The followin ODP information was originally posted on the Utah Youth Soccer Association Web Site: www.uysa.org/odp_welcome.html
Attention: To be prepared for ODP please read the information below titled: What it Takes to be Successful in US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP)
Olympic Development Program (ODP)
Welcome to Utah Youth Soccer’s official website for the US Youth Soccer
Olympic Development Program (ODP). US Youth Soccer’s ODP is a national
program that has been in existence since 1977 and is considered the
finest soccer program in the country.
ODP is designed to identify and develop talented youth soccer players
throughout the country to represent their state association, region and
the United States in soccer competition. ODP is offered as a compliment
to club programs as an additional resource for player development as
they prepare for state, regional, national and international
competitions.
Utah ODP represents the highest level of youth soccer offered in the
state of Utah and is available to all [age specific] youth soccer
players registered with Utah Youth Soccer.
ODP Tryout Schedule and Registration Now Available
Younger age groups added for 2008-09
State Technical Director Greg Maas announced the tryout schedule for
the 2008-09 ODP season and that online registration is now available.
Tryouts will kick-off in Hyde Park (Logan) and St. George on Saturday,
November 1st. Additional tryouts will be held Saturday's November 8th
in Layton, 15th in Sandy, and the 22nd in Orem. The complete ODP tryout
schedule and online registration process is posted on this site.
New this year, Coach Maas has expanded the ODP age groups to include
younger players born in 1997 and 1998. "The ongoing identification and
development of our younger players is very important. These talented
young boys and girls will participate in an academy and 8 v 8 match
format that will provide a complimentary program to coincide with their
current team affiliations," said Maas. The 1997 and 1998 ODP age groups
will not travel.
Soccer players born between 1992-1998 are eligible for ODP this year.
Tryouts are open, and players are strongly encouraged to attend more
than one tryout. A maximum of up to 48 players may be selected to each
age group. The tryouts in Hyde Park are scheduled at Cedar Ridge MS and
the tryouts in St. George will be conducted at Sandstone ES. Tryouts
will be held from 9:00 a.m. to Noon for the boys and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
for the girls at all locations.
Coaches who are interested in participating on staff with ODP are
encouraged to send their resume and letter of interest to State
Technical Director Greg Maas. Please note: coaches must have a minimum
of a National USSF License or equivalent, matched with both playing
experience and the ability to demonstrate to be considered.
Utah Youth Soccer's ODP is part of a national program that identifies
and develops talented, committed youth soccer players to represent
their state, region, and national team programs. Last year, Utah
achieved unprecedented success setting an all-time record with 35 young
Utahns advancing to represent the state in region and national team
pools.
2008 ODP Tryouts (TBA)
Cache Valley will host an ODP tryout on November 1st, 2008 at Cedar Ridge.
To tryout you MUST PRE-REGISTER
2008-09 ODP AGE GROUPS
|
| 92 Girls |
1/1/92 -- 12/31/92 |
92 Boys |
1/1/92 -- 12/31/92 |
| 93 Girls |
1/1/93 -- 12/31/93 |
93 Boys |
1/1/93 -- 12/31/93 |
| 94 Girls |
1/1/94 -- 12/31/94 |
94 Boys |
1/1/94 -- 12/31/94 |
| 95 Girls |
1/1/95 -- 12/31/95 |
95 Boys |
1/1/95 -- 12/31/95 |
| 96 Girls |
1/1/96 -- 12/31/96 |
96 Boys |
1/1/96 -- 12/31/96 |
| 97 Girls |
1/1/97 -- 12/31/97 |
97 Boys |
1/1/97 -- 12/31/97 |
| 98 Girls |
1/1/98 -- 12/31/98 |
98 Boys |
1/1/98 -- 12/31/98 |
|
Note: all players in the 95 age group will be selected to ODP and/or placed in the ODP Academy.
|
ODP Web Site
|
What it Takes to be Successful in US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP)
By: US Youth Soccer Technical Department
Player Development is a frequently discussed topic
within the US Youth Soccer Technical Department. Over a the span of a
few months, John Ellinger created a series of blogs dedicated
to defining the qualities of what makes a US Youth Soccer ODP player.
