Tom Byerトム•バイヤー
@tomsan106
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Best Selling Author of Football Starts at Home®️Work around the World in Youth Dev. Researcher. Guest Speaker. info @tomsan .com for interviews or appearances.
Tokyo, Japan
Joined April 2009
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“Skill was and never will be the result of coaching, it’s a love affair between child and ball.” Roy Keane
This isn’t to say coaches aren’t important, they are. But when it comes to facilitating a love for the ball as early as possible, parents are perhaps most influential.
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The USWNT getting knocked out of the WWC was not a shock for many who knew this day was coming. Many in my network, working in the Women’s game, saw this more then a decade ago. The biggest problem going forward will be that most in a position of influence to bring change, do not…
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Starting to see Kids finally comfortable with the Ball at their feet from our work in China. Foundation phase correct from the start to build other parts of the game on. Lots of 1v1 & 2v2 battles along with lots of small sided games. Now, just let them play actually works.
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Pictures depicting the discipline and organization of young Japanese Players while they are at Training. Culture matters!
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Look at the consistency of Japanese and Korean Youth Teams in AFC & FIFA Competitions and you’ll understand where the investment has to be. Countries believing they are 1 Coach away from qualifying for a Men’s FIFA World Cup is so ridiculous. Yet, time after time that’s the…
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Just a bit of difference between Cultures of American high school players and Japanese high school players. 🤔
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Oh my, what a story this is! And we think we know everything about talent dev. Just like the latest Neuroscience that has debunked the belief that Kids by age 16 at Academies lack Decision Making Skills and get released when their Brains aren't even fully dev until mid 20's.
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Iceland figured it out when they dropped their Elite programs at Grassroots level and just focused on developing “ALL Players.” The concept of Elite Coaching is so overrated and most of the time the “Elite Coaches” are not “Elite Coaches.” There are very few truly “Elite…
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Japanese U12 Teams will play on average 100-120 games per year and train 4-5 times per week, all year long. Many Teams are mixed with Boys & Girls which makes the Women’s program very strong. Japan is the only Country to have won all 3 FIFA Women’s WC tourneys at all ages.
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I am gutted to hear about the passing of my great friend Grant Wahl. He was a kind empathetic person who loved family and friends. We spent time together here in Tokyo when he came out to do some stories for Sports Illustrated Films. You will be forever missed! RIP! 🙇♂️🙏⚽️❤️🇺🇸
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There is not a single foreign Coach from the 8 quarter finalists. This continues the trend throughout the 92yr history of the World Cup where no foreign coach has ever won a World Cup Trophy to the best of my knowledge. Culture therefore plays a tremendous role in winning.
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The biggest challenge is with the individual players if you watch all 3 matches.
Technically, the Players are just not as good as the best in AFC. Period.
Continuing to rely on Sunil Chetri, a wonderful player and career who is 39yrs old playing as a
#11
and Captain, shows…
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As a coach of a U6 team my first training session would be inside a meeting room with parents only. Parents would learn what their responsibility is along with managed expectations. We would create a WhatsApp Group for Homework assignments focused on Ball Mastery. Simple stuff!
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Ready for Kickoff of the Japan High School National Tournament. This Tournament is followed by the entire Nation with Live games and special shows during the entire Tourney. If you win this Tournament you are forever introduced as the National Champion throughout your life!
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Thanks to everyone from around the world who has been messaging me. Coaches from some of the biggest Clubs and FA’s in the World praising how Japan played. The future is bright for any country that puts Technical Skill Development at the core of their Youth Training. Very proud!
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My eldest Son starts his High School career as the only freshman starting member alongside his team-mates who are all senior players. His dream, to play on the Japan National Team. Good luck Son!
#nihondaihyo
#japan
#dreams
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Congratulations to Takumi Minamino who started out his career at our School in Amagasaki, Kansai area when he was 6yrs old and stayed until he was 12. Great to see you headed to one of the biggest Clubs in the World! Suzuki Hiroto, Head Coach at Amagasaki School must be proud!
