Kid’s Corner Kicks eNews Magazine for Youth Soccer Players
INDIANA SOCCER March - April 1, 2012 Authored by: Steve Franklin Director of Coaching Education
Kid’s Corner Kicks Official eNews Letter of Indiana Soccer Youth Players
The purpose of this eNews Letter is to provide you with monthly tips on training; fitness; recruiting; cool videos; news about you (which you pass along to me) and other interesting tidbits. I hope you enjoy it.
What’s Inside? 1.
2012 Indiana Soccer's AGM & Workshops
2.
Mia Hamm's Advice for Girls, Parents and Coaches
3.
Fun Games for the Month
4.
Texas Girls Soccer Goalie Stops 14 of 16 Attempts in Do-or-Die Playoff Shootout This Month’s Editions Training Activity Do Soccer Players show Enhanced Thinking
5. 6.
Abilities? 7.
The United States’ Latest “It” Boy -Brek Shea.
8.
2012 ERUO Schedule
9.
Photo of the Month
2012 Indiana Soccer's AGM & Workshops Interested in what happened at this year’s Annual General Meeting? Maybe you will see yourself in the video. Click here to watch the
video
Mia Hamm's advice for girls, parents and coaches Interview by Mike Woitalla American sports icon Mia Hamm debuted for the U.S. national team at age 15 in 1987. She helped the USA to two World Cup and two Olympic titles. The 158 national team goals she scored before retiring in 2004 remain a world record. We asked Hamm to reflect on her early years and offer advice for coaches, parents and young players. SOCCER AMERICA: How involved are you still in soccer? MIA HAMM: It’s a huge part of my life. I’m still involved with U.S. Soccer on a couple of committees to help continue the growth of the game and make sure we’re going in the right direction, in general, as a Federation. Kristine Lilly, Tisha Venturini-Hoch and myself started a soccer academy called Team First to basically help share with young girls our experiences and what we felt helped make us successful. I still watch tons of soccer. Both the men’s and women’s national teams, MLS, EPL … SA: What part of the coaching you got as a youngster helped you succeed? MIA HAMM: Everyone talks about it being fun. And it definitely was. That needs to be the focus. Development over winning was something I felt was there. I think as kids, and especially the players who go on to play at the highest level, they’re naturally competitive. That’s going to be a part of what they do. At a certain age, that reinforcement is important, but at a young age it’s about development and making sure that the kids really enjoy the environment they’re in so they want to come back and continue to learn and listen. SA: How different do you think youth soccer is now compared to your early days? MIA HAMM: The first coaches I had were just dads. And [laughs] probably wearing too small team uniform shirts and a really bad hat or visor on the sideline. And occasionally saying things they got from their days of playing football and trying to apply it to soccer, like “get to the end zone.” It’s changed a lot. Some good, some bad. Coaching and the players are so much better at a younger age. I didn’t specialize until I made the national team. I still played basketball and a bunch of different sports, really kind of followed what my friends were playing in the season that was being organized. I think that helped me not burn out so early and helped my overall athleticism. SA: In your book “Go For the Goal” you addressed the problem of youth coaches sacrificing “learning skills for winning games.” Youth soccer has continued to get more expensive and paid coaches are the norm, so it would seem that pressure on winning has increased … MIA HAMM: You’re right, with more money and coaches being paid they feel a lot more pressure to win and parents want a greater return on their investment, whether that’s a college scholarship or an opportunity to play on the youth national team or professionally. SA: You’ve talked about pickup games – such as soccer at recess in grade school and playing with your brother – being a key to your development …
MIA HAMM: That helped a lot. Playing against boys, against older kids who were more talented than I was -- and bigger, stronger, faster. But in the end what was so great was I put myself in those situations, and it was an environment to be able to hang out with my brother. You don’t hear of as many kids playing pickup soccer as they used to because they’re training five days a week and play 12,000 games on the weekend. SA: What advice do you have for parents of aspiring players? MIA HAMM: My parents really allowed soccer -- and whatever I chose -- to be my passion and not theirs. I heard one of my coach’s say the best advice he can give to the parents is just be their parent. As a parent myself, I can pay other people to do their job in terms of coaching my kids. I don’t want anyone but me and my husband to be their parents. I look at that as the important role I can play in their lives. It doesn’t mean I won’t share my knowledge of soccer with them or occasionally go out and coach their teams, but I want to make sure they know I’m their parent first and they can come to me, and I hope they come to me for anything. SA: What should parents be aware of when girls enter their adolescent years? For sure that’s a time of many changes that can affect the way they approach activities like soccer. MIA HAMM: I’ve tried to block out that period of my life [laughs]. … I think, yeah, there’s so much going on and most of it you don’t really understand or you can’t really comprehend. What I would tell parents is just understand that things can change at a drop of a hat – emotionally, physically, psychologically – for your kids, and to just be there [for them]. And be flexible. And be open, and be that sounding board for them. They could have a favorite dress and the next day say they hate it and it’s the ugliest dress they’ve ever seen. Or they could say Susi’s my best friend and now they’re not talking to one another. Expect the unexpected and just make sure you’re there. SA: How do you think girls benefit by playing sports during those years? MIA HAMM: With girls going through puberty, I think it gives us a great outlet both socially and physically. Kind of get out some frustration, run it out. Have a group of friends with a common interest whom you can kind of lean on … talk about your parents and how they’re not listening to you [laughs]. I think it’s extremely important. SA: What advice do you have for young soccer players? MIA HAMM: Have fun and every day you step out there let’s see how much better I can get. And doing it together is even better. SA: Why did you decide to become the spokeswomen for “Go with the Grain”? MIA HAMM: I’ve been talking, especially post-career, about the importance of a balanced diet and about how bread and grains are involved in that diet. Not just from an energy level, but they’re a great source of fiber. They’re low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals. (Mia Hamm played for the USA from 1987 to 2004, scoring 158 goals in 275 games. She played at four World Cups and four Olympics, and won two titles at each competition. She also won four NCAA titles with North Carolina and the 2003 WUSA crown with the Washington Freedom. She was inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2007, three years after her retirement.)
