Friday, May. 09, 2008

Setting Goals

Starting Small in the World's Game

By John English

Contributing Writer

Joga Bonito! The Portuguese phrase translates to “play beautifullyplay nice” in English, and for Bryan Williams, the expression reflects his personal philosophy toward soccer. Williams, who played college soccer in Ireland and coached in FC Dallas’ in its youth development program, has incorporated portions of the Brazilian youth soccer teaching method into his youth soccer program, called Mini-Jogo. ButBut he focuses on teachingdoes focus on making sure young players are learning the fundamentals and helping young players develop ing a passion for the game, unencumbered by the traditional American need to win at any age. The program used by Brazilians, who in recent years have produced both world-renowned players and national teams, includes a focus on skills training and fun and incorporates such activities as footsall and sand soccer.., but does do his best to and developing a true passion for the sport at the same time.

“It’s a structured format for 4- and 5-year-olds that really focuses in on a lot of touches for kids,” Williams said of his program. “We create games and activities for them every week.

“It’s just field soccer, but ... each weekend, we do what we call super session, where we blow the whistle and bring everybody in and show them what the format is for that weekend, and each week we build on it.”

The teams, which gathered last Saturday at Meadowmere Park in Grapevine, play 3-on-3 with no goalkeepers, and practice once a week for 30 minutes, which is immediately followed by a weekly, 30-minute game that involves both soccer and the fertile imagination of young children. Last week’s game, for example, was called Storm the Castle. Each session stresses parental involvement.

“It’ll start out with some simple stuff involving the parent, because at this age, the kids comfort zone is their mom and dad,” Williams said. “As the program progresses, you add more and more. You keep the sessions short and sweet, and by the end of the sessions, they are learning how to do their first skills move, such as pull backs, and things like that.”

Williams also uses somesaid he tries to keeps the sessions lively by usingprops such as sombreros, leprechaun hats, wigs and Shrek ears. In Storm the Castle, “dragons” are set up to protect the castle — the goal — and players team up and try to dribble past the dragonand score as a team.

Williams said that several factors make his approach more aeffective at this age level than traditional youth soccer.

“One, it’s controlled by a professional coach ...,” Williams said. “It’s under my direction, “so you take away the element of coaches who don’t know anything about soccerteaching. Also, every kid has a ball at their feet the entire time, so there are no lines, and if you get a lot of touches in, you’re going to get better.”

Keith Halman, the commissioner of the Mini-Jogo league, whose son went through the program, said he initially had reservations, but is now a firm believer in Williams’ Mini-Jogo system.

“I was an early skeptic of the program,” Halman said. “I went through it with my son, and I was convinced. … It’s all about positive reinforcement at this age, and that is what we do.”

Jennifer Welday of Southlake, whose daughter Abby is in the program, said she chose the Mini-Jogo league for her daughter because it does a better job of fostering a love of soccer than traditional youth leagues.

“I have three daughters, and they’ve all gone through youth soccer,” Welday said. “My daughter, Abby, is currently in the program .... I chose the Jogo for two reasons. One, it is hard to get four-year olds to go to practice during the week, and then go to a game. I think they lose interest and they’re not paying attention in practice.

She said she chose Williams’ program because her children have such a good time learning the game. “The main reason is that Bryan focuses on skills and kids learning to love the game. When they love it and are learning, they want to play.”

Tammy Ramsey of Southlake said she chose Williams’ Mini-Jogo league for her young son, Will, because it caters more to the younger age group than other leagues.

“I think it is very positive,” Ramsey said. “It teaches them a skill, and then they can go out an implement the skill immediately. It is immediate gratification. … Their attention span is so short at this age, and the nice thing about this is that they have a quick skill lesson, and then they come out and have a quick game where they can implement what they’ve learned.”

“[The program] helps create passion at a younger age,” Williams said. “[The program] creates a passion for soccer through a fun environment,” Williams saidsummarized.

“My goal is to build the right foundation and get them energized so that they carry that passion throughout, and they continue to play soccer when they get older. I truly believe that it’s this generation that will win the World Cup for the United States," Williams stated. Williams said.

The program, which has been operating for two years in North Texas, now has 288 players and 48 teams. Registration is $65 per player, which includes a shirt, shorts and socks. which can be completed at www.gssasoccer.or

To register , for the more information on the program, see visit the Grapevine-Southlake Soccer Association Web site at www.gssasoccer.org,select the link at the top: "S“SportsPilot Online Registration - click here.",”and go to “Forms.” For registration information for the fall, contact or contact Keith Halman at keithhalman@tx.rr.com or 817-939-6656.