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The Myth of Just Playing the Game of Soccer to Learn

think I can get you in the mindset of this article through an example. One day I was at the golf course and stopped by the driving range. I watched a 60 year old man "warming up" for his round of golf as I put my gear in place. He pulled out each of his clubs and took a few shots. His swing looked like that of many amateurs. Rather jerky, too quick and every ball would turn heavy to the right (slice) like it was running down a dead end hallway at the emergency room.

While I got my clubs ready I spoke to him with a few warm greetings. He called me "young man" and so in that line, I asked him how many years he had been playing. He replied, "I've been playing since I was 18 and love every minute of it." I asked him if he had ever taken lessons. He quickly blurted out, "Heck I am self taught and I think you learn the game from playing it, not on the driving range." Not being the sharpest tool in the shed, it wasn't until I did the math later that I realized this man had been hit the ball wrong for more than 42 years. If he played one round a week, that would be more than 8000 hours of "learning" that somehow simply slipped past him.

Why do I bring up this example? Because somewhere along the line someone made the "brilliant statement", kids don't learn by practicing soccer, they learn by playing the game. This attitude has transformed many inexperienced coaches and parents into thinking that just letting them play for years and years will somehow transform the novice soccer player into a Beckham. I also think that is often used as a crutch for soccer coaches that lack the knowledge they need to properly train players in the basics.

This became very apparent one day when I was watching a u-14 game. I saw that not one of the players could perform a straight kick. Then I quickly realized that many were still toe kicking the ball. Then after watching them "show off" their ball handling, dribbling and passing skills, I was simply shocked. Many of these kids had been playing soccer for over 6 years. Many of those had played two seasons per year. Suddenly I flashed back to the old man on the driving range and made the connection.

Two coaches were on the spectator's side with me. One was a high school coach from England and the other was an "A" certified level coach now working with a local travel team. They both looked at me and quietly said, "It's kind of like watching paint dry, isn't it?"

The sad reality of this? We have mature youth soccer players in the US that can't perform basic skills or have an understanding of what their body is doing. They don't understand soccer ball flight and how to control it during a game. These players have been playing and playing and playing, yet no one has ever stopped them from playing and made them learn. They haven't learned the basic skills, science, and mechanics so they simply can't improve what is broken.

Understand this important point. Youth players learn the game, creativity, and teamwork from playing the game. They don't refine basic and essential skills. What they bring to the field are muscle memories and habits that are created through specific training sessions and specialized reprogramming. Much of what they do on the field is simply an automatic reaction / habit / muscle memory. We have also found that overtime many of the GOOD habits and skills have a tendency to fade away if not practiced. This is why even professional soccer players always return to basics.

This was part of inspiration behind the video Blast The Ball. Instead of harping on a soccer player because they can't pass the ball "right" or far enough, we fail to look at the basic reason or cause behind this. If you think about it, they can't pass the soccer ball far enough or accurately because they are kicking the wrong way. Instead of trying to fix the "pass" we need to understand that a "pass" is a kick. Whether it is inside of the foot, outside of the foot, or a long angle kick a pass is a kick, not a pass.
Teaching basic kicking form and science to ALL players at ALL levels is a critical part of youth soccer coaching. Coaches will inherit many soccer players that have never been shown the basics. If you don't stop and teach them, they will continue down this path forever. They will become the "old life long player that never learned".
I have had the pleasure of working with many college level players and professional soccer players. People think this would be hard; however I love it the most. Younger youth players seem to view this information as "training time", but more mature players see it as valuable insight and information. You can see their eyes light up when they are shown the basic science and form of the soccer kick and ball flight. They openly admit that they were never shown most of this when they were younger and if they had been; they would a much better soccer player today.
It's funny how in many sports we break down each individual skill and action into its raw form and teach youth athletes how to train their bodies. Yet in soccer we have a tendency to just "let them play" and expect them to learn.
The sad reality? Many potentially great young players will struggle with basic skills because no one in their soccer career will ever stop them and have them examine the basics. These basics have so much to do with the game we all love yet we fail to understand them.
Do yourself and your players a favor. Stop what you are doing and start with step one. Explain to EVERY soccer player what their body is doing and how it affects ball flight. Help them understand the LITTLE things they do or need to do that will make them great all around players, not just good positional players. Show them a step by step method of how to improve not only at practice, but as home as well.

Coach V is a specialty kicking coach for many soccer teams. He works with players on all levels but most of his time is now spent with college and pro teams. You can find out more at www.BlastTheBall.com