SOCCER TACTICS – BASIC DEFINITIONS

Players, this is what we will talk about tonight during our Tactical Traning... These are some of the basics you need to understand...

With our conditioning program we will be most fit team... and with our tactical training we will be the smartest team!

“Passing to OPEN SPACE and movement off the ball” - Being able to pass to open space, anticipating passes to open space and your teammate’s "movement off the ball"


Playing this way allows a team to have a much faster, more fluid and more creative attack. It is a way of thinking, as opposed to "passing to feet". A player who can only pass to feet and who doesn't know how to pass to space or move to create space is very limited.


“Center of the field" - The center of the field is the area between the 2 goals (as opposed to the "wings" or sides of the field where the sidelines are). The center of the field is where the "Center Fullback", "Center Midfielder" and "Center Forward" mostly play. When your coaches say "center it", we usually mean to kick the ball to the area in front of the goal.
“Middle of the field" - The middle of the field is the area of the field that includes the "Halfway Line". Many coaches say "go to the middle" when they really mean "go to the center".


"Attacking Third" - The Attacking Third is the third of the field that is closest to your opponent's goal (i.e., the goal the opposing Goalie defends). When our team attacks, we want our Forwards and our Midfielders to get the ball into the Attacking Third. When our opponent is attacking our goal, we will not have any players in the Attacking Third, since our Midfielders will probably have dropped back near your "Penalty Box" line to help defend and your Forwards will have dropped back to the Halfway Line or to the inside of the "Center Circle" so they are in position to win "cleared" balls. This “shifting " with the ball is very important so you have "support" on offense and defense).

"Middle Third" - The Middle Third is the third of the field that includes the "Halfway Line" and the "Center Circle". When we attack, if our Fullbacks (Defenders) "Push Up" they will come up into the Middle Third. When our opponent is attacking our goal, our Forwards should come back into the Middle Third to the Halfway Line or even to the inside of the Center Circle so they are in position to win "cleared balls".

"Defensive Third" - The Defensive Third is the third of the field that includes our goal (our goal is the one your Goalie defends). Our Fullbacks (Defenders) will spend most of their time in the Defensive Third unless our Fullbacks "Push Up" when we attack. Our Midfielders should drop back into our Defensive Third to help out when our goal is under attack, but our Forwards should not come into your Defensive Third, because if they do there won't be anyone in position to win the ball when our Fullbacks or Midfielders "Clear" the ball.

Coach Jim

Great Practice Last Night! ...Conditioning and Tactical Training Moved to Friday PM @ ND, 6:30-7:30pm

Hi guys, fantastic practice again - full attendance and loads of hustle - good work!

This is to confirm that Conditioning and Tactical Training this week is MOVED TO FRIDAY PM (6:30-7:30 pm) at the ND Track. 

NO cleats - running shoes only for the track, and bring lots of water... Parents are welcome to run and workout as well... last week a couple of Dads ran with the boys and I'm told some Moms will join us this week too!

Running on a Track Quick Facts and Player Targets:

• 1 x = 400 metres or 1/4 mile
• 4 x's = 1.6K or 1 mile
• 5 x's around = 2K
• 8 x's around = 3.2K  or 2 miles
• 10 x's around = 4K
• each player able to jog 5x's around (2K) without stopping, by end of May
• each player able to jog 10x's around (4K) without stopping, by end of June
• these Targets are minimums - I am sure most (if not all) players will do more!

See you Friday night at Notre Dame!
Coach Jim

Soccer Pitch Dimensions



Players: make sure you understand all the areas and size of the full 11v11 field!
-Coach Jim





Our first year on the full field!

Coach Jim

Our Basic Formation: the 4-4-2

Players, this is what I will be handing out tonight at our Tactical Training... I will give you your own copies but posted here as well so that you will always know where to find it...Study it and memorize the positions... we will learn about:

• the responsibilities of each position
• all the variations of the 4-4-2 
• and how to transition to more defensive or attacking formations based on what is happenng during the game! 

Coach Jim

Conditioning & Tactical at ND Thursday PM

Hi guys, thanks for a GREAT practice last night! Coach Marty and I are very pleased with what we are seeing - you are learning lots and hustling... well done!

Remember, Conditioning and Tactical Training tomorrow (Thursday) night at Notre Dame from 6:30-7:30pm... NO cleats - running shoes only for the track.. bring lots of water and dress for the weather (looks like 8 degrees and cloudy)... and parents are welcome to run with us well !!!

