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HOME SCHOOLING: HONING YOUR SKILLS ON YOUR OWN TIME

Tips for Getting Started
If you only remember one thing from these articles, remember this: let the game be the teacher. You’re not Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid or even Steve Sampson, so don’t take the game too seriously and remember to have fun. Don’t keep stopping your child when he or she is in the middle of a practice. Give them the ball and let them kick it—just be sure to safeguard those windows. Soccer is all about being creative and being able to experiment and practice skills that you can then take onto the pitch when playing in a game. Some of the greatest players in the world didn’t just create signature moves on the spot in the middle of the World Cup. It was only thanks to hours and hours of practice and no doubt getting it wrong a few times as well. Let your child have fun!

In addition, don’t keep stopping to correct faults. I had a strong debate with a parent who was worried that his child sometimes “toe punted” the ball. Even after explaining that one of Ronaldo’s goals for the Brazilian Men’s National team in the 2002 World Cup Final was a “toe punt,” the parent still wouldn’t accept that in the right circumstances a “toe punt” can be considered a skill. Remember that “skill” means doing the right technique at the right time.

You may also want to encourage your child to try new things with the ball, such as attempting to kick it off the outside and inside of their foot. Using the inner- or outer-sides of your cleats gives the ball that extra bend that has made English star David Beckham so popular. Try doing so with both feet, so not to limit yourself to just one foot during the game. Practicing a back pass with your heel can also prove very useful when passing to a teammate behind you.

As your child continues to practice these moves, be sure to praise them and provide plenty of compliments and encouragement. If after attempting some of these moves for just a few minutes proves too difficult, the child may quit, so parental support will go a long way in your child’s improvement. However, certain moves aren’t the only facets of soccer that need to be practiced.

Physical Literacy and Principles of Long-Term Athlete Development
We’ve all heard on the news the concerns in education of the need to develop a child’s literacy skills. Well, one of the biggest concerns in sport is the lack of physical literacy in children today. Physical literacy is about being able to jump rope, jog, run, catch, throw, strike an object, balance and show coordination and agility. Before you can be a soccer player, you need to be able to perform most of the key skills of physical literacy. That is why it’s important that we encourage children to have a healthy and active lifestyle and try to learn these skills by participating in active games rather than just playing computer games. Although interest in many sports has never been greater, parents play a crucial role in capitalizing on this interest by getting out in the backyard with their child and trying to recreate the skills they see on television.

Some simple activities you can do with your child include:
· Jump roping – Many boys may think that jump roping is just for girls. If so, show them a movie of Rocky Balboa in training and their minds will quickly change.

· Walking/Jogging/Running – Do you always really need to take the car, or could you walk or jog instead?

· Catching and throwing games – Children of any age can take part in these and they really help with hand-eye coordination.

· Striking – Simply use a tennis racquet to keep balancing a tennis ball. What does tennis have to do with soccer? This particular skill actually helps develop hand-eye coordination, balance and reflex—all of which are important attributes of a soccer player.

Improving Physical Literacy
The following guidelines should help you to improve your child’s physical literacy:
· You should practice three times each week for every game you play, which can include:
Formal club training nights // School P.E. // Playing in the backyard // Self-practice.

· The need to avoid overplay. This is of particular importance for elite performers and young participants whose bodies are still developing and so can be more susceptible to injury.

Parents need to look at the whole range of sporting activities that their child plays when trying to avoid overplay. For many children, soccer will be just one of a range of sports and so when planning a child’s schedule, take into account all the sports they are involved in and ensure that they receive adequate rest periods to allow their developing bodies to rest and recuperate.

Soccer players should have at least 10,000 touches of the ball before they are 16 so that they are comfortable with the ball and have developed confidence and skill. In an average youth game, some players may get less than 10 touches of the ball. While in training, when everyone should have a ball, the number of touches can reach the hundreds. This shows you the importance of training and practicing. In developing young players, the emphasis should be on development and improvement and should not be results driven.

Practice, practice, practice. It’s the sports phrase that is used nearly everyday on nearly every level in nearly every sport. While most people only see the televised games where huge stars make fantastic plays, what goes unnoticed are the hours and hours of practice and preparation that go into it. If you want to be like your favorite player during games, you need to be like your favorite player during practice as well.

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