E Coaching Magazine
HEADS UP! January - February 2012
Contents 1. Live With Goals – The Indiana Plate is Available 2. MLS W.O.R.K.S. 3. Conquering the Fear of Failure 4. 2012 INDIANA SOCCER'S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND WORSHOPS 5. Elite Soccer: Pre-Season Training 6. Dealing With Lopsided Games 7. SEVERAL FORMER MEMBERS OF INDIANA SOCCER ARE SELECTED TO PLAY IN THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER 8. INDIANA SOCCER SUPPORTING PROJECT "SOCCER FOR PEACE IN JORDAN" 9. Photo of the Month Upcoming Coaching Education License Courses (click on link) USSF "E" License Course March 24-25, 2012 - Bishop Chatard HS USSF "D" Licsense Course March 22-25th, and 29th - April 1st, 2012 University of Evansville USSF "D" License April 13-15, and April 20-22, 2012; Zionsville Youth Soccer Association, Whitestown, IN US Soccer National Youth License - July 9th-13th, 2012; Bloomington, IN (Karts Farm Soccer Park) USSF "C" License November 3-11, 2012; Town and Country complex, Wilder, KY (South of Cincy)
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Conquering the Fear of Failure by David Benzel
I was recently asked by a coach, "How can we help young athletes get past the fear of failure?" The question can be answered on several levels and I'll use a swimming pool metaphor to expose the depth of this common question. On the shallow end of the pool, I benefitted from something I was told in the early days of my competitive career: "Turn your fear into aggression." Energy is energy, so why not use nervous or fearful energy and convert it into aggressiveness? Learning to control that aggression and using it wisely is the next step. Most fears come from a silent question like, "What if I strike out?" or "What if I choke?" The athlete who hears that thought and quickly responds with, "So, what am I going to do about it?" immediately puts his mind to work finding a solution that prevents it from happening! It's a proactive approach that gives control back to the athlete. The middle depths of the pool provide a more meaningful answer. Here's the question: "What is the purpose of your efforts in this game and in this sport?" If the purpose is to win (victory, trophy, championships) then you are always at risk of losing. The fear of losing can cripple your efforts. However if your purpose is to learn (new lessons, new strategies, new techniques) then you are guaranteed success in every practice and at every game. There are no failures, there are only lessons. When you focus on the lessons learned not only will you learn more, you'll also win more! It's simply a matter of focusing on what creates wins, rather than focusing on wins. At the deepest end of the pool is a more fundamental insight. Again it requires another question: Does the outcome of any effort - win or lose, success or failure - define someone? "Am I the mistakes I make?" "Is any one performance a verdict, or judgment about who I am, or my worth?" The answer to all of these questions is "NO!" The outcome of any effort is only feedback; it is not who you are. Fear of failure is, at the deepest level, a fear that a performance is a judgment about personal worth, and that's a fallacy that must be conquered. True value as a person and as an athlete comes from an inherent worthiness that was placed in you at birth and does not depend upon today's performance for validation. Fear always comes from negative thoughts in an athlete's head. When an athlete chooses in his heart to believe in himself, fear is edged out and finds no place to dwell.
2012 INDIANA SOCCER'S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND WORSHOPS Each Year, Indiana Soccer presents a series of informative workshops for the benefit of our membership in conjunction with the Indiana Soccer Annual General Meeting. The board and staff would like to invite you to participate in the 2011-2012 events on February 24-26 at the Renaissance Hotel North, located at 11925 North Meridian Street in Carmel, IN 46032. Indiana Soccer will be hosting a variety of workshops that will inform you of new programs and ideas for the good of club members, players, coaches, referees and parents. Whatever way you are involved in soccer we will have something for you, so please try to attend this great event. Topics and events to be presented during the weekend are listed below. Friday, January 24th 3rd Annual “Legends” Indoor Tournament for Club Coaches (entry applications are required) LEGENDS APPLICATION: Coming soon… STAY TUNED! Saturday, January 25th Informative sessions to be presented include: new marketing programs and sponsors, coaching activities, your club & the IRS, college recruiting, the Indiana Soccer “Club Wellness” initiative, current medical topics such as concussions and sudden cardiac arrest, adult soccer, school and community outreach programs, referee assignor certification, Gotsoccer – the Indiana Soccer, registration/tournament online program, the RMA René Meulensteen methodology; a new and exciting coaching philosophy/programs and more information on the new Indiana Soccer Specialty License Plate made its debut in 2012. The Annual Awards Dinner Saturday Evening tops the day off with a banquet to announce and honor the 2011 Indiana Soccer Award Winners. This dinner will also honor the induction of four new members to the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame. For more information please click on the following link: RECEPTION / AWARD DINNER Sunday, January 26th The 2012 President’s Breakfast begins the day (invitation only) followed by the 2012 Annual General Meeting of the Membership at 10am (open to all). Other activities on Sunday include: TopSoccer Coaching Symposium, 2012 Challenge Cup Bracket Draw, CIYSL and GIRLS League Manager Meetings and Central Indiana Men’s Adult League meeting. Once again, Indiana Soccer is very excited to offer these informative sessions to the membership. The association believes that by you being part of the event, you can contribute to the promotion of the sport and development of children in the state of Indiana. For more information please click on the following link: AGM & WORKSHOPS Please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Member Services, Sarah Cantwell at Sarah@soccerindiana.org or call her at 317-829-0560 for more information.