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I believe that if
#India
,
#Nepal
,
#Indonesia
,
#HongKong
#Singapore
&
#Malaysia
had followed our
#Vision
of focusing on Technical Skill Development at the Entry Level like
#Japan
which we presented to them ALL, years ago, their Junior Football would be in a different place today!
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Here in Japan we have focused relentlessly on teaching basic fundamentals. When you close that gap between the best and the least developed from the youngest ages, that's when the Elite Player Pool bursts at the Seams. Entry Level by far the most important phase of development.
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@disclosetv
Because of outdated values and beliefs. A society set up to cater to the old instead of thinking about the young. You can see it everywhere if you live in Japan.
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Another day at the All Japan National High School Tournament watching 2 matches at Todoroki Stadium, home to Kawasaki Frontale. All Teams today playing very well. This is where Japan’s Young Football Players become Hero’s!
#Japan
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Rarely a day goes by where I don’t think, wow, most organizations entrusted with football development don’t understand football development, themselves.
Millions are thrown at the top end trying to raise the ceiling, (Elites), when it’s the floor that needs elevating…
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Not too many 18yr olds can step into Real Madrid Training and do this with this much confidence.
Real Madrid signed 18-year-old Takefusa Kubo in the summer from FC Tokyo and he looks insane.
Do you know how much he cost them? Nothing.
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If I could give only 1 piece of advice to a parent of a small child playing with a small ball it would be, discourage kicking and encourage protecting the ball by pulling it back with both soles of the feet. Most touches should be controlling the ball with the sole whenever…
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So glad to have my 2 great friends who are Top Coaches finishing up their Pro Licenses from India🇮🇳here in Japan🇯🇵.
Both
@coachprad
and
@r_hood09
are part of a group of 16 Coaches visiting the JFA Training Center in Makuhari along with visits to
@J_League
Clubs. They work at…
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Unknown fact, I was offered the Technical Directors Job of
@IndSuperLeague
before it was launched, but turned it down. I was flown to Mumbai and taken to a Mumbai Indians Game and given a signed Ball by
@sachin_rt
! I was supposed to meet Nita Ambani
@AmbaniTina
but she never…
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When you see those immaculate dressing rooms left behind by Japanese Teams after defeat, it doesn’t just happen at the top level. It starts with a culture of respect which is taught from the youngest ages. It’s no wonder the Japanese are usually the 2nd favorite Team for many!
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When you develop 2 footed players they can play at 360 degrees going in any direction they’d like. At 6yrs old they’re already ahead of the rest like a child being able to read before entering kindergarten. These types of kids are much more likely to develop quicker than most.
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The 101st Japan National Boys High School Football Tournament kicks off followed by millions of people. The Final Match is always played in front of 40,000+ Fans and watched by millions on Live Television. Looking forward to attending several matches at Komazawa Stadium! 🏟️🇯🇵⚽️
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Congratulations to Japan’s U17’s winning the AFC U17 Championship Final vs Korea 3-0. A testament to our 30yr Strategy focusing on Technical Skill Development!
🏆⚽️🙇♂️🙏🇯🇵
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Watching this Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinal between USA vs Canada and the Technical Level of both Teams is painful to watch. Headed to Penalties which is probably the way this should finish. Lots of work to be done with US Development. Understanding that the US isn’t playing…
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This concept of, “just let ‘em play, the game is the teacher”, is the most misunderstood phrase in Football. It’s a great way to get kids to quit real early though. Without deliberate, intentional practice, players rarely improve. I have observed this for decades.
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Congratulations! 👏🙌🙏⚽️
A message to all INDIANS - we
@IndianFootball
can get there
@FIFAWorldCup
all we need Is support now - we can dominate world football -
@minervapunjabfc
promises the World Cup - GOVT 🙏🏽 CORPORATES show your support and watch the results - can’t do it alone - it’s our 🇮🇳 dream…
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Japanese U12 Teams can play as many as 100 games in a year. They can train 4 times a week on average 2.5hrs per session. Sat/Sun could be half the day training plus games. Season runs 52 weeks a year. Neither of my Boys Teams have had anyone quit in 6yrs. Commitment & Discipline.