The following are his thoughts in the their entirety:
As a part of the US Youth Soccer Technical Department, we receive
a lot of questions. However, the most frequently asked question is,
"What does it take to be a successful US Youth Soccer Olympic
Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) player?" Now, the generic
reply from most US Youth Soccer ODP staff coaches when they identify a
player they like is to say, "That player can flat out play."
There is nothing wrong with this assessment; in fact, the coach is
paying the player a tremendous complement. What does the staff coach
see in a player to merit such an accolade? Well, this answer can be
broken down into the four pillars players need to possess: Technical
Qualities, Tactical Qualities, Physical Abilities and Psychological
Qualities.
Technical Qualities
Let's start with the first pillar—the technical areas that are
necessary for a player to become a successful US Youth Soccer ODP
player:
1) Quality of the first touch— Does
the statement "The first touch is everything" mean anything to you? A
player needs to have the technical ability to receive any type of
service (pass) from their teammates and even the opposition for that
matter, and be able to handle it cleanly. The first touch can either
take you out of a pressure situation or it puts you back into pressure
from an opponent or space. One type of two-touch soccer that is not
conducive to what people call "the beautiful game" is when the
receiving player's second touch is the tackle to win the ball back
after a poor first touch. Two Men's National Team players who have a
flawless first touch are Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley, former US
Youth Soccer ODP players. They always look and feel comfortable with
the ball at their feet.
2) The ability to strike a ball cleanly—
It does not matter what surface of the foot we are talking about-instep
or inside of the foot; the player needs to be able to put the proper
pace on the pass.
- Can they drive a ball over various distances to the intended target (both diagonal and down the line passes)?
- Can they bend the ball into the open space in front of a teammate or around defenders to the feet of their teammate?
- Can they execute a proper chip pass or lofted pass and can they play the ball with both feet?
A good example of this technical ability is when you see a defender
play a long ball forward in order to get his team out of a pressure
situation—if that defender just played a 40 or 50 yd rope to his
teammates' feet and he accomplishes this on a consistent basis, then
this player has some talent and it is not an attempt to play "kick
ball", "long ball" or "direct soccer". I have not worked with any
defenders yet, who honestly do not feel that they can make that pass.
The player who can hit this type of ball from the back or from one
flank to another flank does have the ability to strike a ball cleanly.
3) The ability to dribble to penetrate and to maintain possession— The
player should be comfortable dribbling with all four surfaces of the
foot, the sole, inside of the foot, instep and the outside of the
foot. The player has to be comfortable in their ability to move at
speed with the ball and to avoid challenges from opponents while still
maintaining control/possession of the ball. Players at this level have
some tactical understanding of when to hold the ball up/shield and wait
for supporting players to combine with. They also have some tactical
understanding of when to take a player(s) on in an attempt to beat the
opposition. A player can understand tactically when and where during a
match to execute this skill, but without the technical abilities of
knowing how to make these tactical decisions actually work creates many
frustrating moments on the soccer field for the player. As the
competitive level of matches increases for players, they need to
understand that turnovers because of a poor or a needless dribbling run
puts their team at a defensive disadvantage from which many goals are
scored.
4) The ability to head the ball in attack and defense—
Can the player effectively clear an incoming high ball with their head
when defending, can the player effectively pass and shoot with their
head when on attack.
There are many things that can go wrong to affect the quality of a good header:
- mistimed jump
- poor assessment of the flight of the incoming ball
- closing of the eyes
- mistimed thrusting of the head towards the ball
All of these situations will affect how the player strikes the ball
with their head and how successful the header will become.
Heading is a skill that often receives less than its normal share of
appropriate training time during practice sessions. But think about the
number of goals that are scored off of restart situations from headers
or the number of assists that come from passes from headers, especially
from flick headers. By possessing the skill to handle any type of
heading situation, while playing on both sides of the ball (attack or
defense), allows players to increase their chances of moving up the
elite player development ladder.
