Welcome to Soccerbook Consulting Sports

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Carine and I have known Tom Byer for many years and connected through our work in technical player development which has been largely influenced by and in admiration of Wiel Coerver. (see story). Tom and I have known of each other since 1989, but it wasn't until the 2017 USC convention that we met in person when Tom was a panelist with the head of US Soccer Development Academies, USA U18 WNT coach and founder of ECNL, moderated by associate, legendary US women's soccer coaching icon Anson Dorrance.

My approach to player development is very similar to Tom's approach and I have a great deal of admiration for the inspiring work he's done in the area of youth technical development. I share similar mission to educate players, families, coaches and key football stakeholders on the importance self practice, free play and developing ones soccer skills in the home, local park, neighborhood and schoolyard as well as the social and academic benefits that come with mastering the ball. 

Coaches, fans and clubs place and pay a premium for the dribblers, goalscorers, creators, game savers and entertainers. These players provide moments of individual genius or inspiration we all remember and crowds want to see. It takes many years for players to develop technically which requires enormous dedication to self practicing and strained by master technicians, with the emphasis on the love of ball, love of game and love of competition. 

To become technically special, players and not be an ordinary unremarkable "cookie cutter" type player, young players must be introduced to the ball and be immersed in all facets of technical development at the earliest possible age and it should be presented as play, not training or practice. Ball mastery develops the potential for 'special players' and encourages the explorative mindset in children. I believe:

⚽️ Players can and should practice more at home, in the schoolyard and neighborhood

⚽️ Players must learn and be taught to self-practice with intensity, frequency, quality

⚽️ Players should be educated on playing in a variety of systems

⚽️ Clubs should be player-centric at least as much as they are team-centric

⚽️ More time should be dedicated to technical practice and less time playing organized games, events and tournaments 

⚽️ Players should spend less time on travel and more to dedicated practice & experimenting in local friendly games 

⚽️ Players should be playing on all surfaces and field sizes but NOT be playing on larger fields at younger ages as large fields at too young an age favor athleticism, stamina and power over artistry and technique which is typically detrimental to developing highly creative and technically proficient players

⚽️ Talented and able players should have the opportunity to play and at least train up frequently, or permanently

⚽️ More focus should be placed on technical development, less 'systems' based teaching

⚽️ Players must take ownership for self training and responsibility (player-centric not coach-centric)

⚽️ There should be as much emphasis on win-loss in practice than just team results and records, meaning that players should be permitted and encouraged to compete in practice, not only in games but in technical competitions 

⚽️ Players need permission to create and to explore. Without this there is no action 

⚽️ Players should endeavor to 'over-dribble', be creative and pass/share ball only if their teammates are in a 'better' position than themselves because too many players share the ball with teammates, without exploring other options to beat their immediate opponents and be an individual threat to them

⚽️ Passing collectively and obsession with rondos in systems, team-centric environment can stifle individual flair and creativity because players need to be able to become better 'on the ball' for more than a brief encounter which mans they want to attract pressure, not shy away from it. If not, players risk becoming 'cogs in a wheel' and are often not presented with the latitude to take risks and develop a broader skill-set

⚽️ players competency and comfort/relationship with the ball when they are young results in improved confidence and better tactical/decision making when players get older. developing a players technical foundation in the formative years (2-6) means that by age 10-12 years of age players ball feeling/touch and thereby creativity and decision making will be superior to other late starters or those players who focused more on physical and tactical qualities at younger ages. 

⚽️ the foundation of football skills can largely be built in the home during early childhood, with parents playing an integral role instilling confidence, coordination, and motor skills in their children before they join formal training

⚽️ parents can spark their children's interest and motivation in soccer through familiarity and love of ball influential role of parents during the early years enabling children to manipulate (not just kick) a small ball

⚽️ when parents are provided with basic knowledge to help children as their first ’teachers’ they can repeatedly practice core movements and skills, both indoors and outdoors setting achievable tasks and fostering success through encouragement 

⚽️ in early stage development a child's play within the home with parents/siblings plays more of a significant role than competetive team coaches in developing basic football skills

⚽️ fun, non-coercive performance and repetition of core movements and ball feeling techniques prepare children to become technically superior football players when they later join formal teams or competitions

⚽️ beyond football skills, this training boosts children's confidence, self-esteem, motivation, overall fitness, coordination and even academic performance

⚽️ increasing parent-child interaction, helping to build richer and closer relationships and significant value to families and parent

⚽️ A child’s brain grows to about 80% of the adult brain by age 3, and 90% by the age of 5, therefore fundamental motor skill development is recommended from ages 2 to 8