See you at ND,
Coach Jim

"Nike Deadly5" with Arsene Wenger

Hi guys, I found these videos on youtube related to the "Nike Deadly5" Tournament. The "Deadly5" was a Nike sponsored 5v5 futsal style world-wide skills tournament.

The tournament motto was:
"Individually you are unstoppable, COLLECTIVELY YOU ARE DEADLY..."

The videos below show Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger running drills with players in preparation for the Tournament...

ASSIGNMENT FOR PLAYERS: watch and study the technique in these videos... I will be running similar style drills in our practices... it's great stuff !

Section One: Control
Section Two: Shooting
Section Three: Tournament - 5 Minute Games

Again with Wenger, check out his take on building a great soccer player

Nike5 Break Your Opponent - futsal from Brazil, how many of you will learn this move?!

See you at practice on Tuesday at the Club... keep Thursday nights open - we will start our running sessions next week - I will confirm soon!

Coach Jim

Updates - Coach's Thoughts - Plans for April

Hi everyone, an update (further to my Feb 21 post on plans for the summer), some thoughts on the year and plans for April:


PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR APRIL (WSC Dome)

• April 6 (Wed 6:00-7:30pm), 
• April 12, 19, 26 (Tuesday’s 7:30-9:00pm)

Total Cost for Dome Rental will be $20.00 per player ($5.00 per session)... I would appreciate if you could bring the $20 to the April 6 practice.


TEAM AND LEAGUE UPDATES

• Please Register at the WSC ASAP if you have not done so already.
  If you did not play Select last year for the Welland Wizards, please provide the Club (front office) with a picture (passport size, head and shoulder) for the Players Identification Book and your birth certificate ASAP.
• Season to start last weekend in May with games likely to be Thursday evenings with practices Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings.  I will confirm all dates when I receive the schedule from the NYSL
• We will be in a 10 team league, playing an 18 game schedule (home & home) vs. Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, NOTL, Pelham, Port Colborne, Roma, and West Lincoln
• Our Team Blog will be my primary communication tool for Players and Parents (with training videos, news and updates). Parents, please ensure the boys have access to our blog amd that you save the URL in your Favorites!
• Parents Meeting set for Tuesday April 12, 8:30-9:00pm (NOTE time correction, meeting will be during practice at WSC)
• Team Building Retreat Weekend at Sherkston Shores set for May 13,14,15 with Elite Soccer Development Academy (at a cost of approx $205.00 per player) 
• Competing in 3-4 Tournaments meaning budgeting approx $75.00 to $100.00/ player for total Tournament Costs (i.e. West Lincoln Pre-season, St Cath Ti amo, Niagara Falls Douglas, Welland, Tottenham). Given we will have a full 18 game schedule we can discuss at the Parents's Meeting the number of Tournaments we should enter.
• Cost-neutral Organized Team Activities (OTAs) will be planned with parents to emphasize team building and togetherness...please bring your ideas to the Parent's Meeting (BBQs, CSL Roma Games, Pool Parties etc)  
• Practice plans include Dry-Land Circuit Training to emphasize conditioning for the big fields this summer. I will also bring in Guest Coaches (e.g. GK Specialist) to offer the widest array of training and coaching techiques for the players. 

APPROX COSTS FOR THE YEAR

• Registration $265, Tournaments $100, Team Building Retreat Weekend $205, April Dome Rentals $20 = Approximate Cost for the Year of $590.00 (Registration and April Dome Time included).

Fund Raising is vital for our team.  We hope to raise enough money to cover a significant portion of this cost for parents - but we need everyone to chip-in and help. As an example, if each player can raise $200, the cost of the Weekend Team Building Retreat at Sherkston will be covered!  Please bring your ideas to the Parents Meeting. 


PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Parents, as Coach I can't do it myself -  I need your help!  We need Parent Volunteers for the following:

• Car Pooling (with our "Soccer Family" working together, rides to practice and games should never be an issue!)
• Social Committee (to organize OTAs and social activities for team building)
• Fund Raising Committee (the more $$$ we raise together, the less the season will cost for the parents)
• Team Manager (coordinate ordering warm-ups/bags and assist with team administration
• First Aid Rep
• Volunteer Linesperson - for games
• Parent Rep (to act as a spokesperson for the parents)

Based on our discussion on March 30, some of you have already contacted me with your ideas and I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH! ....

