Cognitive Mental Development

Young players at this stage have short attention spans. They are starting to understand visual instructions, but they tend to do better with concrete demonstrations of what they are expected to do. While many are still "parallel playing" an unaware of team dynamics like passing and group movement, they are starting to become aware of one another and the fact that other people have ideas and emotions. 

Kids at this age are beginning to become more cautious. They understand there are things in the world that can cause pain and they proceed accordingly. They have wonderful imaginations and can be super spontaneous and creative. 

In our program, we disguise "lessons" in the form of games. To teach movements like hopping, we might have them pretend they are bunny rabbits escaping from a fox, or we might work on coordination by playing body part tag with a ball (When I say Crumpet, touch the ball with your elbow!). 

Kids in this age group still love games and imagination. Their attention span is becoming a little longer but it is inconsistent. They can focus on one task longer (not as many changes in activities). These kids talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. Their interests change frequently. They learn quickly. They like to try new activities, but they don't like to fail - most especially in the eyes of adults who praise them. They seek attention. They like to be tested (and win). And their memories are starting to develop. 

In our program, we do many of the things we do for our younger, Stage 1 players, but we add some complexity, so simple games into small goals in 3v3 or 1v1 configurations, and we start using words like inside of the foot, outside of the foot, laces, etc. 

Our 7 and 8-year-old players play in what we call "Transition Academy." They see 4v4 games on Saturdays and active group Academy-style practices during the week. We transition them over 8-weeks to better understand a squad structure, dribbling skills, repetition, and some of the rules of the game. We're still not playing offside, but we can introduce throw-ins and their first group tactics. 

The big thing with Stage 1 and 2 kids is to have them leave the pitch after each practice and game with a positive emotional response to being outside, being active, being with friends, and learning new stuff. Effort is an important trait to praise often. We want kids to fall in love with sport in general. 

These kids have growing attention spans. They want to be active and do things in order to learn. The Play Practice Play methodology, keeping kids active in game-like activities works well here. 

These players lack a vocabulary to express themselves or to explain the game to others. Helping players develop their soccer vocabulary at this age is helpful. Being specific and correct about technique is important at this age because neural pathways are growing quickly and habits, both good and bad, can be ingrained. 

This is the age at which players begin the process of separating from their parents. 

This age group is marked by dramatic physical changes. Girls peak about 2 years (age 12) faster than boys (age 14), and both groups might be unaware of what is happening to their bodies. This presents age-specific coaching challenges - reassuring players that there are many growth and development variations and that whatever they are experiencing at this age is normal. 

Close friendships are more important at this age & become factors when making team sections. 

Players are able to think abstractly at this stage which is important for introducing team tactics and bigger picture instruction. Players have a stronger sense of right and wrong. They can train and concentrate longer. They can start accepting leadership roles on the team. They can express themselves more clearly in words. And they will start striving for perfections / success at this stage. 

At this stage, players begin needing one another to push to the next level They respond more favorably to fair competition and they respond well to opportunities to be creative. 

I like to introduce psychological training like mental imagery at this stage. My coaches were big on this when I was a kid and I find that introducing psychological training helps players to cope with things both on the pitch and off this pitch better. 

At this stage, a whole slew of additional mental issues come into play. players become engaged in other activities, begin to focus on future education and work prospects. They start taking jobs, interacting more with the opposite sex, and their view of the world expands exponentially. Sadness and suicidal thoughts are very real occurrences in high school athletics. Bad or inexperienced decisions can lead to pregnancies, alcohol and drug abuse, car accidents, and other things that weigh heavily on athletes mental status in practice and games. 

Winning becomes increasingly important at this stage. Competition, contest, more physical play, and ego and school reputations are all increasingly more important. Independence from mom and dad is almost complete or will be completed by the end of Stage 5. This can lead to conflicts at home that spill over onto the field and vice versa.