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Congratulations to our Ladies from Japan winning their World Cup Group with the maximum 9pts, 11 goals and 0 against! Remarkable considering how few girls/ladies play the game here in Japan. Our strategy has focused around individual Technical Skill Training from the youngest…
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Congratulations to my eldest Son, Kaito, graduating from one of Japan’s top High Schools Academically. He has now finished all of his compulsory Education and is ready to move on to bigger challenges!
#Japan
#Tokyo
#Graduation
#highschool
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“The technical piece is massive. If you can’t hang in a session technically, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, how fast you are, even how intelligent you are, really.”
—Danny Karbassiyoon
—Arsenal Scout
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Just landed in Raleigh, North Carolina. The fun begins on Monday in Cary with our announcement. We’ll unveil the Roadmap on how a State Association becomes a game changer in Youth Development with a simple, common sense approach.
I will promise this State will become the model…
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Kids Rondos usually breaks down more because of lack of technical ability which limits their decision making possibilities. Take the ball from Rondos at the feet and replace it with Rondos with their hands and watch the great decision making kids will make because heads up.👀⚽️🧠
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So proud of my 2 Boys who are 3yrs apart but both played for the same U12 Team at different times but wore the same
#10
for Oyamadai Football Club in Tokyo. The youngest moves on to Jr. High & the oldest one heads to a top High School for both Academic and Football excellence.
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Anyone thinking that the Coaching is any better in Mexico & Honduras compared to the US does not understand the problem. The problem is invisible. It’s Culture. To continue to buy into this false narrative it’s all about the Coaching is just wrong. Football Starts at Home.
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I stopped attending Football Conferences because they all focus on Elite Player Dev which is basically useless here in Asia. They bring in big name coaches to present to grassroots coaches who’s kids can’t transfer a ball from right foot to left, under no pressure. Go figure.
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The U.S., Pay to Play model vs an extremely low cost to entering into a Team here in Japan. Almost all Volunteer Coaches and Grounds often cost nothing to use and kids Train usually on average for U12's, 4 times a week which includes tons of games. You pay an annual fee which is…
@tomsan106
Forgot to mention the finance part! I am curious to know the cost difference between 🇺🇸 and 🇯🇵
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Tomorrow I will post a detailed plan on the strategy I believe works best for both Indian and Indonesian Football. Two sleeping Giants that have not awakened yet.
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In Japan we don’t have dozens of football organizations. There is a clear pathway for governing competition and for development that everyone follows.
The JFA is the National Body and the 47 State Associations fall under the JFA. There are no other organizations that sit equal…
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Futsal is a great tool for developing players. Most of our Technical Schools here in Japan, over 150 of them, are all housed at Futsal Facilities.
Practicing and playing in small spaces you get many more touches on the ball than you’d get normally along with having to speed up…
@tomsan106
Thoughts on futsal? I see this being pushed hard at many top clubs. It seems like more of a showcase for the already technically good rather than a useful improvement tool.
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To believe that the problems with US Soccer can be solved by naming a new National Team Head Coach continues to keep Heads buried deep in the Sand. To really think the US is 1 Coach away from going to the next level exposes the lack of understanding.
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Countries that have no Elite Player development, terrible facilities, no coaches education, no curriculums, poorly financed, are winning games in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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Proud to be a part of the Croatian Development Curriculum which will be released very soon. I was asked to contribute some content regarding our “Football Starts at Home” concept, after presenting in Zagreb last year to Romeo Jozak, Ph.D.
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Can’t beat teaching the basics, it’s highly underrated.
While Nike, post Michael Jordan, scoured the U.S. in search of the next Michael Jordan, foreign countries were focused on teaching young kids the basic fundamentals of ball handling. Currently, 1 out of 5 players in the…
@tomsan106
First day of practice each year John Wooden taught each player the proper way to tie shoes.
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The best Countries that develop the best players in the World win the battle at the Entry Level. The rest try to catch up believing the battles at the Elite Level. They’ve lost the battle at the least inexpensive level and throw millions at the top believing they will catch up.