Dealing With Lopsided Games By Ian Plenderleith The parents of the girls U16 indoor team screamed at every shot and wildly cheered at every goal. Their players and all three (yes, three) coaches did the same. The more they scored, the more excited they seemed to be at beating a clearly inferior side. I was coaching that inferior side, and had loudly remonstrated with my counterparts when one of their players had scythed through my best forward, leaving her in a crying heap on the turf, too hurt and upset to take any further part in the game. It was the most brutal of countless overly physical challenges from a team clearly coached to play in what can kindly be called a ‘robust’ fashion. One coach shouted back at me that his player - who was yellow-carded, though she should have been dismissed - had played the ball (where have we heard that one before?). It was this regrettable verbal exchange between the coaches that prompted our opponents to ramp up the cheering, but by that point I was only concerned that we end the game with no further injuries. At the final whistle (result: 71), I refused for the first time in five years of coaching to shake hands with the opposition coaches and, rightly or wrongly, suggested to my players that they likewise abstain. The opposition parents booed me out of the arena. As a coach at youth level, you often come across the problem of lopsided games, and winter indoor soccer especially can throw together teams of vastly differing caliber. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and there are lessons to be learned from both severe beatings and easy wins. When my teams are losing heavily, I don’t expect or even wish for mercy from superior travel teams. Instead, after pointing out the positive aspects of our performance, I will ask my players what they noticed about the team they just played and lost to. For example, did they see how the opposition players always moved for the return ball after passing it? Did they hear how well they communicated? Did they see how closely the defenders stayed on their mark? How fit the other team was, and how they didn’t tire? Were their opponents born with good technique, or did they play well because they train at least a little bit every day? Playing quality opposition can show young players the rewards of dedication and practice, rather than destroying their confidence. My teams have also been in the position of playing far less gifted opposition, and it’s important for coaches to distract their players from the scoreboard after the fourth or fifth goal. Now is the time to try your defender as a striker, or see if the tall midfielder might shape up as a back-up goalkeeper. Instruct your players to see if they can keep possession for long periods, and perhaps only shoot once they have made five passes (if you’re coaching boys, you’ll hear some protests at this one). Tell them to continue to respect the opposition, and not to celebrate overtly if they score. Emphasize that this is a good chance to practice using their left foot. Play short by one, two or even more players in order to make the rest of the game something of a challenge. These all sound like obvious points, but it’s astonishing how rarely you see them put into practice. The team mentioned at the start of this column was full of talented players, and had no need at all to intimidate my team or kick lumps out of them to win. The failure of their coaches to recognize the skills gap and adjust their tactics accordingly lead to an acrimonious game that taught the players nothing positive about soccer and how to play it. The values of the grown adults madly cheering their daughters on to a cakewalk victory, or the coaches who spent the entire game screaming instructions at their players, are arguably topics for another column. But my concern is that a bilious sporting environment can be used to influence tomorrow’s adults into thinking that foul play, constant shouting, and beating on weaker opponents are virtues that lead to success. As coaches, we should use one-sided games to suggest to young players that in defeat there can be both dignity and room to learn, and in victory there should be respect and restraint. Most importantly of all, that sportsmanship and fair play are of far greater importance than a 10-0 scoreline. (Ian Plenderleith is a soccer writer who also referees and coaches the game at youth level. He is also the author of a book of adultoriented soccer short stories, "For Whom The Ball Rolls.")
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SEVERAL FORMER MEMBERS OF INDIANA SOCCER ARE SELECTED TO PLAY IN THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER We would like to congratulate the following former members of Indiana Soccer who were selected as part of the 2012 MLS Draft: Matt Hedges: drafted by F. C. Dallas. NCAA Champion with University of North Carolina. Former member of Pike Soccer Club. Tommy Meyer: First round pick by LA Galaxy. Defender from Indiana University. Former member of the Indiana Olympic Development Program. Chris Estridge: drafted by Vancouver Whitecaps. 2011 NSCAA All-American for Indiana University. Former member of Carmel United Soccer Club. Raymon Gaddis: drafted by Philadelphia Union. Defender from West Virginia University. Former member of Pike Soccer Club.
