WE SHOULD INSIST THAT ALL CHILDREN PLAY EVERY POSITION AND IN REDUCED SPACE
Young soccer players up to 13 years should have the opportunity to play in different positions to discover the roles and functions which these positions characterize .
To experiment by playing in different positions stimulates the creativity . For example , the 8-9 year old players would perform the many variations of the Mini Soccer game ( i . e ., 3v3 on 4 goals ) instead of playing 7v7 soccer or 11v11 . If those 10-11 year olds participate in the 7v7 game instead of competing in the 11-a-side match and if the players of 12-13 years would play tournaments of 8 v 8 soccer instead of championships in 11v11 , then the problem would be solved since a competition with fewer players in a reduced space stimulates creativity . On the other hand , the full game in a regular soccer field only tires young players physically and intellectually , limiting their creative play .
WE MUST REMEMBER THAT ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE FUN CAN BE CREATIVE
Each training session should include a great variety of games and not only soccer-specific ones . When the children play , they should have fun and be keen on the game . If the young player does not identify with the proposed game that the coach has designed , the creative capability will remain asleep .
The more the players are enjoying the game and the ball , the more it stimulates the development of a creative way of interpreting the soccer game by the young soccer player .
Bohm and Peat ( 1988 ) maintain in “ Science , Order and Creativity ” that “… the establishment of objectives and patterns of behavior as well as the obsession of efficiency produce a rigid knowledge which blocks the free flow of thinking and movements , both necessary to lead to a creative behavior of the player . Creativity is to meet yourself , to experiment and explore new things , to transform , to remodel , to have fun , to travel into a world of dreams and to do new things with joy and pleasure , using your fantasy and imagination .”
WE SHOULD GIVE THE PLAYERS THE CHANCE TO CREATE THEIR OWN GAMES AND RULES
The coach should not only make sure that the objectives of a simplified game are mastered by most players , in accordance with the plan , but should frequently encourage the children to create different games by modifying the rules . Frequent rule changes , introduced by surprise during the practice for the game , force the players who want to win to adapt to the rule changes and use their creativity . For example , several variations of Mini Soccer with 4 goals , played in a reduced space , are particularly effective in stimulating creativity in young players .
Also during the training session , from time to time , the coach should give players ( perhaps for 10 minutes ) a space to play freely , to do whatever they may like . This could be done in any part of the training session . Once the young players are familiar with the “ generosity ” of the coach , not only their imagination and fantasy will grow , but also their sense of responsibility , personal initiative and their daring to improvise and to be creative . This may also increase the possibility of creating a leader within the group of players .
WE MUST DARE THE PLAYERS TO TAKE RISKS AND TO IMPROVISE , WITHOUT FEAR- ING POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES
The young players must grow “ with the ball .” That means in the same way they are progressing physically and mentally in each stage of their development , also the size and the weight of the ball has to grow .
The young players , especially those of 7 to 12 years , should not be pressured by their coach to quickly pass the ball to allow a better team-play and winning . They should frequently have the opportunity to “ be in love with the ball ” and to improvise their play and take risks , without fearing the possible consequences of having committed a mistake . Unfortunately , this no longer exists , because winning has become too important , even at the lowest levels !
Young players who “ treat the ball as their best friend ” and often do their own thing are frequently more creative than those who are coach-orientated and accept what the coach demands . To progress in their development of being more and more creative in the soccer game , children should exhibit a certain degree of independence from their coaches !
Therefore , young players should practice and play as often as possible without the presence of a coach because this absence allows them to feel more comfortable to explore their innate potential without the fear of getting criticized when making mistakes . As Ralph Waldo Emerson said , “ Only those who attempt what they cannot do , will grow .”
WHEN WE TEACH AND COACH , WE SHOULD TRAIN THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE OF THE BRAIN
Once young children enter school the left hemisphere of their brain — where logical thinking , calculation with numbers , and verbal expression are located — is mainly stimulated . Pupils are expected to solve tasks that are generally “ closed ” and perfectly defined along the lines indicated by the teacher without being allowed to contribute something of their own to the solution of the task or to be creative .
Nevertheless , the development of the creative potential needs the stimulation of the right hemisphere of the brain . That is why in school , like in soccer training , more than ever “ open ” tasks are needed . These open tasks require young people to be creative to find the best solution to the given problem .
As long as the left hemisphere of the brain prevails in the scholastic classroom as well as in soccer training , less creative players will arise in the world of soccer . Learning in soccer must be extended more frequently offering the possibility to think and to learn incidentally
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