Seasons
News and Announcements
St Pats Soccer 06 finishes #1for the season.
Posted by Jeff Stiffler at Sep 3, 2006 5:00PM PDT
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St Patrick 5th-6th gradde reserve Soccer Team finishes #1 in Div 1.
and finished 3rd in tournaments.
GREAT JOB ST PATS.
The MC UNITED TEAM
Posted by Jeff Stiffler at Jan 3, 2005 4:00PM PST
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This is the MC United Team from Fall 02 / Spring 03.
GETTING BACK DEFENSIVELY
Posted by Jeff Stiffler at Mar 19, 2004 4:00PM PST
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Getting back defensively
When a defender is marking a player with the ball
and that player passes the ball, there is a
tendency to do one of two things. Either the
defender decides to chase the ball to wherever it
was passed OR they stop playing and relaxes with
the idea that their job is done.
Generally speaking, both of the above decisions
are the wrong ones. The reason players shouldn’t
automatically chase after the ball is that the
ball can travel much faster than the player so it
turns into a useless chase PLUS it frequently
results in the defender getting caught so far out
of position that not only can’t they put pressure on
the player with the ball, but they also can’t help
mark the player they just left. There are a few
occasions when following the pass defensively is
the right decision and those are usually when the
pass is an EXTREMELY short one and there is
defensive support behind but this situation is
much less frequent than defenders think. The
problem with the defender relaxing after his
player passes the ball is that it allows the
player he is marking to make a run to get behind
him and at that point, he is beat (for example, a
wall pass will beat this type of defender every
time).
As a general rule, the proper thing to do when a
player you are marking passes the ball is to get
back quickly. By doing this, it eliminates the
chances for success of a wall pass plus allows the
defender to provide support by becoming the second
or third defender.
Getting back defensively after a pass is hit is an
easy thing to do IF you remember to do it! This
is where communication becomes vital since players
behind the defender (keeper, sweeper or other
defenders) should be directing the defender what
to do as much as possible.
.
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP WHILE DRIBBLING..
Posted by Jeff Stiffler at Feb 28, 2004 4:00PM PST
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Today’s topic deals with keeping your head up
while dribbling.
One of the hardest things to do when dribbling is
to see the ball and also to see what is happening
around you. If you watch really good players it
looks like they don’t have to look at the ball
when they dribble and when you look at lower level
players it looks like they have to stare at the
ball when dribbling.
The reality is that even top players have to see
the ball when dribbling but the difference is they
know they can see the ball and also see the field
at the same time. The good news is that this is a
“skill” that can be worked on and improved.
Start with a soccer ball on the ground right in
front of your feet. Look straight ahead and see
if you see the ball at your feet. If you can,
that means you can dribble the ball while
looking straight ahead and still see the ball. If
you can’t see the ball while looking straight
ahead, then slowly lower your head (the key here
is to do so lower) until you can see the ball with
your peripheral vision. This is the point where
you will be able to look forward and also see the
ball.
Once you determine how far ahead you can see while
watching the ball at your feet, the next step is
to practice dribbling while keeping your head up
to the level where you can still see the ball.
This can be done by dribbling randomly in an area,
or dribbling around cones or really by doing any
type of dribbling you want. The more you
practice dribbling with your head up, the more you
realize how much you can see while also watching
the ball
Learning to see many things at the same time will
help you become a much better soccer player.
MARKING UP ON YOUR OPPONENTS!
Posted by Jeff Stiffler at Feb 17, 2004 4:00PM PST
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Marking on Opponent Players!
I went with a coach friend of mine (Mark Ryan) on Saturday evening after the Rapids game on 2/14/04.
Mark is a teacher, and has a student that plays soccer.
The student had been trying to get Mr. Ryan to watch one of his games. Mark had called me and asked if I would like to go. Of course I said why would I want to go watch a soccer game!
I guess it’s because I love the game.
As I watched, I noticed something that I have seen in our teams lately. They had a very young team, and were challenging a team that had some great skills.
The kids never looked upset, maybe a bit disappointed.
It is very hard being a coach that is just a spectator, because you want to start yelling and helping.
The problem I saw is a problem that the London Teams are having. We let our guard off of the opponent. There is the same amount of players from both teams out on the field. We must mark up on each player on the field. The keeper may be an exception and perhaps not if they are open and available to receive a back pass with no opposition.
We need to make sure that we keep ourselves close enough to the opposite team, so that they cannot receive the ball very easily. We must oppose them and not allow them to gain possession of the ball. A good team that can make and receive passes, only needs 3 to 4 feet to work in. If we stay close, and not allow them to receive the ball, we are doing great.
The team with the possession will usually win.
REMEMBER THIS: The player with the ball is the MOST DANGEROUS PLAYER ON THE FIELD.
THE PLAYER THEY CAN PASS TO IS THE NEXT MOST DANGEROUS PLAYER ON THE FIELD.
If we do not mark them close, the end result will be a GOAL for the other team.
The Team played very well for being a younger team.
They played a team that was very well trained, and organized. It will make them better players, and a better Team, to challenge teams like this, but we all have to remember not to let the other TEAMS PLAYERS OUT OF OUR SITE.
Great Job SWSA.
Coach Jeff Stiffler. London Soccer.
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