Kid’s Corner Kicks

eNews Magazine for Youth Soccer Players

INDIANA SOCCER

December 1, 2011

Authored by: Steve Franklin

Director of Coaching Education

Kid’s Corner Kicks

Official eNews Letter of Indiana Soccer Youth Players

The purpose of this eNews Letter is to provide you with monthly tips on training; fitness;

recruiting; cool videos; news about you (which you pass along to me) and other interesting

tidbits. I hope you enjoy it.

Cool Sports Illustrated for Kids Cover Builder {Click on this link} Cover Builder and you

can make your own SI for Kids magazine

cover.

http://factmusicgroup.com/BV/remash5

If you think you have to be 7-feet tall or

300 pounds to make it in the sports world,

think again.

When it comes to sports, everyone always

assumes that bigger is better.

The 5' 7" Messi is one of the most dangerous

strikers in soccer history. He was the World

Player of the Year in 2009. He's been named to

the FIFPro World XI, basically the world All-

Star team, each of the past three years.

In the past year alone, he led his club team, FC

Barcelona, to titles in the Spanish League,

Spanish Supercup, UEFA Champions League,

UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. Messi also led Argentina to the gold medal at the

2008 Beijing Olympics.

So when the 2010 World Cup starts up this summer, be sure to keep an eye out for the little guy.

Training Activity for ALL Ages:

“Kerby” The game is also known as Kerbies in some

parts. Two players stand opposite each other

on the street. The first player chips the ball

and tries to hit the opposite curb. If the ball

hits the curb and rolls back to your side of the

road you get a point and another go. If the ball

hits the curb and bounces back up without

hitting the road and you catch the ball it is

worth three points. Anything else and it is your

opponents turn. A couple of players (friends) have a ball and lines

up on the side of a square/rectangle. Each player will pass their ball and stay where they

are. The objective is to pass the ball as close to the other line without it going over the

line or “into the sea”. The player whose ball is the closest wins. Play until someone gets

three. Players can go one at a time or all at once.

Variations:

1) Vary the distance every time. Whoever wins the round decides what the new distance

will be.

2) Alternate feet each time.

3) Ball must be chipped off ground but still can’t go past the line.

The Ladder Each player juggles the ball with the feet

only. Player juggles the ball

once on the right foot then once on the left

foot, then two on the

right foot then two on the left foot, then

three on the right - three

on the left - etc. Go up to 5-10 and then go

back “down” the ladder.

Try to get one more each time you play.

Cartoon of the Month for Youth Soccer Players

WILL BRUIN: Houston Dynamo Rookie Interview

How to Make Christmas Soccer Ball Cookies By Tracy Fox – a Soccer Mom As a teacher, I'm a natural sucker for

cuteness and kids. I'm the Mom that that

makes sure that her son has a cute

backpack/lunch box (Red Sox, of course),

cute haircut (just short enough to spike, if

needed), and cute clothes (collared shirts

and preppy shorts to school). I'm sure my

kid could care a less about that sort of

thing, but I know he'll thank me later.

When the sport's team parties come around, I'm the sucker who

volunteers to create end-of-the-season treats. Our undefeated soccer

team deserved something special this year: Soccer Ball Cookies.

Never having made Soccer

Ball Cookies, I googled the title

and didn't care for a single

picture that I saw. They all

looked a little too much... well...

not like soccer balls. So I came

up with my own plan... a three

day cookie project. {click on the link to find out how to

make your own cookies}

Christmas soccer cookies

FOX 59’s Soccer Mom –

Angela Ganote

Recently Paco Espinosa, Marketing

Director for Indiana Soccer and

Steve Franklin, Director of

Coaching Education were joined by

Savannah Haley and Jacelyne Smith, Youth players/members of Indiana

Soccer for an appearance on Fox 59’s morning show. Host Angela Ganote,

a soccer mom herself, got in on the demonstration promoting the

Indianapolis International Festival which was recently held at the Indiana

State Fairgrounds. Check out the video clip by clicking the following link:

Indiana Soccer on Fox 59 .

The following is an article I took yesterday from Soccer America. I believe too

many of you young players are leaving up to your coaches or parents to secure

the goals prior to training and games. Climbing or hanging on the goals or nets,

has the potential for the goals to tip and possible cause a life threatening

injury. The video at the end will show you why!!

Making Goals Safe for Your Training By Randy Vogt

The goals are 8 yards in length by 8 feet high. The youngest age groups in youth

soccer will often use smaller goals. The goalposts must be white. Should referees

come to a field with goalposts that are not white, play the game and report the color

of the goal posts to the league.

Check to make certain that there are no holes in the net that the ball could squeeze

through, such as an opening between the net and the crossbar, goalposts or the area

between the net and the ground. I cannot tell you how many times that I have been

to fields that have been played on that day in which there are several visible holes

in the nets that the ref did not try and tape.

Every once in a while, the official’s view of a shot resulting in a goal will not be ideal.

Perhaps he or she was screened or was at a bad angle or the sun was in the referee’s

eyes. Making certain that there are no holes before the game eliminates potential

problems on the vitally important task of whether to count a goal during the match.

Interestingly, according to the Laws of the Game, it is not necessary for the goals

to have nets. Hopefully, every game that you will be officiating will have them. Only

once in my career was I ever confronted with refereeing a match without nets. This

is a time when having your cell phone in your referee case with important phone

numbers of league officials, referees and assignors is useful so that you can find out

what the local league’s opinion is of playing a game without nets.

Many portable or temporary goals now have wheels near the front post to help move

the goals. When you are checking the goals, make sure that the wheel is pushed back

off the goal line.

Most importantly, though, is the fact that the goals must be anchored to the

ground. Should the goal not be anchored, the home team or host organization is

responsible for placing weights, sand bags, etc. on the back and sides of the goal to

make certain that it will not fall over. Should they not do this upon your prompting,

do not start the game.

To illustrate how dangerous this could be, pick up one goal post off the ground to

demonstrate to all concerned how easily the goal can be dislodged. But be sure that

there are no players or others nearby when you do this!

A decade ago, I was an assistant referee for a tournament game played near where

I live on Long Island. Before the match, I checked the south goal and it was

sufficiently anchored. During the first half, the north goal, which had been checked

by the other assistant referee (AR), fell over. Obviously, the other AR did not

check to see if the goal had been anchored. Thankfully, nobody was hit or killed. The

goal was immediately anchored so that the game could continue.

There is no bigger safety issue on a soccer field than falling goals. According to the

Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Center for Catastrophic

Sports Injury Research, from 1979 to 2008, at least 34 fatalities and 51 major

injuries in the United States occurred have been linked to unanchored or portable

soccer goals. An estimated 120 people per year were treated in hospital emergency

rooms for injuries stemming from soccer goalposts during the period from 1989 to

1993. The serious injuries and deaths have been the result of blunt force trauma to

the head, neck, chest and limbs.

Most of these serious injuries and fatalities occurred during practice sessions when

nobody such as coaches or other adults checked the goals to see that they were

anchored before training began. Another concern is goals not being used for training

but that remain unanchored on soccer fields.

Taking a couple of minutes to check that the goals are anchored upon arriving at the

field could save a life and a lifetime of regret.

Please take the time to watch the following video with your family.

”Zach’s Law PSA-Promoting Soccer Goal Safety”

Photo of the Month