Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Published my daily blog from U.S. Soccer’s “C” license class in Florida:
Ephrata Youth Soccer Coach Rebecca Thatcher Murcia is writing a daily report on her experience at U.S. Soccer’s “C” license class in Bradenton, Fla. The long-time youth coach and children’s book author is in Florida after winning a scholarship from the Walt Chyzowych Memorial Fund, which provides financial aid to coaches interested in pursuing advanced training.
Day 9
I offered to write this blog because I got the impression – after talking to a few local coaches – that there were more rumors and myths floating around about the “C” license than there was solid information about it. Coaches seemed reluctant to try it because they had heard through the grape vine that the class was difficult.
I wanted to try to demystify the process of getting your “C” license and encourage all coaches to further their education.
I can’t, unfortunately, say whether I passed or failed right now. The results are sent out in the mail within six weeks. But whether I get the official piece of paper or not, I am forever changed as a coach. I am much better at seeing the game as a whole and seeing where – for example – the defense broke down or how the offense failed to build up. That’s not to see I’m fantastic at it.
On Tuesday morning, in the very last testing session, a skillful little boy with long blond hair unexpectedly broke through three defenders on the right wing. I was excited to see his skill and silently cheering him on when I heard the candidate who was running the session stop the play to point out that the little player had a much easier way for his team to maintain possession. I’m not saying I was wrong to cheer but the moment reminded me that I still have a lot to learn.
That being said I have learned so much about how to use fairly simple, small-sided games to teach tactical concepts such as group defending, changing the point of attach, and getting goalkeepers involved the attack.
I learned so much from the staff instructors who worked so hard to teach us the material and really gave us all the tools that we needed to pass. They were Delaware Youth Soccer Director of Coaching Lewis Atkinson, Quinnipiac University women’s coach Dave Clarke, and Jay Entlich, the coach of the Carolina State University women’s team.
We also had enthralling guest presenters such as Ruud Dokter, of the Dutch soccer federation; Jennifer Etnier, the author of Bring You’re A Game: A Young Athlete’s Guide to Mental Toughness; and Peter Mellor, a long-time high level goalkeeping coach.
Since I’m hoping to have gotten people excited to go for their “C” license, I’d like to wrap this up with some suggestions for future candidates.
–Take excellent notes. I thought I took good notes, but when I looked back through my notebook for hints on how to handle my final topic, “addressing the rhythm of possession and penetration,” I realized my notes on a previous session on “addressing the rhythm of possession and penetration,” were not very thorough. Try especially to write down their coaching points, or the corrections that show the coaches really understand the topic. At least write down the title of every practice session and the name of the person who presented it so you can talk to the right person when you get your final topic. And remember lots of pens.
–Take time to get in shape to play. Injured coaches get a pass. But everybody else is expected to participate to the best of their abilities.
–At least skim through the manual. I started reading it when I received the pdf by e-mail a few weeks before the course, but I only got to about page 30. If I had skimmed all the way through it I would have been aware of all the helpful information toward the end.
–Enjoy doing the pre-course assignment, especially if it’s been a long time since you received your “D” license. It gets you thinking about the kind of tactical practices you will be running in the course.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about your session planning. You don’t want to ask for the answers. But it’s fine to write a draft of your session and then ask the instructors what they think. We had a topic that said had the words “creating width” in it, and the instructors really wanted us to remember that it was about “creating” not just getting players wide artificially.
–Pack your coaching shirts with collars if you have them. It might sound a little picky, but there is a line on the evaluation sheet that asks appearance. So it’s nice if you can look the part.
–Be serious about listening to the instructions and being responsible about being ready on time and helpful. But also remember that it’s a wonderful time to enjoy the game of soccer and the company of new friends.
Day 8
I really can’t believe what a wonderful time I had during “finals” at the last full day of the “C” license course here in Bradenton, Florida. All the coaches had really done their homework and they presented sessions that were interesting, coherent, and strongly focused on the assigned topic. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day and all the candidates on my team were positive and excited for each other.
When I mentioned that I was nervous about running a session on using a game to targets to work on the rhythm of possession and penetration, one of my fellow candidates told me not to worry, that I would do fine and that everybody was pulling for me. That was the tenor of the day. We played in each other’s sessions, enjoyed the beautiful field and the great environment, and I think we really did not agonize too much about our instructor and his clipboard.
By the time my turn came, it was late in the day and some of the candidates were getting tired, but they stayed up beat and played eagerly and enthusiastically. We skipped the warmup phase in everybody’s session, both because everybody is warmed up and to save time. I set up my 4 versus 4 game to targets and it went very smoothly. Both teams were scoring by getting the ball to their target and back out again without losing possession. It was going so well I decided to make it harder and said that to get a point, the player who received the second pass had to dribble back into the target’s zone. I commented on some technical issues and explained the visual cues for a penetrating pass, such as the opening of the defense or the failure to pressure.
