Earlier this year, I developed a proposal for a PASA Youth Soccer Player Development System that consists of 7 components. Some components of this proposal have already been implemented, but a recent Skyline Club Soccer League membership application brought its importance back into focus.
The following are excerpts from the proposal…
Evaluation forms are typically used at travel team tryout sessions, but evaluation forms can also be an important tool in the long term player development process. Continue reading this post »
PASA is planning to offer weekly skills development training sessions on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Bedford YMCA soccer field. There is no additional cost to PASA players (the fee is included in the registration fees), and attendance is NOT mandatory. Sessions will run from 16-Jun-2010 through 25-Aug-2010 (with some exceptions for events/camps). Continue reading this post »
Lots of coaches, players, and officials refer to the “Laws of the Game”, but for many (including some who refer to them), they remain a bit of a mystery. Simply put, the Laws of the Game are the framework for the rules of soccer. Continue reading this post »
Sam Snow, the Senior Assistant Technical Director for US Youth Soccer, in an article about “running in soccer” pointed out that there are three primary reasons that youth soccer coaches have soccer players run. Continue reading this post »
Experienced youth soccer coaches know all to well how critical discipline is to the overall success of any team. When the team maintains good discipline, it will enhance the overall soccer experience for all involved. Many times the root cause of ineffective coaching can be traced back an inability to maintain team discipline. Continue reading this post »
Say that someone possesses all of the ethics and integrity (and patience. and passion, and …) required to be a travel soccer coach. Is that all that is needed to be a good travel soccer coach? Continue reading this post »
Parent-coaches tend to be the norm in recreational soccer, but that is not necessarily the case in travel soccer. PASA does allow parents to be travel soccer coaches, however the preference for PASA Travel Teams will always be the most qualified coach regardless of the participation of his or her child. Even when a parent has all of the qualifications to be a travel team coach, the question of should the parent be a travel soccer coach for his or her child remains. Continue reading this post »
It is a common mistake to confuse leadership with position. After all, if a coach is in charge of a team, he must be a leader, right? Not necessarily. Leadership is defined by action, not position. Continue reading this post »
Nobody would argue a parent’s tremendous impact on the child’s soccer experience. Parents have the power to make the experience positive or negative. The following suggestions should help to make the child’s soccer experience positive. Continue reading this post »
Greg Doneghue is the Director of Coaching and Player Development for the Peaks Area Soccer Association (PASA). PASA is a youth soccer club based in Forest, VA.
US Youth Soccer
