Effective Periodization in Youth Football: The Case for Economical Training By Leigh Cullip, Houston Dynamo

Youth Soccer: Out of the Zoo and Into the Wild….. Ideology for Philosophy: Building Blocks Create an environment that is both challenging and fun by way of developing players intrinsic motives and transposing them into success technically, tactically, physically and psychologically. Therefore Implementing a player centric training model that uses a ‘play based’ learning system

What is Economical Training? Economical training is the Incorporation of the components of the game into the methodology and structure of the session Technical Tactical Psychological Physical Think “Small Sided Games” as the Ultimate Youth Soccer Teaching Tool What is ‘Effective’ Periodization? A ‘Big Picture’ View on Player Development Introducing teaching, and focusing on Core Techniques that are age specific and developmentally appropriate for the player The collection and use of objective data from technical testing and from charted performances in Small Sided Games A system to encourage the learning and demonstration of the “Characteristics of a Youth Soccer Player at Phoenix FC” The development of a new player promotion policy between club teams and developing relationships with ECNL/USDA Clubs

Creating and Developing A Technical & Tactical Periodization for a Youth Soccer Club Problem Presenting all of the philosophical points means teaching a mass of information which causes us to run the risk of the overall message getting lost and players not taking away concrete lessons. Youth coaches need a simplified message so that they can better focus their efforts and so that coaching points can be wrapped in a “theme” so that the message is more continuously repeated and the possibility of learning and retention increased. A simplified point of view allows the youth coach to increase the development of the most important parts to develop their teams. age groups: Receiving, Running with the ball, Releasing (passing & shooting/ finishing). A single clear point of view paints a crystal clear picture as to the make-up and character of our Club, our staff, our players, and our Way from the grassroots right through to the top level. Solution Focus on overtly coaching the club philosophy in training sessions and teach the key elements of player development via facilitation. The key R’s for these ages and for our vision of a Dynamo player would be Receiving, Running with the ball, and Releasing (passing and shooting). The baseline syllabus for 2013 could be to develop a “skillful receiver, vision based players that are creative dribblers, and deadly finishers.” Accounting for this change, and the shortened schedule, player development model would look like this: Coaching Education/Development Implementation of Methodology Player Centric Educational System

Focused Training on Fundamental Technique What? 6 Core Fakes and Feints: Matthews, Double Cut, Pull-Push, Lunge, High Wave, Fake Cut 6 Core Controlling Techniques - Inside/Outside, Bk Ft/ Frt Ft, No Touch, Aerial, 1T spin w/ Outside, 1T spin w/ Inside 6 Core Turns: Inside Hook, Outside Hook, Drag Back, Cruyff, Stop-Turn, Step Over Why? To utilize the principle of block practice and to maybe start to provide the foundations for “deliberate practice.” To deliver more concrete, age appropriate lessons/ information. To bring the Phoenix Curriculum more in line with that of a development academy club. To provide another opportunity to mine objective data. To provide us an opportunity to assign and encourage homework/ individual training How? These core techniques will be taught in fundamental activities in each warm-up Use of small sided games as a core teaching tool Once we have taught the techniques, you can assign them for homework. The following sheet can be used to track the players’ progress with their homework. The way that points are recorded will change shift from time/ effort to performance at every 6 week period.

Example of a Technical & Tactical Periodization Chart Example of a Typical Two Week Micro-cycle: Week I Sun Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat MATCH DAY Rest Passing & Receiving Shooting & Finishing 1 v 1 Core Element Training: Attacking Individual Training/Homework II Individual Possession 1 v 1 Core Element Training: Defending

Objective Data Why? Objective data will give us more reliable information about players and the actual state of their growth and development. Objective data allows us to compare apples to apples when comparing players from different locations, age groups, etc. Objective data allows us to provide concrete and reliable feedback to players and their families that paints a very clear picture of the player and their abilities at this moment in time. Objective data can provide us with evidentiary support to either promote players or defend our decisions not to promote them. How? Creation of activities to measure the tangible skill set of a player. We can do this testing on whatever schedule we deem appropriate. A suggestion to set test, score and rank players’ skill, tactics, fitness, and psychology if we devise a “Dutch Tournament” style collection system. The following tracking sheet has been developed to help the coaches track this and other data. These should be handed to the DOC each week.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A DYNAMO PLAYER Because these characteristics are such an important part of the player ID process, I think that we need to do a better job of teaching, instilling, and rewarding these traits. One way of doing this might be to hold a “Characteristics Tournament” through the CoE season. Here, players would receive a point from CoE coaches (points which are tracked on the CoE tracking document) whenever they are observed exhibiting one of the listed “characteristics of a Dynamo player.” The points are tacked for the entire season and, then, at the end of the season, we announce winners. We can decide how to organize the tournament: top point earner per age group, top point earner overall, most improved per age group, age group with the most points per location, most improved age group, location with the most points, etc. Prizes can be tickets, scarves, signed memorabilia, soccer balls, etc.. Promotional items that kids will love. In addition to this, we could develop a points system to reward players for positive academic performances. They could bring and show a report card for points. I think that a program like this not only teaches and encourages the characteristics that we are interested in instilling but, because these traits are really life skills, assigning value to these traits will help our program to impact kids beyond the soccer field and, thus, help to assign more value to our program in a parent’s mind.

Thanks for Attending! Q & A Leigh Cullip Houston Dynamo leigh.cullip@hotmail.com