The Targetizer

I really can’t believe I did this! Especially since all the things I talk and write about - not shouting negatives from the touch line, encouragement always, finding the best in people, looking for ways to help players and so on. AAARGGGHHH!

Last night I took my U8s team training session and instantly found myself getting frustrated and upset - but why?

For some reason my players had decided that tonight was one of those nights they weren’t going to listen. The more I shouted the less they listened the more I shouted. You get the picture.

Thankfully I had the sense to just stop. Have a quick word with myself and take a different angle.

I called them all in, sat them down, sat down myself and just asked a few questions. I asked them what they wanted to do - “play a match!!” was the reply. No surprises there then!

Then I did a deal with them because it was evident that they had had too much sugar before training (sweets to you and me) so if I didn’t at least see and give them what they wanted then it would have been a lost cause!

The deal was - “you guys pay attention for the next 15 minutes and we’ll play the other squad for the last 15 minutes” and a resounding “YEAHHH!”

It’s funny, they always want to play a game don’t they?

So why are we so reluctant to give them their game (sometimes)? I thinks it’s because we’ve conditioned ourselves (or have been conditioned) to think that the learning is in the training and not in the game.

It’s a really strange conundrum because when you ask any coach higher up the ranks they always say “the learning’s in the game”.

Now this can be confusing for new football coaches because they think the ‘real’ learning is in drills and technical development but kids find that BORING. And not only kids… Believe me, youth and senior players find drills boring too UNLESS you do this:

I accept that you HAVE to have technical development in your training sessions but please don’t make it last for an hour because your players will think you’re an alien.

And technical development DOESN’T mean boring passing drills or boring dribbling round the cone drills either.

At my soccer school, Striker Academy, I very rarely do any static passing drills and so forth. But I always have at least 15 minutes technical development playing games.

Sometimes there’s sharks invloved, sometimes pirates, sometimes ghost and ghouls. Even crocodiles have made appearances!

The kids love it, they’re engaged, they’re learning at lightning speed - much quicker than using drills and static training methods. And because they’re having so much fun, what they’re learning actually sinks in and stays with them.

But guess what? There’s an even more powerful way that surpasses games and drills put together and it almost doesn’t matter whether you use either of those two training styles.

I’d bet you’d like to know what it is, wouldn’t you?

I’m not going to keep you in any more suspense. If you’re a regular to this football coaching blog then you’ve probably already discovered it. It is of course…..drum roll….

ENCOURAGEMENT! Yep it’s that head slappingly obvious and simple. And if you do it at the right times, use the right words and do it in a certain way your players won’t care whether it’s drills, skills, games or whatever. Encouragement - when done properly, is the single most powerful tool you’ll ever have in your soccer coaching kitbag.

You can learn more about how to use encouragement here. You’ll discover a lot more at that link too. But don’t go telling everyone, ok?

Planning and preparation are a coaches worst nightmare because many coaches believe it’s a laborious, time-consuming job which should be done by admin staff!

Of course, those of us that have winged it in the past and learnt from the mistakes know that planning and preparing your football / soccer team is possibly the most useful thing you’ll do at any part of the season - start, middle or pre-season.

But how can you make this part of your job easy, quick and useful beyond just an admin sounding task? (more…)

Football Goal Portable Goal Reviews -The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Football goals or football goal posts are probably one of the wisest investments you’ll ever make for your child especially if they show an inkling of a liking for kicking a ball.

Childrens football goals come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and qualities so you have to work out your budget against the type of goal, the size of goal that will best fit your garden and of course the quality you want.

You may be wondering why I’m qualified (if at all) to give an opinion on this subject, and you would be right to think so.

But just for your information I’m a professional football coach, I run my own soccer academy called Striker Academy and online football coaching business, and more important than all that I’m a parent of an eight year old boy and 4 year old girl!

If you’re just about to buy your first ever goal for your child, I know exactly what you’re feeling - excitement and confusion, yes it’s a wierd one.

If you’ve been round the football goal posts ‘merry-go-round’ I know how you’re feeling too. Having purchased most of the brands out there from really cheap to uber expensive and everything in between!

I want to be as objective as possible and try to give you an unbiased and clear picture as possible to help you in your quest to provide your child the best garden goal or portable football goal for your money.

I will only concentrate on garden goals and portable football goals that can be used for the garden rather than training goals.

So here goes…

Let’s start with quality first (those who have been through the mill of buying inferior goals will know why I’m starting here) but for those that haven’t been through the mill and don’t want to go there this will be of great value to you.

uPVC Goals with BSEN 71-1:2005

Samba Football Goals
Possibly one of the most popular brands in the UK, Europe and USA having dominated the soccer coaching industry for years with their infamous mini soccer goals. Coaches will know that these last for years and can take some stick.

They’re made from a tough uPVC plastic, manufactured in the UK again, after a shortish affair with China where it didn’t really work out for Samba.

