Kentwood Soccer Club: Coach's Corner
Wednesday, October 8John Conlon's Coaches Corner
The Defensive Midfielder- Finding the combative player
Danny O'Rourke is the best college soccer player that the casual viewer will never hear about. He is not usually in the scoring column with the game winning goal or the game winning assist. He rarely takes players on in the midfield. While a very skillful player in his own right, O'Rourke is not known for taking over a game by dazzling the crowd with electrifying skill and grace. However, to a true soccer enthusiast, O'Rourke is arguably one of the most dominant players in the country, as a defensive midfielder at the University of Indiana.
The Indiana soccer program has been known, over the years, as a very attractive form of soccer with its creative players like Pat Noonan, Dema Kovalenko, Lazo Alavanja and other stars. However, the past ten years have been full of workhorses in the midfield that have won balls, done the dirty work, and made the creative attacking players jobs easier. It all started in 1991 with Todd Yeagley, son of coach Jerry Yeagley, and his ability to take over the game by thwarting the attack of opposing teams. An imposing threat at 6'1" and 190 lbs, Yeagley was dominant in the air and could slow down any creative player in the opposing teams midfield. My first experience of life at the college level matched me up against Todd in an All-Star game at the Indiana Soccer camp. Todd taught me the differences between high school play and college play in that one match. I still have the scars to prove it.
After Todd was Caleb Porter. Caleb was a defensive midfielder from Gull Lake, who I grew up playing both against and with in my club days. Caleb was a fierce competitor with an insatiable desire to succeed. He also had an innate ability to take over games with his physical play. Caleb had the highest work rate of any player that I have ever seen, and he was the engine that made the undefeated Indiana team of 1998 go. Very few players that played against Caleb left the game with out a few marks to remember him by.
All three of these players had one main thing in common: They all love to battle opposing players in the midfield. Sometimes, we as coaches, forget the importance of work rate and attitude in the development of our team. We focus, too often, on the technical players of the game without recognition of those "defensive stoppers" that change the pace of a game. It is usually these players that make the technical soccer players job much easier. Find this player and it could be the starting point for success.
Monday, December 15
John Conlon's Coaches Corner
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The Role of the Assistant Coach: More than just a "yes" man.
So you finally got that head coaching job that you always wanted. You're ready to build a team and a program that is respected statewide. You believe that your expertise and intelligence will get you through any situation. You're sure that your wit, confidence, and empathetic approach to coaching are just what these kids needed. You don't need any help from anybody...... Boy, was I wrong in thinking this way four years ago, and I hope that I can lead you away from thinking the same way.
Four score and a couple of years ago, I completed my first season as the head coach of East Kentwood's boys soccer team. As a reward to my first successful season as head coach, I came down with one of the worst cases of mono you have ever seen. I was out of school for three weeks. I lost 10 pounds. I really was very, very sick. To this day, I truly believe that this was a direct result of my trying to do "everything" and not using some of the very generous resources that were available to me. My own desire to be successful was the thing that made me dangerously sick.
That's when Roger Garner stepped in to the picture. Roger, a man that I barely knew at the time, was one of the individuals involved in my hiring. He also was a parent of one the boys on my team. I was very apprehensive about his helping out during the fall season, but I decided that when the girl's season arose, I would offer this well-paid (volunteer) position to him on an interim basis. I can honestly say that this one of the greatest coaching decisions that I ever made. His knowledge, love of the game, desire to be successful, and general love of the game were the final pieces of my coaching puzzle.
Roger is the perfect compliment to my personality and coaching style. He knows exactly what I was thinking at all times, and usually is one step ahead of me. He has a great ability to play off of my personality, and to give the kids a pat on the back when they need it. Having an extra set of eyes usually helps to pick up the mistakes that I make, and Roger's genuine love for the kids and the game, adds an element of passion that has raised our program.
Using an assistant coach effectively and efficiently can allow for a team to correct and address many different phases of its play. I rarely have Roger simply set up cones or watch my training sessions. In fact, if you were to watch one of my practices, you may have a difficult time deciphering who was the head coach and who was the assistant. Typically, Roger will work on the secondary activity that needs correction or improvement. However, there often is the day that he will take the primary activities and create his own training scenarios. He voluntarily gives feedback on my progressions and usually grades me based on the overall effectiveness of the training session. This feedback allows me to continually adjust and change my training philosophy.
It is very easy, as the head coach, to make all of the decisions and to not defer any responsibility to your assistant coaches. I would caution you though, as a head coach, to simply allow your assistant to be a "yes man" in his or her responsibilities. They are doing you a general disservice if they agree with everything you say. Have faith in your assistant's ideas and you will become a more effective head coach yourself.
John Conlon: KSC Director of Coaching
Tuesday, June 3
Coaches Corner: John Conlon - Director of Coaching
Nature vs. Nurture: Are great forwards born or are they made?
I have played with some great goal scorers in my life, and I was always amazed with their ability to take advantage of defensive mistakes. My father, a fan of the game, always told me that players like that were born to finish. That they had an inherent ability to read the flow of play and find the seams in the defense. Nevertheless, I wonder is this the result of their physical and psychological traits, or is it a result of the environment we have put them in?
There are a few characteristics that stand out in every “great” forward that I have ever played with: First, they all show composure in pressure filled situations. Second, they all had an innate ability to move off of the ball and to “set” defenders up before they receive the ball. Third, each forward exhibited exceptional balance and an ability to strike the ball in the tightest of spaces. Lastly, each and every forward exuded a great deal of self-esteem and self-confidence. Failure was never an option. So how do we foster these qualities?
The Four P’s of training finishing: Positive Repetition, Patience, Pressure, and Positioning.
