Evolving Game | September 2018

E M A G G N I V L O THE EV September, 2018

Issue 46 Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Coaching Newsletter

Early Season Coaching Tips from Mike Barr With the fall club and high school seasons underway, we asked Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Technical Director Mike Barr to provide insight into how he prepares his teams for success. In 20 years as coach at Strath Haven High School, Coach Barr's teams won 13 league titles, five District One titles and five PIAA state championships. He currently coaches the boys’ team at Kennett High School in Kennett Square, which reached the PIAA state tournament for the first time in school history last season.

As a coach, how do you develop team culture in the early part of your season?

Mike Barr: I work on our culture throughout the year. We have our 8th through 12th graders play futsal throughout the winter and participate in optional training in the spring. I am not a teacher within the school district, but I have two coaches who are former Kennett players and another coach who is a teacher at Kennett High School. My one assistant, Gustavo Mirales, who played for me as a senior, has been with me for three years and acts as a liaison between the Spanish-speaking players and the Hispanic community. His relationship with the players is more of a brother to every player and all have a sense of comfort in going to him, if they may feel a bit intimidated in speaking to me.

I also try to find out the interests and strengths of individual players and make it a point to show I care and actually have an interest. I have been utilizing my players in numerous coaching courses I conduct, and they know my style and expectations. I am up front in providing information and development needs.

As teams are divided between JV and Varsity (usually at the end of the first week), I pair players together: freshmen and sophomores with older returning players to guide and answer any questions regarding the team or school. They also share their personal goals for the season and outside interests.

Each player is provided a notebook to reflect on training sessions and games. I expect at least minimum responses after every practice or game.

What words of advice would you give to young coaches preparing for their first season?

Never stop learning. Put your team ahead of your own individual goals. You are coaching young men or women to be successful adults. Have a sense of humor. Recognize referees will make mistakes just as you will through the season.

As a high school soccer coach know the value of learning and practicing proper periodization. No need to run kids into the ground.

Provide adequate recovery times within your practice, weekly schedule and seasonal schedule.

What do you look to achieve during the 2018 season?

Have a positive impact on all my players but not just on the soccer field. Be a strong role model to players and parents. Focus on individual and team development rather than wins and losses. Acknowledge and praise my team for its rich diversity and make an effort to bring doubting adults to see the incredible value of the community I coach. Give more responsibility to my assistant coaches in running training sessions

JT Dorsey is the new Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Grassroots Soccer Manager

Inside: Lew Meehl Remembers Walter Barr Inside: Interview with US Soccer’s Zac Crawford

Check out the new coaching pathway

NEW ONLINE COURSES 7v7, 9v9, 11v11 Try them now

Game Watcher NATIONAL TEAMS

September 7, 7:30PM USMNT v Brazil

EPL

September 15, 7:30AM Tottenham v Liverpool

MLS

September 15, 7:30PM Union v Impact

September 23, 11:00AM Arsenal v Everton

September 26, 7:00PM OPEN CUP FINAL
 Dynamo v Union

UNITY CUP

COLLEGE

HIGH SCHOOL

September 9, 1:00PM Brazil v TBA

September 27, 3:30PM Women Temple v UCF

September 13, 3:15PM Female Central v Franklin Towne

September 15, 6:00PM Male [!2] Drexel v J Madison

September 20, 7:00PM Male Conestoga v Strath Haven

September 15 Quarter Final

MEET THE COACH Zac Crawford, U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coach Educator If you take a U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coaching Course or National D License Course this year, you’ll be learning from the nation’s top experts, including Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Technical Director Mike Barr. We recently sat down with the U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coach Educator, Zac Crawford, who also contributed to the curriculum that will provide a framework for coaching and player development in our country going forward. The Memphis native stopped by Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer to support the state association’s coaching educators.

We spoke to Zac about grassroots soccer, play-practice-play and more.

Evolving Game: What is the purpose of the visit (to Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer)?

