technical abilities....

[bushcelt1]

why are they so low at the top levels in britain/ireland etc??.
even some of the worst countries seem to have a higher skill factor.
is the problem at kid/youth training??
it seems to be about physical strenth not based on a great touch etc.
i remember some great skillfull players growing up and sometimes these players never got a look in.
has the influx of players from other countries effected the prem in as far as youth devolopment??.......your thoughts...

[smudge4991]

the young foreign lads who come into the academies at an older age of around 15 tend to push the talented english players out of the academies due to their physical abilities combined with their skill level. thats the main reason in all honesty they are just bigger stronger faster and more athletic at that age, and academies feel that the technical ability can be taught to them. English boys just develop late and tend to lack these physical abilities.

[QPR Richard]

I did the FA coaching course in the late 90s and there wasn't a lot of technical stuff on it. I then visited the Amsterdam Arena about a year later and bought some Ajax coaching videos. I was astonished at how advanced the Dutch system was. They play the same system throughout the whole club so that when youngsters move up to the next level they know what needs to be done. The technical training was impressive and far more advanced than what I learned with the FA. It's no wonder a small country like Holland produces so many good players.

What I started doing at training sessions was to get players working on the basic skills a footballer should have. From what I'd seen at youth level told me that the real weakness in the coaching system is the lack of basic technical training and more on tactical work, which is, in my opinion, wrong. Technical work is something which should be started at the earliest age possible and coached throughout. You look at so many pros these days and many struggle to pass the ball properly.

[bushcelt1]

i always found that some of the bigger players at under 16/17 etc were british/irish lads. looking at under 16's for england they seem physicaly bigger and stronger than their euro/world counterparts and wonder if the smaller more technically young players get over looked?? this problem was coming to the fore even in the old first div. we see less and less coming thru even at club level in the lower lgs now.

[QPR Richard]

The physical side of a player can be worked on over time, but if you don't get the technical side right at an early age, it's difficult to fix the faults. Ok, it's the coach's job to fault find then coach against the fault, but if a player has developed bad habits it's difficult to break.

[TRING-RANGER]

you see small kids all over the world playing football with oranges/socks stuffed with paper ,etc etc and its all about the skill with that small sphere,

over here its a team game to play as a unit, see how chelskis game plan won the CL and england being encouraged to adopt it, i fear for the game in this country

[winalotto]

why are they so low at the top levels in britain/ireland etc??.
even some of the worst countries seem to have a higher skill factor.
is the problem at kid/youth training??
it seems to be about physical strenth not based on a great touch etc.
i remember some great skillfull players growing up and sometimes these players never got a look in.
has the influx of players from other countries effected the prem in as far as youth devolopment??.......your thoughts...

Quite simply mate it starts as early as the first year academy's (under 9) , over here its all about results even at under 9. we should be playing 5 a sides until under 11 at academy's , small goals no throw ins , quick 1/2 touch football, then the footballer learns to receive the ball in tight areas and cant just lump it forward. It is changing over here, very slowly , i was in favor of small sided games for academy's 10 years ago, it has started to happen as the new FA rules of 9 a side games start next season for ages up to 11. Still should be 7/5 a side imo, but its a start. We school big physical fast footballers, that when put under pressure have poor technical abilities, cant keep the ball, dont want it under pressure, we should be teaching them those skills at years 9 and onward's, not when there at a big final and are in there 20's.

[bushcelt1]

Quite simply mate it starts as early as the first year academy's (under 9) , over here its all about results even at under 9. we should be playing 5 a sides until under 11 at academy's , small goals no throw ins , quick 1/2 touch football, then the footballer learns to receive the ball in tight areas and cant just lump it forward. It is changing over here, very slowly , i was in favor of small sided games for academy's 10 years ago, it has started to happen as the new FA rules of 9 a side games start next season for ages up to 11. Still should be 7/5 a side imo, but its a start. We school big physical fast footballers, that when put under pressure have poor technical abilities, cant keep the ball, dont want it under pressure, we should be teaching them those skills at years 9 and onward's, not when there at a big final and are in there 20's.

spot on with that. even as a young lad in west london it was all about massive pitches and 11 a side games. we seem to be miles behind.

