Curiosity, Patience Develops Skill

We’ve all heard the sermon about the importance of teaching young soccer players to “play without the ball.” It is a lesson worthy of being repeated time after time.
We teach our players “when not in possession, get in position.” We stress movement, runs to create space for teammates to exploit, etc., all before the ball is played to their feet.
But soccer is a game played with a ball. Control of the ball is crucial to the quality of the game and to the quality of the technical abilities of the players who play the game.
There are youth coaches who stress passing, shooting, long kicks, strong defense, and “dribble when you must.” It’s …