National Soccer Academy

The game of soccer has been described as a simple game, a beautiful game, a game of strength, speed and finesse. A game of creativity and problem solving. Much effort has been spent on developing players’ technique, strength and speed; however, creativity and problem solving, receive the least amount of attention.

Creativity in soccer is the ability to solve technical and tactical problems in the most efficient manner. A creative player is able to do the unexpected at the most opportune time. In soccer jargon, it might be called “magic.” Problem solving is the ability to interpret multiple incoming stimuli and select the most appropriate solution. When it comes to playing the game, coaches instruct young players when and where to pass, dribble, shoot, or position themselves on the field, consequently not providing much chance to solve problems. Even though small-sided games have gained acceptance as an appropriate component of a youth soccer practice, we still see strong evidence of the drill mentality.

How an individual acquires these skills is a combination of individual characteristics and environmental conditioning and development. It is believed in most sports, soccer included, that our best players may come out of an urban environment or that they need to be underprivileged in some way. Perhaps these individuals at a very early age learn how to solve problems and develop creative solutions just to survive, and as a result, their ability to “survive” through problem solving is transferred onto the soccer field. Although this certainly has merit, it also ignores a majority of the present soccer playing population.

The real issue is not so much the childhood environment, but the playing environment that young players are exposed to. Just as we improve ball handling ability through dynamic practice repetition, we can improve problem solving ability through a training setting in which players have multiple opportunities to scheme, create, and figure out activity solutions. As an example, if young players aged 5-9 play 4 versus 4 without goalkeepers, the player who recognizes an opportunity to shoot from 20 yards out has just extended his field of vision and was able to quickly respond to a penetrating channel on the field.

If we played with goalkeepers, the opportunity and therefore ability to recognize this particular shot or field of vision is not created. We also use game/activities such as a variety of ball chasing and freeze tag type of games with young children so that they develop a certain way of thinking that has implications for the game.

The development of a young soccer player takes time. All aspects of the game are at work all the time, nothing happens in isolation. The physical, psychological, and emotional domains continuously interact in every practice activity. The difficulty we have seen with youth soccer practices is that they are too scripted and comprised of static, mindless types of “drills.” Slalom dribbling through a series of cones in a straight line is a prime example. What game problems are solved, and what psychological/ motivational aspects of the game are addressed?

When we examine the thought process in motor skill development action is always preceded by thought or some process of interpreting stimuli. In soccer, players receive countless amounts of environmental information. Individual movement, teammate movements, opponent movements, ball movement, coach instructions, parent/fan instructions, etc., are received by every player.

How players handle and process this information, which at times could be called, information overload, plays a critical role in the decision making process. Information is first received via a stimulus identification stage, followed by response selection stage in which relevant information is selected and sent to a response programming stage. The response programming stage organizes this information into a specific plan of action, which is then sent onto the motor program stage for execution. What coaches need to understand is that all of this information is received simultaneously, but the resulting actions are serial in nature meaning that in the early stages of skill development, performing multiple tasks at the same time is very difficult. In addition, the age and maturity level of players affects their information processing ability, as well as their comfort level and sense of maturity within the training session.
Younger players, aged 5-9, for example, have a limited field of vision, motor control, spatial awareness, knowledge of rules, etc., than players aged 10 or older. Therefore, we need to provide a game structure that is appropriate for the age in terms of matching the players’ ability to process relevant information better. In short, the need for small-sided games and a variety of game/activities is critical for the beginning player. Additionally, we need to realize that it is difficult for a child, or any player for that matter, to be creative when being yelled at.

Memory is another component. When someone has to “think” about doing something, i.e. making a decision, a great deal of time is needed. Time in soccer is a precious commodity. Thus the task of the coach and player is to develop skills and decision making abilities that are more or less automatic, without a high degree of conscious thought.

Essentially, we need to develop positive tendencies that are automatic. To arrive at the level of “automatic pilot,” a player needs to move through three distinct stages: a) verbal cognitive stage, in which a player has a basic understanding of what he/she is trying to accomplish; b) the motor stage, where the various motor programs and abilities are developed; and c) the autonomous stage, in which we perform certain movements without thought.