5) The ability to finish with their first touch—
Of the five technical qualities mentioned, this may be the most
difficult skill to master. I am not talking about composure on the
ball, which also plays a big part of quality finishing; I am talking
about the player's technical ability to strike on goal with their first
touch. The player has to possess the ability to solve problems
technically under intense pressure when receiving the ball close to
their opponent's goal. There are many variables a player encounters in
this situation, such as the position of the goalkeeper, the flight and
pace of the pass they are about to receive, the position of defending
players, etc., which forces the player to choose a technique to use to
strike the ball at almost "warp speed".
The biggest problem for young players is that many believe scoring
goals is all about striking the ball with power. I am going to show my
age here by quoting a line from the old FA Instructional films that
were made after England won the World Cup in 1966, whenever a player
missed a goal scoring opportunity by going for power instead of
accuracy, the announcer would say "He went for power when clinical
accuracy would have done him better." Landon Donovan is by far the best
pure clinical finisher I have ever had the pleasure to work with at any
playing level. When you watch him closely, his decision making as to
what surface to strike the ball with, what pace to put on his finishing
attempt and the placement of his this attempt are exceptional. Maybe
this is why he holds the records for scoring goals with the US Men's
National Teams at both the youth and senior levels. Another
interesting fact is that something like 70% of all goals scored are
scored from the player's first touch—more reason for the player to
become comfortable with dealing with goal scoring opportunities with
their first touch.
Tactical Qualities
After addressing those technical qualities of "what a player needs to
be successful in the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program," it
is time to start defining what tactical qualities the player needs to
possess. One of the most essential tactical concepts necessary for the
player is:
1) Understanding of transition play on both sides of the ball
a. Transitioning from Defense to Offense— Let's
first talk about transition from a team defending situation to now
moving forward into the attack. The player needs to understand their
role in this tactical situation, where their team has just won the ball
back. Their team is now looking to possess the ball and wait for more
numbers, or they could be looking for penetration of their opponent's
defense through passing or someone making a run forward with the
ball. If the player is a wide defender, they need to know when to make
a run forward to provide width and to give additional support in
attack. They also need to know when not to make that run forward, but
rather, when to stay back and pinch in providing additional defensive
coverage for their team. If a counter attack opportunity exists, where
the team can gain an advantage by quickly playing a ball in behind
their opponent's defense, the player needs to understand their
involvement in this attacking movement.
One National Team program that has a phenomenal understanding of this
transitional phase is the Men's and Women's National Teams from
Brazil. Players from both programs understand the importance of quickly
having supporting players around the ball the moment the ball is turned
over to them by their attacking opponents. This tactical understanding
of this transitional element allows them to play "the beautiful game"
(having unbelievable technical abilities helps as well).
There are many in the soccer coaching ranks who feel that soccer has
three phases of play and the outcome of most matches will be determined
by the following:
- What happens the moment the team has lost the ball?
- What happens the moment the team has won the ball back?
- What happens during those moments when neither team is in possession of the ball?
Interesting, don't you think? Two out of the three phases deal with transitional play.
b. Transitioning from Offense to Defense— Once
the ball is lost, where does the team begin organizing its efforts to
win it back, does it start with the player that has caused the
turnover, does it start with the attacking players? These are questions
that the player will often ask their coach. The answer to both of these
questions is yes.
The first principle of defending is immediate chase. The player who has
lost the ball, if possible, should make every effort to track down the
player they have lost the ball to, and attempt to win the ball back or
delay that player from attacking any further. Attacking players often
times become the team's first line of defense when the ball has been
lost in the teams attacking half of the field. Attacking players have
the responsibility of organizing the team's defensive pressure in what
we call the higher areas of the field, they have to make decisions
immediately during these turnover situations of whether to help win the
ball back right away or to delay and drop back towards their own goal.
When a team has sent several players forward into the attack, and then
that team loses the ball, it creates counter attack opportunities for
the other team. A player has to have an understanding of what their
role will be during such situations, especially if they are one of the
players who has been caught forward in attack. Players should
understand the concept of getting numbers back behind the ball, and
they should also understand what is meant by getting numbers inside the
ball (getting back goal side). As much as we talk about Brazil and how
great they are in attacking transition, they are also extremely good at
this part of the game as well. They often do not get enough credit for
how organized they are defensively as a team because they get back into
defensive positions quickly, with numbers around the ball in a compact
defensive organization; they now make it look easy when they go from
defending to attacking.
