form.” You will need to bring that form to practice.

●       You will likely need to upload the player’s picture (passport-style face only) and birth certificate. Make sure that you use a low resolution setting on your camera the system won’t download high res pictures.

●       For help you can call Affinity Technical Support 1-888-211-3444, M-F 7am-7pm PST.

Costs

Club Fees $520

UYSA $91

Field Fee $20

Referee fees Approximately $25 in the fall and $25 in the spring. Paid to Team manager

Indoor\Futsal fees Approximately $50-60 a session. Paid to the indoor facility.

Tournament fees $150

Tournaments

We want to do 3 tournaments this year. Please respond to the survey on the blog to help us pick which ones.

Other things to know

●       Home Games wear blue jersey, blue shorts, and blue socks.

●       Away Games wear white jersey, black shorts, and black socks.

●       BRING BOTH UNIFORMS TO ALL GAMES!!

●        

Player Development goals:

●       Formations, positioning, and spacing

●       Rules of the game

●       Individual ball handling, passing, shooting, defending skills

●       Offensive and defensive tactics

Expectations

Player Expectations:

The player will:

●       Come ready to work hard and have fun during practice.

●       Be prepared for practices and games with proper equipment (uniforms, size 5 ball, water, etc.).

●       Practice at home.

●       Build up your teammates with your positive attitude.

●       Practice good sportsmanship.

●       Listen with full attention when someone else is talking.

●       Maintain school grades at an appropriate level.

●       Work hard physically and mentally on improving your game.

●       Understand that playing time is based on effort, determination, punctuality, attitude, and game performance.

●       Most importantly, have fun!

Parent expectations:

The parents will:

●       Give advance notice If your child can not make a game or practice.

●       Have your child to practices on time and games 30 min early.

●       Give player frequent positive feedback and encouragement.

●       Enjoy watching your child play.

●       Keep on-field instructions to a minimum.

●       Practice good sportsmanship.

●       Do not criticize the referee. If a bad call is made, the coach will speak to the referee.

●       Keep financial commitments and notify the coach of hardships.

●       Apprise the coach of any issues with school grades.

Coach Expectations:

The coach will:

●       Create a fun and safe learning environment to teach your child to play, understand, and love soccer.

●       Hold sportsmanship as the highest priority. We will win with grace and lose with dignity.

●       Hold players accountable for effort, sportsmanship, and grades.

●       Communicate clearly, effectively, and frequently with parents.