Positive Repetition:
Great Forwards have an inherent need to score goals. Their play and goal scoring is usually determined by their level of confidence in themselves, and their ability to complete the tasks. The training environment should be such that it creates a positive mentality for all front runners. Continually putting forwards in successful situations, where they will gain confidence, is a key component of “positive repetition.” Also, like a golf swing, or swinging a baseball bat, forwards need repetitive ball striking. I usually start my forwards in close to goal and put them in situations where they can’t miss and have a high likelihood of success. These “confidence builders” are important for building good habits and building confident goal scorers.
Patience:
Success comes to those who are patient. The worst thing that a forward can do is to continually force a situation. I want forwards who take chances and are willing to do whatever necessary to score goals. However, goals usually come by decisions made off the ball. A forwards mentality should be to make the opponents “fear” them every time they touch the ball, and they should make the pace of the game change every time they touch the ball. For example, in the 2002 World Cup England played Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinals. For the first 26 minutes of play, Michael Owen had not touched the ball, and it was evident that Brazil was starting to push their defenders forward into the attack. Just when Roberto Carlos thought it was safe to venture forward, England served a diagonal ball up front to Owen who was in a 1v1 situation with the last defender. Owen set the whole play up by running away from the ball and then changing direction towards the center of the field. Thus, opening space for him to work. Calmly and purely, Owen settled the ball and placed it over the goalkeeper and in the back of the net. In my opinion, that is “patience” personified.
Pressure:
Great goalscorers are ego driven and tend to live on the edge in both the way they play and the way they live their lives. I don’t know too many “great” frontrunners that don’t have a flamboyant personality. It’s the nature of the beast. With glory comes praise, and with failure comes criticism. Forwards have the weight of a team on their shoulders and are expected to produce results in pressure filled situations. When coaching these players, the key is to foster a “hungry” mentality and to create an environment where individuals thrive on pressure. The correct training environment should place these frontrunners in situations where the pressure is equal to, or more than, what they would receive in a game. This pressure will allow for the forwards to become creative in their approach to attacking and will also challenge them to mentally become immune to the heaviness of their position. It is not a secret that “great” forwards have a knack for ripping a teams heart out when they least expect it. Many of these players live for the opportunity to change the game when they see fit. Train your forwards to relish and love pressure, and most importantly, to never fear failure.
Positioning:
The majority of goals are scored off the ball. Many times, positioning and reaction to the play, cause a seam in a defense and allow for the forward to take advantage of a defensive lapse. Teaching forwards to control the field is an important skill at the higher levels. Forwards can direct traffic at the top of the formation and can position themselves to create space for themselves and others. Positioning in soccer is very similar to rebounding position in basketball. A player must anticipate the flow of play and make a judgement call on the attacking pattern that is playing out. Sometimes, an attacker will try different runs to keep the defense on their toes. Other times, they may control their runs and wait for opportunities. Michael Owen usually sets himself up so that he is positioned between two defenders when he receives the ball, thus to create confusion and space. Ruud VanNistelrooi (Manchester United and the Dutch National team) will set himself up behind the defense, in an offside position, and then check back onside before the ball is played. This deception is used in an attempt for the defense to lose sight of his movement off the ball. Thierry Henry, loves to run diagonally behind defenders to force the zone to turn and respect his run. The once great Dutch forward, Marco VanBaasten, always set himself up at the top of the 18 on any type of end line service, thus allowing a position to move forward or backward on the crosses. His positioning won the Dutch many a game, and made them a threat throughout the 1980’s.
Monday, April 21
Coach's Corner: John Conlon, Director of Coaching
Effective Training Sessions ...
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Thursday, March 20
Coach's Corner: John Conlon, Director of Coaching
The One v. One Artist ...
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Saturday, May 15
John Conlon's Coach's Corner
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The Importance of Correction or Focus Points prior to a practice, game, or season.
According to John Wooden, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Wooden is an extreme advocate of preparing your team for the finer details of the game, building up those details to paint the total picture. Wooden’s teams were always known for doing the little things correctly and taking the finer points of athletics and refining them. He believed in taking every possession seriously and preaching fundamentals from youth to adult.
As a coach, you are doing a great disservice to your team and players if you come into each season, game or practice without specific focus points that you would like to develop. The game of Soccer, is far to complex to tackle as a whole picture, therefore, it must be broken down into finer points for young players. The points must be explained, and demonstrated clearly during each practice, or prior to the game, and then reevaluated at the end of each session. It is also important to remember that the more you say to a child, the less they hear. Being “brief but brilliant” is a skill that successful mastery level coaches have developed, and it is evident in the way their players respond to them.
Prior to each season, I develop a list of skills and situations that I would like my team to perform better than they had previously. Most of these focus points are based on the strengths and weaknesses of our team (from the previous year), and they are developed over the course of the season. As the season develops, I reevaluate these focus points and add other skills that my teams needs to acquire. The training sessions are usually developed along the lines of our greatest deficiencies as a team, or in the development and creation of our greatest strengths.
One way to tally or record your corrections is to keep a small note pad with you on the sideline to write down observations from your games. This notepad can record the deficiencies and strengths of your team in that particular game. From these notes, your practice plans and practice goals can be created to help develop your weekly focus points. It is also important to take notes after the game, and reevaluate your yearly goals.
Preparation is the one area of athletics that many coaches fail to address, and it is usually prevalent in teams that continually make repetitive mistakes. Clear, and concise expectations are important for any learning environment. Great coaches and great leaders, are continually challenging their followers to evaluate the finer aspects of what they do. Are you one of these great individuals? If not, then it is time for correction and evaluation of your goals.