WARNING: How The “BUTT-DRAGGING” Phase Of A Soccer Game Can Damper Any Great Effort By Your Team

As I write this, I am still bathing in the joyful accomplishment feeling from the performance of my new,
only months put together U9 girls team in yesterday’s    14 team scrimmage fest. Let me point out
that all teams in the scrimmage fest were 2 to 4 flights higher than us but we played teams that were
2 and 3 flights higher as the 4th flight were high level premier teams. I felt that my girls could compete
with teams 2-3 flights higher and they proved it. We did not win any games, nor was I expecting to win
any. My goal was to introduce them to more serious challenging competition and see how they would
handle it. They were competitive in all games, scores were very close and there were two reasons why
we lost the games.

 1st      Physicality – I explained to them that we can play against bigger faster kids by mastering our
fundamentals, passing and moving without the ball and letting the other team do all the running. Even
though teams are in higher flights does not always mean they are better.
Most youth level teams play for today, kick and run, more physical style of football. That will earn them
results "today" and get them in higher flights, but as the development goes "tomorrow" will come and those same teams will find themselves losing to the teams they used to beat as those teams have developed their fundamentals, touches on the ball and movement without the ball. So we play for "tomorrow".

 2nd     The “BUTT DRAGGING” Phase of the game caught up with us. In today’s pro level football
matches there are more goals scored in the last couple of minutes and extra time than the entire game.
That is also true for most youth games if the teams are not as fit as their opponent. Lack of stamina leaves the kids wondering what happen to their skill level. The fatigue of a less fit team is shown as their quality of play starts to fall off and their decision making falters. Technique goes out of the window as the athlete is struggling for oxygen after an intense run or a series of moves. The advantage in those late minutes swings to the opponent. When a coach helps a player improve their technical skills while on the verge of exhaustion will pay huge dividends at those late minutes with the game on the line.

 We have been working on those two points, fundamentals as well as our stamina, and have been making huge improvements. Although we have not reached our goal yet working with Futpro and the Futwork Training System has most definitely put us on the path of competing with higher level teams. A few months ago when this team was put together we had a hard time competing with a U8 higher level team. Since we started to use Futpro and Futworks I can see the fundamentals, footwork, agility and stamina improving. Best of all my girls love to train and the "boredom blues" have gone away. Going from U8 to U9 higher level competition is leap of development.

 

Watch videos here --->http://www.soccertoplay.com/futworks.html