soccer learning

the preliminary coaching course is a good one for me especially in understanding the laws of the game and the different drills that one can employ in improving the skill sets of any team. I felt frustrated some times as I played in hope league cos I only know how to pass the ball, let alone heading,dribbling. Some of us are only social players, do not have any background in soccer. I do not even understand the off-side rule very well or how decisions are taken in matches by referees, coaches etc.

It is nice to have a veteran local coach to instruct us who gives us interesting anecdotes of local football stories. I must admit though, the drills are a bit too much for me to take esp with the limited playing experience I have. There is the hope that I can contribute to the youths at my home as they engage soccer, maybe can bring in new insights. The course is just the start, there is still a long way to go. Thank God for helping me finish the course, it has been a 'xiong' one!

Some things I learn from the course:

-it is important to warm up but not merely with static ones, you need to incorporate dynamic stretching as well which incl sprinting, jumping, stretching of the thighs, legs. It is needed to loosen the muscles and increase blood temperature which leads to the body working hard to get more oxgen pumping, ready for match conditions, not for a usual jog

-the practicals are fantastic esp the small-sized groups which emphasize on training on specific drills that do not require eleven players to play. For a drill like defensive play, you can start with 1v1. The player passes the ball to the other and you start defending, played within a measured grid, can be 10X10m. The posture, positioning, pressuring and patience is needed. Slowly, the play can be improvised to 2v2 or 3v3. Two players defend while the third one provides balance.

-There are questions that we had to answer during the test which I think is relevant to understand the game better. Here are some:

>What to do if you have 10 mins to go and you are leading 1-0 in an important game?

>How do you tackle with 2 strong forwards who can be intimidating to your team?

>What are the roles of a defensive/offensive mid-fielder/assistant coach?

For more info, you can refer to http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html for the laws of the game. I find the offside explanation especially useful. It is not necessarily an offence for a player if he is in an offside position. It depends if the person interferes with play or an opponent or gaining an advantage by being in that position. In other words, at first instance, you cannot outrightly declare the player to be offside. It depends on the game action that is taking place, the ball could be passed to a winger who is supporting the attack. The initial play is not counted. A new play has taken place. There is also no offside from a throw-in, corner kick, goal kick but not for a free kick.

Definition:

A player is an offside position when he is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.

Highlights from the warm-up of a youth squad we saw during the first day