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The US has potentially the most Futsal facilities in the world. They’re called Gymnasiums, the most underutilized facilities in Schools throughout the entire US. What’s missing? The Culture to use them. Yet we’re led to believe we don’t have enough facilities for kids. 🙈
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The Masters Champ, $2.2Million in the Bank and he’s flying Commercial sitting at the Gate with his Green Jacket draped over the Seat! Best attribute of Japanese Athletes, humbleness! 🏆👊
#Masters2021
#Masters
#Humble
#Japan
#Athlete
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If you study how a country like Japan with only 50k registered Girls playing won all 3 FIFA World Cup competitions in the space of 7yrs you’ll find a country obsessed with Ball Mastery along with a culture that values Team before Individual, a possession based style of play. 🎯👊
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From the thousands of posts over the past 10yrs I’ll break down my philosophy: Get a Child comfortable with a Ball at their feet before you send them over the line into organized play and that child will flourish and develop into a decent player. Period. Have a good day! 😜⚽️
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A Team like Ajax is so good at Development because they value the individual player way more than the team. They focus from the bottom up at developing the best individuals and the team acts as the Tool. Results don’t matter at the youth level, the individual performance’s do.
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Indonesia has the strongest Football Fan Culture & Passion of any Country inside the AFC. The potential to become the Brazil of Southeast Asia if politics didn’t get in the way! 🙈
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The Japanese Ladies Program has now Won 3 World Cup Championships at every age group including a Silver Medal at the London Olympics inside a 7yr span. This has been accomplished with a Player pool of approximately 50,000 Registered Players! Technical Skill Development Key!
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While people are encouraging Kids to juggle a roll of toilet paper I’ll continue to encourage my boys to work on their footwork!
🤪👊😋
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How could anyone not be for Promotions/Relegation? The U.S. could easily have over 200 Professional Clubs. Japan has 54 and the goal is 100.
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Japan’s 🇯🇵 4-1 win over Germany 🇩🇪 at home in Germany, continues to show Japan is getting stronger with most players playing in Europe. Four quality goals as well. Lots of attacking players and options. We’ve lacked this over the decades but now have plenty of goal scorers.…
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All the best coaching in the world at the youngest ages is rendered useless if a child hasn’t developed the ability to focus their attention. You can bring the best coach in the world to your child’s training session and if they don’t pay full attention absolutely nothing takes…
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Interesting how kids in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, can play Football for hours on end 365 days a year in Favelas, Streets, etc and never hear anyone complain that it’s too much specialization until we use the words coach, cone or organized play. 😉
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Imagine most 5yr olds are comfortable with a ball at their feet instead of the ball getting in the way. Football hasn’t caught up to what science knows. Skill acquisition starts earlier than they think. It starts as soon as you are ready and it can start at home.
#culture
⚽️🧠
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Great showing by Japan very proud of all of the Players and Coaching Staff. Japan is progressing and played some great Football. Look forward to the Asian Cup and building on this World Cup experience!
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We need more innovators in US Sports to figure out how to make Sports more accessible to the less fortunate rather than more “Elite Coaches” for the rich. And the reality is there are very few truly “Elite Coaches” in most Sports. Many are masquerading as such.
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Other States will catch on eventually when they realize what is happening in North Carolina. We will help North Carolina Youth Soccer Association, increase their player participation numbers, higher level of technical skill ability at the entry level, this will eventually stave…
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For 10yrs I was lucky to be Head Coach of the Japan U12 National Select Team sponsored by Canon Inc. The planning & execution was identical to how the top National Teams operate. There are players from my team who are now with the National Team. Continuity & Culture is Key. ⚽️
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Transferring the Ball from one foot to the other is one of the most effective skills a player can have which is developed through repetition training developing neural pathways which in turn allows for the unconscious brain to work in an automated way. It looks effortless.
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The most misunderstood term in Football; “Just let ‘em play, the games the teacher.”
Works well in countries where there’s a Football Culture in place and the level of play not so drastically different.
Doesn’t work so well where there is little to no Football Culture.
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According to the
@AspenInstitute
Soccer dropout rates:
Drop from 2010-19 29%
Drop from 2010-20 41%
So, if you ignore 2020 due to Covid, the US still have almost a 30% drop.
Why?
