The Second Secret Behind Coach Sumser’s Success: “I showed up at their plays and performances.”
Last week I introduced you to Chas Sumser, the “no-cut” coach, formerly of the Loudon Vipers boys team and then the Leesburg FC Avalanche girls team. Both teams he agreed to take on at the request neighboring children who asked him to ‘please coach my team’. Perhaps Chas was just being a good neighbor. He […]
Is Comparison Stealing the Potential from Our Kids?
There’s so much pressure to be the star player out there. The best, the most, the fastest, the biggest, the strongest. While encouraging kids to reach their potential is important – and what parents, coaches and teachers have done since the beginning of time – I think we may have lost our way a bit […]
If Coach is in Charge of Player Development, Who is in Charge of Coach Development?
We pour, time, energy, heart and money into developing our kids, but what about their coach? In my last post I suggested beginning with the end in mind so you know the way to the finish line for your athlete. Expect a good coach to clearly define the steps to progress your child and what achievement looks […]
US Soccer Has a Player Development Problem: Julie Foudy offers new/old perspective
What if the best way to get your kid on the U.S. National Team was to not attend their games? Or allow them to quit soccer for a season or two on a whim? Both of these techniques worked for Julie Foudy, one of the most capped U.S. players in history (271) and a leading […]
Playing Up: Is developing their skills worth giving up our win?
Cat was her name; she was the ringer on my daughter’s U9 travel team. It was the spring season and they had been a miserable failure (in soccer terms) in the fall. When Cat joined the team mid-year, things had started looking up. This girl was small but fast. And was she ever good. She […]
If you do player development, you better know child development
When we watch our children learning to play sports, it can be difficult to remember that they are children. We sometimes expect more from them than their chronological age and physical and emotional maturity will allow. Here are some age group behavioral guidelines: Beginners* 6-8: easily distracted, egocentric, cluster, easily fatigued, love movement, need clear […]