Commentary
TCM Survey: Youth soccer players who don’t practice at home are more likely to quit
Results from The Coaching Manual's survey.
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All Commentary Articles
Hummer: Addiction to GotSoccer stifling youth soccer progress
If you are involved in youth soccer and value team rankings in any way, you are an accomplice in killing the future of our game. For the sake of our children, I’m begging you to quit. Rankings are like an addiction, and in this case, GotSoccer is the drug.
Hummer: U.S. World Cup miss makes best case yet for Promotion – Relegation need in Major League Soccer
If ever a case was made for finding a better way to teach American players how to compete with everything on the line no matter what level of opponent or circumstance, Tuesday night’s loss by the U.S. Men’s National Team to Trinidad and Tobago was it.
Seeing the Light: Coaches from other sports find value in recruiting soccer players
Longtime soccer coach and SoccerWire.com columnist Joe Dougherty explains why the physical and mental skills developed through soccer often help some of the world's best athletes in their pursuits of other sports. But don't worry about a sudden rush from the soccer pitch to the gridiron or basketball court. Ultimately, the fact that coaches from other sports make a point of recruiting soccer players is a complement to the Beautiful Game.
Dougherty: Doing the Right Thing in a World of the Professional Foul
There are certain moments in a youth soccer coach’s life when you can make a significant difference in a young person’s life, the kind of difference that the youngster will look back upon years later and realize it significantly affected her life. Unfortunately, coaches are not given a script in advance to know when that moment will arrive.
Blank: NCAA recruiting dead period gives coaches much-needed break
Longtime University of Georgia women's soccer coach and best-selling author Dan Blank gives his take on the new women's soccer recruiting 'dead period' implemented by the NCAA, disallowing recruiting during the window of December 15 – January 5 on an annual basis going forward.
Dougherty: Bringing the Playground to Game Day
Arrive early at just about any U17 boys team practice, and you’ll see a handful of kids goofing off in front of the net, trying crazy bicycle kicks, bending shots from impossible angles, and juggling the ball with each other before attempting shots one would never see in a game. On Saturday, Mario Mandzukic of Italian Series A side Juventus netted one of those straight-from-the-training-ground goals -- and during the Champions League final, arguably the most important club game in the world. Mandzukic’s bicycle kick goal will certainly be considered one of the greatest in Champions League Final history, and deservedly so. It provides the combination of team chemistry and individual brilliance that are necessary for a goal to be given such an honor. The goal provides a number of lessons for young players and coaches.
Dougherty: Unlucky? No, you simply messed up.
SoccerWire.com columnist and longtime youth coach Joe Dougherty discusses the importance of honest and instructive feedback from coaches to players, and why "bad luck" on the field is most often attributable to poor technique.
