2009 Mike Getman Soccer Camp Schedule
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RECRUITING
THE STEPS TO TAKE
By Coach Getman
Your Junior year is when you need to be taking steps towards finding your place in College Soccer. Waiting for your senior year can be a mistake. This is because College Coaches are very busy in the fall. From August to December,
coaches are wrapped up in Preseason practice, then regular practice and
2 games per week. Travel every other week with the team leaves very
little time for recruiting travel. Most coaches will watch local
games, but very few will travel during the season to watch recruits
play. So coaches will need to see you before the fall of your senior year.
If you want coaches to watch you play, there are several things you need to do. First, contact the schools you are interested in as early as possible. Early Junior year is the best time to write or email coaches. Let them know who you are and why you would be a good fit with their team. Make sure to provide contact information for your current coaches and send a schedule of your upcoming games. If you have a video of one of your games, make a copy and send it to the schools you are most serious about. Highlight videos are great for Goalkeepers, but field players should send a full game.
Try to play where coaches can see you. There are plenty of tournaments that attract college coaches. Camps are also a good way to be seen. Attend camps where the coaches you would like to be seen by, are working. You and they will get to know each other very well. Training, eating, socializing, are all part of the camp experience. After a week of being together in a competitive environment, you will both know if it is a good fit.
Most High School students tend to procrastinate. Contacting coaches is a difficult thing to do. Find a way. Write letters, send emails, just do it. The sooner you make contact, the sooner the process can begin and the more likely you will end up at the school of your choice.
Read my step by step guide in the following newsletters and send in your questions. I will answer your questions and more in each edition.
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Question and Answer
by Coach Getman
What is the difference between Team Camp and the other sessions of Overnight Camp?
All of our sessions involve individual skill training in the mornings and small and large group games in the afternoon and evening. The team camp adds the focus of improving each players performance within the team. A little more emphasis is placed on helping the team improve overall performance.
In our Premier & Advanced Camps, the emphasis is clearly on individual improvement and individual success. Team Camp adds the element of playing within your team and learning your role within that team.
Email your questions. Coach Getman will choose one to answer in each NEWSLETTER. info@uabsoccercamp.com
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UAB Men's Division I Soccer
New Blazers Commit for 2009:
Please join us in welcoming our newest Blazers as we bring in six newcomers for the coming season. Reed Matte, the son of former Blazer, Frank Matte, is a
forward/defender from Birmingham, AL. Also from Birmingham is
defender, Hudson Jetton. Kofi Gyawu and Matt Nagler are forwards from Atlanta, GA. The class also includes two transfers, Bart Markel is a defender from Enterprise, AL who was a three-year starter at AUM, while midfielder/defender, Victor Sambade, comes to UAB from Universidade da Coruna just outside Madrid, Spain.
Four of these six young men are past campers at the Mike Getman Soccer Camp.
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How to Score More Goals from Crosses
by Coach Getman
There are many ways to score goals and many ways to build an attack. At the higher levels of soccer a great many chances come from crosses. Some teams build their whole attack around serving balls into the penalty box and battling for the ball in the air. The English and Irish National teams have challenged for the World Cup with this style. Even the Brazilians who are noted for their skillful ground attack, score a high percentage of their goals from crosses served into the box.
Yet the success of these teams is based on much more than just whacking the ball in the air and hoping someone can head it into the goal. There is a great deal of skill, timing and teamwork involved. Lets take a look at some of the details that go into creating scoring chances from wide positions. A player in a wide position in the attacking third of the field needs to do several things before he can successfully cross the ball. First, he must be able to look up to see where to pass the ball. Just kicking it anywhere may work once in a while but we need to make sure we have the best chance possible. Remember, a cross is nothing more than a long distance pass. So look up, see where your teammates are, then pass the ball. Your next to last touch should angle the ball towards the goal so that as you cross it, your body is already facing the direction you want to kick. Too many players allow the ball to roll parallel to the touch line and then try to cross while running full speed and having to pivot and kick across their body. Usually this results in the ball floating high over the end line.
The players waiting in the box can also help to make the cross more successful. By making runs to dangerous areas they can put themselves in a better position to score. The most dangerous spot on the field is about six yards from the goal and in line with the near post. A pass made to that spot from a wide position does not have to travel as far and thus will be more accurate. It also will arrive more quickly giving the goalkeeper less time to react. Thus the goalkeepers chances of making the save are very slim. The player making the run should start from an area near the far corner of the box and then sprint diagonally to a point six yards off the near post. This diagonal run will also keep the player in the flight path of the ball so that he can make contact whether it is in the air or on the ground.
The timing of the run is also very important. The player should not run until the player with the ball looks up to see what to do. Once he looks up he can see where you are running, and will know where to play the ball. This timing will also work out so you arrive at the near post at the same time as the ball. If you go early you will arrive before the ball and will either run past the post into a bad scoring angle or will have to stand and wait thus giving the defender a better chance of winning the ball. If you run too late you will meet the ball in the center of the goal where you may have to battle not only your defender but the sweeper and the goalkeeper as well.
While one player is making the run to the near post, another player needs to be at the far post. This player should wait until the ball is played and then go to the ball. This player should also start at the far corner of the penalty box and then react to where the ball is played. Too often this player drifts too close to the goal and the ball is played over his head. Hold your run at the top of the box and then react to where the ball is played. A pass to this player will have to be high enough to get over any defenders who might be standing in the middle of the box. Yet if it is lofted too high it will be easy for the keeper to catch. So try to drive this ball with some pace rather than floating it. Other attacking players will want to find other areas to run to. The next most dangerous spot is probably in the center of the goal just outside the penalty spot. The top of the box or just outside it is an area where a lot of balls are cleared so players may want to head to this area.
If we have players making these runs, coupled with enough skill that the crosser can look up and make the right pass, we will greatly increase our chances of scoring. There are many ways to score but even more ways to miss. Try practicing these runs and see if they increase your chances.
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Greetings! 