Quote Originally Posted by plague View Post
because football starts with the ability to be comfortable and confident with the ball.
all the other stuff can be taught as games become more important.

but if kids get to 15/16 and still cant use both feet then they are in all sorts anyway.

which brings up some fond memories.
a couple of the better kids at that age are really good dribblers, but so one footed its not funny. yet every time they score with poor technique a lot of coaches are too busy celebrating to point out the flaw.

there was one coach i noticed who continually instructed (and applauded) his strikers to hit with the weaker foot when it warranted. 90% of the time the shot was ineffective, and prob on a lot of occasions the kid could have gone around onto his better foot to score.
but if he can get that kid using 2 strong feet by the time hes 12, then he'll be light years ahead of all these "talented" kids scoring more goals today.

it def stood out as a coach making the kids better over results at age 9.
Agree whole heartedly.

Way too many junior coaches go for victory over improvement. I don't care if the side I coach win or lose, as long as they improve as players. Leave winning as priority number one to senior teams. Anything under 16 should be about mastering the ball and learning the game.