Tuesday, April 3, 2012

From Flamengo to Futsal: Insights from Brazil's Beautiful Game By Mike Singleton Spending soccer time in other countries is always an education in itself. Whether it has been England, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Mexico, or Brazil there are things I learn that always contributes to my continued education about this beautiful game. Taking such nuggets from these countries and acculturating them to our country can be challenging but is a task that is always needed as we are a melting pot country and our beautiful game is very much a melting pot as well. I write this as I sit at the airport in Brazil after nine days of practicing, playing, talking, and watching much soccer. Between having Brazilian pro coaches coach our Regional ODP team, playing multiple soccer games against local Brazilian teams, playing local futsal games, enjoying beach soccer, watching foot-volley, watching many games on television, and watching Flamengo train up close and personal I leave the country with many thoughts streaming through my head. 1) Despite having less access to money, quality fields, and equipment teenage players from Brazil seem to have superior technical skills to our players. 2) Futsal demands great technical skills and forces high speed of play (both thought and execution) upon players. In addition, players have to learn the basic principles of the game to play futsal and play both offense and defense … our players seem to sometimes take breaks in transition from one to the other in either direction. 3) The goals set up on multiple beaches and stands to watch beach soccer games show how pervasive a love this country has for soccer. 4) The goals set up in every small park in every neighborhood shows the pervasive love of soccer … these parks rage from sand to grass to turf to concrete. 5) Every night there is a quality game with competitive domestic teams to watch. 6) Flamengo, one of the five most popular clubs in the world, allowed our team to sit one yard from their field to watch their training, to take pictures, gave us a close up tour of their grounds and facilities, welcomed us with complimentary juice and snacks, came up to players after practice to sign autographs and take pictures … and Ronaldinho even came out a second round and gave his training jersey to a player and took a team picture with all. 7) The Flamengo players were smiling and laughing constantly throughout their training. The next day they won their Copa Libertadores game. 8) Foot-volley was on primetime television and on the one big screen TV in the restaurant as we ate dinner … wow! These facts teach me many things and the constant questions I have heard from people regarding how we can make our players more like those in such countries. Here are some of my reactionary thoughts: 1) This is the result of many factors including points 3, 4, and 5. It is also the result of their culture being less focused on team results and tournaments and more focused on creating beautiful play. Players see creative play constantly and they hear and see the appreciation everyone expresses for such play … whether they win or not. 2) Where as indoor soccer is very good and some fantastic indoor fields are being constructed all over our country, futsal has a needed place in our soccer development. The way it forces technical development and speed of play in a small-sided environment can be hugely helpful to player development and is not replicated through indoor play. This game addresses particular weaknesses we see at all levels in our country and this game is much more popular in Brazil, Spain, and Portugal than in the USA. Hmmmm … 3) We can wish our game would become as pervasive as it is in Brazil, but it simply is not and will never be. However, introducing our players to the multivariate forms of soccer could be a way to keep them playing in fun ways without seeing it as “training.” If they are playing soccer like games in their free-time we coaches should be smiling. 4) I see basketball courts throughout Boston that are prime for such goals. Maybe finding a way to supply goals for these courts and working with Parks and Rec to secure them is a worthy endeavor. I will be looking to do this in Boston for sure. 5) MLS is getting better and better and television coverage of all international leagues is as well. The games are not on the major channels but they surely are accessible for our players now and that is a great thing! 6) What world-class club of any sport in our country allows such personal access and kindness to a foreign team of youth players? I wish our players could have such access to our professional soccer teams (without having to buy 100 tickets). Maybe fans are more important than customers? Maybe we need to think about which comes first … does one become a fan after being a customer or vice versa? Flamengo did this to help promote our players’ passion and now have a full team of passionate followers who did not know many of the players before this visit. They will now follow that team excitedly. 7) I loved seeing this! Here is to hoping we coaches all enable and enjoy such laughing and smiling during our practices. 8) This will never happen here but video is powerful and we all now have the ability to video our teams and put them on big screens. Maybe doing so more often could help fuel a little more passion … it’s worth a try. Admittedly, nothing brilliant or world changing in the above words. However, we are a good soccer nation and need not change our world. Hopefully these nuggets and the nuggets we each take from our experiences help us all grow into a great soccer nation! (Mike Singleton is the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association's Executive Director and the MIT men’s soccer coach. He is a Region I ODP Senior Staff Coach and a U.S. Soccer and US Youth Soccer National Staff Coach.) Post your response to the public Youth Soccer Insider blog. See what others are saying on the Youth Soccer Insider blog. FEEDBACK: Send comments to letters@socceramerica.com. Please include your first and last name and hometown.

