RHAM Youth Soccer

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19

Jan, 2024

U.S. Soccer’s Philosophy on Learning and Teaching

One of the reasons I started Soccer Parenting was because my daughter started to lose her enthusiasm for the game when she was eight. She would whine when it was time to leave for practice and get in the car afterward saying, “Practice was boring” and “I am not having fun.”

After coaching my daughter, Cali, for several years in recreational level soccer, I was trying to give her the space she needed to thrive and grow in her new training environment and team, and I hadn’t been to any of her practices. However, when the lack of enthusiasm started to creep in, I decided to go and observe. What I saw was a learning environment not conducive to the age of the players, one that did not inspire decision making, and a practice that did not look like the game – but rather was mired with lots of cones where players should stand, lines of players waiting their turn, and coaches – albeit well-intentioned - who were not holistically meeting the needs of the players in front of them.

When I asked some of the other parents on the sideline how they felt about the learning environment, I was shocked to find…they were all satisfied. In this moment it struck me that if parents don’t understand what a quality learning environment looks like, players will continue to drop out of soccer too soon, and we will miss the opportunity to grow the game and develop players, and therefore families, who become fans for life.

So, what does a quality learning environment look like? U.S. Soccer’s philosophy on learning and teaching highlights four components our coaches and clubs should strive to deliver:

Reality Based - A quality practice environment should generally look like the game. There should be direction, opposition, and players should be attacking, defending, or playing in transition (trying to win the ball back or attack again after regaining it). The thought process behind this is to create a realistic transfer from what players experience in training to what they will experience during the game.

Holistic in nature - Coaches should first see the player as a person and seek to meet the needs of their players from a physical, mental, emotional, and psych-social standpoint while possessing an understanding of long-term athlete development and being motivated by soccer’s ability to build character and teach life lessons.

Experiential driven - Learning in a quality developmental environment is experiential in nature. This means the coaches are not talking too much, athletes are encouraged to problem-solve for themselves and reflect on their experiences. Coaches then guide this learning process by asking guided questions such as “How could you attack the space faster?” Or “Why were they able to take the ball from you?”

Autonomy supported - The research is strikingly clear when it comes to the value of autonomy-supported environments to help our children learn and feel motivated and inspired. A quality training environment encourages creativity and decision-making, provides choices players can make, and fosters a positive, supportive atmosphere where players feel comfortable expressing themselves and taking risks without fear of criticism.

At the end of the day, we want our children to be healthy, have fun with their soccer experience, and learn valuable life lessons they will take with them into adulthood. It’s important parents understand what a quality learning environment looks like, and seek it for their children, as this will help keep our young players healthy, engaged with soccer, and having fun.

About the author

Skye Eddy is the founder of Soccer Parenting and The Sideline Project, aimed at engaging parents to make youth sports better. A former professional player, Skye was a collegiate and youth All-American goalkeeper, Defensive MVP of the NCAA Final Four (1993), and State Champion track athlete. Skye has coached extensively at the grassroots, youth, and collegiate levels. An MBA graduate of the University of Richmond, Skye has earned her U.S. Soccer B License, the National Goalkeeper License, and is a Coach Educator for U.S. Soccer and United Soccer Coaches
https://www.soccerparenting.com/

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RHAM Youth Soccer

News Detail

19

Jan, 2024

U.S. Soccer’s Philosophy on Learning and Teaching

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