The Octagon Youth Development Philosophy

Consistency is important in youth development. Everyone involved needs to

be well informed and pulling in the same direction.

context, OSC has to implement a tough selection procedure. This procedure takes

account of numerous opinions, set out in reports.

Communication with parents is also important.

A comprehensive report of each young OSC player is presented twice a year,

in May and December. The report is discussed with both the player and his parents.

These are the soccer elements subdivided into a number of categories;

Ball control -- dribbling, passing, beating an opponent, shooting, speed of action,

attacking headers, scoring ability, crosses, speed on the ball

∙ 1 v 1 -- defending, defensive headers, sliding tackles, tackling, attacking the ball

∙ Combination skills -- overview, positional play, adherence to assigned tasks

∙ Athletic personality -- speed off the mark, speed from 0 to 10, from 10 to 30,

and above 30 yards, mobility, strength in the tackle, stamina, running skills and

jumping power

∙ Charisma -- leadership ability, match mentality, attitude towards others,

teammates, coach, referee, etc, receptivity to coaching, ability to withstand

pressure

∙ Other information -- modest, cheeky, creative, plays in the service of others,

character player, technical player, right footed, left footed, two footed

Analysis

The next step was to prepare a strengths and weaknesses analysis.

Octagon Soccer Club uses the acronym TIPS to describe the strong points of a young OSC player.

T is for Technique. OSC youth players must be in control of the ball

I is for Insight and Intelligence. The ability to observe and think ahead.

P is for Personality. Must be able to communicate with others, provide leadership,

be creative, show flair and daring, be receptive to his fellow players, and be able

to work in a disciplined manner.

S is for Speed, which is essential for every OSC player. Speed off the mark, mobility

and speed over long distances.

The OSC scouts are always on the lookout for I, P and S, because these are very difficult

to influence. Technique can always be improved. OSC youth are technically gifted,

soccer wise, interesting personalities, with good basic speed.

Development Plan

Every OSC youth eleven has 16 players. There are 2 goalkeepers. Four right footed

players are selected for positions 2, 6, and 7 (right back, right midfield, right wing fwd),

Four left footed players for positions 5, 8 and 11 (left back, left midfield, left forward),

Three players for 3 and 4 (central defenders) and finally three players for 9 and 10

(striker and shadow striker). This applies from the Under 10 team up to the first eleven.

During the players’ development, therefore, they play in the two or three positions within

the team for which they have been selected.

When a 7-year-old has passed the strict selection procedure and is allowed to wear his

OSC shirt at last, his first period will be devoted to learning the basic skills. He first

needs to master various techniques if he is later to make the right choices in the various

positions within the OSC system. For this reason, the drills developed by Wiel Coerver

are used extensively for the 8 to 10 and 10 to 12 age groups. According to the coaching

staff, these drills help children not only to use their feet more skillfully, but also to

improve their balance, speed up their rhythm, pull away to the right and left, and use

every part of their feet. The 8 to 10-year-old learn the rudiments of the OSC system in a

fun way recognizing genuine talent at such an early age is a difficult tasks even for expert OSC

scouts. Even in the 8 to 10 age group, OSC takes note of how well a talented youngster

runs. During the two-week test period, each young candidate is assessed on six different

activities by the coordination coach.

Another problem involved in selecting 8 to 10 year olds is the difference in mental

development encountered in this age group. If you join OSC, you have to be coachable

and be able to understand instructions. The child’s environment is also considered. What

sort of support is provided by the parents? How does he/she behave? If adequate attention

is paid to the initial selection, there will be no need to make any further subsequent

adjustments further up the age range.

It is typical for the 8 to 10 age group that each child plays for himself rather than

combining with the others. In addition, children move towards the ball and not away

from it, and are inclined to play the ball forward and not to the side or backwards.

OSC starts at the beginning by formulating the requirements for the 8 to 12 age group.

Then the 12 to 14, the 14 to 16, and the 16 to 20 age groups.

OSC looks at eight different areas:

1 -- Technique, 2 -- tactics, 3 -- know-how, 4 -- running and strength training,

5 -- personality formation, 6 -- coaching situations, 7 -- training, 8 -- matches.