What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent -- And What Makes A Great One

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:20 pm

Written by: Steve Henson

Hundreds of college athletes were asked to think back: "What is your worst memory from playing youth and high school sports?"

Their overwhelming response: "The ride home from games with my parents."

The informal survey lasted three decades, initiated by two former longtime coaches who over time became staunch advocates for the player, for the adolescent, for the child. Bruce E. Brown and Rob Miller of Proactive Coaching LLC are devoted to helping adults avoid becoming a nightmare sports parent, speaking at colleges, high schools and youth leagues to more than a million athletes, coaches and parents in the last 12 years.

Those same college athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame.

Their overwhelming response: "I love to watch you play."

There it is, from the mouths of babes who grew up to become college and professional athletes. Whether your child is just beginning T-ball or is a travel-team soccer all-star or survived the cuts for the high school varsity, parents take heed.

The vast majority of dads and moms that make rides home from games miserable for their children do so inadvertently. They aren't stereotypical horrendous sports parents, the ones who scream at referees, loudly second-guess coaches or berate their children. They are well-intentioned folks who can't help but initiate conversation about the contest before the sweat has dried on their child's uniform.

In the moments after a game, win or lose, kids desire distance. They make a rapid transition from athlete back to child. And they’d prefer if parents transitioned from spectator – or in many instances from coach – back to mom and dad. ASAP.

Brown (pictured below at podium), a high school and youth coach near Seattle for more than 30 years, says his research shows young athletes especially enjoy having their grandparents watch them perform.

"Overall, grandparents are more content than parents to simply enjoy watching the child participate," he says. "Kids recognize that."

A grandparent is more likely to offer a smile and a hug, say "I love watching you play," and leave it at that.

Meanwhile a parent might blurt out …

“Why did you swing at that high pitch when we talked about laying off it?"

"Stay focused even when you are on the bench.”

"You didn’t hustle back to your position on defense.”

"You would have won if the ref would have called that obvious foul.”

"Your coach didn't have the best team on the field when it mattered most.”

And on and on.

Sure, an element of truth might be evident in the remarks. But the young athlete doesn’t want to hear it immediately after the game. Not from a parent. Comments that undermine teammates, the coach or even officials run counter to everything the young player is taught. And instructional feedback was likely already mentioned by the coach.

"Let your child bring the game to you if they want to,” Brown says.

Brown and Miller, a longtime coach and college administrator, don't consider themselves experts, but instead use their platform to convey to parents what three generations of young athletes have told them.

"Everything we teach came from me asking players questions," Brown says. "When you have a trusting relationship with kids, you get honest answers. When you listen to young people speak from their heart, they offer a perspective that really resonates.”

So what’s the takeaway for parents?

"Sports is one of few places in a child's life where a parent can say, 'This is your thing,’ ” Miller says. "Athletics is one of the best ways for young people to take risks and deal with failure because the consequences aren’t fatal, they aren’t permanent. We’re talking about a game. So they usually don’t want or need a parent to rescue them when something goes wrong.

"Once you as a parent are assured the team is a safe environment, release your child to the coach and to the game. That way all successes are theirs, all failures are theirs."

And discussion on the ride home can be about a song on the radio or where to stop for a bite to eat. By the time you pull into the driveway, the relationship ought to have transformed from keenly interested spectator and athlete back to parent and child:

"We loved watching you play. … Now, how about that homework?"

FIVE SIGNS OF A NIGHTMARE SPORTS PARENT

Nearly 75 percent of kids who play organized sports quit by age 13. Some find that their skill level hits a plateau and the game is no longer fun. Others simply discover other interests. But too many promising young athletes turn away from sports because their parents become insufferable.

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Even professional athletes can behave inappropriately when it comes to their children. David Beckham was recently ejected from a youth soccer field for questioning an official. New Orleans radio host Bobby Hebert, a former NFL quarterback, publicly dressed down LSU football coach Les Miles after Alabama defeated LSU in the BCS title game last month. Hebert was hardly unbiased: His son had recently lost his starting position at LSU.

Mom or dad, so loving and rational at home, can transform into an ogre at a game. A lot of kids internally reach the conclusion that if they quit the sport, maybe they'll get their dad or mom back.

As a sports parent, this is what you don't want to become. This is what you want to avoid:

• Overemphasizing sports at the expense of sportsmanship: The best athletes keep their emotions in check and perform at an even keel, win or lose. Parents demonstrative in showing displeasure during a contest are sending the wrong message. Encouragement is crucial -- especially when things aren’t going well on the field.

