Arron's Soccer Move

Zinedine Zidane's Classic Soccer Move

Posted Jul 02, 2006

The pirouette is classic Zidane. He turns the attack forward at speed, hauls it to a stop, freezing defenders, then accelerates past. His control of the game led France to a 2006 quarterfinal victory over Brazil in the rematch of 1998's World Cup final.

After watching Zidane, get ready for a full week of soccer action. Practice Tuesday at 5:45, and then again on Wednesday. On Saturday, we will have our first game. Kickoff is at 10:30, so the players should be at the field and ready to play at 10:00!

We play Divine Mercy.

What the heck are you doing, Coach?

This year's coaching is based on the “Dutch Vision” method of soccer instruction. Dutch Vision is based on the revolutionary idea that soccer is a child’s game that should be fun.

Understanding soccer is a breeze when compared to understanding the children that are playing it. Each age brings unique problems. Cognitive, emotional, physical and social development will vary a great deal within the group. There is one factor that will bring all of the children together. One element that will reach everyone. They want to have fun.

Enjoyment is the unifying motive of the Dutch Vision method. Some children don't want to learn. Some don't care about winning. A few have no interest in hard work and one or two can't remember which goal they're attacking. In spite of all of their different agendas they all want to have fun and play a game, that is what brings them here.

Children also want to be children. Too often we coaches sees children as an extension of his vision and they become puppets to it. The time spent at practice and at the games is a part of their childhood. It should not reflect the adult world. Some adults forget this and their expectations take the fun out of the experience.

Growth in the learning process can be measured by the child's contribution to the game in the four main moments. The greater the contribution that the child makes the farther his learning process has developed. A child with a strong internal desire to master the game will succeed to the best of their abilities. A child that needs constant external support will not. He will only grow as far as he can be carried. Their level of motivation is one of their most important limiting factors.

In order to make a contribution it's important for them to learn how the game unfolds and to have an impact on it. Soccer is a dynamic and fluid game. Pictures and decisions change in a second. This active element creates situations that drills do not adequately address. It involves the child in reading situations, analyzing them, making predictions, arriving at decisions and finally acting on them.

OK, so you have a theory, why do you keep score, can’t kids just play? You are concentrating too much on keeping score. Why?
Fear of failure. The biggest fear of failure is the fear of losing the game. "What if I make THE mistake?" When winning and losing is restricted to game day it takes on even greater significance. There is no middle ground. Practice is meant to prepare the players for the match. When winning and losing has no place in training then arguably the most important element of the game is being neglected, the result. Children need to learn how to deal with both sides of this. That winning or losing today doesn't mean much tomorrow, that both are necessary for growth. Small sided games end with a result and with several small sided games in any practice every player will have several opportunities to experience both sides. This helps children to lower their fear of failure and leads to a more stable appreciation of what the results really mean.

Our goal: better soccer, more fun!

Here be ye feather list.

Hey, Jimmy Gecko,

If you'd just sack up and admit you are a 'Gator fan, your Creek tribe could win some coup. Even I think it's great to be a Florida 'Gator.

Love,


Bobby Bowden.



As usual, click to enlarge.

The Green Feather

            The Green Feather represents the Warrior that walks the forest and stares up at the great trees in wonder. The color of green represents life on Mother Earth. This garden of green will give him many things to sustain his life. It will give him the tools and weapons to make his life easer on earth. It will give him shelter in the harsh winters and cool shade from the hot summer sun. The trees will bare fruit to fill his belly and give his body nourishment. The Warrior will walk in the beauty and respect the thing that the Great Spirit has made. His ears will listen to The Great Spirit voice in the wind.

            The Green Feather is said to be the hardest feather for a brave to earn. The Green Feather is earned by brave’s demonstrating his knowledge and stating from memory, a brief history of the Indian Guides, the Story of the Headband and the National Emblem.

A BRIEF HISTORY

            "The Indian father raises his son. He teaches his son to hunt, to track, to fish, to walk softly and silently in the forest, to know the meaning and purpose of life and all that he must know, while the white man allows the mother to raise his son." These chance remarks made in the early 1920s by Ojibway Indian hunting guide Joe Friday to Harold Keltner, a St. Louis YMCA director, struck a responsive chord.

            In 1925 Keltner arranged for Friday to speak before boys and dads in the St. Louis area. One evening after a talk given at a father and son banquet, Friday was so closely surrounded by fathers that the boys could not get near him. This gave Keltner an idea. Perhaps this strong mutual interest in the Indian could be put at the heart of a program aimed at closing the gap that he had seen widening between American fathers and their sons. Keltner designed a father-son program based on the qualities of American Indian culture and life: Dignity, Patience, Endurance, Spirituality, Feeling for the earth, and Concern for the family. From this, Y-Indian Guide programs were born.

