Reply To: Game Intelligence / Decision Training

[hockeygod]

Here is a comment I overheard after yesterday's U18 NTC (soccer) practice. See post:

John ran a great practice with the U18 National Training Centre (soccer) girls yesterday. These are girls who have been identified by the CSA as the best age-group players in southern Alberta and who are trying to gain a roster spot with the National U 18 team. (One of these girls is currently on the National U18 team.) There are several NTC's across the country in the large cities. I helped John coach this group a couple of years ago. The skill level and desire to compete is very high. It was very enjoyable and I love going to watch / help when my time allows…

John invited some of the best U 16 girls in the city as well as some top NTC U16 and U14 boys – plus a midfielder who was just named to Canada's U22 (male) team and is on the 2012 Olympic tryout roster. He had 27 players and 3 goalies in total – perfect numbers for nine teams of 3 players each!

He ran the "Time Machine" game.

This was some of the best soccer I have ever witnessed in person. They played for almost 90 minutes straight!

As they left the pitch, I overheard a couple of girls talking.

#1 "I feel so pumped after these games! I love it! I can hardly wait for our team practice tonight!"

#2 "Yeah me too! I love the Time Machine! I wish our coach knew these games and practiced with games. Now it sucks because you know we will doing the same boring thing. More drills and being yelled at and told what to do while we stand around, waiting to go."

#1 "Well at least we had fun here for the past two hours; let's go get the next practice over with…"

Hmmmmm…. coaches, reflect on your own practices.

How do players 'see' your practices or what do they truly think about your practices?

How would you "like" to participate in your own practice?

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."