Welcome to Edition #36 of the World of Soccer Newsletter.

This month, we have a larger slate of articles than usual.

Having just returned from San Francisco State University we talk about that in the Boot Room.. The coaches attending the course there might have thought it was Boot Camp - not Boot Room - by the time the week was through.  Click here to read "San Francisco State University"

A small package of books arrived at our office around a week ago. Soccer for Thinkers, by Malcolm Allison, has been recently re-launched. We are letting the first books go at exactly what it cost us - on a first-come, first-served basis.  Click here to read "Soccer for the Thinkers".

Soccer Fitness and Soccer Injuries go hand-in-hand. Marc Rizzardo tells us why and what we as coaches, can start doing to prevent injuries. Click here to read "Mechanism of Injury Onset".

In the Practice Section this month we have Big Shots and Little Shots doing much of the same thing - trying to score goals.  Click here to read "Big Shot".

And finally, if you are still thinking about a residential summer soccer camp, we have one for you where we can guarantee the quality and provide a unique experience. And while the kids are thinking and sleeping soccer, it could provide a great opportunity for Mom and Dad to explore Vancouver Island in Beautiful British Columbia.  Click here to read "A Unique Soccer Camp Experience".

Welcome to the May /June issue of the Byte Size Coaching newsletter.

This month we look at the very real problem of over play and abuse of young soccer players. Soccer America featured an article from the Washington Post about what was happening in Virginia and we received a letter from a very experienced coach in British Columbia the very same problem. How do we avoid overplaying when young players are doing the utmost to gain a college scholarship? Read the article and other comments.  Click here to read "The Overuse & Abuse of Youth Soccer Players." 

Some of our Byte Size Coaching graduates are moving into 11 vs. 11 play and all that brings. We are adding several segments to the U13 to U18 program to help them make that transition from small-sided play to the 11 v 11 game. If you don't have access to the Byte Size Coaching program, not to worry! The same information we are putting into the Byte Size Coaching program will also be converted into a new book called "Systems of Play and All That Neat Stuff!" It is aimed specifically at the volunteer parent coach and it simplifies what sometimes appears to be a complex situation. But it needn't be.  Click here to read "Byte Size Coaching Comes of Age."

As a subscriber to Soccer America I receive at the least one electronic update each day of events around the soccer world and the United States, in particular. I find it a really valuable source of information. The thing that struck me in the recent electronic newsletters was a banner ad saying, "World class players are being developed via the USL." I think they are right.

The United Soccer League is doing a tremendous job in giving opportunity for promising players to climb the ladder of success. As a result their program is helping players to gain college opportunities, professional opportunities and national team recognition. What I can't understand at this stage is why the MLS has not developed a closer working relationship with the USL. It doesn't seem to make sense to me. Read more about it, click here to read "The United Soccer League to Produce World-Class Players?"

This month we have received a number of letters surrounding the topics of recent newsletters. Is soccer in the United States and in Canada only for the privileged? We asked that question last month and we had some interesting responses. So this month we are starting a Letters to the Editor section.  Click here to read "Letters to the Editor." 

If you agree, and in particular, if you disagree with anything we say, please let us know. Soccer is a game of opinions and we welcome yours.

Tony

Welcome to Edition #35 of the World of Soccer Newsletter.

Something a bit different in the World of Soccer Newsletter this month.

We have two guest writers each giving a very different perspective on the game.

A couple of newsletters ago we featured Malcolm Allison, the outstanding English coach of the 60’s and 70’s. I told you about his book, Soccer for Thinkers. Well, one landed on my desk last week and the book is once more, back in circulation. We review the contents.  Click here to read Soccer for the Thinker."

Marc Rizzardo is a very accomplished and experienced soccer coach, but it is his other area of expertise, that of a Sports Physiotherapist, that has taken him into our Practice Section. He has some really good advise for soccer coaches, who are not experts on soccer injuries – like myself.  Click here to read "Are Coaches Placing their Players at Risk?"

In the Boot Room, we take a look at another colorful soccer character, Bruce Grobbelaar, and how he came to the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1979 by a very circuitous route. Click here to read "Bruce Grobbelaar"

David Cooper, President of ITSportsNet, an online registration and club and league management company, has some incredibly interesting statistics based on the ITSportsNet registrations by age-group over a 5-year period. Do teenagers drop out of soccer in alarming numbers? We all tend to think they do. David’s figures suggest otherwise.  Click here to read "Do Teenagers Drop out of Soccer?"

Hope you enjoy and please let us know your comment.

Welcome to the April issue of the Byte Size Coaching newsletter.

