PERSPECTIVE CHECK (Part 1)

Are we creating a nation of players who can win but cannot play the game? Let’s take a look…

 Here we go again. It seems that we, as soccer coaches and educators, must teach each new generation of youth coaches about the overemphasis on winning in this country. One need not look farther than the U.S. Men’s National Team. As the “old guard” leaves we are having trouble filling spots.

For a country the size of the United States, the national pool is too small. In fact, most soccer-playing countries much smaller than the U.S. have larger pools of better players. The reason is simple – we continue to eliminate youth players from our soccer culture, making the potential national team pool smaller.

Winning is important. The lessons learned by winning and losing in sports last a lifetime. However, the goal of every youth coach should be to help young soccer players understand and enjoy the process of participation and to teach the skill necessary to succeed. When the pressure to win begins too early, the passion and the love for the game can be lost.

Perhaps former U.S. Men’s National Team captain Claudio Reyna says it best: “It’s possible at any time during a player’s career to get into top physical shape or to try to win every game! But you can’t teach skills to an old player. Youth coaches should keep in mind that individual skills need to be nurtured at an early age. Players who haven’t mastered the fundamental skills become frustrated because the game gets too difficult for them as they move into higher levels.”

The very nature of our soccer culture (and youth sports in general) produces more losers than winners. Emphasizing winning tournaments or leagues or being ranked first in the country sends a clear message: the rewards of playing soccer are extrinsic, not intrinsic. The players on the “losing teams” can suffer a loss of self-esteem. At the very least, the game no longer is fun. Youth soccer coaches must understand that the process is more important than the outcome and that the best outcome is not a Top 10 ranking at age 11.

A participation study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers of America shows that between ages 11 and 12 more than 2.5 million youth players quit playing soccer. An even larger exodus occurs between ages 17 and 18, when more than 4.5 million young people stop playing soccer. Certainly there will be a natural attrition. As boys and girls grow older there are more activities to choose from and more distractions, but the loss of that many youth players suggests problems for the growth of soccer in this country: The Elimination of Youth Players. 

Dear Reader: The ‘Two-Ways’ that we eliminate youth soccer players will be covered in (Part 2) and your comments on this subject are very much appreciated!

Your FUNdamental, Koach Karl

Karl Dewazien, Emeritus State Director of Coaching California Youth Soccer Association ... 1978 -2012

Author of the Internationally Published FUNdamental SOCCER Books Series

Producer of the highly acclaimed ‘9-Step Practice Routine’ DVD.

Internet/Clinician at www.fundamentalsoccer.com