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FineSoccer Kids 44 Welcome to the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter. Today’s subject deals with whether a player is open or not. First, if you are interested in seeing how an upper level college team trains on a daily basis, you might want to check out http://finesoccer.com/full_season.htm I was speaking with a former professional soccer player the other day and he was saying that, in his opinion, the biggest mistake made by young players is that they think they are open when the truth is that they are not in a position to receive the ball. When I asked him how he would teach kids to know when they were open and when they weren’t, his answer was real simple. He said “ If I have the ball and I can’t see you, then I am not going to pass the ball to you”. It’s such a simple concept and one that, if you watch a lot of young players, doesn’t seem to be well understood. So often, a player will be standing directly behind a defender calling for the ball and they don’t understand why they don’t get the ball. If the player with the ball can’t see where you are standing or running, she will not play you the ball. Are there exceptions to this simple rule? Of course, for example, you can be providing support behind the ball and be wide open and until the player with the ball turns, she can’t see you but you are still considered to be open. However, as a general rule, it’s a very sound one. If you want the ball more often in a game, think in terms of are you open AND can your teammate with the ball see you? If the answer to either part of this question is no, then you had better go into a position where the answers are yes or you are not too likely to receive the ball. Most people will agree that it’s more fun to play with the ball than without so if you don’t have the ball, go find a place where you are open and your teammate with the ball can see you and you will find the game of soccer even more enjoyable Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to kidscomments@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.net To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters, please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm Have a great day!
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