Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer

It is difficult to sometimes distinguish a successful teacher from a teacher who has little effect on the students. The best source for examining a teacher's value may be the students.
The Gates Foundation currently has a $335 million project in an effort to overhaul the personnel systems in various school districts. Statisticians began the effort last year by ranking teachers using a statistical method known as value added modeling, which calculates how much each teacher has helped students learn based on changes in test scores. It seems like a simple process but now they are looking for correlations between value added rankings and other measures of teacher effectiveness, especially student response. Their research has produced very clear results.
Students who reported "our class stays busy and doesn't waste time," were led by teachers with high value added scores.
Students also said, "We learn by correcting our mistakes," or "My teacher has several good ways to explain topics we cover in class."
Dr. Ronald Ferguson, a Harvard researcher who developed the questionnaire for the students reports,"Kids know effective teaching when they experience it."
Vicki Phillips, a director of education at the Gates Foundation also found that teachers who incessantly drill their students to prepare for standardized tests have a lower value-added learning gains than those who simply work their way methodically through key concepts of literacy and mathematics.
Soccer coaches who keep the players active and busy and allow players to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes, will have a much greater impact on a player's success and development. Players who are guided through training with high level questioning will have a greater understanding and tactical knowledge of the game of soccer.
If a soccer coach were to concern him or herself about winning rather than development at younger ages, are they pretty much the same as the teacher who practice for the test?
Parents talk to your children about their training. One night sit and observe a practice and look for the same qualities we want in our teachers. Letting the game grow within the child may take longer but the average player will show marked improvement.
I apologize for not keeping up with my blog but we are in the process of writing a Best Practices Handbook for Clubs in Eastern Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Philadelphia Union. This handbook will be written and compiled by former U17 National Coach and current Philadelphia Union Assistant Coach John Hackworth, Union Academy Director and former Scottish International Iain Munro, Former Cosmo, Philadelphia Atom, US International and adolescent counselor Bob Rigby and myself. We intend to make this a meaningful guide for parents, players and coaches. These will be strong suggestions to clubs to help make the soccer experience of every child worthwhile and fun. We will address the U6 rec players to the elite players. Hopefully, copies will be ready for distribution in the spring.

The following article was sent to me from Chris Wilson, a terrific coach working with the U12 Boys in the Lancaster/Harrisburg area.
 
Here is an article on one of the greatest American visionary coaches ever to live. He saw what was wrong with both youth and professional sport and made it his life's ambition to change it. Herb Brook's impact on our lives will never be forgotten;I believe in miracles, do you?

Background - The Herb Brooks Foundation In his later years, Herb Brooks applied his brilliant hockey mind to make sure that young players of all abilities developed their skills properly. Unfortunately, he was fighting an increasingly difficult battle. Youth leagues in North America often focus way too much on playing and winning games, rather than practicing and skill development. He spent years turning the tide toward a more sensible approach to the game and a reemphasis on fundamentals;and away from system hockey. In many youth hockey circles, however, Herb was swimming against the tide: The ratio of games to practices had long since gone off the rails. Children on many travel teams, for instance, play as many as three games for every practice, just about the opposite of what Herb recommended. He believed youth players should practice for four hours for every game. His rationale was that the most important skills for kids under 15;skating, edge control, stickhandling, passing, puck control at speed, starts, quickness, etc.;are not absorbed effectively in game environments. They take practice, and lots of it. Games, of course, are great fun, but Herb recognized that youngsters needed much more instruction. In Europe, the approach is vastly different, and in many ways, better. Coaches there stress fundamentals in skating, puck control with speed, and passing;an approach similar to Herb's. They also run dynamic, fast-moving, fun practices. Rather than waiting in line to skate around a cone and shoot on a goalie, Europeans often play small games;2-on-2 or 3-on-3. There is very little stationary time;the entire ice surface is used for the entire hour;and the results are impressive.

