| Coaching 101: How to handle
"Blow-outs"
There is nothing more discouraging for a child than to be on the
wrong end of a 0 - 6 score, or one that is 0 - 18. Dr. Tom Turner, Director of Coaching and Player Development for the Ohio Youth Soccer Association points out that if KIDS were managing the game instead of the responsible adults, they would stop the game in the face of unbalanced teams.
Blowouts are no fun for children and characteristic of
youth-orchestrated play is the need for excitement and challenge.
Ironically, while being the last player picked from a group can often
be embarrassing, the practical outcome of this age-old tradition is
relatively balanced competition. No youth sport contest begins with
the two best players starting out on the same team. If the sides turn
out to be uneven, either the game is concluded and new sides picked,
or players trade places and new hope is given to the trailing side.
Young players often modify their rules to accommodate imbalance or
inequity and, particularly in lopsided contests, "next goal wins"
serves to produce the required adrenaline rush in pursuit of
last-minute glory.
We want
our TPSC coaches to believe that they are responsible not only
for their own players, but also for the well-being of those on
the other team.
Unfortunately,we have seen adults who believe that beating up on other teams helps the losers build character - and don't appreciate the difference between a 4-0 game and 15-0 game. We've actually had one imply that it is 'un-American' to limit better players in those situations from exercising their skills. We suspect these beliefs might be altered if they were on the losing end.
(Imagine walking your six-year-old to the car and saying, 'Don't worry about losing 15-1, dear, it was a good learning experience for you. I bet you can't wait to get back out here next week!')
Particularly in the younger ages with as few as four players on a side, it is all too easy for one or two good players on a side to dominate a game. We're not
going to get on the case of the coaches in those games, as some
of us have been there ourselves...in the heat of the game, with
the score rapidly rising, it’s difficult to invent ways on the
spot to keep the score within reason. Those of us who've
struggled with such a game learned to come to the next game
prepared so that it would never happen again.
What’s necessary (and expected of our coaches) is 1/ to have the commitment that you’re
responsible for the well-being of the opposing players as well
as your own and 2/ a thought-out arsenal of coaching strategies
ready to employ if the score gets out of hand.
Many clubs impose a four or five goal maximum goal
differential on their games. (Those playing in the end of the
year U-10 and U-12 jamboree will find that every goal more than
four will incur penalties.) We as a board have chosen not to
codify a “Rule” to this effect in our club play, but to
strongly request that our Tiburon coaches abide by a four goal maximum
differential and expect them to take steps to limit scoring when the differential reaches four goals.
Things to do to avoid Running up the Score*:
1. Recognize early – Generally you can tell early on in
the game if your team is going to dominate. Start doing the
things necessary to avoid an excessive goal differential early
on in the game; don’t wait until you hit 4 goals before you do
anything.
2. Stop your Scorers from Scoring – Tell them not to take
shots and only pass the ball to others. Passing is a more
important part of Recreational soccer than scoring.
3. Put your Non-scorers up front – Take advantage of this
time to allow some of your other players to get a goal.
4. Switch your goalie – Put in someone that normally
doesn’t play goal to give them the experience. Don’t just put in
your back-up, second best keeper – put in someone else. Nothing
erases a goal differential and boasts the opposing team's morale
like a couple of goals.
5. Set a mid-field boundary – Tell your offensive players
they can’t cross mid-field to help the defense (lets the
opposing team have a numbers advantage). Tell your defense the
same thing, not to cross midfield to help the offense score.
6. Set a number of passes before a shot – Tell your
players they must have a set number of passes or touches before
anyone can take a shot and you’ve got to start over at 1 every
time the opposing team touches the ball. This is a very good
practice drill/tool to use also. Teaches the players to pass the
ball around, forward and back, and switching the field. But,
please don't chant out the number from the sidelines as this is
sometimes demeaning to the opposing team.
7. Play short – Start pulling players off the field. Play
a man down when you hit a two or three goal differential. Play
two men down or even three down when you hit a three goal
differential. We know that there are minimums for players on the
field in each club, but this is more for starting a legal
game, not avoiding running up the score. Plus, once the opposing
team closes the gap, you can always add players back on – but
you don’t have to if it’s a better competitive game!!!
8. Add players – Not you, the other guys. Talk to the
other coach and work out between the two of you that the other
team can add an extra player or two.
9. Anticipate that last second goal – Many times we hear
“we were keeping the differential at 4 goals, until little
Johnny, who never ever scores, scored a goal right at the end of
the game. I didn’t want to stop him from getting his first
goal!! Am I in trouble for a 5 goal differential?” Our answer to
this is – YES. As a coach, you should have anticipated this and
planned how to maintain the 4 goal differential.
*Original write-up courtesy of the Manassas
Area Soccer Association
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