THE STORY OF THE HEADBAND

             The central theme of the headband is the Eye of the Great Spirit surrounded by the four winds of heaven. The feathered arrow designs which extend right and left of the central symbol represent the useful services of father and son. The fact that father-and-son achievements are united in the center of the design is interpreted to mean that fathers and sons together, under the eye of the Great Spirit, are seeking to help each other in the services they render.

            To the right is the symbol of the mother and home. A line connects the mother symbol with the tepee, or home symbol. the fact that it is a home symbol is shown by the fire in the tepee. On the left are symbols of father and son. Their relationship again is shown by the line that joins the two symbols. These symbols add to the richness of the central theme, for it is in service to mother and home that many of the more significant achievements of father and son will take place.

            Far to the right are symbols of day and forest. Far to the left are the symbols of mountain, lake, field, and stream, with the moon for night. Here again, these symbols tend to enrich the central theme, giving broader scope to services by centering the efforts of father and son on village and community life, and, as the ritual says, "in forest, field and stream."

            In summary, the interpretation of the headband can be taken as "Father and son, through friendly service to each other, to our family, to this tribe, and to our community, seek a world pleasing to the eye of the Great Spirit."

ABOUT THE INDIAN GUIDES EMBLEM

            The National Emblem of blue, gold, and red represents some of the main points that are stressed in Y-Guides. The cross section of an ear of corn symbolizes goodness of the Great Spirit in the life of the American Indian. The arrow head is a symbol typical of Indian life. The triangle identifies the organization as an integral part of the YMCA.

The Yellow Feather

The Yellow Feather is the color of the sacred fire that gives life to all. It represents a Warrior decision to begin his journey into life with a noble cause. It is a time for him to reflect back on his life and his accomplishments. He begins to realize that whatever success that he had achieved up until that time, the spiritual essence is missing in his life. The Yellow Feather, the color of the sun represents a new birth and beginning. The Warrior must look to the east and greet the sun and ask God for guidance. It is a time to take charge of his own destiny, to reevaluate and to set new priorities. This new journey will have a profound effect on him and everyone that comes in contact with him. Throughout this new journey the Warrior will acquire knowledge and wisdom so that he can enlighten men along the way. They will come to know that you are a man of honor and integrity. If your heart is good, they will know that they were in the presence of someone who will make a difference.

To earn a yellow feather, a little brave must be able to recite the six aims from memory. They are:

1. To be clean in body and pure in heart.

2. To be “Pals Forever” with my father/son.

3. To love the sacred circle of my family.

4. To be attentive while others speak.

5. To love my neighbor as myself.

6. To seek and preserve the beauty of the Great Spirit’s work in forest, field and stream.

The Red Feather

Red stands for valor and hardiness; red for the blood, that flowed like the river.

The red feather is earned by reciting, from memory, the Indian names of the tribe members and the motto, “Pals forever with my Dad.”

The White Feather

The White feather is earned by the brave when he and his father complete, and display before the tribe, three Indian crafts. The award of the White feather is in recognition of father and son working together and demonstrating their useful services.

The Blue Feather

The Blue Feather represents the Warrior as he looks to the Heavens and gives thanks to The Great Spirit. He has the respect and wisdom to acknowledge the greatness of all the Heavens. He is blessed to have the clear blue sky and deep blue waters to drink from. He is honored just to walk the earth this day and looks forward to tomorrow. Each new day gives the Warrior another chance to redeem himself and if necessary reinvent himself. Forever always changing to improve oneself for the better, yet knowing he will eventually run out of time and will fall short of perfection. Little does he know, but he has set the standards for the ones that follow him. If the Warrior's heart is good, he will leave his mark and make the world a better place. He did not just occupy space while he was here. He was a leader.

The blue feather is earned for good conduct at three consecutive Tribal Meetings. The blue feather is awarded by the the Tribal Chief when he has observed the brave meeting all the other requirements. Interestingly, it is the only feather that may be taken away for not maintaining the standards of good conduct. If the feather is taken away, the brave must again demonstrate his good conduct at three consecutive meetings.

The Brown Feather

The brown feather is earned when a brave demonstrates, before the tribe, an Indian Prayer. The prayer is used in closing the Tribal Counsel. Although originally intended to be a silent prayer the words are said along with the signs to meaning to each gesture.

An Indian Prayer

And now,

(Index finger pointing to the ground)

May the Great Spirit

(all fingers circling up, imitating smoke)

Of all good spirits

(arms outstretched)

Be with

(arms coming in close)

You,

(index finger pointing across circle)

Now

(all fingers pointing down)

And forever more.

(action of shooting bow and arrow)

Of course, now would be a good time to remember that the phrase, “Great Spirit” is just another name for God the Father. Parents should take time to remind their sons of the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 5.

Ego Dominus Deus tuus qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti de domo servitutis.

Non habebis deos alienos in conspectu meo.

Non facies tibi sculptile nec similitudinem omnium quae in caelo sunt desuper et quae in terra deorsum et quae versantur in aquis sub terra.