• Having different goals than your child: Brown and Miller suggest jotting down a list of what you want for your child during their sport season. Your son or daughter can do the same. Vastly different lists are a red flag. Kids generally want to have fun, enjoy time with their friends, improve their skills and win. Parents who write down “getting a scholarship” or “making the All-Star team” probably need to adjust their goals. “Athletes say their parents believe their role on the team is larger than what the athlete knows it to be,” Miller says.

• Treating your child differently after a loss than a win: Almost all parents love their children the same regardless of the outcome of a game. Yet often their behavior conveys something else. "Many young athletes indicate that conversations with their parents after a game somehow make them feel as if their value as a person was tied to playing time or winning,” Brown says.

• Undermining the coach: Young athletes need a single instructional voice during games. That voice has to be the coach. Kids who listen to their parents yelling instruction from the stands or even glancing at their parents for approval from the field are distracted and can't perform at a peak level. Second-guessing the coach on the ride home is just as insidious.

• Living your own athletic dream through your child: A sure sign is the parent taking credit when the child has done well. “We worked on that shot for weeks in the driveway,” or “You did it just like I showed you” Another symptom is when the outcome of a game means more to a parent than to the child. If you as a parent are still depressed by a loss when the child is already off playing with friends, remind yourself that it’s not your career and you have zero control over the outcome.

FIVE SIGNS OF AN IDEAL SPORTS PARENT

Let’s hear it for the parents who do it right. In many respects, Brown and Miller say, it’s easier to be an ideal sports parent than a nightmare. “It takes less effort,” Miller says. “Sit back and enjoy.” Here’s what to do:

• Cheer everybody on the team, not just your child: Parents should attend as many games as possible and be supportive, yet allow young athletes to find their own solutions. Don’t feel the need to come to their rescue at every crisis. Continue to make positive comments even when the team is struggling.

• Model appropriate behavior: Contrary to the old saying, children do as you do, not as you say. When a parent projects poise, control and confidence, the young athlete is likely to do the same. And when a parent doesn’t dwell on a tough loss, the young athlete will be enormously appreciative.

• Know what is suitable to discuss with the coach: The mental and physical treatment of your child is absolutely appropriate. So is seeking advice on ways to help your child improve. And if you are concerned about your child’s behavior in the team setting, bring that up with the coach. Taboo topics: Playing time, team strategy, and discussing team members other than your child.

• Know your role: Everyone at a game is either a player, a coach, an official or a spectator. “It’s wise to choose only one of those roles at a time,” Brown says. “Some adults have the false impression that by being in a crowd, they become anonymous. People behaving poorly cannot hide.” Here’s a clue: If your child seems embarrassed by you, clean up your act.

• Be a good listener and a great encourager: When your child is ready to talk about a game or has a question about the sport, be all ears. Then provide answers while being mindful of avoiding becoming a nightmare sports parent. Above all, be positive. Be your child's biggest fan. "Good athletes learn better when they seek their own answers," Brown says.

And, of course, don’t be sparing with those magic words: "I love watching you play."

Click here to contact Bruce E. Brown and Rob Miller.

-- Steve Henson is a Senior Editor and Writer at Yahoo! Sports. He has four adult children and has coached and officiated youth sports for 30 years. He can be reached at henson@yahoo-inc.com and on Twitter @HensonYahoo

Ohio North Night at Byers Field!

AFC Cleveland is proud to announce the return of professional outdoor soccer to the Greater Cleveland. AFC Cleveland is a semi-professional team that plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The NPSL is a nationwide league that includes teams in major markets from coast to coast, including Hollywood United, Chicago Fire NPSL, New York Red Bulls NPSL, and the San Diego Flash.

On May 18th at Byers Field is Ohio North Night! Game time is 7:00pm. Players wear your jersey and adult tickets are only $5!

Purchase your tickets now at http://www.shop-afccleveland.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1014&CartID=2

Pacesetter Soccer Club - Job Opening

Pacesetter Soccer Club, a premier level soccer club located in northwest Ohio is seeking a qualified Club Administrator to provide the business leadership and administrative support necessary to achieve the club’s mission and uphold its core values.  The club administrator reports directly to the Board of Trustees and works closely with the coaching directors and staff to provide a ‘best in class’  soccer program.  Essential job functions include: Club Financial Management, Payroll, HR Compliance, Risk Management Assurance, Club Data Management & Communications, Winter facility management, administration and support of club/team/player activities, coordination of volunteer base, and serving as tournament director.