Herb embraced these ideas and sought to combine them with the best elements of North American hockey. When he died in a tragic car accident in August 2004, there was concern his cause would lose steam. Not a chance. Herb had inspired many people, and not just through his extraordinary coaching success. His emphasis on keeping hockey fun for everyone who wants to play resonated. Not long after his death, Herb's family, his son, Dan, his daughter, Kelly Brooks Paradise, and his cousin, Bill Weller, took up the mantle and created the Herb Brooks Foundation. They commissioned a small board of directors, and then got to work. The first step was a market analysis. Was there enough demand for a back-to-basics approach, such as the one Herb championed? The answer, not surprisingly, was an emphatic yes; and Herb's survivors had their mandate. They also discovered that many people in the hockey community were more than willing to donate their time and expertise to help, while others gave money.
 
In 2007, they opened the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., about 12 miles north of the Twin Cities. It started with four rinks. Today, it is a 12,500 square-foot complex with eight rinks and plans for two more outdoor refrigerated surfaces. The outdoor rinks were close to Herb's heart. He believed that young players excelled when they skated without supervision, for the pure fun of it, on frozen lakes and ponds. The outdoor rinks will give youngsters a chance to extend the winter (an admittedly odd wish for Minnesotans!). With the National Sports Center up and running, the Herb Brooks Foundation is able to focus on its mission: to grow hockey; to give kids a positive experience in the game; and to learn life lessons. Now, instead of simply helping the 400 to 500 youngsters who live and play in Blaine, the foundation is reaching out to the rest of the global hockey family. Board members spend time partnering with the business community, soliciting donations and commitments, all the while teaching the game the right way. The partners work to develop skilled players and strong, confident, healthy young people who respect the game and each other.

Reinvigorating Urban Hockey The Rink Rat Program is a shining star for the Herb Brooks Foundation. It provides inner-city children the opportunity to play hockey. Over the past two decades, while high school hockey flourished in suburban, and even rural Minnesota communities, it waned dramatically within city schools. At one point, only two urban programs fielded teams. The Rink Rat program is slowly but steadily reinvigorating the sport within The Cities; 10 urban middle schools now have youth hockey programs. It also sponsors programs at four community parks and in several junior high schools. In addition to learning the game, these youngsters are gaining important life lessons, just as Herb envisioned. They are also benefiting from tips they receive from Twin Cities-area university teams, such as Augsburg College. The Auggies skate with a group of youngsters every Wednesday, helping them with a broad range of skills, and of course, serving as mentors. Butch Johnson, a Northern Wisconsin businessman, HBF board member and friend of Herb's, plays an integral role in the Rink Rat Program. He sponsors no fewer than 100 city kids each summer at a hockey camp at his rink in Spooner, Wisc. In addition to hockey, the urban youngsters get a taste of some of the Northern Midwest's most beautiful countryside and woodlands. Children of military families are also eligible for special camp deals. The Herbie Heroes Program offers free hockey camp (also at Spooner) for these youngsters. And, because one parent may be overseas in the service, the program provides camp scholarships, financial assistance, equipment, rides and other help, when needed.

Well-rounded people Herb thought that young athletes should play different sports, rather than focus on one too soon. Playing hockey quickly becomes a chore for kids who give up everything else, and too many of them wind up quitting. Herb believed;and his supporters are legion;that off-seasons should be spent playing other sports or participating in other activities. In the first place, it's fun to try different activities. Moreover, participating in other sports usually hones abilities that transfer well to hockey;kids can improve by getting away from the game for a while. Additionally, absence makes the heart grow fonder; skaters are eager to play again after a few months away. Herb would have considered a week or so in the Wisconsin Northwoods as an ideal way to spend part of a summer vacation;with or without hockey. Yet another part of the Foundation's mission is to keep the game available to young people of all skill levels. As players get older, some programs weed out kids who aren't exceptional; they focus on those with the most potential. The Foundation is committed to providing competitive, organized hockey opportunities even for youngsters who love hockey, but may not be exceptional. As a result, kids get to continue playing a game they love. And who knows? It may produce a late bloomer every once in a while. As it grows, the Foundation manages numerous additional programs;golf tournaments, used equipment drives, sponsorship opportunities, etc. All are designed with Herb's ideas in mind: Improve the game; improve the players; increase their opportunities to play. Herb believed that these methods would develop excellent people. The results are bearing that out.

Chris Wilson 717-371-4679 chris.wilson@pennlegacy.org