Zac Crawford: I'm the technical lead for the grassroots coaching education pathway. I oversee the grassroots in-person courses. I helped develop the online courses.

I helped develop the D license course. And now, I'm the technical lead for the grassroots instructor license course. So my role is really is to support the needs of our instructors. Our goal is to license 1000 instructors over the next four years. We have a course that we're running at least 10 times a year to bring in instructors to get everyone, not just up to speed, but also aligned, so that there's quality and consistency from one instructor to the next.

EG: I suppose that's the biggest challenge for this overhaul to the licensing structure, is getting consistency so that someone teaching in Alaska is teaching the same thing as someone in Florida.

ZC: Absolutely, it's a challenge, but it's one that we're up for and that we're committed to and we're investing a lot of resources into it

with that instructor license course.

It's for anyone that has a B license or above and has a teaching background. Someone who wants to be an instructor. The resources that we invest are we pay for the course. We put them up in a hotel, food, meals. All they have to do is travel and get there.

EG: It's become a buzzword —"grassroots" is one of those catch-all phrases. What does it mean to you? How do you define grassroots?

ZC: Typically, grassroots is 6-13 years old. There's a variety of ability levels at grassroots. It could be someone who's brand new to the game or someone who's played for a couple seasons. But ultimately it's that joy and passion for the game that drives participation. That's why they play. Grassroots provides an opportunity for people to play their entire life. It's not just about putting players into that performancedriven pathway. Some people think that's the only reason why grassroots is there. But grassroots is there also for players to leave the performance-driven pathway and come back and still have an opportunity to play, so that way they're a participant for life. So you can think about all the different structures and leagues that we have and how it's just alphabet soup sometimes: is it rec, is it competitive, is it travel, is it travelplus? Really, we're considering grassroots to be the majority of the landscape. Grassroots is the foundation. People should be proud and happy to say I'm a grassroots coach, a grassroots player. I love the fact I have grassroots in my job description.

EG: I saw you were the Technical Director at Alabama Youth Soccer.

How much did that experience influence the way you think about grassroots coaching?

ZC: Alabama was a fantastic experience, working for the state association. I had a really great boss in Tom Condone. He was the Executive Director. Now he's the General Manager for the (US Youth Soccer) South Region. So he and I were like a tag team there. When we first got there, Alabama was not in good shape. Leagues were fractured. Player registration was down 11,000 players total. And we came in and focused on building relationships. That's exactly what I do now at U.S. Soccer: build relationships, make connections and build a positive network. So Alabama, that experience really helped, because we went from 11 or 12,000 players to 17 the next year to 22, and then 25. We were the fastest growing state association, and people asked, "Well, what are you guys doing?" It wasn't anything too special or too difficult, unless you consider building relationships and maintaining them difficult. We enjoyed that challenge and it really helped prepare me for what I'm doing now.

MEET THE COACH

Zac Crawford, U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coach Educator EG: In regards to Play-PracticePlay, one thing we’ve heard back as we’re running different clinics is from parents who say, “The kids are just playing. When are they learning the technical stuff?” How is the philosophy transferred, not only to the coaches and players but to the parents and families?

ZC: Parent engagement is such a huge piece. And it's about engaging, building relationships, maintaining relationships, and when you do that, you really prevent conflicts. So parent engagement, part of that is also parent education. We're doing something totally different than in the past to help player development through coach development. So we have to educate (the parents) that PlayPractice-Play is based off of research. This is what kids enjoy.

They don't get enough of it in today's society. They're overstructured, over-scheduled; (they) sit inside and play video games.

What's wrong is that kids aren't playing enough. We believe in a holistic approach. All aspects of the game are inter-related. To learn skills and technique, the decisionmakers need the context of a game; there's really no transfer between passing between cones and learning the technique of passing, and then being able to make a decision on when and where to use that skill in a game.

Most importantly, that's not fun for kids. (Play-practice-play) is what they like. It's how they learn. It's a game-like environment, so it's reality based, which means there's transfer back to the game of soccer.