How many times have we heard the phrase, "Offense does not win
championships, defense wins championships"? This especially is critical
to the sport of soccer. Transition play from attack to defense is not
the fun part of the sport, it at times is called "doing the dirty
work," players have to make a choice—will they track back and win the
ball back, will they sprint back to get back behind the ball and help
their team get properly organized against the opponents attack?
The best players in the world understand the tactical concept of
defensive transition; the days of the attacking player, or any player
for that matter, just standing around and watching their team attempt
to win the ball back at this critical moment of the game are long gone.
2) Speed of Play/Speed of Possession-
These could be considered two different themes, but I feel they should
be taught together. It doesn't do the player any good if they possess
the technical level to deal with pressure from space, opponents, time,
etc., if they don't understand speed of possession (rhythm of play to
some). They have to understand how to move the ball around the field
while their team is in possession. Sometimes the ball movement needs to
be quicker than at other times. Sometimes the ball has to be moved to
the left side of the field first in order to attack from the right
flank. Sometimes it has to be moved backwards in the team's defending
third before the ball can be successfully possessed in the team's
attacking third of the field. There will be some teams who will have
that special player who can serve as the playmaker and all of the
attacking movements for their team are dictated by this player, but
what if that player is injured, suspended or being closely marked
during the game, what then? All of the players on the field should feel
comfortable in their abilities to hold possession of the ball in order
to achieve their attacking objective or even their defensive objective
if they are trying to kill off the game for the win.
Some of the elements of this tactical quality, speed of play or speed
of possession, that the player needs to be successful include:
- Effective short passing
- Understanding of transitional play
- Knowing when to pass instead of dribble
- Understanding of when to apply pressure on the opponent when defending
- Making a long pass to keep possession of the ball that then allows his team to open up the game
- Individual composure on the ball
- Understanding of depth and width in attack
- Understanding of compactness as a team when defending
- Effectively assisting their team in controlling the pace of the game
I know this seems like a lot to ask of one player, but if there is a
weak link in this chain, you can bet that player will be exposed under
pressure from your opponents as the level of competitive play
increases.
One of our team goals, during training with the U17 Men's National
Team, leading up to the World Championships in 1999 in New Zealand, was
to improve this tactical quality as individuals and as a team. We
wanted to feel comfortable with any type of pressure that our opponents
could throw at us—mission accomplished. I have always considered this
tactical theme important enough that I always include a training
activity in every training session to help improve this quality in the
player.
3) Ability to read the game— Personally,
I have made the statement on numerous occasions to, "Take what the game
gives you," while coaching at various levels of play. What exactly does
the coach mean when making this statement to their players? Players
both on the ball and those who are off the ball are faced with making
split-second, tactical decisions in an environment that is constantly
changing over the course of the game. The players who consistently make
the right decisions whether they are on attack or defense are usually
given the honor of being labeled as a "player who can read the game."
On attack, these players:
- Understanding of when to hold the ball
- Know when to combine with teammates
- Know when to change position on the field either with the ball or in support of the attack
- Know when it makes sense to go for the quick counter attack versus the slow build-up
- Understand the importance of knowing what type of pass and at what pace the pass is needed
- Know when to change the point of attack
- Have an awareness of their role and responsibility to the team
When defending these players, understand the importance of how this is
accomplished as an individual, in groups or as a team; they know the
importance of communication with teammates during critical moments of
the game, such as transitioning from attacking to defending, knowing
when and how to close down an opposing players space, understanding
the importance of delaying penetration or disrupting play of the
opponent and being aware of the consequences of making poor decisions
during the game.
A player who can read the game does not have to be the fastest or the
fittest player on the field. This player usually has a solid technical
base, is one who is comfortable on the ball and handles the pressures
of time, space and opponents consistently well. You will hear comments
about this player such as "the player has vision" or as Manny
Schellscheidt (former US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Region I Head Coach and
current US Soccer U14 Men's National Team Coach) always likes to say
"the player has a soccer brain". This player does not have to be in
the center of midfield, these qualities are essential to the
development of all players.
