Returning to play presents a number of challenges for Regions, Areas and Sections. Limited to no contact between players, smaller groupings and staggered session times are just some of the measures being implemented by AYSO organizations across the country as we begin our new normal.
But what does that look like on the field?
The players’ experience cannot be compromised any further. They’ve already had to endure months of inactivity; some will have had a ball at their feet intermittently, others will have forgotten what a soccer ball even looks like. The responsibility now lies at the coach’s feet to inspire, excite and reinvigorate their players: to create a fun yet challenging environment that facilitates player development.
But where do you start?
The basics. Go back to basics. Empower your coaches to use this time of socially distant soccer wisely. To teach their players what they’ve seldom had the chance to. We all know how chaotic a season can be; games are coming thick and fast, limited time on the practice field with the players and a condensed period of time to make a team competitive. We often neglect the fundamentals in lieu of sorting out that nagging problem of conceding goals from corner kicks. But now is the time to embrace the new normal. Teach players the basics. The fundamentals. Here’s Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, explaining the importance of practice and technique…
It all starts with technique. A player’s decision-making time is quickly eaten up in the event of a bad first touch. The intelligent movement they displayed is wasted and possession is likely squandered. Players don’t need a defender to learn how to control a ball, in fact we learned recently about how players learn, courtesy of AYSO United Coach, Bill Worden. Training in isolation is an integral part of skill acquisition. Practicing techniques - such as the first touch or a short pass – in an unopposed environment is vital for players to master the technique. So let’s use this time to teach players technique. Here’s a great example of how a typical session may look:
As you can see above, TopTekkers can be used to deliver socially-distant training sessions that help players to hone their technique, in an unopposed environment. There are 50 different activities to choose from on TopTekkers, all covering a different technique. These can be performed either individually or with a partner.
Develop a practice culture…
What TopTekkers also enables coaches to do, is assign techniques for players to practice at home, away from the training field. Are your sessions being cut short by new safety measures? Have your players spent months on the sideline due to lockdown? Do you want to produce better players? Implementing TopTekkers can help establish a practice culture which will further engage our players. Team learning plans are a quick and simple way of assigning homework tasks to players. Here’s how they work:
Use TopTekkers for player acquisition & retention
Now more than ever, parents will be looking for more affordable soccer for their children. AYSO can be the perfect home for those families looking to save some pennies on the back end of this pandemic. A tool like TopTekkers will not only attract players but help keep them. Soccer organizations don’t do enough to empower their players away from the practice field; the sole reason we invented TopTekkers. A way to give ownership over a player’s development, to the player. Use the app to create fun training sessions that teach correct technique on the field, and encourage players to practice on their own off it.
We should be asking our coaches to use this time intelligently, to teach our players the basic technical aspects of the game. We don’t need to be intimidated by these new safety measures; we should embrace them.
Sign up for TopTekkers today and start feeling the benefits right away.
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