EG: You did say that parent education is an important aspect of that: is that contingent on the coach himself or herself to say,

"Parents, this is how we're going to approach training?" Do you think that's something that someone who takes the grassroots coaching license should share?

ZC: We say that coaches should inform, inspire and involve parents.

Those are the three "I's." Informing about this is our player development philosophy. Children learn and develop through gamelike experience in an enjoyable environment that supports individual growth. So when you come to our courses now, we use grassroots players. And when there are grassroots players there, there are grassroots parents who bring them. The instructor should be working with the parents to model for the coaches there: here's how you would inform, involve and inspire parents. Taking five minutes there at the field to explain what it is we're doing and why we're grateful that they're there goes a long way. When we get everyone aligned together—players, parents and coaches—then we really create that best environment for players to develop.

EG: You said 1000 coaching educators would be a benchmark you guys want to hit. Is there something tangibly related to players? Is there a number that you want to hit?

ZC: A thousand instructors, 300,000 coaches licensed and it's impacting millions of lives.

As far as a specific number, it's millions. Because if you have 12 coaches come through a course—you're an instructor— they all have at least 10 players. That's 120 lives that you can impact, plus the parents and family. [!4]It really impacts the entire country.

EG: If someone asked you, what's the one thing you want someone to take away from the grassroots coaching and the grassroots playing?

ZC: It’s that soccer can really bring the world together and people together, but it's a choice. And we can choose to do it in a positive way, or we can choose to do it in another way. And when we all work together and do it in a positive way, we grow this game and make it about the players, who are participants for life. They grow up to become coaches and referees and administrators, like ourselves.

It’s also our hope that we develop national team players that help the U.S. become the best soccer nation in the world.

We have that opportunity to really have a positive impact on people’s lives.

For more information on Grassroots Coaching visit the U.S. Soccer Digital Coaching Center at dcc.ussoccer.com.

Zac Crawford can be found on twitter @zaccraw4d

Remembering Walter Bahr (1927-2018) by Lew Meehl Lew Meehl played soccer for Walter Bahr at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. From then on, Bahr became a mentor and friend to the longtime player and coach.

Below, Meehl details how Bahr influenced every step of his soccer journey.

As you read this, realize this is not about me but about Mr. Bahr and his impact on my soccer journey. I did not know Walter Bahr, the player. I did get to know Walter Bahr, the coach. I would hope my thoughts would be a testament to the person. It may be possible that my story may run deeper than so many that Coach touched. While in 9th grade at Stetson Junior High, the same school Bahr attended, my coach, John Hughes (a teammate of Bahr), asked where I would attend high school. My two choices were Mastbaum or Thomas Edison. I was not in the geographic district for Frankford, where Mr. Bahr was the coach. I really knew very little about Coach but had heard of him. Mr. Hughes said he would contact Bahr to learn of any means for me to attend Frankford, one of the best schools in the city. Well, I learned the means would be for me to take Latin for two years and maintain a "B.� This worked since the other two schools did not offer Latin.

After my first season of soccer at Frankford in 1961, I thought I would try out for the JV basketball team.

Mr. Bahr was the coach. After the first day, I asked if I might miss the next day so I might attend the City Championship game, Public vs Catholic. Being honest, he suggested I attend the game; in other words, save your abilities for the soccer field. In both 11th and 12th grade he took our team, at the close of the season, to the Naval Academy to play against the Plebes. After the game my senior year, I was approached by a coach asking if I might consider attending Navy. The next week I told Coach about this.

He asked what I thought. My answer: "I did not like how the Plebes, at meal time, sat at attention serving the upperclassmen and not seeming to eat themselves." I can only imagine his thought was "what else should I expect from a kid from Kensington?" I doubt I could have gone to Navy. Coach suggested Temple, which sounded good to me. Sure enough, within days, he told me the coach would be glad to have me. I never heard from the coach and never met him until my freshman year, 1964. Coach's support made this possible.

