Pro Practice has been cancelled this evening due to rain. I do not know yet whether it will be rescheduled for another day.
We've got a long break until two games in a row on the 18th and 19th. So keep those feet moving and I'll see you all then!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
PICTURE DAY and GAME #5
Don't forget - PICTURES AT 8:45 AT KREUGER. TEAM PICTURES ARE FIRST - SO PLEASE BE ON TIME.
GAME #5 at 10:15 (sorry about lag between pictures and the game).
I'll see you there!
GAME #5 at 10:15 (sorry about lag between pictures and the game).
I'll see you there!
Game #4 Notes
Wow! What a game! All the kids really did it today. We had the same great defense and aggressive offense, but this time we got a goal, AND we stopped every single attempt by the other team. Our goalies were incredible and our defense really did a great job.
You'll notice that we've gone a little more aggressive on the offense (effectively moved to a 2-1-3 lineup, instead of 3-0-3). That requires a lot of mobility from our midfielder, but it worked very well tonight.
The kids seemed OK with the full quarter playing time. We'll keep trying that and I'll sub as necessary if they get tired.
On another note, I had a chat with Daphne, the commissioner for U7 and clarified a few things. We WILL have refs in Spring. They thought that they would be too disruptive for the fall. As you may have noticed, not every single error/infraction gets called right now. The idea at this point is to LET THEM PLAY, which is what I was originally told, but started getting mixed messages. So if you see a goal kick thrown in, or something similar that doesn't create a safety issue, don't be surprised if we just let it play. Originally I had mixed feeling about this, but I've come to agree that the game is more enjoyable if its not getting stopped every minute for an indirect kick.
Please tell your kids again what a great job they did and how proud I am. They didn't let up for the whole game and it showed.
You'll notice that we've gone a little more aggressive on the offense (effectively moved to a 2-1-3 lineup, instead of 3-0-3). That requires a lot of mobility from our midfielder, but it worked very well tonight.
The kids seemed OK with the full quarter playing time. We'll keep trying that and I'll sub as necessary if they get tired.
On another note, I had a chat with Daphne, the commissioner for U7 and clarified a few things. We WILL have refs in Spring. They thought that they would be too disruptive for the fall. As you may have noticed, not every single error/infraction gets called right now. The idea at this point is to LET THEM PLAY, which is what I was originally told, but started getting mixed messages. So if you see a goal kick thrown in, or something similar that doesn't create a safety issue, don't be surprised if we just let it play. Originally I had mixed feeling about this, but I've come to agree that the game is more enjoyable if its not getting stopped every minute for an indirect kick.
Please tell your kids again what a great job they did and how proud I am. They didn't let up for the whole game and it showed.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Picture Day
Game #4 - September 5th at 6:15PM - just a reminder...
September 9th, next Saturday is picture day (and a game). Our pictures have been move up slightly to 8:45. For pictures it is VERY IMPORTANT that we get everyone there on time, especially since we are nearly first. The people with 3:00PM appointments will appreciate it.
Doug Schaefer has volunteered to coach the game that day (Game #5 at 10:15AM) (as I will be on my way to a cousin's wedding in Columbus). I hate missing a game, but its a 1:00 wedding...
So I'll see you all at 6:00 or so on Wednesday. I hope you have a great holiday and I hope the kids can recover from starting school (exciting but never easy).
September 9th, next Saturday is picture day (and a game). Our pictures have been move up slightly to 8:45. For pictures it is VERY IMPORTANT that we get everyone there on time, especially since we are nearly first. The people with 3:00PM appointments will appreciate it.
Doug Schaefer has volunteered to coach the game that day (Game #5 at 10:15AM) (as I will be on my way to a cousin's wedding in Columbus). I hate missing a game, but its a 1:00 wedding...
So I'll see you all at 6:00 or so on Wednesday. I hope you have a great holiday and I hope the kids can recover from starting school (exciting but never easy).
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
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!
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!
Pro Practices
OK, finally some clarification from the league on the vague "practices" shown on the schedule. This is good news...
These are practices run by a professional coach that the club has hired for this. They are at Garfield Park Baseball(?!) Field #4 behind the tennis courts.
9/12, 9/26, 10/10 at 5:00-6:00 (on the calendar)
These should be fun and useful. Please note that the first practice has been CHANGED from 9/14 to 9/12 (Tuesday).
These are practices run by a professional coach that the club has hired for this. They are at Garfield Park Baseball(?!) Field #4 behind the tennis courts.
9/12, 9/26, 10/10 at 5:00-6:00 (on the calendar)
These should be fun and useful. Please note that the first practice has been CHANGED from 9/14 to 9/12 (Tuesday).
Game #2
Super job everybody in Game #2! The difference was amazing. With the little amount of practice we got, the games really teach quite a bit. Our defense was very good through most of the game. I know a lot of the kids from the other team, and they are a bit older than ours, so our performance was very good.
We need to work on GETTING the ball and not hanging back. I know its hard sometimes when you're afraid it'll get past you, but sometimes you just have to charge in and get it. If we can get that figured out, we'll start scoring some goals.
PARENTS - it helped a lot having the kids that were out on the sideline near me. The subbing went A LOT faster, but we can still do a little better. In all fairness, the kids had no idea what subbing was the first game (they thought we lined up for kickoff). If you could make sure your kids are on the sideline during the game (if they are not playing) that really helps. Also - not to be a scaremonger, but there is apparently a coyote in the woods between the Kreuger and Hopkins elementary (seriously).
I'll be trying to keep the playing time more even tonight. I may have accidently shorted some kids, so I'll work that out tonight.
Its great that the kids are so excited to play, and once they start scoring, the level will rise even more. It seems like everybody is having fun, and that's the important thing.
We need to work on GETTING the ball and not hanging back. I know its hard sometimes when you're afraid it'll get past you, but sometimes you just have to charge in and get it. If we can get that figured out, we'll start scoring some goals.
PARENTS - it helped a lot having the kids that were out on the sideline near me. The subbing went A LOT faster, but we can still do a little better. In all fairness, the kids had no idea what subbing was the first game (they thought we lined up for kickoff). If you could make sure your kids are on the sideline during the game (if they are not playing) that really helps. Also - not to be a scaremonger, but there is apparently a coyote in the woods between the Kreuger and Hopkins elementary (seriously).
I'll be trying to keep the playing time more even tonight. I may have accidently shorted some kids, so I'll work that out tonight.
Its great that the kids are so excited to play, and once they start scoring, the level will rise even more. It seems like everybody is having fun, and that's the important thing.
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