Non adorabis ea et non coles ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus Deus aemulator reddens
iniquitatem patrum super filios in tertiam et quartam generationem his qui oderunt me.

I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight.

Thou shalt not make to thy self a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven
above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth.

Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation,
to them that hate me.

The Orange Feather

The Orange Feather is earned by the brave for his participation in a Nation campout activity.

The judgment as to whether the brave has earned his feather rests with the Tribal Chief

The threat from aliens!

Invasive exotic species are ruining our home. Selfish homeowners are lobbing the Cocoa Beach City Commission to stop the removal of Class I alien species. Call or write your City Commissioner and tell them to protect our borders and keep the toxic illegal aliens out of Cocoa Beach.

If someone wants to see an Austrian Pine; go to Australia! Jeff sent me the link to this excellent website, proving that not everybody on Yawl Drive hates the environment. http://www.thousand-islands.org/

Our hero - Johannes Cruijff

Hendrik Johannes Cruijff - often spelled Cruyff outside the Netherlands was born April 25, 1947 in Amsterdam is a Dutch football manager/coach and former player.

Through his career Cruijff became synonymous with the playing style of "Total Football." It is a system where a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus allowing the team to retain their intended organizational structure. In this fluid system no footballer is fixed in his or her intended outfield role; anyone can be successively an attacker, a midfielder and a defender. The style was honed by Ajax coach Rinus Michels around the time Cruijff came to prominence.

Strictly speaking, Cruijff played centre forward in this system. But he would drop deep to confuse his markers or suddenly move to the wing with devastating effect. No one had seen a centre forward like that before. Due to the way Cruijff played his game he is still referred to as "the total footballer."

Cruijff was known for his technical ability, speed and acceleration, but his greatest quality was vision, based on an acute sense of his team-mates' positions as an attack unfolded. The sports writer David Miller believed Cruijff superior to any previous player in his ability to extract the most from others. He dubbed him "Pythagoras in boots" for the complexity and precision of his angled passes

What is our goal?

Three things, technique, insight and communication; TIC. The idea is that while they are separate elements they need to be taught together, in fact in the learning process they are inseparable. Think of TIC as one word, techniqueinsightcommunication.

Training dribbling for the sake of dribbling or passing for the sake of passing misses the point. The aim of the pass or dribble is to achieve an objective, for example, to advance the ball against the opponents or keep possession. Without an objective the technique has no meaning. If the objective is not about "playing soccer" then the time is wasted.

It's normal to see technique alone being touted as the key to success in soccer. The media buzz is always about the great moments of individual brilliance that win games. These moments are truly memorable and usually center around someone's "brilliant control, deft touch, a spectacular run, acrobatic goal and so." This is reinforced with the all of the DVD's, tapes, coaching schemes, skills clinics and programs that promote technique as the key to mastering the opponent and rising to the next level. Learn these 20 moves and you'll be a star.

Technique is very important. But when it's isolated from the rest of the game there's a problem. Having the greatest technique in the world is useless if the player is not in the right place at the right time. This player can do nothing, the technique will never be utilized. However, even the worst player can do something, even if it's just get in the way or get lucky, if they are in the right place at the right time. Something always trumps nothing.

Even in the youngest players some elements of I and C will be stressed. Insight; you want to go that way, you can take the ball away from the other person. Communication; see how the ball rolls when you touch it with your foot? It's true that for these children their biggest soccer problem is the ball and that technical competence is a key. But even for young children some simple, basic ideas can be incorporated into training sessions.

By making a soccer objective the aim of the practice the children are free to experiment with their TIC. As long as they can get the job done within the rules it doesn't matter how they do it. As resistance increases they will need to improve their TIC. It is the objective of the game, and the resistance that the children have to overcome that sets the level for success. The children's motivation and abilities are their limiting factors. They are free to decide for themselves how they will solve the soccer problems. Those that want to go on to the next level will have the internal motivation to improve their own game. Those that don't can simply get off of the developmental train at that station, they have found a home.

A skillful player can execute good decisions. Poor players either cannot execute those decisions or cannot make them. That is the connection behind technique, insight and communication working together towards an aim. Reaching the objective is what is important. TIC is the means, never the end. It is the tool to get the result.

Monster Guides

Something to Make Fun of.

Who is surrounding Robert?

These three crazy guys were unleashed on the Bahamas. Why are they surrounding Robert? If you know, post a note to John and Robert, incorporated.

We arn't silly

 
Has John gone Crazy?

This is how we roll!

 

Kidergardeners Wanted! Come join us for our fall season. For details, email Geoff at swasurfdog@yahoo.com
Chow!

The Lighthouse Stairs and the Clockwork.

These are the stairs to the top, and this is how the light turns:

Creek shoes

 

A real Creek Gourd Rattle

 
On display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Bikeing in Ireland

The Fictitious Family of the Mighty Creek bikes their way through Ireland over summer vacation.