Areas of Focus:
Enjoyment, Inclusion & Education. Really starting to focus on "getting the behavior right in training". Start creating a foundation for what SSC soccer values & culture mean. Introduce club mantras and their meanings: Ride for the Brand, The Pursuit of Excellence has No End, Sweep the Barn, & Own Your Journey. Introduce the rule of 3.
Main Activities:
The main activities should be continuing to master comfort level with the ball, but starting to really focus on Problem Solving, and understanding of how the game is played (geometric, spatial-temporal relationships, compactness vs. space, 4 phases of the game). Small sided games 90% of the time (no LINES) keep players engaged. Activities should include opposition 95% of the time.
US Soccer and SSC's GrassRoots Player Development Methodology - Play-Practice-Play
Steamboat Soccer Club believes that player learning and development is best facilitated by playing the game! From our youngest players all the way up to our oldest we seek to create a holistic learning and development environment that replicates as much as possible the actual game of soccer. This way players not only develop the physical and technical aspect within the game but also the cognitive, decision making, and mental aspects of the game simultaneously. Studies and research shows that this approach to motor skill development and general learning facilitates better, more long term learning, is more engaging for players, and develops players that are self motivated to improve and become their best!
From our U6 - U10 programs we ask our coaches to use US Soccers Play-Practice-Play Methodology in order to facilitate this approach to learning and player development. For more info on Play-Practice-Play please see the following links to articles from US Soccer and from the US Olympic committee in support of PPP.
WHY PLAY PRACTICE PLAY?
US OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC COACH MAGAZINE (see pg. 24-29)
Example PPP Training Session: 7v7 Defending - Improve Preventing the Opponent from Building Up in Our Own Half