Blueprint for Development

Blueprint for Development

1. Introduction

Bainbridge Island FC (BIFC) is pleased to announce its Blueprint for Development. After lengthy discussions around the coaching table, impromptu touchline debates, watching the professional game, watching BIFC teams play, watching other teams play, social media exchanges, and trial, and error, repeat – the evolution of the BIFC Blueprint for Development was not a short ride. During recent times we have worked with our five year plan, and have grown the sport of soccer on our island bigger and further than it has ever been.

This document is about helping our youth players develop in the game. More specifically, it’s about the Bainbridge Island FC youth soccer player. That’s where we work. Bainbridge Island has its own unique variables.

So, what is development? If you look in the dictionary the definition refers to blooming, expansion, evolution, growth and progress. Therefore, any blueprint for development must have these at the core that flood the thoughts and ideas of how that will be best processed in our soccer environment, in our community.

The principles and views covered in this Blueprint have certainly not developed in a vacuum. Many insights have been gleaned from other organizations and federations who have vast experience and knowledge in player development. The Youth Soccer Player Development Model published by US Youth Soccer (USSF) is also a document that has helped BIFC gain more clarity in the approach taken. It’s the belief and intention of BIFC that the Blueprint for Development is supportive and complementary to the USSF Player Development Plan.

“Culture, principles and values we breathe every day”  – Coach Phil Avison

Since BIFC continues to provide training to over 1000 players a year on our island through our various programs, this Blueprint for Development will also be infused into those training sessions. BIFC recognizes that any development plan or approach will have little effect without the ability or the will to monitor and educate those assigned to teach our players. As a smaller soccer organization, this responsibility is more manageable, but accountability and vigilance are required nonetheless.

“This blueprint does not end once it has been brought it into existence,” says Technical Director Phil Avison. “On the contrary, this Blueprint gives us a better ability to constantly evaluate what we do and why to ensure we are complying with these set of club beliefs.”

Lastly, we want to explain that this Blueprint for Development is a document intended solely to help BIFC in becoming a better, more accountable soccer organization. It’s also to help the families who attend BIFC to better understand our development approach.

At BIFC we maintain a set of core beliefs that underpin how we operate as a program, our culture, principles and values that serve our Bainbridge Island soccer program.

➔    Community

Club First: A strong club is a platform for individual and group success Club Representation: Proud to positively represent our club

Giving back: Community involvement, increase the impact of our experience Inclusion – a place to play for all

➔    Culture

Respect Each Other: Teammates, opponents, officials, staff…. everyone Safety: Club member health and well-being always the top priority Confidence: Take charge, make an impact

Humility: Win and lose with grace

Responsibility: Accountable for our role in all situations Education, Education, Education

➔    Principles

Enjoy the game: fun playing, fun watching, fun teaching, and enjoy being involved

Take Risks: Learning comes from mistakes, there must be a freedom to explore mistakes Work Ethic: In practice and games, for oneself, and club mates

Teamwork: Build as a club, as a team, as a community. Strive for Excellence: Be the best you can be

➔    Values

Lead the way: Don’t stand by, help the situation Mentor: Everyone has attributes to share

Role Model: Positive inspiration to others in the community Create: Support and encourage expression of self

Impact: Make decisions, impact situations

2. Development Beliefs

Before setting out a blueprint for development, it’s important to have a proper context of the game that we are trying to play. Soccer is a foot-eye coordination sport. That is very unique in American culture, given that the vast majority of the sports we play involve hand-eye coordination. Everything from basketball, baseball, football and lacrosse are all hand-eye coordinated sports. These sports tend to come more easily to us given that we use our hands every day. We routinely use utensils, tie shoes, type on a keyboard, write, and the list goes on. What do we do with our feet? We put one foot in front of another. Not very challenging. So, when we want to manipulate a ball with our feet with the same proficiency as our hands, the demands placed on us are far greater, and therefore the amount of practice and commitment required is far higher. Soccer requires a great deal of commitment just to reach a level of proficiency. Excellence is a whole other matter.

“Players must develop their own drive and desire to be the best they can be. They must put in extra time and work on their own”  – Coach Phil Avison

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Unstructured Practice

 The truth is that BIFC alone cannot give a young player all the tools required to become a player of substance. Most players are training 1-3 times a week plus 1 game. That’s roughly 6 hours of organized soccer per week. It sounds like a lot, but it isn’t if the objective is to achieve excellence as a soccer player. The solution is not to necessarily increase the amount of structured practice however as adult-organized structured practice is taxing and can lead to burnout.

