[Matt Sheldon] STOP Watching Highlight Videos... Here's Why

[OrangeCountyDad]

"in reality if you try to go for a nutmeg, or a sombero, or 13 step overs every single time you touch the ball, then the defender's going to crunch you. You're going to lose the ball, and then your teammates are going to have to work to cover for you, and they're not going to be happy about it."

 

[Grace T.]

This is a classic resource allocation problem. Most of the time the simple basics (off ball movement, short passing game, first touch, running technique) are the things you use in a game and need to be really proficient at. So it would make rationale sense to focus on those basics, and forego the fancier stuff But a lot of the game changing moments are the fancy skill moves you see in the highlight video that can sometimes make a difference, so you also need to be proficient in that (and coaches will judge you in part of that). But the added difficulty is it takes a lot of time to get really proficient on those fancier skills, which is why things like Coerver exist, even if in game they are deployed very rarely.

Goalkeepers have the same dilemma. Besides distribution and working with their feet, their big three are catching, the low dive (collapse and extension) and the high dive (collapse and extension). Most of what they do is mostly that, and possibly the forward dive and defending crosses as they get older. But players also need to know the more advanced techniques, like the 1 v 1 smother, the k-stop body block and tipping over bar. Those skills take a tremendously long time to develop, and a goalkeeper who hasn't developed those skills will come under severe criticism...Exhibit A being David Bingham for the Galaxy who can't seem to stop a 1 v 1 to save his life.

 

[Paul Spacey]

The fancy stuff and YouTube tricks are fun for kids to watch but in terms of game effectiveness, it's mostly bullshit, being frank. Is it entertaining sometimes at certain moments in games? Yes. I was one of those players who would showboat occasionally but 95% of my focus was on the basics talked about above. Did the showboating achieve much? Not really; the fans liked it but it wasn't particularly effective and if you watch games at all levels, that is often the case. I do recognize the entertainment value though, for sure that isn't lost on me. We don't want a game full of robots.

If you cannot do the simple things really well, you are not going to be an effective player for any team. IMO the 'game changing' moments are invariably related to decision making and soccer IQ, not a special trick or rabona pass.

 

[Grace T.]

If you cannot do the simple things really well, you are not going to be an effective player for any team. IMO the 'game changing' moments are invariably related to decision making and soccer IQ, not a special trick or rabona pass.

I take it you aren't a fan of Coerver.

 

[Paul Spacey]

I take it you aren't a fan of Coerver.

The coaching continuum is such that most things can be beneficial if delivered in the right way and adapted for age so that they engage young players. A focus on decision making and developing soccer IQ makes sense given that those aspects are among the most important part of any players’ game; Coerver has evolved over time so that it’s not just largely an unopposed ball mastery system, therefore it is more beneficial now than it used to be IMO.

 

[watfly]

The videos are great for entertainment purposes and I'm not going to have my kid stop watching them, although we actually don't watch many (he'd much rather watch fishing videos). I also don't think the videos are necessarily to blame for this over dribbling phenomenon, but more so the "oohs and aahs" from parents, players and coaches when a player executes a nutmeg or similar fancy move. It's great to learn those skills in terms of developing your overall touch but they're rarely effective in the game and even more rarely the right decision to make. On the other hand, they're important because that's what usually impresses youth coaches the most (as compared to the player that can execute the correct pass in one or two touches). Fancy dribbling is also more effective at the younger ages, but once you get around U12 the reliance on those moves becomes more of a detriment than a benefit. I'm not saying stop doing them because soccer should still be fun, but learn the appropriate time to execute them in a game (or get it out of your system at practice).

Besides the lack of effectiveness, the biggest issue I have with the fancy dribbling is that it slows down play significantly. I'm a big proponent of "speed of play" so in the time it took your freestyle midfielder to put 5 touches on the ball his/her teammate who was once open is now marked. When your first instinct is to dribble your focus is on the defender and not your own teammates...to me that's a huge problem. For kids that have always used dribbling as their first option, it can be difficult for them to learn to execute a play in just one or two touches as they get older.

As other's have mentioned, all this is function of soccer IQ, which in my opinion is the primary characteristic that is lacking from all levels of American soccer. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have a coach that focuses on improving soccer IQ, like movement off the ball etc. Particularly after moving from a coach whose primary focus was on 1v1 play. It's unfortunate that our current coach has to spend so much time breaking the bad habits of other coaches that instilled the dribble first mentality.

 

[outside!]

[QUOTE="watfly, post: 284365, member: 1191"Besides the lack of effectiveness, the biggest issue I have with the fancy dribbling is that it slows down play significantly. I'm a big proponent of "speed of play" so in the time it took your freestyle midfielder to put 5 touches on the ball his/her teammate who was once open is now marked. When your first instinct is to dribble your focus is on the defender and not your own teammates...to me that's a huge problem. For kids that have always used dribbling as their first option, it can be difficult for them to learn to execute a play in just one or two touches as they get older.[/QUOTE]

Many times these player's whose first instinct is to dribble have a limited ability to complete an accurate pass.