Article From SubmitYOURArticle: Young Soccer Players And The Stages Of Learning

Hi Matt

Please accept the following article for possible
publication in 'HealthandFitnessFanatic',
or wherever you feel may be appropriate.

Title: Young Soccer Players And The Stages Of Learning
Word Count: 565
Author: Neil Stafford
Category: Sports & Recreation
EasyPublish: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=12263

It is preformatted to 60 CPL.

You have permission to publish this article electronically
or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are
included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be
appreciated - send to imrarticles@btinternet.com.

Best regards

Neil Stafford
http://www.internetmarketingreview.com

Young Soccer Players And The Stages Of Learning
When a new skill is learned there are three stages of the
development, the mental, practice and automatic stage.

Throughout these three stages your input into the learning
cycle will differ according to the phase the player is in.

The Mental Stage

When a player first learns a new skill their key goal is to
understand what to do to perform the technique correctly.
They draw upon all of their awareness to search for
information to map the correct technique.

It's more about internalizing "mentally" the physical
technique of what's to be done. The mental map is made
from previous activities, similar actions and looks, visual
input as the player attempts to make neural connections so
that their physical body can perform.

Coaching during the Mental Stage

Patience is the key. Some players will make the
connections a lot quicker and will be able to perform the
technique sooner than others.

Only key information should be given to the players at this
stage as there is a tendency for player to become
overwhelmed with information if they are given too much
instruction.

Visual indicators are very important during this
development phase, which is why we encourage you to
demonstrate new techniques and skills.

The Practice Stage

The next phase of mastering a technique is to have a go.

There is some overlap with the mental stage here as the
players will be having a go at the technique, but they will
still be making mental connections as the neural paths
start to give information too.

Refinement is the key here and so the more opportunities
that the players have to execute the skill the better.

As players practice the errors they make should start to
reduce over time as the sensory, visual and touch functions
will start to give feedback to the players on how well they
are performing the technique.

For example, when under 6's practice dribbling just keeping
the ball close is a major battle, any adjustments they make
can often lead to the ball being toe poked away even
further!

But as the young players see the ball moving away from
them, and make small jumpy movements to keep the ball under
control, all of the feedback signals will be computing and
assisting in their development.

Coaching in the Practice Stage

Observation, accurate feedback, encouragement and praise
are all key skills during this phase.

Very young players will need more feedback whereas youth
players should be able to self analyse their performance;
some well structured questions can also assist.

The Automatic Stage

As practice continues so the players become far more
proficient at the technique; this then frees up some mental
capacity to take the learning even further.

This is why some techniques lend themselves to a chaining
type coaching method, or when using a functional phase
practice and build it through to extended play.

Players in the automatic stage know when they have made
mistakes and also have the knowledge internally on how to
put things right without much input from the coach.

However, complacency can creep in, so to can over-analyzing
a technique which can be harmful to performance.

Coaching in the Automatic Stage

Rather than coaching specifics, the coaches duty now shifts
to present more challenging situations to practice the
technique and develop it into a full functioning skill.

Refinement is the key to develop truly magnificent players.

----------------------------------------------------
Claim your complimentary copy of the 'Soccer Coaching
Guide' provided by Junior Soccer Coach and receive hints,
tips and techniques to improve your team's performance AND
your expertise as a coach. Grab your copy now, visit the
website today…
http://www.JuniorSoccerCoach.com/public/462.cfm

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.7/710 - Release Date: 04/03/2007 13:58