Unstructured play, on the other hand, is entirely different. This involves a player simply playing on their own or with friends. Unstructured play is a time for skill refinement, a time for exploration and dedicated repetition. A player seeking excellence can never get enough of this kind of practice. We encourage coaches, parents, teachers and our community to make the time for players to get outside and play with the ball.

Soccer Age vs Birth Age

Many soccer federations around the world have identified stages of learning for young players. In doing so, they have identified the technical, tactical, physical and mental areas that need to be developed as a player progresses through those stages. It is also a necessity given that there are key ages when learning is not only optimal but critical for certain skills to take root. BIFC fully supports this progressive approach to development.

However, some players joining a BIFC program have not passed through these stages and received appropriate instruction. Unfortunately, they may have bypassed learning and development stages in their technical progress as a soccer player. In these circumstances a player’s current birth age does not match what we would refer to as their “soccer age”. A BIFC coaching curriculum must focus into a player’s soccer age as well as their birth age.

Soccer Age Emphasis

 Teams with a young “soccer age” should be encouraged to play the game in a way that is appropriate to their development stage. We don’t believe that players with a young soccer age should be playing the adult version of soccer, such as 1-2 touch passing with an emphasis on attacking the opponent’s goal. BIFC believes they should be playing the game in such a way that brings out the skills required to eventually play the adult version.

The younger teams at BIFC will be encouraged to dribble the ball and take risks. That can be difficult for adults to watch at times because these players will make far more mistakes when approaching the game in this way. However, it is important that we allow this process to take place.

The BIFC way means we encourage our players to score goals using their skill and their brains. We don’t encourage our players to simply create chaos by launching the ball aimlessly into the opponent’s penalty area in the hopes of it generating fortuitous bounces. This style of play does not help our players see the game or solve problems in a thoughtful and skillful manner. Coaching young players to go to the goal with skill and intelligence can be a frustrating development process because it is much harder for them to score that way. However, in the end, it will benefit their overall development as a player.

Skills Factor

A fully developed team will secure the ball through a combination of both passing and dribbling. At BIFC we believe that securing the ball as an individual is a fundamental building block for player development. There are so many moments in the game when a pass cannot be made. It may only last a second, or several seconds. The player on the ball must have the skill to get out of trouble, evade an opponent, change an angle, find a pass or create a shot on goal.

Having an ability to evade or get beyond an opponent in a variety of different ways also allows players to achieve a high level of composure on the ball, and ultimately results in better decision making. A player can only make those decisions within the boundaries of their technical ability.

“Concentration on dribbling and ball mastery needs to take place in the early years of development or these critical skills will never take root”  – Coach Phil Avison

Thus, if a player has a bigger technical toolkit at their disposal then the potential of decisions at their disposal will also increase.

3. Soccer Age Levels

Level One – Foundation Phase

 Within level 1 players are in the early years of soccer, or they have been playing in environments without developing the required fundamental skills. During Level 1 the primary emphasis is on dribbling skills and dribbling skills in order to develop ball mastery to enable efficiency in securing the ball as an individual. The development environment should be one of creativity and enjoyment. Players must feel that it is a safe place to make mistakes, as player learning comes through making those mistakes.

Once a player gets beyond the age of 13, it becomes increasingly difficult to acquire these fundamental skills. The earlier they develop these skills the greater the chance that they have of playing at a higher level when they get older.

Level Two – Discovery Phase

As players enter Level 2 they have now developed a much greater comfort on the ball. There is still a heavy concentration on dribbling and ball mastery, but now more emphasis is placed on the ability to secure the ball as a group. This comes in the form of passing and receiving, understanding angles of support, movement off the ball and refining first touch. Players are also asked to have a greater understanding of individual and group defending, as well as the finishing phase of scoring goals. The player development environment continues to be one in which creativity and exploration are encouraged.

“If young players can be more skillful they will enjoy the game far more” – Coach Phil Avison

Level Three – Competitive Phase

At Level 3, players have a stronger foundation of ability, and as such can be exposed to a wider range of technical and tactical game components. The training approach is more balanced with a greater emphasis on passing and receiving – and less concentration on dribbling. Players are given more responsibilities around the defensive organization, and greater demands are placed on them with respect to work ethic and competitive performance.

Level Four – Elite Phase

At Level 3, players have a stronger foundation of ability, and as such can be exposed to a wider range of technical and tactical game components. The training approach is more balanced with a greater emphasis on passing and receiving – and less concentration on dribbling. Players are given more responsibilities around the defensive organization, and greater demands are placed on them with respect to work ethic and competitive performance.

