the practice team

So, it was only in the last week that I rreally became a coach. Yes, I'm good @ somethings - many things - when it comes to coaching kids - but there remains many things I have not. Rommel, Pito, and Dez - all who were coaches above me @ the last school - were towering figures to me; I'm not a great coach.

But it was only last week - when I realised that we had to work on several areas that are very imnportant for the team - when I realised that I'd have to do a lot more barking at them and hold them more accountable. I hate making it hard on the girls, but this is the reality:

I told them that we have to get better. I told them that they are a part of a team and that we all had to work to-gether. I told them I was mad at myself for being so tardy in bringing in needed harshness in practice. I told them that I expected a lot from them.

And, we had our best two practices all season. We worked on several things. One was throw ins - trying to nudge the ball forward with our heads or other parts of our bodies so we can get the ball out from the sideline scrum and push the ball forward rapidly (pressure the other team). Another was moving the ball to the wings to create more space in front of the goal. We worked on offense -v-defense, w/ barks from me "TO THE OUTSIDE !!!! OUTSIDE!!! "* @ both offense and defense. And we worked on who is going to take corner kicks.

Another great thing is the boys who hang around the team. ll teams have their hangers on. In boys season, many of the girls hang out. The boys who pal about w/ my players are all really good kids. They love to talk talk talk about soccer - a lot, and exhaustively - but they are great kids. I use them for the team from time to time - I have had them scrimmage a little with the girls and ref certain games. They always help. But in Tuesdays practice I realised just how solid they were. We had been practicing throw ins and they had noticed. When I called in three boys to help end practice with a scrimmage, each time their was a throw in, they made sure that what the girls practiced they did in the scrimmage so that the girls would have a visible demonstartion of that skills utility. I was very happy with these young men and @ the state of the world. America is so bad if we can create citizens like this??

But the team. In every way this is my team now, and I like that. The girls respond. And I ...........lead................

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*=y'd be suprised how often I yell @ my kids.