Q: I have seen the Ajax running and coordination videos. How does this type of training fit into the Dutch Vision?
A: As homework and/or active rest. The Ajax youth players are highly motivated and talented. They devote much more time to mastery of the game than most children. The latter are better served by learning the basics of the game by playing the game.

Q: Does the Dutch Vision have a position on teaching games and systems larger than 4v4?
A: Yes. In Coaching Soccer the topic of 7v7 is covered. The aspects of TIC, tasks and functions, soccer problems and the main moments apply to all "sizes" of soccer.

Q: How can you coach goalkeeping in small sided games?
A: Small sided games offer many opportunities for young goalkeepers to develop their TIC. The topic is covered in greater detail in Frans Hoeks chapter on goalkeeping in Coaching Soccer.

Q: I coach 14 year olds and they need to work on their fitness. What is wrong with a few laps and sprints?
A: "The definition of a player's conditioning in the context of soccer is: the degree to which the player is capable of making a positive contribution to the result of the game.
"The better the TIC (technique, insight, and communication), the better the player's conditioning." Coaching Soccer.
Running laps and sprints does not improve TIC.

Q: Why do many coaching books stress drills, particularly ones based on professional clubs?
A: For many professional clubs the objective of a drill is the perfection of the execution of a particular idea. This idea might be based on the talents, personnel and style of that team. The Dutch Vision is based on learning "soccer first." This approach was developed through observations of amateur players and in meeting their needs.

Q: Our club already employs 4v4. Why should we learn more about the Dutch Vision?
A: 4v4 is just a tool. To use it properly takes instruction. The Dutch Vision provides the ideas and structure necessary to get the greatest benefit from it.

Q: Our club's 5 year olds play 3v3. Should they move up to 4v4?
A: Probably not. Most 5 and 6 year olds are hardly playing soccer. They need the simpler game of 3v3 where they can develop ball manipulation skills. 4v4 should be introduced around the age of 7.

Q: At what age should you stop playing 4v4?
A: There is no age limit. Many high school players cannot play 4v4 effectively.

Q: Doesn't a team need to warm-up through stretching?
A: A small sided game on a small field allows for a dynamic warm-up. Players will be moving and engaging in real soccer activities so their soccer muscles and joints will be well limbered up. For older players this can be followed by a brief stretching period.

Q: How does Coerver Training fit into the Dutch Vision?
A: Under certain conditions it is beneficial as a part of a warm-up, as an active rest, as homework or at camps and clinics. This topic is covered in Coaching Soccer.

The Virginia Youth Soccer Association has recently posted a series of questions and answers concerning small sided games. They are similar in nature and thought to the questions that the KNVB had to consider in 1985.

The United States Youth Soccer Association has an extensive series of articles on a wide variety of topics in their Coaches Page. Tom Hart, the Director of Recreational Soccer, has contributed several that deal directly with the subject of small sided games.

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