Level 4 is when players are pushed to perform at a higher competitive level. The technical tools are in place to allow a greater emphasis on different tactical strategies both in and out of possession. Passing and receiving, along with a finishing phase take up the majority of focus. Position-specific instruction is also taking place at at this level. The coach places high demands on on the players in terms of fitness, competitive levels, and consistency of performance.

4. Learning Outcomes

Below is a list of benchmarks skills for BIFC players as they progress through the program. It is by no means exhaustive, but it forms the foundation of what is required. Each skill is measured in the context of the level at which the player currently sits. These skills are ultimately measured in the game environment, not just practice. They are also listed as learning outcomes to which our BIFC coaching staff are held accountable.

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you”  – B.B King

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Dribbling & Ball Mastery

  • Evasive dribbling – demonstrates a consistent ability to dribble dynamically and deceptively using skills with both feet.
  • Attacking dribbling – demonstrates a consistent ability to dribble dynamically using fakes and changes of speed to beat an
  • Running with the ball – demonstrates consistent ability to run with the ball at pace whilst keeping the ball secure.
  • Dribbling on the first touch – demonstrates a consistent ability to dribble on the first touch with both feet, away from pressure.

Passing & Receiving

  • First Touch – demonstrates a consistent ability to take a purposeful and secure first touch when receiving the ball on the ground or in the air with both feet.
  • Turning – demonstrates the ability to open up on the back foot to face forwards whenever possible, or take a touch sideways with back to pressure with both feet.
  • Passing – demonstrates consistent ability to make timely, and precise passes into feet or into space with different parts of the foot with both feet.
  • Support – continually provides supporting angles for the ball whenever possible with speed of movement.
  • Awareness – continually scans the field in order to take up appropriate positions to receive the ball.

Defending

  • Physicality – demonstrates consistent ability and willingness to physically re-secure the ball when required through tackling or proper body positioning around the ball.
  • Closing Down – demonstrates consistent ability and willingness to quickly close down space as the 1st defender in order to stop the opposition from advancing the ball.
  • Defensive Cover – demonstrates consistent understanding and willingness to provide defensive cover when necessary.
  • Awareness – continually scans the field to take up appropriate defensive positions and mark opponents when necessary.
  • Work Ethic – demonstrates a tireless work ethic to get up and down the field at speed when defending and competing physically when required.
  • Heading – demonstrates consistent ability and willingness to head the ball when necessary to defend against the oppositions aerial attack (age appropriate).

Finishing

  • Striking – demonstrates the consistent ability to strike a ball on goal with power and/or precision with different parts of the foot (both feet).
  • Movement – demonstrates consistent ability and willingness to get forward beyond the ball to create attacking opportunities.
  • Penetration – demonstrates consistent ability and willingness to play penetrating passes or make penetrating runs in behind the oppositions back line.
  • Heading – demonstrates consistent ability and willingness to head the ball towards goal off corners and crosses (age appropriate).

5. Soccer Intelligence Factors

Soccer intelligence is primarily made up of anticipation and decision making skills. Anticipation necessitates the player’s ability to read the game and perceive ahead of time what the opponents or team-mates are likely to do. Decision making necessitates that players select and execute an action based on current circumstances on the field of play.

The HOW  comes first

It’s important for coaches to first help players develop the ability to execute skills before worrying about the when and where.

Vision and Awareness

An important emphasis at BIFC is the need for players to scan their surroundings repeatedly – looking around the pitch at the ball and movement of opponents and teammates, the searching for areas of space that can be exploited or exposed.

Familiarity and Patterns

 Players have information entering their visual system continuously throughout a match or training session. This information varies in importance. We need to help players to better recognize important information, particularly as it relates to the visual cues of other players during play. Soccer intelligent players are able to recognize familiarity of patterns as sequences unfold, such as triangles of support, 2v1 situations or gaps between defenders.

Confidence -> Understanding -> Experience

SECURE THE BALL – SEE THE GAME

BIFC encourages a possession style of play. Seeing familiarity through patterns in the game is more easily achieved by securing the ball. If the ball is constantly turning over, players are more apt to see chaos rather than patterns in the game. Similarly, if players are constantly fighting to control and secure the ball, chances are their heads will be down staring at the ball, unable to see the game unfolding and patterns developing.

Watch the Game

Soccer intelligence also develops from being an active observer of the game. Attending live matches, watching on TV helps create visual cues and stimulates creative and thoughtful performance that players then look to emulate. We encourage BIFC families to bring the sport into their homes by watching and discussing their game with their learning player.