For my third phase, we played 5 versus 5 with keepers and a restraining line so that offsides would start about 18 yards in front of each goal. The third phase and the final game both went smoothly, although I feel as though I should have been a little more aggressive about jumping in and freezing the game and discussing a tactical issue that related to my tactic.
From talking to some “A” license candidates in the car on the way back to the hotel, it’s really important to do that, even if it’s just to show that the team did the right thing. But all week we have been hearing that we should coach within the flow of the game and during natural stoppages, and avoid freezing the game too much. So here’s hoping I did okay.
Tomorrow we have our last three candidates’ final sessions and then we pack up and go home. I plan to write a final installment of this blog, touching on some overall thoughts on the course. Thanks for reading.
Day 7
Sunday morning we finished all our practice coaching sessions and then met with our three coaches in the classroom to talk about the rest of the class. The coaches were positive but firm. They told us we need to work together as a team to help each other do well over the next 48 hours.
The final field exams begin Monday morning and end Tuesday morning. Although the coaches have gotten to know us all week and probably have some idea of our coaching skills by now, the system is that we have to perform in the final exam or we don’t get our “C” license. Those who are ruled “not ready” can choose to retest sometime in the next year; they don’t have to take the eight-day course all over again.
I ran my second practice coaching session Sunday and although it went pretty well, I did make a big mistake which I definitely need to avoid in my final. My topic was on helping a team learn when to be patient and play low pressure defense and when to put urgent pressure on the ball. I started out playing a 6 v 6 game where I would start the ball and, for example, put it in the air near one of the team’s goals. This, along with a bad touch, a soft pass, and few others, is a visual cue that a team should put urgent pressure on the ball.
It seemed to go well and a after a few minutes we expanded to the 7 v 7 game. A few minutes into the 7 v 7 game, a defender got beat by her opponent on the dribble, and nobody from her team stepped up to become the new pressuring defender. I stopped the game and started to explain about how players need to remember that the closest goalside player needs to step, and other players need to cover and balance the new pressuring defender. I finished the explanation and then started trying to move players around to show them how to fix their positions, but I had momentarily forgotten which team was going which way. One of the player’s pointed it out and I apologized and said let’s start again.
After the session I was a little mortified but the coach said I had done a good job with the exception of that mistake and my long introduction, in which I took a little bit too much time to introduce the concept of low versus high pressure defending. He also told me to be more deliberate in how I restarted the game after making a coaching point.
Sunday afternoon we had our oral exams, which sounds scarier that it really is. We were given topics to prepare 5-minute talks. We sat in a room with five other candidates and gave our short presentation. Mine, which was on time and speed, seemed to go smoothly. Tomorrow and Tuesday are the big days.
Day 6
U.S. Soccer tells “C” license candidates that they need to get in shape for the class because they will be playing soccer for between 3 and 5 hours a day. Much to the disappointment of some candidates who were looking forward to playing all day every day, the IMG Soccer Academy has been lending us teams so we don’t have to train either other all day.
Our coaches have told us not to complain because playing for 3 to 5 hours a day is very exhausting. Today I managed to find a nice middle ground. I jumped into a few games and probably played a total of 45 minutes, but I still had plenty of time to sit and watch the players play and the coaches coach.
We started the second round of practice coaching sessions and it was great to see that most of my fellow candidates were getting accustomed to the expectations and beginning to run training sessions comfortably in front of the other students and coaches. (Of course, some had no trouble in the first round, either.)
We are trying to learn to use all the tools, or styles, of coaching, including coaching in the flow of the game, coaching during a natural stoppage, coaching an individual player, and freezing the action. We are being evaluated on whether we can use the tools appropriately. For example, if Heather does something that is technically incorrect but fairly minor, we could say, during the flow of the game, “Heather, make sure you strike the center of the ball so is stays on the ground.”
If, for example, the topic is defense, we can encourage defensive organization during the flow of the game, but if the problem is severe, or there’s an especially teachable moment, then we can freeze the game to address the entire team. If our topic is defense, and the defending team gives up a goal, then we’d better know what went wrong and be able to talk to the team about it.
Although the class is intense and we’re cramming a lot into the eight days, there’s a lot of repetition and guidance.
Day 5
Friday my turn to practice coach finally came. My topic was on creating and finishing scoring chances. I was a little relieved when our coach, Jay Entlich, announced that we would be coaching each other instead of a team from the IMG Soccer Academy. Most of the coaches here are good players, and some of them are truly amazing. But it seems a little easier to jump on a mistake a fellow coach makes, than it might be to point out the mistakes of teenage girls who are complete strangers.
