PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The FUNdamental Phase (ages 6 to 8) is designed for players to develop a technical foundation in which to build upon. This phase focuses on the proper mechanics and technique of the fundamental skills necessary to play soccer; i.e. dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting, crossing, finishing, and defending.  Players really start to enjoy the ball at their feet.

• Emphasis on soccer specific movements
• Ball Mastery – Using all parts of the foot
• Keep it simple, fun, and have variety
• Repeat activities; muscle memory for skills
• Encourage trial and error
• Include competitive games and activities, but don’t focus on winning/losing
• Praise effort and working hard

The Development Phase (ages 9 to 12) begins to incorporate technical skills into the tactical aspect of the game. The game itself should be centralized to all technical training. The focus is developing the individual player within the team concept.

• Continue developing individual technical skills
• An emphasis on sharing the ball on the field
• Positioning, shape, spacing, and speed of play are introduced
• Results are introduced but from a how-to perspective and not the result itself

The Training Phase (ages 13 to 15) objective is to build the aerobic base and strength toward the end of the phase and further develop soccer specific skills (build the engine and consolidate sport specific skills). Teaching players not only how to train but to love to train from the technical, tactical, and physical aspects of the game. Learning to win becomes more of a focus. The transition to 11v11 is the focus in the early stages of this phase.

• Positional roles are introduced
• Formations, tactics, and strategies are introduced
• Winning becomes a bigger factor when transition to 11v11 soccer

The Competition Phase (ages 16 to 19) optimizes fitness preparation and sport, individual and position specific skills as well as performance. Emphasis is placed on tactics, formations, and styles of play. Competing to win becomes a primary focus at the Senior Academy level.

City SC Frederick is committed to developing the “whole” student-athlete. The programs are tailored to help develop these four areas:

• Technical Development – These are the skills used to play the game; i.e. the fundamentals. This includes dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting, tackling, defending, and heading.
• Tactical Development – tactics for youth soccer focuses largely on decision making, i.e. how players can make the correct decision given a particular situation. We should try to understand the progression of tactics and develop the players in the proper sequence, so the players are comfortable solving easier problems (1v1, 2v1, 3v2, etc.).
• Physical Development –  fitness for youth soccer players can largely be achieved by just letting them play soccer, although as they get older coaches will need to start incorporating fitness and conditioning into their practice plans.
• Mental / Psychological Development – this relates to whether the player is having fun playing soccer, and other aspects such as how they deal with winning and losing, their level of motivation, and how they interact with teammates, coaches, and their parents.