4) Heightened awareness of the importance that restart situations have in determining the outcome of the match— Almost
a third of all goals scored are a direct result of restart situations
(set pieces). In the 2002 Men's World Cup, restarts accounted for 45 of
the 161 goals scored (28 percent) and during the 2003 Women's World
Cup, restarts accounted for 39 of the 107 goals (36.4 percent). So what
does all of this mean to the player who is competing at the US Youth
Soccer ODP level?
It means that as the competitive level of the event increases, it
usually means that the result, often times, is generally determined by
a single goal because of the increased technical and tactical abilities
of the players involved. Now, players need to be concerned more than
ever with the choices they make on the field during these higher
quality games.
The two areas that need to be addressed during game preparations are:
- Player responsibilities when defending restart situations
- The consequences of committing fouls, giving away corner kicks or throw-ins in critical areas of the field
The players need to completely understand what their responsibilities
are during the various types of restart situations (free kicks, corner
kicks, throw-ins). Does the player need to be standing in front of the
opposing player who is throwing the ball in, or does it make more sense
for that player to step back and front an opposing player so the ball
does not get played directly into that player's feet? Do the player's
understand that they should not give any type of tactical advantage to
their opponents the moment their team has to begin defending a restart
situation?
In game-time situations, players need to know:
- How to stop the short corner kicks attempted by their opponents
- Whether their goalkeeper likes to have the near and far posts covered during a corner kick
- Know how to hold a defensive line on a free kick situation and who on their team is responsible when this situation occurs
- How to be disciplined enough to carry out their responsibilities in
defending restarts, such as setting the wall and communicating with the
goalkeeper, being the first player in the wall, tracking players,
attacking the ball, etc.
- How to be aware of where and how they should clear balls when
defending restart situations—there are times when the prudent action
from a defending player is to give away a corner kick or throw-in to
their opponent.
We have already mentioned that the outcome of the more competitive
matches is usually determined by a single goal. With that being said,
players need to realize the technical abilities of players are
generally better in these matches. This means a single free kick,
corner kick or even a throw-in (if the team possesses a player with a
long throw-in) can win the game for a team.
Players must realize that committing a silly foul in or around your
defensive penalty area can cost your team the match (this would also
cover things such as players not being baited by their opponent into
any action that can cause a mental lapse). To avoid these critical
restart situations, some coaches have found that by challenging their
team not to give up any restart situations within 30 yards of their own
goal, it helps their players remain more focused and to show more
discipline.
Fitness
It is now time to address the third of the four components
(pillars) of soccer known as fitness. We generally call the component
that deals with the physical abilities of a player, fitness. The
obvious and most noticeable physical quality that a player may or may
not possess is speed or pace, as some like to call it. However, it is
not the most necessary quality a player must have to be a successful US
Youth Soccer ODP player. The one quality that is vital to a player's
success is endurance or work rate.
1) Player Endurance or Work Rate- One
phrase that coaches say quite often is, "A player doesn't play soccer
to get fit; he must be fit to play soccer." It has always amazed me
when I would see players in a tryout (ODP, HS, College, Professional
levels) situation and they have poor levels of fitness. The one thing
the player can control without anyone's help is their own fitness
level. You can be sure that at the end of the tryout, the coach
evaluating players will have noted one of two things in regard to
player fitness:
- The player was fit.
- The player was not fit.
It is that simple.
Coaching candidates of the US Soccer National Coaching Schools are
currently taught that one way to improve a player's conditioning is
through Speed Endurance Training. Without getting too technical here,
there are generally two types of Speed Endurance Training—production
training and maintenance training.
Production training usually involves training exercises that are for
short periods of time (20 to 40 seconds). The rest periods are in the
range of 2 to 4 minutes, and the players are always working at a high
level of intensity.
Maintenance training involves training exercises that are for longer
periods of time (30 to 120 seconds). The rest intervals should be as
long the exercise periods that are used, and the player will become
progressively more fatigued as the work to rest ratio cycles continue.
