Team Shoots Self in Soccer Foot

I have to tell you I'm not a big fan of soccer at all. Maybe if they
Americanized it more I would. If teams could substitute freely,
and coaches could keep fresh bodies on the field maybe there
would be enough offense to keep my attention. Or if they got rid
of that silly offside rule. That's like having no fast break in
basketball.

I had to watch USA's elimination match Thursday in the World
Cup though, and it was embarrassing. Whenever we got in the
open you could hear the anticipation in the crowd rising, and
then the attacker would back off and pass backwards.
Frustrating. Around the water cooler there's been a lot of talk
about how to fix things.

Basketball coach Creighton Burns said something like this on a
coach's listserv I am on.

Isn't a little strange a country with probably the most
organized development programs in the world fails to produce
world class soccer players, while the beaches and streets of
barrios in Brazil, Argentina and elsewhere produce teams worth
of international playmakers.

The problem is similar to the one in basketball development:
too much structure, organization and adult involvement stifles
creative development and self-learning and players simply lack
the feel, touch, vision and creativity of world class players.

In basketball, the urban parks proved to be the classrooms
of generations past, but today, kids have left the parks in favor
of AAU Tournaments, travelling teams, free shoes, and
overcoaching. Kids depend on coaching more and more and
this dependence eliminates creativity, quick thinking,
decision-making and feel.

I've also seen where coach Coach Gary R. Allen wrote:

Our training methods ignore perhaps the most crucial element
in the total development of a player: the ability to read the flow
of a game, and how to anticipate and adjust to individual
opponents and teams.

These are the intangible traits that makes good players rise
above the others. We must focus on the long-term
development of players. Guiding them, but more importantly,
allowing them, to think for themselves, to make their own
decisions. This will enable them to have the tools to adjust and
exploit a vast array of situations.

The answer is not more coaching; it's less. Players need to
play, to experiment and to learn on their own. Until we change
the methods we use, fewer and fewer Dwayne Wade's and Le
Bron James' will find their way to the highest levels.

I really agree with this philosophy, and that's one of the reasons
I promote the shooting videos I do. Each and every one is
engineered to help players improve themselves and toward
coaches becoming better shooting coaches.

I think the most significant learning is self-learning anyway.
Great coaches are those who are able to impart a spirit of
responsibility to each individual, and at the same time build
a sense of team responsibility. You need to look to to your
live, in-person coach for the latter, but my team of shooting
coaches can do wonders for you with the first part.

One of the most respected names in the shooting game is
Coach Tom Nordland, and Tom just came out with program
condensing all his experience into a single 2 hour DVD. I
believe you want to unleash your creativity on the court
and be the best you can be. Now's your chance.

http://www.deandelker.com/swish2.html

Shoot For the Stars,

Dean Delker - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. After shooting for hours on end there's nothing better
than to come home, chill out, and recharge your batteries
by listening to powerfully-charged, positive music. Music
affects the body on the cellular level. Science is proving that
daily. If you want to see the
proof, shuttle on over to:

http://www.deandelker.com/secret_power.html

Copyright, Delker Enterprises, Inc. 2006