Originally Posted by
Bremsstrahlung
In relation to the comments about 13s dropping back to a SAP
There’s needs to be a point when we stop trying to protect? (Not sure that’s the right word) kids from the the negatives of “real sokkah”.
I agree, that we need to put more emphasis on learning the basic skills, and it seems that SAP or JDL is doing this.
But there comes a point when you need to start playing to win on a full size field. Part of development is learning when to stray from structure and say know when to kick a ball long, even though everything you have learnt up to that point is about keeping possession.
I know these kids keep score, and know when they win and lose. But part of development is coping with pressure, and results adds that pressure and consequences for poor decisions.
This is in relation to the comments re: 13s dropping from NPL to JDL. I think the JDL is doing what it says it’s doing in terms of core skills and I understand the need for this. I just can’t help but think there needs to be some kind of competition, even if it’s a 2 weekend round robin and finals series type thing at the end of the season. Make it a learning exercise if you will, and have northern coaches/gurus watching the games and explaining tactics or something to the kids/coaches.
If nothing else, it may be interesting to see how the kids/coaches approach the competitive environment in terms of if their structure and composure shines through or if it just turns into maradona runs and long balls. (The latter would definitely serve as an argument to keep scores and tables away from this).
