Held my first outdoor practice tonight. Nothing like that first session as the evenings get brighter. My clipboard in hand, my whistle around my neck, trying to beat my record for keepy-uppies as the school groundsman watched on from his tractor. This is what sport is about. Me showing off and him being impressed.
Of course, I got there two hours early to lay out my cones and to line up the balls just so. Everything looked great until the kids came along. Two cones knocked over in the first 30 seconds by the sloppy buffoons. The best laid plans etc…
I took that opportunity to lay down the law. I made the kids run laps of the field until they whined. Then I reminded them they weren't U-9s anymore. U-10s is a whole new ball game. Just to reinforce who was boss, I had them practice throw-ins for 15 minutes. We may lose some games but we won’t be out-run and we won’t give away foul throws. You can keep your beautiful game, that’s the cornerstone of my soccer philosophy. Fitness and fundamentals! I let them have the ball then for a bit. Not too much though. Want to keep them hungry for Saturday.
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