Japanese High School Nara Todaiji Gakuen To Play In The ACT

Sourced from Captial Football website

This is short notice news, but its likely to be very good news for junior / youth players and coaches in the ACT.

Nara Todaiji Gakuen arrives in Canberra today to start their five match development tour in Canberra. If they are anything like Nara Ishiju who visited last year, they will be sensational to watch. Well, half as good will get me to the games for sure!

It's tough in their part of the world at the moment, so this tour is pretty special. Get to the games and give the young players your support. Kindnesses remembered help build the future. Nothing does that better than football!

This is their school:

Canberra City and Canberra FC (PL18 and PL16) are the two lucky clubs that will get a chance to play Nara Todaiji Gakuen.

Tōdaiji Gakuen (東大寺学園 Tōdaiji Gakuen) is a private school, combined middle and high school in the city of Nara, Japan. It was founded in 1926 as an offshoot of the famous Tōdai-ji temple, and began as an evening middle school (夜間中学) for working students. Daytime education began in 1963, when the current name was adopted, and evening education was dropped in 1977. Today, most of the students go on to the national universities, especially Kyoto University and University of Tokyo, or medical courses. (sourced from wikipedia)



The fixtures are as follows:


Wednesday 23rd March v Canberra City PL18 (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 8pm)

Friday 25th March v Canberra FC PL18 (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 8pm)

Saturday 26th March v Canberra City PL16 (Hawker Football Centre, kick off 6pm)

Monday 28th March v Canberra FC PL16 (Deakin Stadium, kick off 7pm)

Wednesday 30th March v Canberra FC PL18 (Deakin Stadium, kick off 7pm)

NARA TODAIJI GAKUEN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – TOURING PARTY

Takahiro Yoshibayashi (gk), Tomo Yamagata (gk), Taisei Hirooka, Kazuya Onishi, Daichi Kato, Yoshizuki Fumoto, Toyoki Okuda, Yuki Katakami, Taisuke Matsuda, Takahiro Shigeoka, Mizuki Ri, Taisuke Matano, Takuya Hirata, Takuma Fujioka, Yusuke Nishimuta, Naoto Kawai, Shunya Asai, Taiyo Yoshida, Haruki Matsuoka, Masato Tanaka, Tetsuki Bun

COACH: Keiji Sawada

Is It The Barca Way For Football Development In The ACT? It Should be!

Well if it isn't, it should be.

They are the perfect training aide for National Football Curriculum. Who wouldn't want to play like Barcelona? The number of triangles they create in quick time, the willingness of every player off the ball to work to provide the next best option, the hunger to retain the ball and then win it back quickly if its lost, are attributes you would want in your team, every team, not just the representative teams or development programs. Every Junior coach should analyse the Barca style, Capital Football should make it their business to get as much vision of their games, edit it to provide a training resource to coaches and clubs.  If the Junior Clubs mandate the use of the 1-4-3-3 this season, the National Football Curriculum will really take off and the Football leap ahead.

Parents take note - look to have your child trying to play like this and their coach advocating and training to play in this style. Its fun! The best that Football can offer - next to the enjoyment of playing a truly beutiful game with your mates.

If you get a chance, find a video fo the recent first round game between Barcelona and Arsenal. It was nothing short of Football heaven. An inspiration for the season ahead here in the ACT at every competitive level in junior commmunity football.

The Les Murray Blog from that wonderful Football program "SBS The World Game", contains a terrific article on Barcelona - http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/les-murray/blog/1048057/Is-Barca-the-best-in-history#add

Les Murray had this to say:

Is the current FC Barcelona the best club team of all time?

"...Sorting through the images that are in my mind, and the experiences that I’ve had as a student of the game for more than half a century, I’m having difficulty resisting the supposition that this Barca is not only up there with the cream but may be as good as it gets.
It’s important that I qualify what I mean here. I’m not talking about the greatest club in the world, based on trophies won, achievements made over prolonged periods, star players paraded etc. I make reference only to the unique excellence of this current Barcelona, the one under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, which is yet to complete its third season.
Greatness in football is defined by many things. But the greatest point of distinction and respect, is when a team becomes a singular reference point for all that other teams admire and want to become. This is the Barcelona of today, in a way and to an extent one has rarely seen in the long annals of the game." ....

"The stars have aligned, creating a product that is the envy of all clubs and will be remembered and nostalgically recalled fifty years from now. By and large it has a team that was not bought but organically fashioned from within, and by a technical ideology which, though inspired by the Dutch, is now distinctly its own. This is important when making comparisons for too many great teams of the past were assembled by the cheque book.
This fact promises the greatness of the current Barcelona some serious longevity, which brings us back to the original question: is it the greatest club team of all time? "....
"What I can and will say, is that the Barca of today is the finest club team I have ever seen. I would guess that many would take the same view, including Craig Foster who I’m sure would shamelessly concur. And I’ve been around more than twenty years longer than him.