Sincerely, thank you... Someone once told me: "You get out of it what you put into it"... working together as a "Soccer Family", we will make this a great soccer season for our boys!

I can't emphasize enough, if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas to help make this a great summer for our boys, please call me...See you at practice on Wednesday and at the Parent's Meeting on Tuesday April 12!


With ALL my thanks,
Coach Jim

Welland Sports Complex Update: We got it done folks! The Good Guys Win!!

Thank you everyone for your support and emails to Welland City Council - the public display of support was huge in making this happen!  This is the link to tomorrow's Trib Article.

Below is a letter to WSC members from the WSC Board of Directors...

Motion Removed from Council Agenda

Dear Members – the Welland Soccer Club has been informed by the City of Welland that Councilor Dan Fortier has removed his “Notice of Motion” regarding the River Road Multi Sports Complex and as result, your support and participation at the Tuesday April 5th Council meeting is no longer needed.

As you may imagine, there are numerous hurdles to cross before this becomes a reality – with the #1 requirement being the approval of our FIT (Feed In Tariff) Energy application for the solar panels on the roof of the facility. This is a major income source for the complex and is required to offset construction costs. We are expecting approval on the FIT application within the next few weeks.

We remain committed to keep you informed as the project progresses and Thank You for your support to date.

Yours in Soccer
Welland Soccer Club Board Of Directors

Players and Parents, this means our first Organized Team Activity (OTA), "Pizza Dinner and City Hall Night", is no longer required - unless of course you still want to get together for Pizza?!

Coach Jim

Introducing the 2011 Welland Wizards U11 Boys !

Hello everyone,
I'm so very proud to announce your new 2011 U11 Boys Welland Wizards (NYSL)...
(updated April 9)

• Devon B
• Henry B
• Miguel C
• Zachery D
• Wyller F
• Juan G
• Lucas G
• David H
• Mackenzie J
• Colton J
• Mitchell J
• Liam M
• Keegan M
• Dino T
• Matthew W

Boys, you worked very hard... take pride and be proud, your commitment and dedication will be rewarded with a great summer of soccer... Together we will do great things!

Coach Jim

Tuesday Night at WSC

Hi everyone, to confirm the plans for tomorrow night:

We will run the last try-out from 6:00-7:00pm.  Please arrive at the club before 6:00pm as there is no one before us and we can use the time to warm-up.  (I will be there be 5:30 latest). As you know the session will consist of warm-ups, a few drills and then the "Team Marty" v. "Team Jim" game. Coach Marty and I will divide the players into the teams beforehand.  Cost for the dome time will be $2.00 per player.

Each player will receive a letter after the game. I will prepare a personalized letter for each player. Coach Marty and I will take a few minutes to finalize the letters, and then I will hand them out to the players.   

IMPORTANT: Many players will receive good news letters, some will receive bad news letters. I ask that we all respect each others privacy and only open the letters once you have left the WSC.  I will post the Team Roster here on the team blog later in the evening.

Thanks, and see you tomorrow night at the WSC!

Coach Jim

Try-outs Resume Wed PM - The Final Stretch!

Hi all, we are now truly in the final stretch of the try-outs. As you know we are at Glendale School tomorrow night (from 6:00-7:30pm) and then at the WSC next Tuesday night (March 29, from 6:00 - 7:30pm) for our Intra-Squad "Team Marty" v "Team Jim" Match!

School Running Clubs
I understand that some of the schools in the area have started registration for Running Clubs.  This is another great training opportunity for the boys and I highly recommend you sign-up to run with your school. As you know we will be playing on the big fields this year and physical conditioning will be a big part of our success. Once the team is set we will be stepping up the conditioning portion of our training in a big way!

See you tomorrow night at Glendale and as always, please wear proper indoor soccer/running shoes, shin pads and WHITE shirts.

Thanks
Coach Jim

Additional Training Opportunities

Hi all, I wanted to let you know of additional training opportunities that are available and that I highly recommend. Last Wednesday I distributed a registration form for spring training sessions run by Clayton Rosario of Elite Soccer Development. This is a 6 Week Pre-season Training Camp which runs for 6 consectutive Saturday mornings. The cost is $120.00/6 weeks (if you pay before March 14, the cost is $100.00). Dates and times as follows:

March 26 from 7:45am  to 9:15am
April 2, 9 16, 23, 30  from 8:30am to10:00am
Location: Niagara Astraplex (Sinnicks Rd, Niagara Falls)

Also, Clayton will run a second session of Futsal Sundays at Ridley College. This is a 6 week program starting Sunday March 27, from 2:30pm to 4:00pm. The cost is $30.00 for the 6 sessions... for this term there are no drop-ins, you must sign up and pay the $30.00 on the first day. I'm sure the boys who attended the last futsal will tell you it was great!

