 | |
| photo by Sean Davis | via PhotoRee |
What's a football blog without the requisite winning coach to offer insightful analysis of important games? We've got one of the best in our ranks: farlieonfootie is proud to introduce Champions League winner Tom to our blogging staff. Granted, Tom won the Champions League of the Girls' Under 11 Division in Riverside, New York, but still, it's something. Those were some tough girls. With no further ado (because there is none), herewith the Coaches Corner:
I've done a bit of coaching in my time: little bitty weeble kiddies, seventh grade boys, varsity girls (with some acclaim, I add most humbly). At every level I, and all other competent coaches, stress the fundamentals. First touch, body over ball, shin guards in the front, what have you. And at every level I've stressed the vital power of that most basic and plain of tactics: the cutback.
Even little kids can see (eventually) that if an attacker drives the ball to the end line and attacks the near post some wonderful things will happen. The 'keeper slides to the side of the net, all ten field defenders will face their own net, and, blessedly, nine remaining attackers wait in position to pounce.
What makes this simple strategy so hard at the youth level is skill. Not a lot of kids can get the ball to the end line without dribbling out of bounds, or kicking the ball in a random direction or tripping over the line. And then, if the poor kid gets to the line, he or she has to have the presence of mind (important term. We'll return to this) to drive to the near post and then lay the ball back into the box.