A player who trains following the above guidelines will certainly help
them to improve their power (distance covered or ability to maintain
work rate) output. This system allows the player to train at a higher
intensity level during the training session and for a longer period of
time.
The importance of a player having a quality such as work rate allows
the player to become a more effective player on both sides of the
ball. For example, when coaches' decide that the team needs to change
tactics and go into a high pressure defending situation, coaches need
to feel comfortable with the knowledge that all of their players can
still be effective once the ball has been won. A player's ability to
recover and work further is essential. A player's work rate and level
of fitness will affect a player's choices made during a competitive
match—the choice to track back and pick up opposing players or the
choice for the player to push forward on attack from their outside back
position is certainly easier for the player who is fit.
2) Agility— Itis
usually sport specific, by that I mean that soccer agility will be, at
times, different than what is required of the tennis player; although,
there are many similar carry over values in the various components
which comprise the players overall agility.
Agility consists of a player's balance, coordination, reflexes, speed
and even strength. A soccer player needs to possess all of these
traits. Think about all of the moments during a soccer game when a
player has to:
- Jump to head the ball
- Change direction with or without the ball
- Quickly move forward to close down an opponent
- Move sideways across the field, or backwards during transitional moments during the run of play
- React after either losing their footing or getting knocked to the
ground to be able to react quickly and get back into the game
Soccer players must possess the ability to react both physically and
mentally to the movements of their opponents and to the movement of the
ball during training and matches.
Most experts agree that agility training exercises such as fast
footwork training with ladders, obstacle courses with and without the
ball (limited leaping and bounding exercises for younger players) and
exercises where players have to react to commands or a signal from the
coach (these would include stop and go exercises, up, turn and run
exercises, etc.) will all have a positive influence on improving a
players agility. The above exercises are great for agility training in
young players, but as a player becomes older (US Youth Soccer ODP age
groups), then it is an acceptable training philosophy to increase both
the intensity and duration of these exercises.
Unfortunately, there will always be a debate in soccer of whether a
player should be a soccer player first and an athlete second or vice
versa. The merits of the physical component in soccer certainly do not
outweigh the merits of a sound technical base for the player. However,
if a player wants to achieve success in the US Youth Soccer ODP, then
that player must possess some physical abilities to go along with their
technical ability and tactical knowledge. Improving ones soccer agility
will certainly improve the chance for success at all levels of soccer
competition.
3) Starting Speed— A
player who possesses quality starting speed creates significant
advantages for themselves during both training and match play. This
player will have the ability to reach the ball first, possess the
ability to beat an opponent 1 v 1 and have the necessary explosiveness
to overtake an opponent. Most soccer coaches will agree that the first
three steps that a player takes in the various competitive soccer
situations are more crucial than the later steps.
It does not necessarily mean that the first person to get to the ball
is the faster player, but that the player most likely has a combination
of decent starting speed and speed of thought (tactical speed, which in
this instance would be their ability to anticipate). Think about all
the situations in soccer when the player has to step in front of an
opponent to win the ball, turn and move in another direction, move
backwards or sideways, or use a quick burst of speed after getting by
an opponent on a dribbling run. These are all situations where
possessing good starting speed will help the player be successful in
these soccer moments. There have been many players who have lacked
blazing speed, but yet because they possess good starting speed, they
have had successful playing careers at both the National Team and
Professional levels.
In order for the player to improve this quality of the fitness
component of soccer, the player first has to look at those explosive
moments in a game and be able to analyze that performance. How quickly
does he move from one point to another?
There are many athletic performance facilities popping up all over the
country that specialize in speed training, acceleration training,
strength and power development, etc. If after this self-diagnosis, the
player feels the need to improve in this area, then that is one
possible solution to solve this deficiency. Plyometrics and weight
training are also common training methods to improve a players starting
speed. It is important that the player be aware that training
activities with and without the soccer ball should be utilized to
improve this aspect of player fitness.