To be clear, registering for the sessions above is not related to the Try-outs for our team. That said, I highly recommend these sessions for players who are serious about getting better and growing as a soccer player.  Also, the "bang for the buck" is there - great value for professional training!

Thanks
Coach Jim

Please Support the New Welland Sports Complex

On Tuesday March 1st (7pm) at City Hall, Welland, councillor Dan Fortier will be presenting a motion to Welland City Council to stall the development of the new Welland Sports Complex on River Rd / Woodlawn Rd. IMO, this would be a travesty, but typical for Welland Politics... the previous council approved this project, a few councillors on the new council want to bring it down.

IMO Welland has slipped backwards for years because of short-sighted Political Games... IMO this proposed sports complex is an investment in the future of our city, and most importantly, an investment in our youth...

The obvious financial benefits for our City would be huge... just think of the hundreds of families coming from out-of-town for tournaments and spending their money at the Woodlawn Canadian Tire and Walmart, or the Seaway Mall, Zehrs, at our local restaurants and hotels, at our family-owned variety stores, corner stores and shops, etc etc, etc... Some members of our City Council are blind to this and would prefer to debate this project for another 4-6 years as opposed to honouring what the previous council approved - such a shame!

Please take a few minutes to send an email to Welland City Council "council@welland.ca" (every council member will receive your email), simply saying: "I am in favour of the new Sports Complex being planned for the site at River Road and Woodlawn Road".  Additional comments may be made, but the first statement is the most important.

I don't normally send out messages pushing for one cause or another, but this one is near and dear to my heart...Thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to send an email to tell Welland City Council that you support this project...

As for the City Council meeting on March 1 (7pm) at City Hall, a show of support by all Welland Soccer Club coaches, players, parents and interested citizens would be a positive display in showing our support for this project.  Hope to see you there!

Thanks
Coach Jim

Team Plans - Coaches Thoughts

Hi Players and Parents, I wanted to take a few minutes to give you an update on my ideas and plans for the team...

First, let me say thanks for all your hard work and support. We are roughly half way through our team try-outs and development... many of the boys have stepped up in a big way... Coach Marty and I are very pleased... as I have said before, keep working hard and make sure Coach Marty and I have no easy decisions! It has been great!   ...and a special thanks to Coach Marty - he has been invaluable!

We will continue with Wednesdays at Glendale School (Feb 23, March, 2, 9, 23 and 30 - March Break Wednesday the 16th OFF). On Tuesday, March 29 we will have the dome to ourselves from 6:00-7:00pm for a game where we will divide the players into two teams and have a final try-out evaluation game - Team Marty vs. Team Jim! ...

UPDATE March 1:  We will be making the final decisions on the team roster and informing players and parents at the WSC on Tuesday, March 29, after the evaluation game.

Once the team is set I will formalize the Coaching Staff and Team Manager role... We will focus on team building activities. I want to organize activities such as a Team Weekend Retreat at Sherkston, Movie Nights, Swimming & Pizza Parties, and attending CSL games as a Team... We will have special guest coaches at practice from time-to-time... I am looking at a minimum three to four tournaments, one of which will be out-of-town...  To accomplish these things we will need to do fundraising (such as an M&M Barbeque) and I will look to parents to volunteer and organize fundraising... We welcome any and all ideas...

I’m sharing this information with you now so that all potential players and their parents will know what to expect of our coming season together. As well, to let you know that I am 100% committed to create a very strong team dynamic and that parents and players will be expected to support and elevate that spirit.

My hope is that we have a very fun and social summer getting to know each other while supporting each other throughout the soccer season. The collective team spirit and support within our U11 Welland Wizards is what will make our boys soccer experience memorable for years to come!  I hope to be coach of this group for a long time.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions... See you Wednesday night at Glendale!

Thanks,
Coach Jim

REMINDER - Family Day Try-out at WSC 6:00 - 7:30pm

See you tonight at the Club 6:00 - 7:30pm.  This is the last of the three Monday nights at the club with Coach Rob joining us. We will then continue Wednesday nights at Glendale School

Thanks
Coach Jim

A few videos for you... we will work on kicking and shooting
Lionel Messi Top 10 Goals
Carlos Tevez Compilation
How to fix your soccer shooting
How to shoot with power

Try-out Reminder - Tonight Glendale 6:00-7:30pm

See you tonight boys...