I rejoice every day at being alive to witness the infinite beauty of this Barcelona and sometimes have to pinch myself to see if it’s all real."

Here is a couple of video clips of Barcelona to inspire you:

When Coach, Club Administrators and Players All Get On The Same Wavelength - Magic Things Happen

Sourced from http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=39226

Victorious Brisbane Roar players celebrate winning the A-League minor premiership.

The Club, the Coach and the Players all have to work in synchronisation if supporters are to see the best the Club has to offer in a season. Same for us at community level.
The massive turn around by the A League club, Brisbane Roar in season 2010/2011 is nothing short of astonishing. The previous season saw them on the brink of collapse, a new and very experienced coach was appointed, a deliberate and massive turnover of the playering roster was undertaken, not a whole lot of money to be going on with and that's before a ball is kicked in the competition.

There is a lot of lessons to be learned from the Brisbane Roar campaign this season that can be applied to your club.

There have been a couple of savage blowups among our Clubs in the off- season and in particular, one Premier League club. These unhappy times usually follow a lack of success the previous season. People leave declaring the club is "stuffed". Well, how could it be any other way when these all so important people depart??? But clubs soldier on and thank goodness they do. There is always another season. When the finger pointing has stopped and no one is interested in listening to the tiresome gossip eminating from the disenchanted departees, the club repairs and rebuilds. This can be done in a season, as seems to be the case with Brisbane Roar. Other times, particularly in community based football, it may take a few years.

No one gave Brisbane Roar a hope at the start of the season - now look where they are. They are a smart bunch up there in Brisbane.

A great Football story that resonates at every level in the game.

This short article (excepts from) captures the essentail elements.

Chemistry key to Roar success

Saturday, 5 March 2011
by Liam Daly, Sportal

A quality starting 11 and proven Hyundai A-League stars certainly aren't taken for granted by the Brisbane Roar, but coach Ange Postecoglou says an all-round team chemistry has been the key to their 2010-11 success.

The Professional Footballers Association named seven Brisbane players in their team of the year, and on that statistic alone it would be easy to assume that the quality of their roster has been responsible for their record-breaking, one-loss season. ......

But for Postecoglou (Coach), the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Offseason recruitment – and the Roar did plenty, bringing in 12 fresh faces – was more than a star search; it was a calculated mission to find complimentary talent.
 "It's a little bit different (to picking a rep side)…with a rep side, sometimes you don't know if the chemistry's right. It's not just about having the best players," said Postecoglou.
 "Sometimes, in terms of your recruiting, you fall into the trap of just going for the players who are good players, but do they necessarily fit into what you're doing."
 "Our chemistry has been good all year, and that's the key to our success, it's not so much just having the quality of players we do have. And we do have great quality throughout our squad, but the chemistry's right."

"They all play our style of football and they all react well to one another, and I think that's the key for us." .........


"The big thing for us is that everyone's ready to go, and as we've proven quite consistently this year, and even in the last game, it's not just a matter of who starts, it's a matter of who comes off the bench that makes a big difference, and we've been better at that than all other clubs," he said.

"....... we've been good all year with people coming off the bench and contributing to the side. I'm sure come grand final day, we're going to have the 15 or 16 blokes who are selected ready to go and ready to make a contribution."

COERVER® Coaching to offer World First Diploma in Youth Development in Canberra.

Sourced from Coerver Coaching media release.

Coerver are world leaders in the area of Football individual skill development. This course is a rare opportunity.

Alfred Galustian,(pictured below) Co-founder and International Director of Coerver Coaching will deliver Coerver Coaching’s World First Diploma in Youth Development in Canberra on 5/6 March, 2011.

 

Coerver Coaching is the World’s Number One skills teaching method. Australian football continues to develop and increase its focus on the technical elements of our players and this is a great opportunity to learn with one of the World leaders in technical development.

Alfred Galustian is the Skills Specialist Advisor to the English Premier League (EPL) to train the EPL Clubs’ Academy Directors, including Coaches from Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle United and West Ham. Alfred is also the Technical Advisor to the Football Federation Australia, as well as to the Japanese FA, French Football Federation and Chinese FA.

Coaches will explore the Coerver Coaching World's Number One skills teaching method and identify the key elements in technical development for our Youth players.

Alfred Galustian said, “This is a very exciting development for Coerver Coaching and Australian Coaches. The modern game is fast, exciting and increasingly skilful. Players are often coached in teams, on team patterns. What Coerver brings is that individual component, the ability for a Coach to improve his or her players’ individual skill. Increasingly it’s individual skills that can make or break a match and win the game.”

