Football Academies?

[MikeSB]

Its me again!

Not as you think though. I've been accused of not understanding what coaching means or what goes on at RH with the kids and so I don't want to have a closed mind on this and eager to find out.

I'm not sure whether Dario has ever done an internet precis of what goes on at RH as he seems not to be too interested in social media which is a shame really and so when googling for something, came across the Southampton Academy and its Director goes into great detail about what happens at the various age groups and who does what there. How about publicizing something similar here CAFC? I think I will email them.

And I will provide the link but came across this news which Bigroof Derek may find interesting as well. They have just sacked two of the academy coaches for the reasons given. - view external link

[MikeSB]

More info about Saints which probably happens all over.. - view external link

[Nexus_6_Replicant]

You weren't accused of anything Mike, let's not go down the road of misdirection.

All I wrote was "It would be interesting to know what exactly you think coaching involves Mike?" and asked to "clarify understanding of what it involves". An arch-critic should be able to answer this, else it's an uneducated bias surely?

[MikeSB]

I can only take an 'uneducated' guess and why I'm eager to find out more. My 'pre conception' is that talent in any field of activity is rarely down to coaching but more to do with 'natural' ability and why taking on 100 kids say with the off chance of producing one is not the best use of resources when ****agers can be assessed later on. That may be too late of course and our Dean Ashton and Nick Powell would have been snapped up elsewhere.

I really don't like the idea of coaching 9 year olds on a formal basis and in some ways would argue that 'coaching' can destroy natural ability but these are my pre conceptions as I played years in local football myself and so I'm not convinced YET! that most humans cannot kick or head a football or indeed pass a ball without knowing much about anything else. These skills for want of a better word are inherent and natural.

I could see many players far better than me and as none that I knew had any coaching had more to do with this natural abil

[Timmy58]

I play competitive sport and have done for over 40 years. Had very little coaching in that time but it has been suggested to me that I would have been a better player if I had. I am certain that if I had been coached, some of my bad habits would have stopped but I may have been more restricted as a player. Who knows? However, I genuinely feel that if kids join a football academy at a young age then they will be schooled in "the right way" and we as Crewe supporters over the years have been treated to half time entertainment from kids as young as 7 and it has been very entertaining and that in itself may be proof enough of the value of coaching really young kids.

[Nexus_6_Replicant]

On another post Mike, you wrote that "organised schools of excellence" are "where virtually any kid could go and try and see if they could make it. And its futile to deny that...".

Surely you know that in fact they're only concerned with those that already show talent and it's nothing like the free-for-all for "virtually any kid" you so casually dismiss it as? So it's not futile to deny it, but the only rational response to deny it.

In truth, coaching and teaching are essentially the same thing and I'm sure you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss teaching in non-sporting disciplines. Why should it then be so different in sport? Method, demonstration, motivation, practice, practice, practice. Would you dismiss the teaching of mathematics and encourage it to be left only to those with "natural ability"?

What is "natural ability" as you call it Mike? It's not surely that kids are just born to be naturally gifted footballers (though it is a truism that genetics can convey physical advantage

[MikeSB]

We;ve all heard that 'Practice makes Perfect" Or 'the more I practice the better I get' said by Garry Player and others.

David Beckham's trade marks were his free kicks and its well known that he spent hours and hours on the practice pitch until dark sometimes doing the same thing over and over and even Fergie told him off for it.

So there is no doubt this is possibly the most important element of improvement and kids and ****agers and all players at all levels will want to practice and play, practice and play and read somewhere on the Barcelona model that they look for kids who have speed of thought and individual reaction as a huge factor in looking for the better players. And we all know all the best ones are these players that can change matches like our own Nick Powell did and what a waste of that talent that surely we all thought was good enough for the PL and England. They can also go off the rails as well like Best and Gasgoine which is part of that individuality.

Its

[MikeSB]

This is a good discussion imo because I don't know how its done at RH. Is there a selection process before the kid is taken on? Does any parent get to take their lad to RH and ask them to be looked at as they think they have some special talent? So yes I did think it was just anyone that could go there. But 1000 kids who live locally would all turn up and so there has to be some criterion?

I would suspect that if these kids play in the school football team, then it would be the teachers in the initiative? Anyone know if the schools now fall foul of the duty of care rules now and won't do PT or football in case the kids get hurt? And could be sued as a result!

[bigroof]

Its me again!

Not as you think though. I've been accused of not understanding what coaching means or what goes on at RH with the kids and so I don't want to have a closed mind on this and eager to find out.

I'm not sure whether Dario has ever done an internet precis of what goes on at RH as he seems not to be too interested in social media which is a shame really and so when googling for something, came across the Southampton Academy and its Director goes into great detail about what happens at the various age groups and who does what there. How about publicizing something similar here CAFC? I think I will email them.

And I will provide the link but came across this news which Bigroof Derek may find interesting as well. They have just sacked two of the academy coaches for the reasons given.

Thanks for that, Mike. News from earlier in the year of course, but interesting nonetheless. Southampton do have a fine reputation, th

[bigroof]

...and I agree with you Mike: it would be good to have more information about the workings of our own Academy