[Johnnykc]

Quite simply mate it starts as early as the first year academy's (under 9) , over here its all about results even at under 9. we should be playing 5 a sides until under 11 at academy's , small goals no throw ins , quick 1/2 touch football, then the footballer learns to receive the ball in tight areas and cant just lump it forward. It is changing over here, very slowly , i was in favor of small sided games for academy's 10 years ago, it has started to happen as the new FA rules of 9 a side games start next season for ages up to 11. Still should be 7/5 a side imo, but its a start. We school big physical fast footballers, that when put under pressure have poor technical abilities, cant keep the ball, dont want it under pressure, we should be teaching them those skills at years 9 and onward's, not when there at a big final and are in there 20's.

That is so important....because we play with full size goals even at junior level...the whole focus is on physical size rather than technique ....

[paulmason]

Quite simply mate it starts as early as the first year academy's (under 9) , over here its all about results even at under 9. we should be playing 5 a sides until under 11 at academy's , small goals no throw ins , quick 1/2 touch football, then the footballer learns to receive the ball in tight areas and cant just lump it forward. It is changing over here, very slowly , i was in favor of small sided games for academy's 10 years ago, it has started to happen as the new FA rules of 9 a side games start next season for ages up to 11. Still should be 7/5 a side imo, but its a start. We school big physical fast footballers, that when put under pressure have poor technical abilities, cant keep the ball, dont want it under pressure, we should be teaching them those skills at years 9 and onward's, not when there at a big final and are in there 20's.

Kids are into football clubs at 6, the lucky ones sign at 8 to play U9 football. They dont play kick and run, they play out from the back and receive superb training, some clubs are better than others I agree, but no club follows a kick and run policy for big players. Anyone who thinks this happens, do not know what they are talking about.

Also, the new FA rules are aimed more for Sunday football and not academy and Center of Excellence teams, as the home team will always decide to play 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 aside, as well as to play on a big or small pitch. Most clubs have many players and they will play them as and when they want, irrespective to want Brooking and Southgate say.

People get hysterical about this, but if you child is lucky enough to be in a football club system, you will know this is correct.

[MattyRangers]

Dont know anything about new grass roots policies or any such malarkey, but just purely going by my own experiences in grassroots football growing up it seems we dont get encouraged to try anything abit different. If a lad in England tries a bit of skill and ballses up, even if hes about 11, they get bo11ocked. Compare this to the "Futsal" they have kids playing in Brazil and its quite clear why the national sides abilities are a million miles apart.

[winalotto]

Kids are into football clubs at 6, the lucky ones sign at 8 to play U9 football. They dont play kick and run, they play out from the back and receive superb training, some clubs are better than others I agree, but no club follows a kick and run policy for big players. Anyone who thinks this happens, do not know what they are talking about.

Also, the new FA rules are aimed more for Sunday football and not academy and Center of Excellence teams, as the home team will always decide to play 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 aside, as well as to play on a big or small pitch. Most clubs have many players and they will play them as and when they want, irrespective to want Brooking and Southgate say.

People get hysterical about this, but if you child is lucky enough to be in a football club system, you will know this is correct.

Academy's have satellite centers and bring kids in at 5 for one training session a week (some), like i said there are some leagues, clubs, that teach there kids the wright way. But we still have a way to go over here, if your talking about the top level,ive been very lucky and witness how the Dutch, Italian, French train there young prospects and we've still away to go, manly in educating kids and parents that its not always win at all costs, and its not all ways teams that win week in week out that have the best footballers in them. Ive witness coaching sessions at academy level's that have astounded me, like i say its getting better but it will take time. But the only way we will produce footballers that are comfortable on the ball under pressure is to change how we teach kids from a early stage, dont punish mistakes if the keeper has ball in hand and uses his full backs and you concede a goal, in fact encourage him to do it again. I still watch a lot of grass roots football were the keeper just does one think, kick it long.

[TRING-RANGER]

Dont know anything about new grass roots policies or any such malarkey, but just purely going by my own experiences in grassroots football growing up it seems we dont get encouraged to try anything abit different. If a lad in England tries a bit of skill and ballses up, even if hes about 11, they get bo11ocked. Compare this to the "Futsal" they have kids playing in Brazil and its quite clear why the national sides abilities are a million miles apart.

Bang on matty, thats what i was trying to say in my earlier post,