-Too expensive
-Too much travel
-Too structured
-Not fun
-Increased focus on “Elite levels.”
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Imagine we’ve got hundreds of thousands of little Jocelyn’s like this that are this comfortable with a Ball at their feet by first grade! We’ve got 23 million Kids under the age of 6 in the US. Parents are Key!
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Football Starts at Home for the best! These little dribble wizards also become the best passers of the Ball as seen by clips of Jocelyn playing full pressure games. Her first touch, option to beat an opponent or pass or combine with a team-mate all made easier because of this.
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Houston, we have a problem. Apparently 600,000 Kids have dropped out of US Soccer and there doesn’t seem to be a plan to fix it. Wasn’t there a “Soccer Starts at Home” concept that was going to focus on the 23.7 million Kids U6? Oops, that was canceled.
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When countries close the gap between the best and the least developed at the youngest ages, that’s when their Elite Player Pool explodes!
This should give you an idea on where to place your investment?
You’d think so, but unfortunately, most believe the biggest investment…
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If most kids are this comfortable on the Ball by 5 or 6yrs old they will be having much more fun from the start. More fun means more practice. More practice means more proficiency. More proficiency means more fun. It all circles back. Then finally the coaches can actually coach.
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Japan, smaller than California with approx 80 million more people keeps youth sports activity costs down to nearly nothing. How a country this small with so many people & way less facilitates, keeps the cost down for kids to play?
It’s easy, Community Responsibility!
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I believe, and I don’t think it would be controversial to say, that the development of technically gifted players is based on having a ‘football culture.’ What this means is that in countries with a football culture, young children are exposed - in some cases as soon as they can…
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“Great players are dev through regular, fun engagement with the ball in early years. It is this partnership with the ball that provides the foundation for all that follows. Associations, clubs, coaches are secondary in the process of development and all try to claim the success.”
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The War on Cones is another one of the ridiculous claims some have. Cones are very useful for practicing the transfer of the Ball from one foot to the other and vice versa. Then you see how it transfers to a game in the below clip.
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I hope Korea 2 Germany 0 puts a halt on the concept that countries needs to run out and hire a German TD. This ridiculousness that countries are going to import other countries successes goes both ways. Get the basic fundamentals correct and create your own style of Football.
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The biggest benefit to developing good Ball Mastery is it teaches a child to be more mindful and less distracted. On average a person on a daily basis is 47% lost in their thoughts and not in the present moment. The benefits of a child engaged in Ball Mastery for just a few…
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Most clubs would benefit greatly and develop more players by changing to an intramural style program where there’s no travel and no “official competition” and the kids just play small sided games between the ages of 6-12. More time with a ball at your feet will do wonders.
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Marcelo Bielsa is correct. Technical skills are the foundation upon which you build everything else. If you want to put your players under a microscope, play 1v1. Technique is the DNA of a Football player.
Marcelo Bielsa explains the criteria he uses when choosing his players, and which team would be his dream. 😍😍
Best masterclass ever, (1hour 17min length) with English sub, in HD, without translator's voice, send me DM, follow me, etc.
#bestmasterclassever
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The reality is, Football hasn’t caught up to what Science already knows, that skill acquisition happens much earlier than the Football world believed. Most kids never reach their potential because they don’t develop the technical skills early enough to fall in love with the game.
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There are Latin Leagues for young kids all around the U.S., immune to all of the over-coaching where kids just show up to play on weekends just for fun. Kids immune to the expensive pay to play models who just show up for the pure joy and fun of playing. Organic development which…
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You gotta chuckle every time you hear someone criticize Messi. What are these people looking at? He is pure poetry in motion. The absolute all time best dribbler to watch with the Ball at his feet.
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Japan Men’s U17’s with an impressive win over Iran 3-0 to make it into the AFC Cup Final. This Team is flying! The Technical qualities making the difference. Over 30yrs now since establishing our Technical Schools here in Japan with currently over 150 Nationwide. They are surely…
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Watching Man C vs Liverpool and noticing how much players stop the ball with the sole of their foot and pause. For decades coaches education has frowned on stopping the ball with the sole and instead demanding a first touch into space. Technical skills are evolving.
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