Getting married in June of 1968 with coach attending was special. Even more special, one week after the honeymoon coach called to inform me that he nominated three players from the area for U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team tryouts. Two weeks later, after a long weekend in St. Louis with favorable results, I was invited for the next phase in Kansas City. I made the final player pool. Honestly, recognizing the talent, I believe I was at the back end of the group but getting to that stage was a great experience. Again, Mr. Bahr opened this door. That fall I completed my degree in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and went on to teach Health and Physical Education at Bensalem High School for 30 years beginning 1969. I coached the high school team as well. Interestingly, Mr. Hughes and Mr. Bahr taught the same subjects.

Remembering Walter Bahr (1927-2018) by Lee Meehl At about this same time I was playing for the Philadelphia Spartans, then part of the American Soccer League, having mainly a summer schedule. Walter Bahr was the coach. Here I appreciated a style of coaching that I also experienced in high school. He always had a calm demeanor. I don't recall ever hearing excessive "volume,” and most rare, I don't recall any vulgarity. Those qualities are tough to find nowadays. He emphasized team corrections as well as individual points for improvement. Many players have said that they played for Mr. Bahr. What most will say is that "they played FOR Coach.” You wanted to play FOR him. I tried to emulate this coaching approach. Hopefully, I came close.

About March of 1973, I believe Al Miller, the coach of the expansion Philadelphia Atoms of the NASL, must have reached out to Walter Bahr to learn of any possible local players to consider. Bahr and Miller, plus three of us, drove to New York where our team, the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals had a game in the German American League. I was invited to the Atoms’ tryout and eventually made the team. After two years with the team I was not kept in the third year. The player taking my spot was none other than Chris Bahr, Walter Bahr’s son, before he went to the NFL. Again, the Atoms was another soccer opportunity gifted to me by Mr. Bahr.

In 1984, I became coach at Philadelphia Textile. Mr. Bahr was at the top of my list of references, which may have helped me land the job. Having had a very good year, we were selected for the NCAA tournament. Sure enough our opponent would be Penn State. It was Bahr vs Meehl and Woody Hartman (coached by Bahr at both Frankford and Temple). We didn't fare well that day.

Some years ago I was fortunate to be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Upon entering the banquet facility I first saw Coach and Mrs. Bahr. It was great of them to join me and my family. Given his long time support, I can suggest that maybe his name should be on the plaque as well.

Over the last several years, a group of us had traveled twice a year to visit Coach and Mrs. Bahr. One of our initial trips we visited at the Bahrs' home before he took residence at an assisted living facility. Upon leaving I shook his hand and said, "thanks for everything.” He whispered back, "you were one a kind.” To this day I am not sure what he meant. Once on the road my thought was, “it was you that was one of a kind as a player, coach, and person.”

On his prayer card the last two lines read “Never, never be afraid to die/For I am waiting for you in the sky.”

Well when we get there we should have a pretty good team, and we will need a coach.

[!6]

Promoting Player Safety: A Major Mission of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer From The Medical Advisory Committee Ensuring player safety has always been a large part of the mission for the promotion of youth soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer has recently established “Recognize to Recover,” a resource for the promotion of player safety. Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer has been on the forefront for reviewing and promoting player safety and established the Medical Advisory Committee several years ago for this purpose.

This year, the Medical Advisory Committee is enhancing its resources and recommendations to all of the clubs, coaches, players and parents throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. It is our goal to establish recommendations for “best practice” to keep the game safe for everyone who participates. The following is a highlight of our recommendations. We encourage everyone to review the guidelines, and hope that engagement from all sides will protect all of our athletes for a lifetime of safe play.