We need to describe the warm-up in our lesson plan, but in the interest of saving time, were just going straight to the second phase of the lesson plans, which is normally a small-sided game. Since I wanted to focus on creating and finishing chances, I had four players going to a big goal against a goalkeeper and two defenders, who were attacking small counter goals. I told the players that I wanted them to be creative and take risks, because we are practicing for being in the final third of the field. At first it was a shooting fest, with goals being scored right and left. I realized that I had maybe given the attacking team too much of a numerical advantage. But I encouraged the two defenders to step up and the shooting fest calmed down a little. Later I found out that it would have been fine just to add another defender, even though my lesson plan said four against two defenders and a goalkeeper. A few minutes into the initial activity, I was able catch a moment where an overlapping run was not made. I demonstrated the overlapping run I would have liked to see. I also noticed poor technique on a shot and was able to discuss better technique.
My coach indicated I should go ahead to the third phase of the lesson plan, which was seven against 6, with the seven attacking the big goal and the six defenders going to counter goals. I made two technical comments, about heading and using a dribbling move and a certain time, and we were on to the final game.
I was a little worried during the final game. Many of the other coaches come from countries where they grew up playing soccer. Others played in college. Their level of play is higher than I am used to coaching. I was trying to think of a tactical coaching point to make, related to creating and finishing scoring chances. Luckily a player uttered an annoyed sound after making a brilliant, curving, overlapping run, but didn’t get the pass. I stopped the practice for a moment to explain that often players need to make runs to draw defenders, and that they cannot expect that they will always get the ball.
Soon after I did that, my training session ended and it was time for the critique. I got credit for my technical comments and demonstrations. Our coach also liked the fact that I called a foul or two and gave the players restarts, although he faulted my failure to jump on the poor handling of the free kicks. The two main criticisms were that I had more field players on one team for the third phase than I did for the final phase, when the numbers should progress gradually upward. Also, it seemed as though I came down on the person who made the great overlapping run, instead of the person who failed to pass him the ball.
It felt great to get over the jitters of that first session, though I need to make sure I keep getting better over the next three days.
Day 4
When I told a coach friend that I was taking the “C” license course in Bradenton, Florida, in January, he told me that he had heard the January course was the hardest way to get the “C” license because the U.S. Soccer Federation closely supervises that course and has some of their most important coaches there.
I really cannot compare this class with any other, but at this point I have to agree with the IMG official who assured me that contrary to what my friend said, this is best “C” course to attend. On Thursday morning, Peter Mellor, who had a long and storied career as a goalkeeper in England before becoming a U.S. Soccer goalkeeper coach, gave a fantastic session on training goalkeepers. Despite being 65, Mellor was energetic and detailed, explaining giving us lots of ways to warm up and train goalkeepers.
Early in the session, the goalkeepers were asked to sprint a few steps forward as if they were going to pick up of a through ball. The goalkeepers were supposed to be on the balls of their feet, ready to run forward, but every time they practiced the exercise, they would step back before they went forward. That sort of became the mantra of the day, keeping the weight forward. A goalkeeper was found to repeatedly dive backward.
But Mellor provided a wealth of pointers and activities, beyond the basic idea of weight forward. We learned how to teach goalkeepers the footwork of getting back to parry or catch a chip. I think I wasn’t the only surprised coach when Mellor said to step over, sort of like a grape vine step, to get turned around and running backward while watching the ball. One coach wondered if Mellor really wanted the goalkeeper to cross his steps that way, since it seems as though crossing your feet is something we are always telling players to avoid. But Mellor assured us that that crossing step is definitely the way to get turned around the quickest.
After the keepers had been through a long and detailed warm up, they were thrown into a great finishing session run by Dave Clarke. The students were players from one of the IMG Soccer Academies younger boys team, so they made a few mistakes that Clarke was quick to exploit in order to help us learn about teaching finishing.
Clarke wanted the players to see how they could use finesse and technique to score, instead of the power shot that tends to be what we think of when we think of finishing.
My turn for practice coaching did not come on Thursday, so I’ll probably go Friday morning. Check back for the details on that.
Day 3
Today we learned just how focused and technical we are expected to be or order to pass the “C” license. A coach who was teaching a possession-related topic stopped a session after a player played a long ball completely off the field. He said the player was forced to make the long pass because there was a lack of movement.
Not good enough, said our instructor, Jay Entlich. The evaluators are looking for coaches who will tell the players where they should have gone and why, he said. “Movement,” is too general of a comment. Another coach asked a player where she should have gone, in what looked to be like a good example of using the Socratic method of teaching. That is also to be avoided here, we were told. The players know the answers, he said. The evaluators want to know if the candidates know the answer. Just tell the players where they should be, he said.