Technique is most important for the 8 to 12 age group. They have to learn to

control the ball with every part of both feet and in all directions.

These are the objectives that the players must have achieved by the time

they move up to the 12 to 14 age group:

Technical demands in the first phase include:

combining ball control and speed in complicated situations where there is an element of

resistance;

∙ Ability to use both feet to side-foot and semi—side-foot the ball and kick it with

the instep, both along the ground and through the air, over short distances

∙ Taking and cushioning the ball with all parts of the body

∙ Juggling the ball with every part of the body except the arms

∙ Passing accurately from a standing position and while on the move

∙ Accurately shooting on goal

∙ Working on various crosses

∙ Learning the basic heading technique, without resistance

∙ Developing and stimulating body swerves and feints

∙ Learning techniques for taking a ball past an opponent

∙ Learning to shield the ball

∙ The throw in

∙ Learning to take a penalty

As far as tactics the following principles apply to the youngest group:

∙ Running into space to receive the ball

∙ Positions in the length and breadth of the field

∙ Linking up, linking back

∙ Taking up positions to receive the ball

∙ Playing from your own position

∙ Taking over the position of another player

∙ Learning to play in another position

∙ Looking beyond the ball

∙ Deciding the moment of choice between passing and making an individual run

∙ Learning to shield the ball when dribbling and passing

∙ Covering on the inside

∙ Covering the most dangerous opponent

In the field of soccer know-how, the first targets are:

∙ Learning the rules of the game

∙ Learning to keep their boots in good condition

∙ Learning to recognize the OSC system of play

∙ Learning to look after their bodies

∙ Acquiring knowledge of diet in the context of matches and training

∙ Learning knowledge of the rules of soccer and OSC’s own specific culture

Running and strength training involves:

∙ Learning the principles of good running technique

∙ Coordinated running

∙ Learning to jump by taking off from one leg and from two legs

∙ Maintaining and improving suppleness

∙ Learning to use the body during duels

∙ Strength training by making use of the player’s own body weight

∙ Learning to avoid an opponent, sliding tackle or tackle

∙ Sprinting in all directions

∙ Learning to use a shoulder charge

Personality formation -- OSC makes high demands on even the youngest players:

∙ Learning a sporting attitude, in which respect for the opponent is central

∙ Learning to communicate with teammates, coaches and team support staff

∙ Learning to be open to the opinions of others

∙ Accepting leadership

∙ Learning to accept the referee’s decisions

∙ Learning to be critical of their own achievements

∙ Learning to analyze their own game

∙ Learning to conform to the OSC rules

∙ Learning to listen to the coach

∙ Learning that soccer is a team sport

∙ Experiencing the rudiments of team building

∙ Learning to concentrate

∙ Learning to be responsible for equipment

∙ Learning to avoid injury

∙ Learning to listen to their bodies

Once the OSC youth players have reached the age of 12, they enter the second stage of

training in the 12 to 14 age group. This is the age at which many of the young players are

faced with accelerated physical growth. This is also a significant age group, because

actual matches play a larger role. Boys of 13 and 14 already have more strength and

speed, and are able to move the ball over long distances. From the Under 14s upward,

OSC training sessions are geared towards competitive games.

Youngsters in the 12 to 14 age group have already undergone four years of OSC training.

In an enjoyable way, they have already learned a great deal about making choices during

a game. The most stringent criteria are applied to the players in the second year of the

Under 14 level.

Observation by the coaches, and the intuitive feeling that this player will fit the OSC

pattern, and that one will not, remain the most important criteria, but you must be able to

support intuition with facts.

Every youth coach has an un-limited amount of freedom of action within the OSC system.

First of all, he must always think of the whole picture. The point of departure is the

match, and the basis is the OSC system of play, which runs like a thread through the

entire club. At OSC the youth coaches and players know from the start exactly how the

finished structure should look: the desired system of play is totally familiar.

The OSC philosophy is as follows:  ability to act at the right moment, to make an accurate analysis and to show

how things should be done, is much more important.

The constant will to improve. This is the principle of OSC and the OSC youth

development scheme.