As it was the last session before the break, we always let the girls just play some games, asking them to showcase what they have learnt in the previous few weeks. Needless to say we saw some great strides froward from so many players, especially their position on the court and how they reacted in and out of possession!

We had one new girl come and try futsal for the first time – welcome Imogen – we hope you had fun and look forward to welcoming you again very soon!

As I forgot the camera this week, the pictures are highlights from the previous few weeks – note to self, must do better with remembering the camera….

Click the image below to download this weeks session plan

Players of this Block

U10 – Raya S – such a quiet player who does all her talking on the court. Such a massive improvement over the last few weeks in her technique and attitude, now really does look to be physical in all her tackling. Brilliant improvement and looking a fab little player!

U12 – Jean P – Ok, not the most skilful player in the group but she moved up and has really tried hard to impress and all the coaches have noticed! She works her socks off, listens and does everything we ask her to do. Well done, Jean, and very well deserved!

U14 –Abbie D – a Rolls Royce of a player who is just getting better and better and better. Her confidence on court is amazing to watch, she controls the game, and her decision making is spot on. It is easy to over praise a player, but with Abbie it simply isn’t enough!

U16 – Ava G – Missed a few sessions due to illness but came back with a bang. A very intelligent player who learns very quickly and looks to apply the information as soon as she can on court. This is a player we expect to see in the ladies’ team very soon!

Final thoughts of a coach – As we get towards the end of the season, and the medals and trophies get given out, I had a conversation with both a parent and player about what was winning.  It is a hot topic for all sports and recently a post on LinkedIn talked about only 0.02% of boys will ever get to play in the Premier League….

I have my own opinions, but I am also very happy to listen to others.  The player said, to her, winning was being better than she was when she started something.  Great start…go on I said.  Well, if you can’t control the ball using the sole of your foot, then you practise and over time finally succeed, you have won, you beat yourself.  I smiled and loved her explanation, what a great way to think about anything in life, not just futsal. 

The parent agreed but added this one point, not everyone can always win, at times we must lose or how do we ever learn what winning is! It is a very hard lesson for some kids to take…if they never fail at anything, how do they know what winning feels like?

As a club, over the last 12 months we have sent 10 players to various England trials/training camps at various age groups, and 3 of these got invited back.  As a club I see this as win, not the 3 who got invited back, but the 10 who felt confident enough to go and try in the first place.  They knew the chances of being picked was very low and competition would be extremely high, it’s England, but they went and gave it their best shot. Surely a definition of winning?

Over the next 12 months we will continue to work with the all the players and hopefully inspire them and make them believe in their own ability, to go and pursue that dream of wearing an England shirt.  And, if this isn’t their goal, we hope we can inspire them to go and achieve whatever goal and dream they set themselves…isn’t coaching fun!

Have a great break and we will see everyone back on Sunday 25^th February.

Coach Chris