IMPORTANT NEW TRY-OUT INFO:
Parents and Players, please book Tuesday, March 29th from 6:00 - 7:00 pm, indoor at the Welland Soccer Club... Please arrive by 5:45 pm.  We have the Club to ourselves. Coach Marty and I will divide the players into two teams and we will have a full game-style scrimmage as the last step in the try-outs.  More details to follow....

Thanks
Coach Jim

Great Work Last NIght! C U Next Monday at WSC!

Boys, great work last night... Coach Marty and I are very pleased with the effort!

We now have 22 boys going for 14 or 15 spots - and it's EXCITING... Keep working hard to make sure Coach Marty and I have no easy decisions!

See you next Monday night at the WSC (6:00 - 7:30pm)...

In the meantime, enjoy these videos, Messi Free-Style, Ronaldinho Free-Style and Ronaldinho v Ronaldo... Did you notice in the Ronaldinho Free-Style video that he was playing Futsal?  Come out to Ridley College on Sundays (1:00-2:30 for $5.00!) if you can - it's a BLAST!!!

Thanks
Coach Jim

  The full Try-out Schedule (for Feb/March) is located on the left column of this blog.

Glendale School Wednesday - be there!

Hi players, it was a great try-out session last night at the Club... welcome to the new players that joined us! Coach Marty and I were very pleased with the effort and we hope you had as much fun as we did!

We are back at it tomorrow night 6:00-7:30 pm at Glendale School... as always please arrive early, and make sure you have your own water, and that you wear proper indoor soccer/running shoes, shin pads and WHITE shirts...

See you then!
Coach Jim

Confirming Next Try-out is Monday, Feb 7 at WSC

Hi all, to confirm, the next Try-out is this coming Monday, February 7 between 6:00-7:30 pm, indoor at the WSC. This will be the first of three indoor try-out sessions at the WSC (Feb 7, 14, 21). I am very grateful that Coaches Rob Lalama and Gerry D'Angelo, from the Club's Technical Department will be joining us at the dome.

As always, please ensure players have indoor soccer shoes, shin pads and wear WHITE SHIRTS (no club gear). Cost for dome rental is $5.00 per session, it would be appreciated if you could pay the $15.00 at the first session.

Note: These three sessions at WSC are in addition to our Wednesday Try-outs at Glendale.

SPECIAL REQUEST: Please send me an email to james.tober@ontario.ca , ranking by preference, which positions you would like to play (i.e. Forward, Midfield, Defender, Goal Keeper)... rank all four position groups. All players on this team will be encouraged to play all positions. Specifically for now though, we need to know who would like to play Keeper at some time. This does not mean a player will be "pigeon-holed" or "stuck" playing Keeper..Those interested in playing Keeper will get Keeper-specific traning from Coach Gerry and we will have the services of a Guest Goal Keeping Specialist Coach throughout the year... I need to receive your personal positional rankings no later than this Sunday morning.

Lastly, and NOT related to our team try-outs or the WSC, there is a Futsal pick-up program at Ridley College on Sundays between 1:00-3:00pm. The cost is $5.00 per session. There is no coaching or drills - but there is lots of music! The players that show up are divided into teams and play "to-the-beat" for fun. It's great exercise for the kids. Ronaldino has credited Futsal as a big part of the development of his ball controll skills! For more information call Clayton at 289-214-1414.

Thanks,
Coach Jim

TRY-OUT CANCELLED TONIGHT - WEATHER

Hi All, we must CANCEL TRY-OUTS TONIGHT as the DSBN has closed the schools and we can not get into Glendale.

See you next Monday, February 7 for the first of our three try-out sessions at the WSC.

Thanks
Coach Jim

Getting Ready for Try-outs - Week 2

Players and Parents, Coach Marty and I are very pleased with the turn-out last week and can hardly wait to get going again this Wednesday.

We had 18 Players at Glendale last Wednesday (with 3 letting me know they couldn't make it)... great attendance and interest!

As for the session itself, the energy level was through-the-roof!

Keep working hard boys... it's your job to make me and Coach Marty's job hard in selecting the team... so make every second count and do your best always, that's all we ask for...

