"Football is best when it's instinctive, when it comes from the heart.
You talk about things after; in the game you just play."3
Barry Hulshoff

Understanding soccer is a breeze when compared to understanding the children that are playing it. Each age brings unique problems. Cognitive, emotional, physical and social development will vary a great deal within the group. While this variety poses a challenge to the coach there is one factor that will bring all of the children together. One element that will reach everyone. They want to have fun.

Enjoyment is the unifying motive. Some children don't want to learn. Some don't care about winning. A few have no interest in hard work and one or two can't remember which goal they're attacking. In spite of all of their different agendas they all want to have fun and play a game, that is what brings them there.

They also want to be children. Too often the coach sees them as an extension of his vision and they become puppets to it. The time spent at practice and at the games is a part of their childhood. It should not reflect the adult world. Some adults forget this and their expectations take the fun out of the experience.

Growth in the learning process can be measured by the child's contribution to the game in the four main moments. The greater the contribution that the child makes the farther his learning process has developed. A child with a strong internal desire to master the game will succeed to the best of their abilities. A child that needs constant external support will not. He will only grow as far as he can be carried. Their level of motivation is one of their most important limiting factors.

In order to make a contribution it's important for them to learn how the game unfolds and to have an impact on it. Soccer is a dynamic and fluid game. Pictures and decisions change in a second. This active element creates situations that drills do not adequately address. It involves the child in reading situations, analyzing them, making predictions, arriving at decisions and finally acting on them.

There are three factors that will determine how far a child can go in their development.

Talent. These are the God given qualities. Great athletes share similar attributes and if the basic package is missing there is nothing a coach can do. Competitiveness, personality, motorskills, intelligence or instinct are among the factors that must be already present.

Motivation. This comes in two types, internal and external with internal motivation being more important. Without a strong internal drive to master the proficiencies of the game an athlete is working on talent alone. While the coach can provide some external motivation it will be of limited use and of short duration. The coach can only push or coax for so long, eventually every player has to decide for themselves how hard they are willing to work.

Environment. This is the one area that the coach has the greatest impact on. A talented child with a strong internal drive placed in the correct environment has the greatest chance to succeed to the best of their abilities.

Click here for the Burke Athletic Clubs Parents page. Lot's of articles and videos on child development.

Click the image to see a short Real Time preview on children, soccer and fun from the "Street Soccer" DVD.
Purchase an online copy from TotalVid.com here.

www.bettersoccermorefun.com