Game #3

That was a tough game. The kids really tried their hardest and got within range a bunch of times but couldn't put it in.

I think if you look at U7 games, the way we are playing is very typical - the defense more or less just gets the ball AWAY and hopefully a forward can pick it up and run with it. That part usually works for us. I've been playing the defense pretty far forward in the thinking that its better to score some goals than keep the game tied at 0-0.

There are two things I think the kids can work on, or that you can talk to them about.

1. Attacking the ball. The only person who should be reluctant to attack the ball is the last defender, everyone else should go after it for all they're worth.
2. Keeping the ball. The natural instinct at this age for a lot of kids is to get the ball and kick it away immediately. They need confidence that they can handle the ball and keep it away from the opposing team - this takes practice and time. Confidence, not skill, is the biggest difference between the players at this age. This certainly applies to #1 as well. The team today was VERY aggressive and it showed.

That said, these are things that apply to any U7 team. I've been amazed at how consistent our team is in that everybody is trying and doing a very good job. If we get just a few people to figure out how to get the ball in the goal, we'll be in great shape.

On a side note, I reviewed the roster... We have a VERY disproportionately young team. I'm not sure why, but it does make things challenging. I'm sure you noticed the the other teams seemed a little bigger.

I hope everybody is having fun, I know it can be frustrating to lose after all that effort. All we can do is work on it and stick it out, and it will come together. I've been through this with my daughters, and it only takes a few wins to really help the team out.

Now that I've seen what the kids can do, I could start putting in positions that they do well at, but I'm still inclined to rotate them. This is still an instructional league, and I've got to balance learning with trying to win.

Thanks everybody - I hope you have a great Labor Day weekend and I'll see you next Tuesday!