Over the past weekend video footage was shot for a new DVD that US Youth Soccer will release in February. The DVD is on basic ball skills for the Under-6 to the Under-14 age groups. The coaches featured in the DVD are Rick Meana, Director of Coaching for the New Jersey Youth Soccer Association, Brian Pitts, Director of Coaching for the South Dakota Youth Soccer Association, John Thomas, Assistant Director of Coaching Education for US Youth Soccer and Karla Thompson, Director of Soccer Operations for the Arizona Fury.
Mother Nature smiled on us as the rain stayed away and highs in only the 80s prevailed. A great group of kids worked really hard to get onto film visual examples of techniques that must be the base to playing soccer. Some of the skills filmed were deflections, chip pass, heading to score, dribbling, receiving, tackling and more. Basic movements for Under-6 and Under-8 were also filmed. These physical movements are the foundations to refined ball skills in latter years. Some of the movements that will be in the DVD are balance, hopping, jumping and agility and again many more are demonstrated.
The DVD will show each skill in regular speed, then in slow motion, then in regular speed again and all from three different camera angles. A game clip from teenaged players will show how the skill will develop over the years and be used in matches. Following the game clip will be an activity that a coach could conduct in a training session to bring out that particular skill in the players.
The US Youth Soccer Recreation Committee, the Coaching Committee and the coaches who worked on the DVD feel the product will be useful to many coaches across the United States. In fact they think the DVD can help not only the novice coach but also the coach who has grown up playing the game and can demonstrate the skills, but may not know how to break them down in order to teach them to someone else.
An extensive technical manual has also been written with all of the coaching points for each skill along with the diagrams and details on each training activity. The DVD will first go on public sale at the 2008 US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop in Pittsburg on February 8, 2008.
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