Coerver Coaching, was started by Alfred Galustian and former Chelsea player Charlie Cooke in 1984. Coerver Coaching currently operate in 28 countries including Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

To register contact below:
Jason Lancsar

COERVER Coaching Asia Pacific
e. contact@coerveract.com
m. +61 421907788
w. http://www.coerveract.com/
w. http://www.coerver.com.au/
 
The co-founders of Coerver Charlie Cooke (left) and Alfred Galustian (right) talk about the Coerver method.

Triangles, Triangles and More Triangles - Where Did The 1-4-3-3 System Come From?

Sourced from http://au.fourfourtwo.com/blogs.aspx?CIaBEID=2308 by Gregory Parker, Jan 24 2011 08:51

Here is another short article on the 1-4-3-3 system of play.

A good summay of its evolution, but importantly, the author points to the critical element in this system of play (well any systen when it comes right down to it) - the need for players on and off the ball to constantly create working triangles. No triangles, no passing options - simple as that and kids need to get this geometric shape trained in so that it is a deeply entrenched preferential behaviour when playing and particularly under pressure of time and space.

The diagram illustrates the matter nicely. Start referring to the positions by their numbers - helps convey the roles and responsibilities for each position. This diagram has the midfield three players in "point forward" - that is positions 6, 8 and 10. The other configuration required by the FFA in later years is "point back".


Hope you find this helpful as we geear up to begin training all those junior / youth players arond the ACT.

Figure 1. A basic modern style 1-4-3-3 System



Where Did The 433 System Come From?


Did the Dutch invent the 4-3-3 system? No they did not. But they did give us "Total Football" and a whole different way to look at the game. Total Football utilized space in a different way, used a circular motion of players with take over roles, and pressing. Rinus Michels was the developer of this type of football, which placed heavy physical demands on players. Valeriy Lobanovskyi (Dynamo) in the early 1970s also had similar ways of looking at the game. Michels style of football was developed during his time with Ajax, which he then demonstrated to the world in the 1974 World Cup using the 4-3-3 formation. Michels would later take "Total Football" to Barcelona, where other Dutch greats followed. The Spanish have since developed a new style of football, based on this Dutch influence culminating in the 2010 World Cup win.
The 4-3-3 system can be traced back to the 1920/30s. Football was in a period of change. Herbert Chapman (Arsenal, Northhampton, Leeds) is credited with the development of the W M system. Football had now evolved from 2-3-5 to 3-2-2-3. By the late 1950s football looked different again with the evolution of the 4-2-4 system or use of a 4th back. While the initial developments leading to the 4-2-4 were devised by Marton Bukovi . The credit for creating the 4-2-4 lies with two different people: Flavio Costa, the Brazilian national coach and another Hungarian, Bela Guttman. By the 1962 World Cup, Brazil had developed the 4-2-4 system to such an extent that it resembled 4-3-3 when Zagallo would play back deep into the midfield. The great Alf Ramsey also experimented heavily with a 4-3-3 system in the 1950s and 60s. He was the last coach of England to win the world cup (1966). During the world cup final, however, he played a 4-1-3-2 (4-4-2?) system. That is another story. The formation seemed to evolve quickly over the 1960s and early 70s in different parts of the world. By 1974 the timing was perfect for Michels to unveil "Total Football" with a new variation of the 4-3-3 system. The system was evolved further by Cryuff and Van Gaal with the 3-4-3 variation.

The Dutch may not have invented 4-3-3, but they did give us "Total Football" which used a wonderful 4-3-3 system, a different way to view space, and a system to develop young players. The 4-3-3 is an exciting system and there are many different ways to play the system (not just midfield triangle facing forwards or backwards). It is not just 3 lines of players. It is how these players interact together and move, that determines how a 4-3-3 system works. It is more about individual and team tactics, than formation (the Brazilians understand this well). The 4-3-3 system creates more triangles than other systems (see figure 1) and is a great system for our elite youth teams to learn from. It can create a very attacking style of football, but again this gets down to the tactics of the coach. I have great respect for other formations as well. The 4-2-3-1 system appears to be better understood by community and representative players as an interim step or alternate formation, from my experience. The triangulation of the formation is perhaps the most important aspect here. To give a player 3 or 4 passing options in attack is very important. It all starts with the 6 and 7 year olds in 4v4 games.

Football tactics develop over time, sometimes together but in different parts of the world. Culture will play its part on how football is played, as well. The trends today suggest that speed and distance players cover in games will increase. Players may not be regarded as just a forward, midfielder or back but may have multiple roles. Are we seeing the development of a "total footballer"? The development of the "total footballer" will allow for new approaches and formations to the game. Learning the basics of the game will still be the most important thing in football. Which is the best training method? Game sense training, formation training, reductionist/didactic type training or a mix?