The Intelligent Player

At BIFC we believe that a player with a greater understanding and appreciation of the game will ultimately enjoy the game more, and put more practice into improving their game more. We want the BIFC player to see soccer as the beautiful game, enjoying the artistry and elegance that aesthetically pleasing soccer performance brings.

6. Mindset Factors

Attitude is everything. Mindset, next to technical skill acquisition, is the most important factor in becoming the complete player. Mindset can be described as the set of established attitudes or way of thinking that a player possesses. A player with a strong mindset develops faster, deals with pressure more easily, and ultimately ends up performing at a higher level. Essentially, the mindset is the fuel that allows all the other factors of skill, athleticism, and soccer intelligence to be utilized to the maximum effect.

Development Requires Bravery

Learning new skills is never easy, particularly as players get older and more set in their ways. It is an uncomfortable feeling to be placed outside of your comfort zone. Players must possess the mindset to embrace that feeling. BIFC players must be comfortable being uncomfortable because that is the path to player development. Our coaches must embrace that level of risk and be brave. It requires bravery to embrace skill development. This means, for example, exposing players to multiple positions, even if they are not comfortable playing there. It is possible that such coaching decisions may negatively impact the outcome of a game, but if we do not take such risks, we deprive our players of valuable growth opportunities.

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell and got back up again” – Nelson Mandela

 

Competitive Mindset

Competitiveness can be an ambiguous word for a young player. What does it mean to be competitive? Being competitive is not simply about hating to lose. Competitive is about someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to train and play to the best of their ability, no matter what the score, no matter what the weather, no matter what the fatigue. It’s about mindset.

7. Coaching

As difficult as it may be at times, the role of our BIFC coaches is not to devise ways to win soccer matches at the expense of their development or enjoyment. Our coaches job is to build complete players, and it is important to recognize that shaping a player takes time.

Therefore, the coach’s job is to try and shape the player’s behavior on the field, and in turn, build their skills and understanding of the game. Within team sports we are building players for the soccer field as well as for life, those lessons are important to our club at BIFC. Lessons of how to work with others, leadership, respect, hard work, and being willing to make mistakes and understand that together everyone will achieve more.

These life lessons will run through all of our programs via our coaches at BIFC.

Respect, Unity, Creativity, Accountability, Aspiration, Potential → Excellence

Given that technique and skill is at the cornerstone of the BIFC player it is vital that our coaches continue to foster an environment in bringing these skills in our players. Above all, these skills have to be executed in a game environment. This transition of doing something in practice and taking to the game is never easy for young players, and our coaches need to find creative ways to encourage players to attempt these skills in game situations

Communication

A good communicator is a key ingredient of any BIFC coach, to be clear and concise when delivering information. Ensuring that players have clear direction and clearly measurable. Without clear and concise communication, the players will have difficulty understanding what is being asked of them. This is particularly important with critical feedback.

In order to optimize the learning environment, the parents must be on side. The parents must be buying

into the same methodology and ultimately be measuring the same things as the coach. By getting the parents to focus on the technical and tactical evolution of their child, a key understanding can be gained.

The coach therefore must be in frequent, clear communication with the parents, helping them to better understand and support our process.

Leadership

Ultimately our coaches must be leaders. It is much more than just running soccer drills; our coaches have to understand the whole player in relation to technical skill development, soccer intelligence, mindset, emotional development relevant to their age and gender, and continually have the best interests of each and every individual player.

Our BIFC philosophy as coaches it towards the enjoyment of soccer for the player, creating and fostering goodplaying habits through effective coaching. To continue to encourage and reinforce developing their game. BIFC’s continual aim is to build a development program for coaches to follow into the future, thereby ensuring that all our coaches are working in the same course for continuity of coaching direction and content throughout the entire club.

“We are committed to building champions on and off the soccer field” – Coach Ian McCallum

Facing challenges through soccer can teach enduring life lessons. Our job as a club is to provide resources and opportunities our players need to face so they can strive to improve along with their teams. Our coach and club commitment is to provide:

  • Quality, professional coaching
  • Access to all levels of the youth game, coaches and resources, in our region, including access to competitive leagues, tournaments and training opportunities, to reinforce the skills the players are
  • A thoughtful, systems-based soccer curriculum that teaches our players at BIFC individual skills, game plan and style of play from an early age that builds year over year.
  • Opportunities for our teams and players to showcase their skills so those who are willing to put in the work can find opportunities at the next level of the game.