“Coach Qiana, can we play red light/green light?” It is a question that I am always eagerly asked by my smallest students.
For those coaches who have incorporated this game into their practices, it is an activity that helps to develop a player’s dribbling abilities. The participants begin on a starting line and dribble when the command “green light” is said. At the time the coach yells “red light,” the players must promptly stop or risk taking 3 steps back. The first person to the finish line wins.
I thought red light/green light would be fitting for this end-of-the-year blog entry because I believe it is the perfect time for us to reflect on and discuss our obstacles and goals in the sport of soccer for the upcoming year. Both individually and collectively, there are habits we would like to stop as teachers of this game and new traditions that we would love for parents and players to move forward.
In the last few years, a couple of red light/green light examples have been implemented to help give our players a better understanding of the fundamentals of the game, as well as to educate our instructors and parents on how to reinforce these principles. Check out the examples below.
- Kicking is not soccer: The time for encouraging players to kick and chase the ball is coming to a halt. With state associations emphasizing “soft touch dribbling,” coaches are teaching the youngest players how to interact with the ball more and enlightening parents as to how their choice of words can support this effort.
- The New Ball Method: With practice times limited, scrimmage play seemed to go in fits and starts when the ball would repeatedly go out of bounds. The new ball method keeps the play going constantly as coaches simply yell “heads up, new ball,” and toss another ball into the playing area. Especially for those newest to the sport, goal kicks and throw-ins were irrelevant and putting a stop to this practice in favor of continuous activity participation has only benefitted development.
So now it is your turn. “What would you like to give a red light in this sport for 2012?” “What do you think should be given the green light in American soccer?” Join in on the conversation. Together, we can keep pooling our wisdom to help develop our athletes into great participants of this global game.
Qiana Martin is an international athlete, global soccer ambassador, Fila Body Toning Spokesmodel and owner of Eat Soccer. Her for-profit and non-profit efforts introduce new communities to, and inspire participants of, the beautiful game. Most recently, Qiana released her Soccer Mental 90 and Soccer Mission: View the Match downloads on iTunes. In 2012, she will be a featured soccer video expert on eHow.com. To learn more about Qiana’s work on and off the field, connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
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