10/19/2017
Coaches,
Please check out this brief (3:47) video and share it with the parents of the players within your respective team/s. It was created by Paul Mairs and Richard Shaw, co-authors of Coaching Outside the Box: Changing the Mindset in Youth Soccer, to engage parents in understanding the rationale of why we look to facilitate experiential learning for youth players relating to various positions within the team. Playing various positions allows for children to “develop and unlock their potential, gain insight of the demands of each position, and build overall game intelligence.” It is unfortunate that so many young players are forced to play within the same positions week after week for this will lead to failure in developing important adaptation skills that will be needed at higher levels of the game, particularly during the teenage years.
World-renown coach Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United touches upon this. “They don’t need to specialize at a young age. They need to go through all the situations.”
Claudio Reyna, Director of Football Operations at New York City FC and former U.S. National Team captain described the following. “A lot of teams always play their best players in the center of the field, but I played in central midfield, defensive midfield, on the right, on the left, on the wings, and in the front line. The inclination of our coaches to always put their ‘stars’ in the middle is one reason why our country has a problem finding talented players. It also explains why a lot of young stars fade when they hit a higher level. Only accustomed to PLAYING IN ONE POSITION they can’t adjust to another position, and their careers come to an early end.”
Please continue to provide these growth opportunities to the youth players within our club!
Regards,
Coach Lou Mignone
Director of Coaching and Player Development
West Orange United FC
Jose Mourinho and Claudio Reyna provide their insight in this short video which discusses the importance of young players experiencing the different position...
