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FAQ FAQ

"We teach players to read the game.
We teach them to be like coaches."3
Louis van Gaal

One way that a coach can check the effectiveness of a practice is to ask, "what is being learned?" The answer should incorporate all three elements of TIC being used to solve a real soccer problem. Do the children have to utilize technique to overcome obstacles? Is insight required, do they have to read situations and make decisions? Is a joint effort needed, do they need to work together to solve the problem?

Technique. Are the techniques used in match like situations? Are they relevant to the soccer problem?

Insight. Do the players understand the problem? How do they solve it? Can the solution be improved?

Communication. Do the players work well together? Are they in agreement about the plan? Is their timing good?

A practice should address a soccer problem and a soccer problem is about a shortcoming in TIC. When a practice is devoted solely to one element of TIC, such as technique, it loses relevance to the game. In fact, when it is moved far enough it becomes soccer strange. When all three elements are present, and there is a real soccer problem, real learning can take place.

One tenet of the Dutch Vision is that children do not spend a lot of time playing soccer. For a large number the amount can be measured by the time spent at practice. When a significant percentage of practice time is spent running laps, standing in lines, listening to coach's lecture or running in prescribed patterns, that time is lost to learning soccer. Soccer strange activities can be left to highly motivated players that invest considerable time and have mastered the basics of the game. For the majority of children playing soccer this is not the case. Their time would be better-spent learning soccer by playing soccer.

Soccer strange activities can be a useful part in soccer camps where children spend several hours playing. Their ability to concentrate can be rested during these breaks as they practice "mindless" tasks. They can also be a part of their homework and active rest activities.

Some examples of "soccer strange" activities.

Dribbling through cones Dribbling through cones.
Dribbling in a circle Dribbling in a circle.
Shooting drill Shooting drill.
Line passing Line passing.
Soccer like
Playing with the elements
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