4) Essential Training Habits— This
quality would cover the player's understanding of hydration and
nutrition, proper warm-up and cool-down and knowledge of prevention and
care of common soccer injuries. Soccer is one team sport where the
player needs to understand that proper hydration and nutrition is
necessary because of the constant physical demands (stop and go
activities, speed and agility movements, etc) of the sport. The player
needs to begin training sessions and matches properly hydrated. During
exercise the player needs to understand the importance of
rehydrating. At the completion of a match or training session there is
a need to replenish any accumulated fluid loss that occurred because of
the match or training session.
The Gatorade Sports Science Institute offers the following facts on hydration, https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/coaches/Hydration.asp.
The player needs to understand how important proper nutritional habits
are to enhancing their performance. The player needs to have an
understanding that there should be a pre-workout high-carbohydrate
snack or meal 2 to 3 hours before training sessions and matches. The
player should also understand that within 30 minutes of finishing the
training session or match, there is a need to replenish lost energy
with a carbohydrate-rich snack.
Understanding the need for properly warming up the body for training
sessions or matches, is something that the US Youth Soccer ODP player
must believe to be crucial to ensure quality performances. The player
should have knowledge of dynamic stretching exercises (taking the body
through the types of movements that it will do during the activity),
static stretching exercises (holding the stretch for about 15-20
seconds—no bouncing), and how to move the body from some light jogging
to some short sprints just prior to beginning the activity. The player
should also understand that following training sessions and matches
that it is essential to properly cool-down. A proper cool-down would
include some light jogging and stretching exercises which can go a long
way to assist that players body to recover quicker before beginning the
next training session or match.
The player needs to fully understand that proper warm-ups and
cool-downs, proper hydration and proper nutrition go a long way to aid
in the prevention of athletic injuries. Other precautionary measures
include:
- Blister prevention when the player is preparing to wear a new pair of
soccer shoes in training or a match (ideally the player should have two
pairs of shoes—one that is broken in and another pair that the player
is gradually breaking in during training sessions)
- An appropriate level of overall fitness to play competitive soccer.
Finally, once injured, the player needs to have the knowledge of how to
care for athletic injuries. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation
(RICE) is still an effective plan in dealing with most injuries. The
bottom line is that the player has to know when to compete and when to
rest---playing at 80 percent of one's normal performance level at times
may be effective, but at other times may be creating more harm than
good for the player.
Psychological Qualities
Up to this point we have talked about qualities from the
Technical, Tactical, and Physical components of soccer, now it is time
to address the Psychological component. For me there is only one
quality essential for the player to becoming a successful US Youth
Soccer ODP player, and that quality is attitude.
Attitude— There is so much written material out
there covering the phrase ""Attitude is everything." Trevor Moawad, the
Director of the International Performance Institute at IMG Academy in
Bradenton, Florida used to emphasize this on a consistent basis when
speaking to all of the athletes enrolled in the IMG Academies and the
US Soccer U17 Residency Program. If you think about it for a moment, as
a soccer player, almost every decision that you encounter during a
match, other than pure technical execution, will involve the player's
attitude.
Evaluating the Player's Attitude:
- Does the player understand the importance of following the game plan for the match?
- Can the player make choices that are good for the well being of the team-tracking players, runs without the ball, etc.?
- Can the player the exhibit the proper sportsmanship regardless of the final outcome of the match?
- Does the player have the proper attitude regarding training sessions;
does the player have the proper attitude regarding training
habits—regeneration after matches, nutrition, care and prevention of
injuries, etc.?
- Can the player take criticism and praise from coaches, teammates, and spectators?
- Does the player understand the importance of self analysis and possess the desire to improve one's performance?
- Can they turn a weakness in their game into a strength?
- Can the player enjoy the sport of soccer, both as a participant and spectator?
- Does the player possess the attitude to accept leadership
responsibilities when needed and to follow another teammates leadership
when necessary?
You can talk to me about mental toughness, drive, passion, motivation,
desire, dedication, etc., but each one of these traits is determined
ultimately by one's attitude.
US Youth Soccer ODP covers a wide variety of age groups, so you can
imagine the wide range of player attitudes that are exhibited at the
State Association and Regional levels of play. Most US Youth Soccer ODP
staff coaches will agree that players exhibiting proper attitudes are
already half way there in becoming successful US Youth Soccer ODP
players.