More former players from Indiana Soccer joining the MLS Carl Woszczinski: drafted by Chicago Fire. Played club ball for the Fort Wayne Fever where he started in net in 2007 and 2008 ... led team to the Indiana state cup tournament title in 2007 ... also helped lead team to the 2005 Las Vegas Coaches Classic title, the 2006 Ohio College Showcase title and 2006 Carmel College Showcase crown ... also selected to the Indiana ODP?team for seven straight seasons ... selected to the ODP Region II players pool in 2005 and 2006 ... was starting keeper for the Indiana Invaders PDL?team ... named team captain in 2002 and 2005 of the Indiana state ODP?team. Alec Purdie: drafted by New England Revolution. He was the top scorer in the state of Indiana as a senior ... tallied 93 goals and 39 assists in his career with 38 goals and 21 assists as a senior ... first team all-state as a senior, honorable mention as a junior ... honored as a two-time first team all-district selection, two-time first team all-conference choice and the conference MVP as a senior ... led Elkhart to a state runner-up finish in 2006 ... played club soccer with Carmel Cosmos and Indiana Invaders ... won a state title with the Cosmos Stefan Antonijevic: drafted by Kansas City Sporting. A four-year letterwinner for the Patriots ... earned AllState accolades as a senior ... named to All-Section squad in 2006 as a junior ... helped guide Stevenson to conference and regional championships ... played club soccer for Chicago Wind ... helped Wind to four straight state cup semifinal appearances, as well as a pair of Midwest Regional League titles. These former Indiana Soccer members are expected to make a big impact for their respective teams in the coming MLS season. Through their commitment to the draft and the academy programs, the MLS and US Soccer continue to show their intentions to increase the level of competition within the US and abroad.
INDIANA SOCCER SUPPORTING PROJECT "SOCCER FOR PEACE IN JORDAN" Ball State University, in partnership with Indiana Soccer and the Center for Peace & Conflict Studies, received a two-year grant from the United States State Department’s International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) to support Soccer for Peace and Understanding in Jordan. Through the project, Ball State University will partner with Leaders of Tomorrow, Jordan Football Association, and Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre to teach citizenship and peaceful living skills through soccer clinics for youth coaches and athletes. “Soccer for Peace and Understanding” is designed to strengthen ties at the person-to-person level and trains youth sport coaches to focus on peacemaking and conflict resolution. The Center for International Development assisted with the writing of the proposal and will be instrumental in the project management and implementation. The program aims to promote empathetic on-going relations between Jordanian and U.S. youth soccer coaches, encourage youth soccer coaches’ effective citizenship behaviors with young athletes through soccer, advance Jordanians and U.S. youth soccer coaches’ knowledge about the technical aspects of coaching soccer effectively, and increase Jordanian and U.S. youth soccer players’ soccer skills while learning ways to peacefully interact with others of different cultures. The Schedule January 1 and 2 – we traveled to Zarqa – Sponsored by the Leaders of Tomorrow January 3 and 4 – it was on to Amman – Sponsored by the Jordan Football Association January 6 and 7 – the final leg of the tour saw us travel north to Ajloun – Sponsored by the Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre
The Team Project Director - Dr. Lindsey C. Blom, Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ball State University, certified sport psychology consultant, and D licensed soccer coach. Dr. Blom’s research expertise relates to the psychosocial aspects of youth sport and sport for peace and development. She co-authored Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer and coached male and female youth soccer players at the club, high school, and Olympic Development level for 13+ years, with 7 state championships. Main Soccer Instructor: Steve Franklin, Indiana Soccer Association Director of Education. For the past 16 years, Franklin served as the head-coach for IUPUI’s Men’s Soccer team where he developed Hall of Famers and All-Americans. Steve hails as the first coach in IUPUI’s history to take a team to the NCAA Division I tournament in any sport. Coach Franklin has earned an NSCAA Premier Diploma; an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma; and USSF “A” coaching license; the US Soccer National Youth Coaching License; and the US Youth Soccer TOPPSoccer state Coaching Certificate. Peace Curriculum Coordinator – Dr. Lawrence Gerstein, George & Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Psychology – Counseling and Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Ball State University. Dr. Gerstein has a long history of conducting community projects and is a recognized international expert in peace studies, international psychology, and social justice. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and Co-Editor of the International Forum – The Counseling Psychologist. Coaching Education Expert – Dr. Lawrence W. Judge, Associate Professor of Coaching Education at Ball State University. Widely recognized as one of the premiere track and field coaches in the U.S., Dr. Judge has tutored All-Americans, national championships, and Olympians, justifying his recognition as 2003 NCAA assistant coach of the year and 2004 USATF coach/educator of the year. Dr. Judge is President for the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education and has lectured in 37 different countries. Cultural Exchange Expert – Dr. Edward E. Curtis IV, Millennium Chair of Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Dr. Curtis has directed summer abroad programs and State Department-funded faculty-student exchanges in Jordan and served as visiting professor at the University of Jordanas a Fulbright Scholar. Cultural Affairs and Interfaith Expert – Mr. Charlie Wiles, Director of the International Interfaith Initiative and Co-Founder and Director Emeritus of the Peace Learning Center. Mr. Wiles has organized Habitat for Humanity projects in Jordan and introduced the Peace Learning Center’s Peace Education Workbook, translated into Arabic, to local youth service NGO’s.
Photo of the Month
Indiana Soccer Director of coaching Education, Steve Franklin, conducting a youth clinic at the Jordan Futbol Association (JFA) in Amman, Jordan. Over 400 youth and 100 coaches took part in the “Soccer for Peace and Understanding� workshops and clinics during the 10 day trip.