Teaching Soccer SKILLS, not Winning.

So many times we as coaches and parents focus our "results gauge" on whether or not our team has "won the game".  Sadly, I have seen MANY (hundreds and hundreds) of players with horrible technical skills that played for years on the "winning team".
Whether it is adult pride or the urgency we feel to be "top ranked" often we coach and teach to win rather than DEVELOP PLAYERS for the future.

While a soccer player is between the ages of 6 - 16 the focus of their soccer training needs to dedicated to three points.
1) Build and keep a true love and enjoyment of the game.
2) Build a FULL RANGE of individual technical skills on all parts of the field.
3) Learn how the game is played both through watching upper level matches and through
    "outside the box" visual tools and lessons.

To better understand how "great young superstars" often fade away, I have built the following images.

Years later....

This is not just an issue with "rec" programs. This issue extends through most programs that have not come to grips with the reality that we are building players for the future, not next weekend's games.  Unfortunately there is little a parent can do about this. I have learned through years of studies that the best route is for the parent to provide a fun, but regular home training schedule.

Yes it is time to put away the video games, shut off the cell phones and kill the TV.  Take 30 minutes a day 3 times a week and spend some quality time in the back yard or at the local park working on the basics.
Parents can be the best teachers because their eyes are often focused 100% of the time on their child. Coaches must watch the entire team. Parents see the "little things" that need to be improved.
Maybe "Johnny or Susie" is having problems with trapping high bouncing balls coming to them. Maybe they just simply can't receive a pass on the run, etc. 
What easy problems to fix in the back yard if you have the right tools.

Soccer U was designed to help with this very problem.

Teach the teacher and the student will learn quickly. Even if the teacher is the player themselves.
Before we can teach ourselves new skills, we must learn how to teach it.