I am a firm believer in what I have come to know as the "Legends" approach to soccer player development.  The philosophy was first made aware to me through a book by Andy Barney.  In his book, he expresses his realization of what it takes to be a great soccer player.  He looked at the legends of our sport and was able to boil their greatness down into one main common trait; deceptive and confident ball handling.  Look at the greats of yesteryear; Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane.  Look at the greats in our current time; Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, etc.  They are all incredibly confident with the ball and can CREATE opportunities for themselves and their teammates.  With this philosophy in mind, I have the firm belief that our younger age groups should be focused on this approach from U7 up through U10.  Once they have firm confidence with the ball, getting them to look up and choose a pass becomes second nature and not a forced coach requirement.

Our younger players should have a ball at their feet at least 80% of the time during training. This constant contact enables faster comprehension and avoids the boredom of standing in lines. Having fun equals enthusiasm, having enthusiasm equals hard work and effort, and having hard work and effort during training equals a faster developing soccer player.  read more ...