Under 6-7s

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRAINING PHASE: PROMOTION STAGE (Introduction)

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE STAGES OF THIS PHASE

• Master the basics of the game.
• Know and accept the characteristics of the center, its operation, colleagues, technicians and forms of training, showing a favorable attitude towards group tasks and those involving effort, assuming the importance and consequences that derive on the organism itself caused by training

PREBENJAMINES AND BENJAMINES OF 1st. YEAR

• Given the age of the players we will talk about stages in which the main objective is to increase their motor baggage as much as possible.
• Therefore, rather than looking for the precise execution of any action, what we must achieve is that the player experiences many actions and situations of the game with the maximum possible variants.
• This motor experience will allow the player to "configure" many of the aspects that will be basic for their subsequent activity in the game, for example:
  • Ability to perform spatio-temporal calculations.
  • Finish defining "their" biomechanics in relation to the actions and displacements of football (step prior to the manifestation of the technique and tactics themselves).
  • Become familiar motorically and conceptually with the most basic situations and concepts of football (attack, defense, 1:1 situations, space occupation, etc.).
• Therefore, there will not be a strict program of specific objectives of each area, although the coach may include in the activity (depending on the level of the players), some corrections related to the different areas.
• Other relevant aspects for these Stages are:
  • The need to start in the habits of "order" and "attention".
  • The relationship with the parents (especially if it is the first child). It is important in this sense to maintain direct contact with them (the coach himself or the delegate), which allows to give a quick response to the doubts and concerns that may be generated.
  • The need for continuous information on the aspects of operation of the entity (schedules, calls, modifications, etc.).
• All this implies that in this phase, the figure of the coach must respond to the specific and differentiated characteristics that it presents in various aspects:
  • The age of the players.
  • The football-7 competition.
  • The globality of the training and the objectives of this phase.
  • Absence of sports experience of the players.
  • Need for the coach to have knowledge about psychomotricity and about the evolutionary aspects of learning.
• The need for a specialist increases when we analyze the personal capabilities that he must present to:
  • Correctly develop the relationship with parents, given the peculiarity that usually involves the first experience in relation to the sports activity of your child.
  • Ways to correct, treat and motivate appropriate to the age of the players.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEASON IN RELATION TO THE AGE OF THE PLAYERS

• The information must be given to the player in a simple and simple way, use technical terms that the child can understand, for example: instead of talking about fast or slow driving with changes of pace, etc., we can talk about taking the ball from this place to that other, arriving before the partner, etc.
• From the age of 6 the child is able to know what he knows, to value what he knows. Starting from here, if the coach encourages self-evaluation and analysis of the performances, it promotes learning since there will be greater internalization.
• The child of 6-7 years: still has a physical and active conception of the self (values the partner who scores goals, the highest, etc.). He does not clearly distinguish between external reality and internal psychic experience (he finds it difficult to understand that things are not as he sees them).
• At the age of 8 a psychological conception of the ego prevails, placing the differences between people based on individual affections rather than actions (you can feel more sympathy for one child than for another even if you score fewer goals). There has been a shift from a physical perspective to a psychological perspective with respect to the age of 7.
• The coach must take into account that his performance produces an effect on the child's assessments. Example: If you quarrel or encourage him after an action fails.
• It is at the beginning of well-coordinated and sustained collective activity. He does not yet understand the complex rules with which ball games are far from orthodoxy and often depend on improvised rules at the moment. However, he has a definite awareness of the group as a group (team) to which he belongs and to which he owes something. That is, he knows that he belongs to the team but is not yet able to maintain a high degree of discipline.
• At 8 years old he is extremely sensitive. He is easily offended and cries often, especially when he is tired: He needs constant attention from the coach and to be praised frequently, individualizing as much as possible the workouts. The attention span is short, it is therefore important in the training session the use of a wide variety of games whose duration is not very long. (*)

(*) Col Gázquez, Isabel in Sans,A; Frattarola,C "Training in grassroots football" – ED. Paidotribo. 5th edition.

Jürgen BrauBbe and others – "grassroots football training programs" – Ed. Paidotribo

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEASON IN RELATION TO PROGRAMMING

• Of this Phase-Stages, we will only detail and include in a cycle the three that compose it, since the characteristics of the players cause the work done in these ages to be similar.
• The variants that the coach can introduce (especially in the third season -Benjamin of first year-), will be given by the specific characteristics of the players, that is:
  • The levels of play they manifest.
  • The categories in which they play.
  • The degree of maturity it manifests.
  • Etc.
• In these cases (Prebenjamines or Benjamines of first year that manifest a "status" superior to the usual), the proposal would be to introduce in the programming of the training, aspects corresponding to the second season (Benjamin of second year).
• The role of the coach, in the early ages, will be more as a pedagogue, than as a coach, both for dealing with the players, and with the parents themselves. Let play, have fun and guide, rather than improve, correct, etc.
• In the field of technique and tactics, *technical-tactical training consists of the development of skills to control the ball, its practical application, as well as attitude in the game both in defense and attack. The first handles with a ball serve in the first place to get used to it, to learn the basic technique and a realization of movements as economical as possible. It is also advisable to familiarize children from the beginningwith the fundamentals of tactical behavior, such as securing the ball in front of the opponent after a reception or driving, or feints when passing it. The player thus learns to observe carefully, to think and to control himself. In practical training, the need for the following basic behaviors has been demonstrated: 
  • Go out to meet the ball,
  • Go to the player who owns the ball..."or to free space2... to achieve numerical superiority,
  • do not allow the ball to jump "bounce",
  • After passing it he keeps running,
  • run on the left, play on the right...,
  • dribble away from the opposite in the direction of free space,
  • pass the ball before it bothers you and the partner is covered,
  • always maintain eye contact with the player who has the ball, 
  • Before an opportunity to shoot at goal you have to finish on principle,
  • Always try to stand out, even if you don't always get the ball,
  • the body always between the ball and the opponent,
  • in and in front of the penalty area no cross passes,
  • disturbs the opponent before and during the collection of the ball,
  • The defender must avoid taking the first step, so as not to facilitate the opponent's dribbling.

(*) Jürgen BrauBbe and others – "grassroots football training programs" – Ed. Paidotribo

• In the field of medicine we will limit ourselves to exposing the aspects to be carried out within the established programming. Assuming (and therefore we do not comment on them) the realization of activities related to the diagnosis, treatment and recovery of injuries or incidents that may occur during the activity.
• In the area of Psychology: to deepen the aspects described in the planning, the trainer can consult what is described in Volume 2.2. "the areas of specialization" in the chapters of Psychology and Team Management. Also in this volume (3.2.) specific contents for each phase/stage are manifested in chapter -1- section D.
• In the field of competition, the objectives common to the 3 cycles, we will differentiate them in each cycle in relation to the age and maturity of the players, influencing, deepening and demanding their application, more or less, for each of the proposed topics.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE SEASON/CYCLE

• Experience all aspects of the game, without strict rules or specific objectives.
• Develop activities with the ball, which allow the coach to guide the execution of the different actions, with the sole purpose of the competition within the same activity.