A college degree, preferably in business administration or in other business related studies from an accredited four-year college or university is preferred of all applicants.   Knowledge of and prior experience in soccer administration is required.  Strong leadership and management skills that include the following:   

• ability to organize and execute multiple projects, tasks, and responsibilities simultaneously
• experience managing office staff, support and volunteer personnel
• extensive computer knowledge including financial management software and database software
• experience managing and administering large events
• possessing excellent verbal, phone and written communication skills
• must be able to work flexible hours including weekend events

This is a full time salaried position.  Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

How to Apply:
All interested applicants should email a resume and cover letter that details salary requirements to tkeefe@pacesettersoccer.net

Soccer Nutrition Article - Chocolate!

The Athlete’s Kitchen

Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD April 2012

Chocolate and Your Sports Diet

Chocolate—Is it a bad food for athletes, an addictive drug, and the instigator of dietary disasters? Or is it a health food, dieter's weight loss aid, and effective recovery food for tired, hungry athletes?  

I vote for the later! Personally and professionally, I like to think of chocolate  (in moderation, of course) as one of life's pleasures. Here is some research that might be of interest to soccer players who love chocolate.

Chocolate Cake—For Breakfast?

   Chocolate cake for breakfast enhances weight loss. Really? Yes, according to researcher Prof. Daniela Jacubowicz (1). The subjects were 193 obese, non-diabetic adults who ate either a 300-calorie low carbohydrate breakfast or a 600-calorie breakfast that included protein plus chocolate cake (or another sweet dessert). Both groups were instructed to eat the same amount of total calories: 1,400 for the women and 1,600 for the men. In the first 16 weeks, both groups lost an average of 33 pounds per person. But in the second half of the study, the no-cake group had poor compliance and regained an average of 22 pounds per person while the cake-eaters continued to lose another 15 pounds each. By 32-weeks, the cake eaters had lost about 40 pounds more than their peers.

      Prof. Jacubowicz noticed that those who had cake for breakfast had fewer cravings for carbohydrates and sweets later in the day. By frontloading their calories, they were less hungry and less likely to stray from their food plans. They had curbed their cravings for sweets and treats, in comparison to the group that ate the smaller breakfast.   

     So what does this research mean for you, a hungry soccer player?

1) Eat a satisfying breakfast that leaves you content. Do not stop eating breakfast just because you think you should.

2) If you want a treat, such as chocolate cake, enjoy it earlier in the day, as opposed to indulging at 9:00 p.m. when you are tired, too hungry, and lack the mental energy needed to stop yourself from overeating. Think of it as having dessert after breakfast instead of after dinner.

3) Even on a weight reduction diet, you should eat what you truly want to eat, without deprivation of your favorite foods. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing “last chance” eating. (You know, “I just blew my diet by eating cake, so I might as well keep eating it because this is my last chance before my diet starts again…”)

Note: Even athletes with diabetes can substitute chocolate cake for grains at a meal without creating blood glucose problems. Just eat the cake instead of—not in addition to—the grains! (2)

Dark Chocolate—A “Health Food”?

     It’s not a secret: a candy bar contains primarily nutrient-poor calories from sugar and fat. For example, a Hershey's Bar (43 g) contains 210 calories—of which 46% are from sugar, 55% from fat. Hence, you want to enjoy milk chocolate in moderation, not in binges.... 

     However, less-processed dark chocolate can be considered a healthier choice. Chocolate is made from cocoa, a plant that is a rich source of health-protective phytochemicals (just like you'd get from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). Two tablespoons natural cocoa power (the kind used in baking) offers the antioxidant power of 3/4 cup blueberries or 1.5 glasses red wine. Unfortunately, dark chocolate has a slightly bitter taste and most people prefer the sweeter milk chocolate, a poorer source of phytochemicals. (We need to raise our children on dark chocolate, so they will they learn to prefer it!)

     Dark chocolate also contains flavonoids, health-protective compounds found in many plant foods including tea, apples, and onions. Epidemiological surveys of large groups of people indicate those who regularly enjoy chocolate consume more of these health-protective flavonoids than non-chocolate eaters. This reduces their risk of heart disease. For example, in the Netherlands, elderly men who routinely ate chocolate-containing products reduced their risk of heart disease by 50% and their risk of dying from other causes by 47% (3). Maybe a daily (preferably dark) chocolate fix can be a good idea?

Chocolate Milk for Recovery?

     If you’ve just had a killer workout and want to rapidly refuel and repair your muscles, boost your blood sugar, and replace sweat losses—as well as reward yourself with a tasty treat—reach for some low fat chocolate milk! Research indicates refueling with chocolate (or any flavored) milk enhances recovery of both fluids and muscles better than the standard carb-only, sugar-based sports drink (4).