See you in a couple of days... please make sure you wear proper indoor soccer/running shoes, shin pads and WHITE  shirts (no Club gear)... also, if you can't make it please let me know ahead of time with a quick email...

Thanks,
Coach Jim

Schedule for Try-outs Part 2 - Indoor Time at WSC

Hello Parents and Players,

We have confirmed three additional try-out times, indoor at the WSC as follows:

Dates: February 7, 14, 21 (Mondays)
Times: 6:00 - 7:30 pm

We will be sharing the dome with another team to split the costs. The cost for the indoor time is $169.50 for the 90 minutes x 3 sessions = $508.50 / 2 teams = 254.25 per team.  Parents, please budget $20.00 for these three sessions... I will have the exact amount after the 2nd session.

*Recap of Costs for Jan, Feb and March Try-out Sessions:
$30.00 per player (approx)-  includes the cost of 9 school gym rentals ($10.00) and 3 dome sessions (approx. $20.00).

As always, be sure to bring your own water and wear indoor soccer shoes/running shoes and shin gaurds. Please wear white shirts.  Try-out attendance expectations are outlined in the previous post.

Please let me know if you have any questions... see you at Glendale School this Wednesday!

Thanks
Coach Jim

Schedule for Try-outs - Glendale School Gym

Hi everyone, Try-outs will begin Wednesday, January 26 in the gym at Glendale Public School. We will have 9 sessions at the school as follows:

January 26, 
February 2, 9, 16, 23, 
March 2, 9, 23, 30 (i.e. every Wed. except March 16 for March Break).

Times: 6:00-7:30 pm

Be sure to bring your own water and wear indoor soccer shoes/running shoes and shin gaurds. Please wear white shirts... and be prepared to work hard and HAVE FUN!

The one-time cost per player for these 9 try-out sessions (to cover for the school gym rental) will be $10.00. We will collect the $10.00 at Glendale.  I am also working with other teams to get us a few sessions inside the dome. When those plans are finalized, I will give you the details, including shared cost for dome time. Any extra money we collect from our Glendale sessions will be used for dome time costs.

We are now entering the formal try-out stage. Team commitment and attendance will be a key part of the decision making process for the coaches. Coach Marty and I are preparing a player assessment and evaluation package which we will share with the players and parents so that you can understand what we are looking for in deciding on and developing our team.

See you next Wednesday (Jan. 26) at Glendale... Coach Marty and I can hardly wait to get started!

Thanks
Coach Jim

Team Development Sessions Cancelled - More to come!

By now I'm sure you have seen my email confirming that the Team Development Sessions, which were to start next Wednesday Jan 19, have been cancelled due to lack of enrollment (only 7 enrolled).

I am working on some other plans which will include a combination of try-outs in a school gym and in the dome at the WSC with another team.  As soon as I nail down the details I will send you an email update and update the blog.

Thanks

Coach Jim

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Hi everyone, let me take a few moments to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year ... with many U11 Wizards Wins!  ;-)

Also, a special thank you to all (players and parents) for your hard work, commitment, encouragement and support.  The success we will have in 2011 will come from all of our combined efforts!

As always, I found a few videos for you to enjoy until we start up again in January...

Video 1 is from the Pro Am Soccer Coaching / Coerver Coaching Essex Academy... I love this video because its shows kids working hard, and sometimes making mistakes too!  The ball skills we worked on in the fall are all in this vid... lots of difficult moves, but lots of simple small things as well... the most important to me is that you can see the kids working hard - no standing around, all paying attention and in line on their toes ready for their next turn... This is the type of pace and tempo our practices will have!

Video 2 is called FIFA World Cup 2002 - Top Ten Super Skills... check it out!  Not all moves turn into goals, but sometimes the moves are so good the defender has no choice but to commit a foul! ...again all the things we have worked on are in this video as well...

Also, I wanted to give you the link to the FIFA Ferenc Puskas Award nominees for the most beautiful goal of the year... This is why soccer is called the beautiful game!

It's not a secret that I'm a big Arsenal fan... check out this video of the Arsenal Goals of the Year!

Finally, the Best of Cristiano Ronaldo video seems to be everyone's favorite so I thought I would post it again.

So, have a great holiday and see you in 2011 at the indoor season ( I will be coaching a team with Coach Anthony Vadacchino), and at our Team Development Sessions... I'm looking forward to a great 2011 with the team!