Fun Games for the Month How quickly can you unscramble the “test tube words�?
Can you be a good CSI and find all the Science Words in the word search?
Texas girls soccer goalie stops 14 of 16 attempts in do-or-die playoff shootout In February, Prep Rally brought you the amazing story of a California prep soccer game which needed an astounding 50 penalty kicks (and two days) before it could be decided. While that game may still take the cake when it comes to longest shootouts, a Texas playoff brought up an even more impressive statistic for one player in particular: Rockwall (Texas) High girls soccer goalie Miranda Larkin stopped 14 of 16 penalty shots she faced in leading her squad to the regional quarterfinals in a victory against Wylie (Texas) East High. Rockwall girls soccer goalkeeper Miranda Larkin — Sting Soccer Club That's right: Larkin kept out all but two shots she faced in the crucible of a playoff shootout. Incredibly, the unnamed Wylie East girls soccer goalie stopped 13 attempts herself, creating what must be one of the most unsuccessful shootouts in recent prep soccer history. Of course, that takes nothing away from Larkin or her Wylie East cohort, both of whom were nothing less of remarkable. In fact, Wylie East coaches even argued that the shootout should have continued because Rockwall allegedly bent traditional shootout rules to score the winning goal, taking more than the allowed time to make an attempt.
That hardly could keep Rockwall coach Melissa Garcia from raving about her keeper and the remarkable number of stops she made when she was interviewed by the Dallas Morning News. "It was more [saves] than any keeper should have to make," Garcia told the Morning News. "'Beast' is what we are calling her now." Beast, keeper, game-winner. Whatever Garcia and her team want to call Larkin, they certainly can't call her afraid of pressure under any circumstances. Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
This Month’s Editions Training Activity
Do soccer players show enhanced thinking abilities? Hey soccer fans, here's something to think about at the next game: The best players may be quicker thinkers than you. A study led by Swedish researchers suggests that elite soccer players outperform players in lower divisions in tests of certain cognitive abilities, and both groups bested the general public. The results were published recently in the journal PLoS ONE. Specifically, the study focused on executive function, which is involved in working memory. Whenever you bring forth a memory that you need to solve a task, such as make a phone call or tie your shoe, that's working memory in action. Executive function is also involved in creativity, multi-tasking and inhibition. "The successful player must constantly assess the situation, compare it to past experiences, create new possibilities, make quick decisions to action, but also quickly inhibit planned decisions," the authors write. The phenomenon has not been studied in detail before with regard to professional athletes. But previous research showed expert sports players have enhanced abilities in things like evaluating probabilities, recognizing patterns and using information from peripheral vision. Participants in the Swedish study included 57 males and 26 females, all soccer players from the country's top three national division soccer leagues. The players took cognitive function tests, which had well-established average scores for the general population in the fall of 2007. Information about the players' goals and assists was obtained from January 2008 to May 2010. The Swedish researchers then looked back at the players' test scores to see if cognitive function could help predict later performance. It turned out that higher performance on the cognitive test was correlated with the subsequent performance of the players, based on a subsample of the original group. The theory is that playing soccer may have improved the players' executive function. But they wouldn't have been able to get to such a high level of professionalism if they hadn't already been good at these mental tasks, said study co-author Predrag Petrovic of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Should soccer players be recruited on the basis of cognitive tests like these? The study points in that direction, but the number of participants is small, and the conclusions do not prove causality. It's a question for further research whether playing soccer causes better cognitive processing, or if cognitive processing leads to better soccer performance. This study also does not say anything about the genetic component of mental or athletic performance. Bradley Hatfield, professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, who has researched the link between executive function and exercise independently of Petrovic's group, says the study is based on a reasonable
conceptual model. It doesn't make definitive statements about the role of these brain processes in soccer success, but its suggestions are plausible based on research that has come before it, Hatfield said in an e-mail. "I think it's relevant to the public interest, and the quality of the work is supported by its appearance in a peerreviewed journal," he said. But Mark Williams, professor of motor behavior at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom, is more skeptical. He points out that since cognitive abilities have been previously shown to be correlated with aerobic capacity, it's possible that the most elite athletes performed better on tests because they are more physically fit. On the whole, more research must be done before definitive conclusions can be made.