This month we continue where we left off last month with one of the controversial areas of the game - heading. Dr. Carl Shearer sent me an Email after the March newsletter saying that he thought I was spot on. I felt quite flattered as he is an expert in this area and I am not. So I asked him if he would write something for this month's edition - and he has! I think you will find it interesting.  Click here to read "Heading For Success".

Soccer is the game for the masses and is the world's game. Everyone can play. Or can they? Is the game of soccer in the United States and Canada becoming a game for the privileged? If you can't pay, you can't play. Or so it seems.  Click here to read "Is Soccer Only for the Privilege?"

Hugh Swan, the Director of Coaching for the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association sends an update report on the One-with-One® program. It is certainly catching on there.  Click here to read "Update on the One-with-One Program from Winnipeg" 

If you agree, and in particular, if you disagree with anything we say, please let us know. Soccer is a game of opinions and we welcome yours.

Welcome to Edition #34 of the World of Soccer Newsletter.

In this month's newsletter we talk about the "Team Bubble" - that nebulous, but real environment that can produce good or bad performances.  Click here to read " The Team Bubble."

The "Future of Soccer" in North America is really shaping up. We look at where it is going and then send you off to find out about three young and exciting players with the Chicago Fire, who have faced more challenges in their young lives than most of us experience in a lifetime.  Click here to read "The Future of Soccer."

In the Boot Room we go to the Monterey Peninsula to learn about "Playing Positions" - and we have a bit of a laugh at the same time. Nothing wrong with that!  Click here to read " Positional Play in Monterey".

Finally, in the Practice Section we focus on a passing skill that should get much more attention (and practice) than it usually does. Click here to read " Disguising the Pass".

In the Byte Size Coaching Newsletter towards the end of this month, we will again look at the controversies surrounding the heading of the soccer ball.

Hope you enjoy and please let us know your comments.

Welcome to the March issue of the Byte Size Coaching newsletter.

This end-of-the-month March edition of the Byte Size Coaching. program has made it a day before April Fools Day. Just as well..

We look at the role and situation of the foreign soccer coach plying his trade, not only in a "foreign" country, but maybe in a foreign language. The power of the internet has allowed Steve Darby and myself to reconnect again after spending some time together in Australia in the late 80's. Steve has had some incredible experiences which he shares in his article. Not only will you find it interesting, but you will be able to relate some of his challenges through the years to coaching at any level. Click here to to read "The Role of the Foreigner"

The ever-controversial, but incredibly spectacular skill of heading comes under the microscope in the article, "Should Heading be Banned?" Not if I can help it. However, I was taken to task about some of my writings implying that at some ages we should avoid certain heading situations and repetitive heading. I stand by that and, of course, there has to be some safeguards that must be taken. But without heading the game would be so much the poorer. Not one I would get excited about coaching.  Click here to read "Should Heading be Banned".

And in the Update on the Byte Size Coaching program, we look at the additions that we are about to put in over the next week or so - Systems of Play, Principles of Play, Style of Play and Zonal Defending. The final touches to the 4 topics will be done at 35,000 feet above the North American continent this week .  Click here to read " Byte Size Coaching Update".

Welcome to Edition #33 of the World of Soccer Newsletter.

Old Yeller was a box office hit in the 50's. Old Yeller is alive and well and living on the soccer fields of the United States and Canada - instead he is now known as "Coach!" We link you to an article by Emily Cohen in Soccer America's Youth Soccer Insider to get a parent's perspective of this disorder of the soccer world.  Click here to read "Old Yeller."

In the Boot Room we highlight Alan Hinton. "Yours Truly" goes further than that to say Alan was the best crosser of the ball ever! David Beckham fans may not agree, but first read the rationale for the claim.  Click here to read "Alan Hinton - The Best Crosser Ever."

We are going to open up the "Windows" at soccer practice - even if the practice is already outside. Using "windows" can help keep everyone involved - an important consideration in helping maintain concentration and interest.  Click here for "Open Up the Windows."

The abuse of promising young soccer players continues the world over as the soccer recruitment and development "system" builds up hopes and aspirations. An article from the London Telegraph spotlights this disturbing aspect of the game.  Click here to read "Making Choices Far Too Early to the Detriment of the Child."

Hope you enjoy and please let us know your comments.

Welcome to the February issue of the Byte Size Coaching newsletter.

In this month's Byte Size Coaching Newsletter we are going to get from one end of the field to the other by short passes. We all know that dribbling is an incredibly exciting skill, but the other way to make progress and sometimes more safely, is by short passing. So our Short Passes this month probably raises more questions than answers. So let’s hear from you.

Click here to read "Hockey & Fighting"

Click here to read "Practice to Game Ratios"

Click here to read "Soccer Academies" 

Enjoy this month's Newsletter!