The soccer coach needs to be familiar with this motor program concept from the standpoint that each movement in soccer is singular, but yet, never completely new. What this means is that every movement produced is, to some degree, a variation of previous movements. In soccer, there are an unlimited number of movements, responses, and decisions. However, when practice exercises are presented in which the player repeats a movement at the same distance and speed, through several repetitions, the effectiveness of learning is questionable.

Therefore, the effectiveness of “passing drills” that are at a fixed distance, or slalom dribbling through cones should be seriously questioned. If we want to improve a player s passing ability to a target, then each passing trial should be different from the previous one. An example is using what is called variable practice. With variable practice, each trial is conducted within a range of predetermined distance. Instead of two players passing back and forth from a distance of fifteen yards, they should pass and move within this distance, making one pass at a five-yard distance, then another at 10, then three, followed by 12 or 15 yards, etc. In this way, although it may not look as structured and effective as the common one- or two-touch passing at a fixed distance, the ability of a player to reconstruct the needed motor program during match play would be stronger. Essentially, rote memory (rehearsal), does not provide the player a better opportunity to understand and execute match demands, Variable practice does.

The purpose of practice is to create an environment so that what is practiced transfers into the game. We measure learning from what we see in the game performance. However, how many times has a coach watched a game, only to say to an assistant or players on the bench, When did we practice that? Obviously referring to a play that was not, in his/her mind, practiced. The problem may arise from a common notion, that if we repeat a movement continuously until it meets a certain level of performance, also known as blocked practice, it then appears as if the player has learned the movement. The coach and players leave practice happy, only to find that the transfer of the movement into the game may be minimal. Research has demonstrated that practicing a criterion skill in a blocked, or an unvarying practice format does not enhance the learning process.

A random practice format in which the player performs different movements in a random fashion, is more effective in the actual retention, learning, and transfer of that movement task. Earlier we discussed the aspect of the production of motor programs. Each time an individual is presented the opportunity to reconstruct a particular motor program, it is strengthened. The player is presented a situation where they must perform a technical movement from a range of alternatives. This process is effective because it more actively engages the player. Repeating a movement without variation of change does not provide the depth of learning as with random practice. Although functional training is not recommended for young players, game-activities and small-sided games are strongly encouraged.

Game-activities and small-sided games have been increasingly used (but not enough) in youth practices for their fun, social interaction, increased ball touches, and decision making opportunities. However, in my opinion, the motor learning research on the effectiveness of random practice on skill acquisition, clearly reinforces the need for young players to learn the game through game-activities and small-sided games. Drills may look good, organized, and give the coach a sense of control, but they are truly not an effective practice activity. Drills in this sense are a practice structure in which players are repeating the same movement over and over without variation, usually in some form of line, and involves a degree of waiting for your turn. Game-activities, on the other hand, engage all players, allow for a wide range of ability levels, allow for the opportunity to practice a variety of movement tasks, and engage the body and mind more completely.

Coaches must realize that the mind does not disengage when the body engages. If we want players to become better decision makers, thereby improving playing performance, then decision making and production of motor programs, must not be exclusive.

From the perspective of player development, we must embrace the viewpoint that growth is a process. Players do not develop in just one season; it takes several years. Unfortunately, many young players are either selected out, or drop out at too early an age, largely because playing is no longer enjoyable. Players need to play fast, think fast, and act fast, but in order to develop these fast players, we need to maintain their interest in the game. Speed is relative. In our fast pace society, in order to develop the brilliant player, we need to slow down in order to go further.

References:
Quinn, R.W., (1991).
The Peak Performance:
Soccer Games for Player Development.
QSM Consultants, P.O. Box 15176,
Cincinnati, OH 45215.

Torbert, M., (1982).
Secrets to Success in Sport & Play.
Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Schmidt, R.A., (1991).
Motor Learning and Performance:
From Principles to Practice.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.