Samba do many, many models starting with their baby version at 5ft(W) x 4ft(H); 6ft x 4ft; 8ft x 4ft; 8ft x 6ft and 12ft x 6ft. They also do other official sizes for mini-soccer, junior and senior goals.

The most popular size for the garden is the 8 x 6 model. All models have the same high quality uPVC and most (if not all) feature the handy locking system which helps to secure the corners of the goal to the frame so it doesn’t fall apart when your child kicks a ball at it.

The garden goals can be a little tricky to put together at first - some joke it’s like the Krypton Factor! But once they’re done you know you’ve a good quality, solid garden goal that’s going to give you many years of use.

For anyone that’s interested I may do a video on how to put together your Samba football goals quickly and easily. Leave a post requesting this if you want this to happen.

The only downside of the Samba goals is set up time. But if taking them down and setting them up is not an issue then you could do worse than buying a set of these good, high quality, robust portbale football goals.

Samba goals are also more expensive than many of the other uPVC and plastic goal brands. And you can pay up to 30-40 percent more than you would with a high street brand but the quality is also worlds apart. More on this on the High Street Brands section.

A cheaper alternative to Samba goals is Harrods Goals. Harrods (not the shop in London) specialize in metal goals for football pitches and 5 a side goals. They have been trying to break into Sambas territory for years but the goals are not as high quality as Sambas and the price tag of a Harrods goal allows for this.

JJB goals, STATS goal, Toys R Us goals, Umbro goals (Argos)
These are probably the main high street brands of portable football goals that are available in the UK today.

JJB do a 6′x4′, 8′x6′ and 12′x6′ version. Toys R Us are now only stocking an 8×4 version of the plastic goals and Argos seem to be doing an 8×6 and 12×6 version in their catalogues. Of course their online shops may have bigger ranges and more choices.

To my knowledge none of these are manufactured to BSEN 71-1:2005 and that’s probably why you won’t pay as much for these goals either. All are manufactured in China.

On first inspection, the main differences between these goals and the Samba goals are the quality of plastic is of a lower grade and the thickness of the plastic goal posts is thinner (internally).

You will also notice that the diameter of the goal posts is smaller. Samba goals come in at 68mm and the high street goals tend to be around the 50-52mm diameter.

This simply means the breakability of the thinner goals is greater because the thinner plastic is more brittle.

Another major difference is the quality of the net supplied with these goals is of a thinner nylon and not as strong as the one supplied with the Samba goals.

So what does this all mean to you? Does it mean the high street goals are not worth the money you will pay for them?

It all depends on how you look at the amount of usage against the cost of getting new parts and replacements.

The basic rule of thumb to follow is that if your child will be out practising every day and will be putting the goal through its paces then the investment in the more expensive Samba football goal will be a wise one. And not to mention when their friends are around for a kick about and they are standing on the nets and tubing when getting the ball.

Your Samba goal will withstand more of this than any of the high street counterparts.

However, if your child is just starting out and you’re not sure if they’re going to use the garden goal that much then the high street version will be a sufficient choice. And if they really enjoy using it and eventually break it through wear and tear then you can always upgrade to a Samba goal or equivalent later on.

iGoal (inflatable goal)
Possibly the best invention of 2008? Certainly in terms of football goal post safety.

Not only is it the safest goal on the market but possibly the quickest complete garden goal to set up and possibly the most portable football goal on the market.

The iGoal also comes complete with a bag which is a bonus if you want to store it during the winter months or take it out and about with you to the park or beach.

We use iGoals extensively in our Soccer Schools because they are quick to set up (the nets are already attached) and quick to take down. It takes around 1 minute from out-of-the-bag to ready-to-use.

They are also safe because the tough coated material just folds if the children put any weight on it. And that also means they can’t climb all over them - bonus!!

Surprisingly they react like a plastic goal when a ball hits the post or crossbar and you get a decent rebound so your little strikers can learn to follow their shot and improve their decision making and reaction speed.

One concern I had was the durability of the iGoal but we use ours every weekend and some weekdays too and so far it’s stood the test of kids whacking the ball into it.

The net is good quality too but I would expect that because the iGoal is not cheap. You get the dual-way pump included which is used to inflate and deflate the goal. It will take you a couple of goes to get the iGoal back in the bag but once you suss this out it’s a breeze.

The only downside of the iGoal is the price tag. But again when you way up the cost of a bag with the other goals (if portability or storage is a need) then it’s probably only slightly more expensive than the Samba goals. The iGoal is also manufactured in China.

Summary
Now before this football goal review gets any longer let’s wrap up our findings with a quick summary.

If you’re looking for a high quality garden goal or football goal posts that are portable then either the iGoal or Samba football goals will be a great choice. Both have good quality nets included and ground pegs to secure into the grass (similar to tent pegs). The Samba goals have an optional bag and the iGoal comes with a bag included. The iGoals fold into the bag which is the same size as an oversized sports bag or holdall. The Samba bag is longer so it can fit the posts and cross bar in but should still fit in the boot of a family car. You may have to fold the rear seats down.