     Anyone responsible for stocking the recovery food table for tired, thirsty soccer players who want to rapidly refuel after a hard workout will tell you chocolate milk is an all-time favorite. Weight-conscious female athletes, in particular, let themselves enjoy this treat “guilt-free” and meanwhile boost their intake of nutrient commonly missing in their diet, such as high quality protein, riboflavin, calcium, and vitamin D. What a positive change from their embattled relationship with chocolate! This is good.

     But shouldn’t we be staying away from sugary foods? The World Health Organization recommends a limit of 10% of calories from refined sugar per day; that's about 200 to 300 sugar-calories for most athletes. Getting sugar from chocolate milk is nutritionally preferable than from sports drinks. Milk's high quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin and a host of other important nutrients is far better than sugar water with a dash of salt!

     For those of you who happen to read the Boston Globe (3/13/12), you might have caught my answer to a healthwriter's criticism of USA Swimming for choosing chocolate milk as a sponsor. My response: “Kudos to USA Swimming for choosing to be sponsored by a whole food as opposed to an engineered sports food. To have role-model athletes touting low fat chocolate milk is preferable to the alternative of them touting sports drinks. I only wish more "real food" companies would do the research needed to counter the influential engineered sports food industry.”

The bottom line

By no means is chocolate the key to a healthy sports diet, nor is eating lots of dark chocolate preferable to snacking on apples and bananas. We all need to eat chocolate in moderation so it does not crowd-out other nutrient dense foods. But chocolate can be balanced into an overall wholesome sports diet and add pleasure to the day—even if you are dieting to lose weight. For chocolate lovers, deprivation of chocolate may create more problems than it solves.

    

 Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook and Food Guide for Soccer offer additional information. They are available at www.nancyclarkrd.com and sportsnutritionworkshop.com.

References

1. Jakubowicz D, O Froy, J Wainstein, M Boaz. Meal timing and composition influence ghrelin levels, appetite scores and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults. Steroids 77(4): 323-331, 2012.

2. Peters, AL, MB Davidson, K Eisneberg. Effect of isocaloric substitution of chocolate cake for potato in type I diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 13(8):888-92, 1990.

3. Buijsse B, Feskens EJ, Kok FJ, Kromhout D. Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Arch Intern Med. 27;166(4):411-7, 2006.

4. Lunn WR, Pasiakos SM, Colletto MR, Karfonta KE, Carbone JW, Anderson JM, Rodriguez NR. Chocolate milk & endurance exercise recovery: protein balance, glycogen and performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 44(4):682-91,2012.

-- 

Nancy

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

Sports Nutrition Services LLC

www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com (online)

www.nancyclarkrd.com (books, handouts, CEUs)

Twitter.com/nclarkrd   iPhone app: Recipes for Athletes

Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook

Food guides for soccer, new runners, marathoners, cyclists

"Helping active people win with good nutrition."

OYSAN European Tour 2012

The journey began on Friday, March 23rd. Twenty-six players ranging from U12-U14, boys and girls, headed off to Europe. This was the first time playing with each other and had to play teams in France, Belgium, and Holland. The teams played four games in each country and faired very well.

Along with playing soccer, the players also got a chance to explore Europe. They visited Paris, Brugges, and Amsterdam. They also had a chance to see WWI and WWII historic sites. They finished their trip with attending Feyenoord-NAC Breda Dutch League game in Rotterdam, Holland on Saturday evening. The whole crew arrived safely home on Sunday April 1st.

Chambers Joins OYSAN Staff

Richfield, Ohio. April 2, 2012: Ohio Youth Soccer Association North welcomes Jessica Chambers to the State Office. She has had an extensive background in soccer all of her life with Jessica playing soccer as a member of OYSAN for many years as a part of LEYPSL and her parents having a large role in LEYPSL and OYSAN for many years as well as.

Jessica's duties will include events such as State Cup, Bothwell, AGM, and Awards Luncheon, etc. In addition, Jessica will be responsible for marketing, website and miscellaneous administrative tasks at the State Office level of US Youh Soccer.

To contact Ms. Chambers, please call 330-659-0989, extension 230. Or simply email: jchambers@ohionorthsoccer.org


Ohio Youth Soccer Association North (OYSAN) is the State Association for U.S. Youth Soccer, the nation’s largest sports organization and the largest member of the United States Soccer Federation. OYSAN’s mission is to teach both soccer and life skills to children of all levels of interest and skill. To learn more, you may visit www.oysan.org, or call 330-659-0989.

Experts Weigh In on HOw to Help Stop Coaching Shortages

Talented youth soccer coaches with passion for teaching children and love for the game are no longer offering their time.

US Youth Soccer asked experts at Responsible Sports to see what can be done to prevent this.

To read on, click here.