Kevin B. Freedman, M.D., Rothman Institute Sports Medicine, Chair, Medical Advisory Committee

Appointment of a Club Safety Officer

Coaches Toolkit for Player Safety

The Club Safety Officer will be a volunteer position with the major responsibility of ensuring the adherence to both mandatory and recommended policies of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer and US Youth Soccer as it relates to player safety. Examples of their responsibilities will include:

We recognize that coaches are mostly volunteers, and there are varying comfort levels for dealing with player injuries. We strive to make everyone comfortable for dealing with minor bumps and bruises or major injuries that can occur during practice or a game. We are not trying to make coaches advanced medical providers – on the contrary, we want them to be prepared to make smart decisions because they are the front lines for player protection. To help make all coaches successful, we are providing additional resources in our Coaches Toolkit:

•Adherence with guidelines for mandatory coaching certification and training, including Child Safety Act and Concussion Certification •Development of an Emergency Action Plan for each club and team. The Emergency Action Plan maps out the management of a crisis situation such as spinal or head injuries, sudden cardiac death, weather related emergencies, etc. This provides an immediate guide for action.

•Education of coaches for resources available on EPYSA.org regarding player and field safety •Collection of Player Medical Release Form. We are suggesting that each player complete a medical release that allows emergency care if the parents cannot be contacted and identify any medical conditions that should be recognized by the coach or club when the parent is not available (asthma, diabetes, allergies, etc.)

•Emergency Action Plan as outlined above •First aid essentials. We will provide suggestions for a basic first aid kit for quick and effective relief of minor injuries on the field.

•Return to play recommendations. We are going to make suggestions for return to play guidelines for injured athletes. This will include mandatory medical release for athletes with concussions, as well as suggestions for other injuries including extremity injuries. This will help take the “guesswork” out of appropriate medical release, and this process should occur in conjunction with the Club Safety Officer.

We have developed these resources with one goal in mind: the safety of your child. We hope you will review [!7] these guidelines and encourage each club to adopt them.

Coaching Exercises Improve Preventing Scoring

1st Play Phase (free play)

Objective To prevent the opponent from scoring Player Actions Mark player/area, Get compact, Protect goal Key Qualities Read game/make decisions, Focus, Initiative Organization Mark out two 36 x 24-yard fields. Teams play 4 v 4 on goals. There are no permanent goalkeepers. One player from the defending team always covers the goal. Play for 30 minutes with two breaks Key words Stay compact, defend the player, defend the goal Guided Questions 1) Defenders, where should you force the attackers to protect the goal? 2) As one player steps to apply pressure, what should the other defenders do? 3) What should you do when you’re the defender in a face-to-face 1 v 1 on the wing?

Objective To prevent the opponent from scoring Player Actions Mark player/area, Get compact, Protect goal Key Qualities Read game/make decisions, Focus, Initiative Organization Mark out a 28 x 36-yard field. Choose seven attackers (Red), eight defenders (Blue) and one goalkeeper. Divide the defenders into two groups of four. Teams play 5 + 2 v 5 on one standard goal and two small goals. Outside players are not allowed to dribble into the box. Red always starts with the ball. Play four-minute rounds. Switch defenders after each round. Play for 30 minutes with two breaks Key words Stay compact, defend the player, defend the goal Guided Questions 1) Defenders, what’s your top priority when the ball is this close to our goal? 2) How do you do that?

3) What should you do when the attackers pass to one of the outside players?

Practice (Core Activity)

Objective To prevent the opponent from scoring Player Actions Mark player/area, Get compact, Protect goal Key Qualities Read game/make decisions, Focus, Initiative Organization Mark out a 60 x 55-yard field. Play 8v8 with teams in a 1–3–1–3 formation. Play according to the Laws of the Game and the standards of play found in the U.S. Soccer Player Development Initiatives. Play for 30 minutes including one “halftime” (5 minutes max).

Key words Stay compact, defend the player, defend the goal Guided Questions 1) How can you keep the opponent from scoring? 2) What's our top priority when the ball is close to our goal? 3)What should you do when you’re the defender in 1 v 1 on the wing? 3) ) What should you do when the attackers pass to one of the wing players? 3) What do the central defenders need to do?

2nd Play phase The Game