These will give you many years of maintenance free service and perhaps the only thing you need to change will be the net when it eventually wears out (or when the dog chews it!).

If budgets are an issue or if you’re not sure that your child will use your garden goal as often as you hope (hey we’d all like our child to be out practising everyday and be the best goal scorer in the land!) then any of the high street brands will do the job very well. And with prices starting at under £25(!) for an 8×4 football goal they are a real bargain.

Remember that the high street goals are less likely to have replacement parts whereas the more expensive brands do have them easily available via their websites.

The football nets can be bought from any good sports eTailer (online sports store) or specialist sports shop and I’d always recommend spending a few pounds more on the heavier netting because it won’t rot and will take a lot more stick than the the thinner, cheaper football nets.

If you’ve had any experiences you’d like to share with others about your goal purchase then please leave a comment in the box below. Thanks for stopping by!

Yes, even our beloved game is being bashed by the economy.

Many soccer schools are down on numbers, many football clinics are showing a rapid decline - it’s frightening to see people panic and get scared.

So what do you do?

Do you run and hide, stick a blanket over your head and hope it all goes away some time soon? Or is it time to stand up and be counted?

Here’s a story that may interest you:

In early Januray this year a subscriber and friend of The Targetizer decided to go out alone. He was constantly getting threratned from his boss that if things didn’t pick up he would be out on his ear.

Now, my friend isn’t some fly-by-night or time filler. He’s an honest hard working guy who always has his family’s best interest at heart.

But his boss’ business was suffering big time and he was getting in the neck constantly.

In December he came to me to ask about coaching in general as he also coaches for his local Junior Football Club where his son plays….

So I offered some advice and he went away. I sensed there was more to what he wanted to say but sometimes you’ve just got to let people work it out in their own heads and let them do the figuring out.

Right enough, he came back a couple of weeks later and asked some general questions about soccer schools and ‘was it easy to set up’ etc. etc.

You know when someone’s got something on their mind so before I answered his question I asked him if ‘running a socer school would be something he would be intersted in?’

He said he’d been thinking about it for some time but:

1. Didn’t know how to start
2. Wasn’t sure he was qualified enough
3. Didn’t know how to promote his idea
4. Wasn’t sure if people would come
5. Pretty scared of starting and failing
6. Needed to be sure because it was a matter of survival

It was obvious that he’d been thinking about this for some time. It was also obvious that he was scared to death of cutting loose from his old job and totally changing his life for something he didn’t know had a future or not. Who wouldn’t be?

Big questions needing some big answers. So I started by…..
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Goal scoring is the life blood of football / soccer.

Without goals the game can be dull (especially forthe fans).

It’s no surprise then, that goal scorers - strikers - that can score goals consistently - are paid huge sums of money ranging into the millions.

Not to mention the massive sponsorship deals with multi-million pound corporations. And of course the recognition that comes from being a world renowned goal scorer.

So how come only a few strikers actually make it?
What sets them apart? What is the difference between a striker that ‘makes it’ and a goal scorer that doesn’t?

(more…)

Turn Those Fun Football Games In The Garden Into Rich Learning Experiences That Will Last A Lifetime And Could Change Your Child’s Life For The Better…

How A Fun Target Goal Can Give Your Child The World’s Most Wanted Soccer Skill - The Ability To Score Goals Consistently

In todays hectic, time-limited lifestyles we know how impoprtant it is to make the time we do spend with our loved ones the best and most rewarding we can.

The ever-lasting memories of the days teaching your child the fun skills of soccer, bathing in the spring and summer sun.

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Don’t Allow Your To Child Get Rejected By Soccer Academy Coaches
Just Because You Didn’t Know These Simple Facts…

Children are being cherry picked for academies right now as we speak. Your child may be one of those chosen or a possible contender and have a really bright future ahead.

But statistics show that only one per cent will have any chance of actually making it through to schools of excellence and on to the professional game.

And what happens to those players that are dropped like a disused napkin into the rejection pile of countless hopefuls that were simply not “good enough”?

Some do bounce back and prove those coaches who dropped them wrong.
That’s special.

Unfortunately the vast majority never recover and their self esteem and confidence is left shattered, broken into tiny pieces that parents struggle, sometimes for many years, to try and rebuild.

It’s a very tough thing for anyone, let alone your child, to accept and be forced to believe that they’re simply not good enough to achieve their dream.

Ask yourself this…
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How To Add Fun and Enjoyment Into Your Coaching

Adding Fun and Enjoyment Into Coaching - well how do we do that??We keep hearing about the importance of having fun training sessions especially for our younger players but how do we incorporate relative and educational fun into our sessions and make sure we still educate our younger players?

Let’s just step back and ask why fun is such a serious element, if you know what I mean!

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