Given that the call for applications to be on the NSB for the European juniors championship is out at the moment, I’ve been thinking about the juniors set up a bit. I’m not sure whether I want to apply to be involved in it again next year or not. In any case, I’ve been writing down some of my thoughts on the good and the bad of the juniors set up last year. If anyone is considering applying to be a part of the juniors coaching set up next year (or knows someone else who is), and wants to ask me anything about it, feel free to email me (or add a comment here).
There is one idea that I’ve been thinking over that I’d love to hear thoughts on.
For the juniors in 2009 and 2010 we ran a weekly practice session in Dublin. I’ve been thinking about how worthwhile it is. In many ways, a national team practicing so regularly like a club team should give a big advantage in terms of team chemistry. But, at the level that we’re at, improvements in player skill and general playing experience makes a much bigger difference to results than team chemistry does. To improve as a team, focus on improving the player’s skills and general playing experience, not so much the team's chemistry.
The most obvious way to go about this would be if all the players played with club teams. If we take all the juniors and put them in a completely separate section away from the experienced senior players (as has been the case) they won’t learn that much. But if they were all on club teams with more experienced players they’d gain a greater understanding of the game much more quickly.
Does anyone care to offer me their opinion on the chances of the juniors all being integrated into the club scene? I’m not imagining them all necessarily making the first team of the best club in their city, just being a regular club member that trains weekly and hopefully gets to a tournament or two. Or maybe club summer league, or whatever.
any thoughts?
PDF; The Flowers From My Mother's Garden
4 years ago
I'd have thought pretty much all Irish clubs would be delighted to get more players training with them, and given how many Juniors have received post-summer offers of some kind from clubs, there must be some scope for getting them involved earlier. So it's a nice idea in theory and stands to benefit both the Juniors setup and club teams too by helping ensure good numbers every week.
ReplyDeleteA few problems that spring to mind though:
1) the Juniors could end up learning less if the club runs less serious/skillful sessions
2) there could be difficulties monitoring their attendance
3) some clubs mightn't start training until later in the season than the Juniors setup requires
4) some clubs might not have as dependable facilities/resources/commitment as others to ensure weekly sessions always take place
5) it would be harder to ensure that the Juniors learn the "right" skills/tactics/playing style
6) if they go to training sessions or tournaments with the clubs while under 18 there are risks that they go out drinking with their older frisbee mates and the Juniors coaches or managers end up getting in trouble with a player's parents
7) clubs might end up fighting over which Juniors they get, maybe eventually requiring a Juniors "draft"... this last one might be a few years down the road though.
Obviously the club scene in Ireland is still quite young, and the idea of regular weekly club training throughout a season is just starting to catch on. For current intents and purposes, what if the "main" clubs that can offer regular weekly sessions are asked to include their nearby selected Juniors to take part in their (hopefully high-level) weekly training sessions. This way, the Juniors could meet up for monthly training weekends, much as the National squads are planning to do ahead of EUC 2011.
As the clubs with open-door training policies (as far as I know anyway), I'd imagine Dublin, Rebel and BUG would be happy to try this, though it's also possible there would be an overload at one club's sessions if Juniors are disproportionately from one area. Other clubs like Jabba, Juice, Hammertime and OCS might also want to be involved, and this is maybe where things may get complicated. If the clubs can meet to discuss the idea after the Junior trials take place, and enough consideration is taken to avoid the above and other possible problems, then this could be a big improvement going forward.