Our Mission and Philosophy is centered around our children
Our mission is to provide an opportunity for all area youth who wish to learn to play the wonderful game of soccer. We strive to promote the growth of the sport and create a safe playing and learning environment for our children. We are extremely committed to coaching education and to providing the opportunity to expose our players to professional trainers. As an association we strive to teach game fundamentals, sportsmanship, character development, citizenship and a true appreciation of the many sacrifices that our parents make.
Our philosophy is to focus on long term player development and not on short term game "results." We are accomplishing this important task by spending quality time instructing our volunteer coaches. The result is better trained coaches who are able to provide higher level instruction to the players. Our philosophy is composed of four elements:
1. Coaches will be educated to put training emphasis on the "process" and NOT on the "outcome." It has been documented that high tendency on "outcome performance" will lead to burn out and contribute to drop out from younger players.
2. The common philosophy across our programs is to encourage our players to make mistakes, to take chances, to be creative, to be spontaneous and to experience the game freely. Focus on individual experimentation and development. After all it is their game!
3. DO NOT treat our players as miniature pros and do not try to anoint future stars at an early age. ”A child's athletic ability prior to puberty is an absolutely meaningless indicator of a child’s athletic ability post puberty”. “We are asking kids to do competitive athletics at younger and younger ages. If we continue on this path the late bloomer will never be identified." Let's remember that children mature at different ages and have different stages of their development. Ultimately, we want to promote players' lifelong love of the game because from these children we will find future stars, the next officials, administrators, coaches and soccer parents.
- It has been documented that a player's chances of success at a higher level are greatly enhanced by mastering the building blocks of soccer (passing, trapping, dribbling, shooting) also labeled and known as individual technical development.
So, how are we going to accomplish this?
- By allowing the game to be the best teacher
- Emphasis on MICRO soccer as the key element and place to provide adequate learning environments sensitive to age and abilities (emotional and athletic) with a variety of experiences. These environments should allow for the creativity, spontaneity of the game of soccer naturally encourages.
- The establishment of Technical Development Academies for our players
In summary, here is a brief synopsis behind US Soccer’s philosophy, approach and developmental levels. (Article from Soccer Journal May/June 2003 edition)
- Three key levels of player development. These levels are:
Youth Level (ages 5 12) – Technical development and / or ball skills, enjoyment of and experimentation within the game
Junior Level (ages 13-16) – It is ball skills mastery, enjoyment and insight into the game. (Reading the game) A gradual introduction to fitness, mental toughness and results. At this point any success in winning games should be the product of a consistent and systematic approach to the game that focuses more on player development than on team building.
Senior level (ages 17 and older) – Players at this level need to use all of these qualities together along with a commitment to excellence in order to figure out how to win.
Note: If a player SKIPS a step at the youth or junior levels, he or she will find success and enjoyment MORE DIFFICULT as he or she moves toward the senior level
We welcome you to join the Golden Isles Soccer Association. We have the professionalism and the “know how” to develop your child. We also have over 10 years of experience providing soccer specific programs for the Golden Isles and surrounding communities.
So, don’t wait. Become a member of our programs. You and your child will not be disappointed.
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