Triage for youth football coaches – how to cure a sickly team

Sourced from http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/

We have begun or are about to begin the 2011 pre-season. Trials have begun and many more in Junior Football Clubs will commence soon.
The selection processes at the Clubs can be a painful and disheartening experience for many young players and parents. You just hope the Clubs have their act together, keep nepotisim at bay, ensure that parents and players understand that playing in the Club at the desired level the previous season  is no guarantee of selection for the next, and that competent coaches are making the decisions.

A lot of unecessary sadness in junior/youth football originates in the pre-season selection process. It can affect attitudes of parents and players for years to come.

Players cut from trials should be given reasons for their non selection, that's very important, because we don't want to loose these players from the game and if they are young, next season they will have grown and just may surprise.

Players not selected at one level in their age group must be actively and carefully managed into another team in the Club.

But someone has to decide. Most Club coahes and officials find this process stressful. Its at this time the we parents need to keep our feet on the ground and keep any disappointment we may privately feel for our children, well hidden. Focus on the positives of playing the beautiful game and enjoy them playing , whatever team they play in this season. We never get these days back!
When the selections are over, training commences, you know the season has really begun.

Trial games are very, very important at every level of the game, particularly in junior / youth football. Regular attendance at training (however many times you train a week) should be a not- negotiable component of being in a Football team in Junior or Youth Football - at any level of in the competition.

Coaches  struggle every week with developing / improving their team, making them more competitive. Its a rocky road.

This article provides some very useful advice:

Triage for youth football coaches – how to cure a sickly team

Analysis of your players' strengths and weaknesses – both individually and as a group – should take place during matches, not during training sessions.

Tests such as timed sprints, how long it takes a player to dribble round a line of cones, the number of times they can juggle the ball and how many passes to a static player they can make in 30 seconds are irrelevant when assessing how well your players perform during a match.

Players can even display a lot of skills when playing with their friends during small-sided games but it's not much use if they can't apply their skills in a pressurised match situation. So that's where the analysis should take place.

How to analyse team performance

As soon as the whistle goes to start a match, you're like a doctor faced with an injured patient and, as you are certain to be faced with a number of problems, triage is required. Which symptom is the most worrying? Which problem is potentially life threatening and needs immediate treatment?
Triage can be completed during the first half of a match and the result will help you give an effective half-time team talk. It will almost certainly provide the focus of your next coaching session.
To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to examine your patient in a logical, progressive way.

First, what are the symptoms?

When you are mentally or physically writing down your team's symptoms (i.e., their problems), be careful to avoid generalities.
Statements such as "we need to work harder", or "we must shoot more" are too vague to be helpful, especially when talking to your players at half time. So be specific: perhaps players off the ball are not moving to support the ball carrier or players in good shooting positions are reluctant to "pull the trigger".

Which problem is the most serious?

The next stage in the process is to decide which problem needs addressing first. If your players made better use of the space on the pitch and supported each other more, would you have more or easier shooting opportunities?
Or is the reluctance to shoot so severe that they won't/can't shoot even if they get within two yards of the goal? If so, you may decide that this is the most worrying symptom.
But before a cure can be found, we need to find out what is causing the symptom that is worrying us so much. More analysis is required.
Who is responsible?
"Everyone" doesn't play for your team so they can't be responsible for the problems. You must name names. Are Lucy, Chloe and Alex not moving after they pass the ball? Is Hannah not shooting when she gets the chance?

Where does it happen?

Failure to shoot at goal usually happens in the final third (the third of the pitch nearest your opponent's goal) but not always. If it is in the final third, does the problem only happen on the one side of the pitch?
Poor support play can happen anywhere but it may be restricted to one part of the pitch. Do your players turn into statues only in the middle or defensive third?
Knowing where the problem occurs will help you when planning the corrective coaching session.

When does it happen?

Does the problem only happen in the first few minutes of the match? Or all the time?
OK, I've done the triage. I know what I've got to fix first. How do I find the cure?
The first place to look for cures is in footy4kids. There are hundreds of pages of tips and "how to" articles and you're sure to find something that will help you and your team.
But for a range of specialist coaching solutions, check out the great selection of products at my shop by clicking here.

And don't forget that you can send me your football coaching problems and I'll send you personalised advice. It's all part of the service!

When should I administer the cure?

Once you have identified the most critical problem afflicting your team, you will want to correct it as quickly as possible. But beware of trying to administer the cure during half time.
Young players should not be subjected to a lecture from you as soon as they walk off the pitch. They will probably be tired and possibly feeling stressed if things are not going too well. At this moment they need encouragement, not criticism, and they most certainly don't need to listen to a lecture.
So unless you can effect a cure by simply moving one or two players to different positions, save the corrections for the next coaching session.