...ellness to World Cup and LTPD
Sample practice activites: Follow the leader, Making friends with the ball, Nuts and Squirrels and Chain soccer
Feature Article
by Sylvie Beliveau
LTPD Manager
Canadian Soccer Association
Why are the changes in soccer (LTPD) beneficial for children aged 8 and under?
“The changes in soccer (LTPD), aim at giving the game back to the kids by placing them in the center of their development and the learning process.”
"Get rid of it! Kick it out! Kick it away!" all that screaming by adults under the pressure to win games does not have a place in soccer (LTPD). For too long, this was exactly how we valued the work done by the volunteer coaches who devote time and energy to the game and how we position success for the players developing. Imagine how beneficial it would be to play without this fear of being screamed at and with the freedom of the streets that has been lost.
In today`s world, where kids have stopped playing outside, it has become more important to educate the adults (coaches and parents) in how to structure the environment and the changes in soccer. As the early experiences in soccer are nowadays organized, supervised and coached, LTPD provides the necessary information to reach our goal, to provide a game for the kids rather than the adults.
Before the age of 8, kids play soccer to have fun; they have yet to fall in love with the game. And before they can play the game, they need to develop the skills.
The changes provided by LTPD make us understand it is crucial to teach children of the early stages (4 to 8 years old) the proper fundamentals to develop and to enjoy sports all lifelong. In addition to learning how to run, jump, throw, catch, roll, kick, they also need to learn to solve game problems and the only way is to encourage children to express themselves. This is only possible if kids play fearless and allow themselves to control the ball, play with it and run with it.
As Thomas J. Watson was saying:
“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s really quite simple. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success, but it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember, that’s where you will find success.”
Smart kicking starts with a touch.
In soccer, we must be able to select relevant information and appropriately process it to build an appropriate motor response.
Our action must support what we choose in relation with what we see.
The notion of trying to accomp...
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