PS. I was told it's NOT TO LATE to register for the Team Development Sessions... registrations will be accepted up to the week before the Sessions begin...

Coach Jim

Boys, pls read this article... something to think about!

Hi Boys, I found this article about Samir Nasri (a 23 year old Arsenal FC midfielder), and what he says about how he plays soccer and how he has grown as a player is very interesting... I find it inspiring and I hope you do as well... Here are a few quotes from the article:

"Sometimes it is just something in your head, you think you can do it, you manage it once or twice and then you say 'yes, it is possible'.

When I am in front of a goalkeeper, I am more relaxed now, before I felt too much pressure to score, I wanted it too much maybe.

Now I don't worry as much, I am more at ease with the game and I am not looking for goals, I am looking to work for the team.

If you feel like that, the opportunities come along naturally. I think more with my head - things are 90% in your head and everything else comes after that.

If you can see things earlier, you can anticipate the pass, the shot, everything like that."

 You see, the very best soccer players have a certain "magic"... they can visualize and they can anticipate where the ball will be and what they will do next with it...

So, when you hear me yelling: "ANTICIPATE WHERE THE BALL WILL BE", or "WHERE IS THE BALL GOING?" - this is what I'm taking about! ...This article is just something for you to read and think about...

BTW, Nasri was just voted as French Player of the Year for 2010...

Keep in touch...
Coach Jim

PS: 10 Days Till Christmas!!!!!

OFF-SEASON PROGRAM UPDATE: Team Development Sessions to start January 19, 2011

Hi Parents and Players, I'm excited to inform you that our Team's Off-Season Program will continue in January with formal Team Development Sessions.

The sessions, designed by the WSC's Technical Department (Coach Rob), are part of the Club's continued focus toward player and coaching development. This will be an 8 week program focusing on the team and our prospective players. All sessions will be indoor at the WSC and are scheduled from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. Cost is $100 per player for the 8 weeks.

Our sessions will be on Wednesdays, beginning January 19 and we are fortunate to be training with Coach Frank DeChellis and his U12 SRSL Team... our boys will benefit greatly from training with the older SRSL boys.

All participating players must register at the Welland Soccer Club, 469 Rice Road, Welland before December 21, 2010. Office hours: 2-9 pm Monday through Thursday. DEC 24 UPDATE: IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER! REGISTRATION OPEN UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE SESSIONS START.

The Team Development Sessions are not mandatory but are highly recommended if you are trying out for the team. The more opportunity each player has to train with the coaches prior to the selection of the team, allows the coaches to make a more informed player evaluation, and to ultimately make the best and right decisions for the team.

The Team Development Sessions are not try-outs. I will schedule formal final try-outs following the Team Development Sessions. The sessions are open to all Y2K boys who are serious about trying out for the team, so please invite your friends and give them my contact info!

Coach Jim

Coaching Certification Clinics in 2011

Hi Parents, some of you have expressed interest in acquiring coaching certifications.

GREAT NEWS!  I have learned that clinics are being hosted by Club Roma on Jan 15th and 22nd, and in Grimsby in March. 

I will be attending the sessions at Roma in January.  Please let me know (within the next few days) if you are interested and I will give you the info/help you get booked for the January clinics.

Thanks
Coach Jim

Registration for 2011 Winter Indoor Session

Hi Parents and Players,

Registration for the 2011 Winter Indoor Session is underway (Final Day to Register is December 11)... As you know I highly recommend signing up and playing if you can - the more touches the better! ... and invite your friends to join as well!!!!!!!

Click here for the link

Coach Jim 

Practice/Tryout: MOVED TO SATURDAY AGAIN

Hi Parents and Players,

As we did last week, we are moving practice to Saturday 2:00 - 3:30 pm (at our same Niagara College location).  Again the weather looks to be very wet Sunday but dry on Saturday... it will be cooler though, so dress appropriately...

Much of the practice plan will be the same as last week as I found a couple of the drills were very effective.  Players, as always spend time practicing your juggling, your step-overs, Cryuffs and roll-overs - we will continue to focus on these basic moves (over and over) so that they become second nature for you!

I can't stress enough that these skills are the BASICS and NECCESARY if you want to play TRAVEL SOCCER...

See you on Saturday...and remember, TOUCH THE BALL EVERYDAY!

Special Schedule Notice:
This will be our last practice/tryout for 2010.  We will take a December break and then resume our practice/tryout off-season program indoors in January... I will have more information on the when and where later.

Coach Jim