The United States’ latest “it” boy, Brek Shea, is currently training with Arsenal. Some say the 21-year-old American could be the real deal, but if his skills don’t make it in the Premier league, at least his look will. About once a year or so, when rumors swirl that an English club has been licking its chops over a promising young player from the United States, ears tend to perk. Whether that’s because the world genuinely awaits America’s first soccer superstar, or they just enjoy a good laugh about “another overhyped American,” we don’t know. But here in America, the hype around Brek Shea is palpable. And that’s because we haven’t really seen a player quite like him in, well, forever. Shea, a 6ft 3in, left-footed winger, has the full toolset: size, speed, technique, and versatility. For newly installed USA manager Juergen Klinsmann’s national team, he’s established himself as the future of the left wing. For his Major League Soccer club FC Dallas, he’s played everywhere from second striker to winger, midfielder, and even left back.
FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea gets a new purple-striped hairstyle the day before his team's First Kick match-up against the NY Red Bulls. Shea (and his new purple stripe) helped FCD to a 2-1 victory in the season opener. For highlights from the match and more videos from Major League Soccer, visit http://youtu.be/FLLN4DgvF_w But it’s Shea’s speed and confidence on the ball that has drawn him comparisons to Gareth Bale, while his size and creative finishing (and hair?) has likened him to (the former) Fernando Torres. In my opinion, the Torres link is a reach, but you be the judge: Shea’s size and toughness, along with his 10 goals for Dallas this season, has scouts thinking the blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid from Texas is a talent best suited for England. Liverpool and Manchester City scouted him over the weekend. Manchester United has had him on their radar since the summer. As a result, his agent is gushing, “I do know people are asking me about Brek as he is the premier talent in America,” Barry Mclean told Sky Sports, “I think England would be an interesting option for Brek, but we will wait and see what happens.” But here’s the catch. Shea, who did train with Bolton in October 2007, just signed a three-year contract extension with the FC Dallas in May, and with some skills left to refine, another year in MLS wouldn’t hurt him. For this reason, it’d be reasonable to think Shea goes on loan to England in January, but probably not to one the clubs vying for a Champions League spot. Other teams in search of some size and athleticism (Bolton or Everton?) would be foolish not to give Shea a shot. And besides, wouldn’t you take a chance on “the next Gareth Bale”? Certainly though, Shea is aware that American youngsters have a track record of leaving the nest too early, only to get lost in the fray in Europe (remember Freddy Adu?). Therefore, many wouldn’t mind if Shea took a more Clint Dempsey-like exit from our domestic league. Dempsey, who enjoyed a healthy 3-year stint playing under
Liverpool legend Stevie Nicol with New England Revolution, wasn’t snapped up by Fulham until age 23. Now, at 28, he’s the Cottager’s highest active career goal scorer (41). I guess it’s not a bad path to follow. Like Dempsey, the biggest draw about Shea is his creativity. But what sets Shea apart is his eccentricity on and off the pitch. Shea is a true lefty – freethinking and inventive. He expresses himself through six tattoos, his own abstract art studio, and a medley of unconventional hairstyles, be it cornrows or faux hawks. His unique image is one of a truly edgy footballer that America has hardly been familiar with. So please, excuse us for the hype. But at 21, Brek Shea has become one of the brightest talents in American soccer. And he’s far from a finished product.
FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea gets a new purple-striped hairstyle the day before his team's First Kick match-up against the NY Red Bulls. Shea (and his new purple stripe) helped FCD to a 2-1 victory in the season opener. For highlights from the match and more videos from Major League Soccer, visit
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2012 ERUO Schedule
Photo of the Month Indiana Assistant Coach Yarborough getting work done in the office in his Executive Suite with Windows.