Soccer practice
Holly and I had our first soccer practices this week. Like most things in Thailand, we had to be very flexible!
We had sat down and planned out a practice that we thought should take the right amount of time (3:20-5:00). Our first practice was scheduled for Tuesday. However, Sunday and Monday, it rained so hard that the river came right up to its banks again and there was worry of flooding. Needless to say, the fields were a little bit damp. The JV and varsity teams were also supposed to have games that day. Some of the games were cancelled, but because the JV girls were still going to play, we didn't have a field to practice on. We were told we could have a "very wet corner". Hmmm....So we had the girls just meet in Holly's classroom. We went over the schedule with them, and talked about our goals for this year and a few things we want to do to keep things fun, like have someone bring treats to eat after every game. Then we had them play the human knot game, where everyone reaches into the circle and grabs someone elses hand, and then they have to figure out how to untie themselves without letting go. It's a lot of fun, and forces them to communicate and work together. Plus, it gave us some good insights into group dynamics.
Yesterday was our second practice. We actually had a field, so we set out on the practice we had planned for Tuesday. We were done with all those activities at about 3:50. Practice goes until 5:00. So we had them play a scrimmage game, while Holly and I watched and got ideas for who to play where, as well as encouraged them to shout out each others names when passing. Then I had them do another teambuilding activity. This time it was the game where they all line up on a narrow ledge, then have to reverse the order without anyone falling off. If someone falls, everyone starts over. They did better at this game, especially once they got the hang of talking to each other and trusting their teammates to keep them from falling. Maybe a bit unorthodox approach to soccer coaching, but the girls are enjoying it and we think it is helping. See, all those summers I spent working at camps is coming in handy!
There are pictures from the scrimmage game up at the gallery.
We have about a dozen girls, mostly in 7th grade but a few in 6th. It looks like it will be a fun season. We have our first game on Saturday. And Holly and I are going to do our best to learn the rules before then!
We had sat down and planned out a practice that we thought should take the right amount of time (3:20-5:00). Our first practice was scheduled for Tuesday. However, Sunday and Monday, it rained so hard that the river came right up to its banks again and there was worry of flooding. Needless to say, the fields were a little bit damp. The JV and varsity teams were also supposed to have games that day. Some of the games were cancelled, but because the JV girls were still going to play, we didn't have a field to practice on. We were told we could have a "very wet corner". Hmmm....So we had the girls just meet in Holly's classroom. We went over the schedule with them, and talked about our goals for this year and a few things we want to do to keep things fun, like have someone bring treats to eat after every game. Then we had them play the human knot game, where everyone reaches into the circle and grabs someone elses hand, and then they have to figure out how to untie themselves without letting go. It's a lot of fun, and forces them to communicate and work together. Plus, it gave us some good insights into group dynamics.
Yesterday was our second practice. We actually had a field, so we set out on the practice we had planned for Tuesday. We were done with all those activities at about 3:50. Practice goes until 5:00. So we had them play a scrimmage game, while Holly and I watched and got ideas for who to play where, as well as encouraged them to shout out each others names when passing. Then I had them do another teambuilding activity. This time it was the game where they all line up on a narrow ledge, then have to reverse the order without anyone falling off. If someone falls, everyone starts over. They did better at this game, especially once they got the hang of talking to each other and trusting their teammates to keep them from falling. Maybe a bit unorthodox approach to soccer coaching, but the girls are enjoying it and we think it is helping. See, all those summers I spent working at camps is coming in handy!
There are pictures from the scrimmage game up at the gallery.
We have about a dozen girls, mostly in 7th grade but a few in 6th. It looks like it will be a fun season. We have our first game on Saturday. And Holly and I are going to do our best to learn the rules before then!
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Sounds like you guys are doing a great job coaching. You are an awesome coach!!!
Comment by Em — November 7, 2005 @ 01:31 — Reply
Descriptions of pubs their atmospheresjxq
Comment by Anonymous — July 7, 2006 @ 16:00 — Reply