One of the candidates in my group ran such smooth, perfectly organized sessions that our teacher was almost at a loss to find anything to comment on. I looked down and his cleats and saw they were a little muddy, but for once I remembered to keep my mouth shut. (Appearance is one of the criteria listed on the grading sheet.)
Another candidate was assigned a topic having to do with width. He ran several activities that seemed to do a wonderful job addressing the issue of width, but when it was over, the hammer fell. The session was supposed to be on creating and exploiting width. The activities, which had involved target players and channels, automatically put the players in wide positions and thus did not address the idea of creating width.
At this point, I think I need to reread by assignments and make sure I am taking them as literally as possible.
What is great about this course is that each candidate gets two practice sessions, and a critique from two different teachers, before the final, graded session at the end of the week. It seems as though if we don’t know what to do by the end the week, we just haven’t been paying enough attention.
Day 2
When Quinnipiac University women’s coach Dave Clarke finished his session on combination play Tuesday afternoon my brain was over-flowing with great new ideas to teach my team. So much that I desperately wanted to rip a hole in the space-time continuum so I could run back to Pennsylvania and try what I learned before I forget it in the excitement of the rest of the week of the “C” license.
But as beautiful as the Gulf Coast of Florida is, it’s not Terra Nova and I need to just take good notes and remember as much as I can until I get back to Pennsylvania next week.
The emphasis in Clarke’s session on combination play was getting wide, playing the way you are facing and quickly laying balls off and making runs. For much of the session, players were not allowed to turn with the ball. He emphasized this point repeated in a low intensity warm-up, a small-sided activity, an expanded small-sided activity, and a full 7 v 7 game. It was exciting to see the play get quicker and the players increasingly master the skill as the session went on.
While Clarke’s session made my head feel a little as though it was going to explode, the other two field sessions, on group defending and possession, were not as mind boggling but still very beneficial. Columbus State women’s soccer coach Jay Entlich presented several great ideas for teaching team defending and Lewis Atkinson, the Delaware Youth Soccer director of coaching started the field sessions off with possession and penetration.
One of the points all the coaches are emphasizing is to avoid freezing the activity too often, because they want the coaches to learn to coach during the game, during a natural stoppage, on an individual basis, or during quick half-time breaks, rather than by freezing the game. Surprisingly, Tuesday in sunny Florida, we were all freezing even though we were told not to freeze. The temperature only dropped into the 50s, but the wind howled across the bay and right through as we stood out on the field and tried to take notes and hear what the coaches were saying.
Tomorrow I plan on dressing with a lot more layers as we get our first chance to show whether we have been paying attention during the past two days of instruction and are ready to make corrections that are on target, quick, and delivered at the right time and space. My topic is “Improving Your Team’s Ability to Create Scoring Chances.” I’ll be back with the details.
Day 1
Before I even write about the first day at the “C” license class in Florida, I want to talk about the pre-course homework. All “C” license candidates were asked to pick three tactical topics and run a short session focusing on that topic. We had to write detailed self-reviews of the session, explaining what we did and how we could have done it better. We were asked to consider whether our coaching points were well-conveyed and whether we stopped the practice at the appropriate times or whether we were able to make our points during the natural flow of the activities. This was a great exercise and something I would recommend to all coaches, whether they are trying to get their next license or not. The alternative pre-course assignment would have been even better, in terms of being forced to review your own performance. The alternative was to turn in a video of yourself teaching one the tactical topics.
I plan to do that. How many of us coaches have persuaded somebody to make a video recording of a practice session and then watched it with a more experienced coach? It would provide the more experienced coach with a great opportunity to comment and offer suggestions as the session is going on. I definitely plan to do that in the future, whether I pass the “C” license or not.
Speaking of which, one of the hot topics of the day was how to we pass the “C” license class? Nobody wants to go home with a “not ready.”
Our first lecturer, Dr. Lewis Atkinson, explained what seemed like a mind-boggling number of oral tests and field sessions that we will be expected to complete before the class ends in eight days. He said providing the wrong information, non-specific teaching, and vague jargon are some of the pitfalls that results in candidates getting the dreaded “not ready” rating.
Atkinson, the Delaware Youth Soccer Director of Coaching and a member of the Region 1 Soccer Hall of Fame, and Dave Clarke, the head coach of the Quinnipiac University women’s team, covered coaching methodology and reading the game during two first-day lectures that were well-delivered and entertaining.
Most of the candidates had woken up between 3 and 4 a.m. that day to fly to Florida, so the group as a little subdued by late on Monday evening. But there was nonetheless some good questions and dialogue as the course began.
The wind was blowing through the palm trees surrounding the parking lot of the beautiful IMG Campus as we found our way to our lodging for the night. It seemed as though nothing could stop me from having a good week.
