Welcome to the San Tan Soccer Academy Soccer Family!

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to work with you and your child. Soccer is a wonderful game and your child will not only learn the proper way to play the game, but also have the opportunities to work on motor skills, learn social skills and begin to learn the life skills that sports has taught all of us.

The San Tan Soccer Academy soccer program is for boys and girls, ages 4-7, of all abilities. The San Tan Soccer Academy program is the recreational youth development branch of the San Tan Youth Soccer Association. The San Tan Youth Soccer Association is over 25 years old.

The San Tan Youth Soccer Association programs have prepared hundreds of young aspiring soccer players for successful club, high school and college careers. The San Tan Soccer Academy soccer program is dedicated to the principle that every young soccer player, regardless of age, ability and gender, deserves the best possible coaching and learning environment. To this end, the program employs Nationally Certified coaches, successful high school, and club and college coaches to work with our young players.

The players will establish a love of the game through exciting soccer activities. These activities emphasize involvement, fun and the development of the childs motor skills.

Recipe For A Successful Season

Ingredients needed for each practice:

• Shin guards
• Proper shoes
• Inflated size 3 ball
• Water
• San Tan Soccer Academy practice shirt , shorts, and socks.

These will be provided at the first session to every player. For best results parents should add generous amounts of the following:

• Before the practice or game say to your child; I love you, good luck and have fun.
• After the practice or game say to your child; I love you, it was great to watch you play & any positive affirmations about the practice or game.
• We look forward to a wonderful season.

Characteristics of the Young Soccer Player

Sometimes we get caught up in the moment and our expectations of what our child should be doing on the field differ from reality. Research has shown us the following characteristics of the young athlete:

• Short attention span.
• Can attend to only one problem at a time.
• May understand simple rules that need to be explained briefly & demonstrated.
• May not remember what team they are on, what goal to go at, what lines on the field represent. We need to be patient & laugh with them as they get lost on the field.
• Easily bruised psychologically shout praise often, give hints instead of criticizing.
• Prefer parallel play - will play on a team, but will not really engage with their teammates. Thus, 3 against 3 games is, in reality, a 1 against 5 games because they all want the ball at the same time.
• Very individually oriented (me, mine, my).
• Constantly in motion, but, with no sense of pace. They will chase something until they drop. They are easily fatigued but recover rapidly.
• Physical coordination limited. Eye - hand and eye - foot coordination is not developed. Need to explore qualities of a rolling ball.
• Development for boys and girls are quite similar.
• Love to run, jump, roll, hop, etc.

Communication with Staff

All of the coaches are easily approachable. We are all willing to talk with you to discuss any concerns and/or answer any questions you may have. You may contact Director Andy Bonchonsky at andysantan@cox.net or Director Brett Epstein at brettandjulia@cox.net . We will communicate to you via e-mail if there is ever a time that we need to cancel a practice (inclement weather, park closure, etc).

Please be sure to check your e-mail before coming to a practice or game if there is bad weather. If we do not have your e-mail address please send it to Carol Rozinski at: carol_rozinski@hotmail.com.

Parent Sideline Behavior

Some of the staff had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Gregory Dale, a leader in Sports Psychology & a professor at Duke University. Dr. Dale stresses the importance of parent behavior at their child's games. It is very important that we encourage each player at games through positive comments about effort and teamwork. The things that we reinforce are bound to continue.

Their skill level at this time is developing, and the players are branching out and trying difficult skills that take years to master. We need to reinforce this process of development. Please do not show negative emotion on the sidelines and leave the coaching to the coaches. Dr. Dale made many excellent points. Three of the most important ones are to avoid comparing your child's progress to that of others, remember they are kids and not adults and provide unconditional love regardless of the outcome. What a child sees when everyone is shouting instructions.

Things You Can Expect

As coaches of these younger players there are things that we know that we can expect during training and games. If we know what to expect, we will be more effective in dealing with the hundreds of situations that come up. This will help us relax, and, in turn, allow us to enjoy the unpredictable nature of working with these children even more. Here are some of the things that we can expect:

• Most players cry immediately when something is hurt. Some cry even when something is not hurt.
• No matter how loud we shout, or how much we "practice" it, they may not or will not pass the ball. They think they will never get it back. In fact, they may even steal the ball from a teammate.
• Somebody will come off the field in need of a toilet. Somebody will stay on the field in need of a toilet.
• The only player to hold a position is the goalkeeper (when we play with one). We won't even consider teaching positional play at this age.
• Twenty seconds after the start of a game, every player will be within 5 yards of the ball.
• Several players will slap at the ball with their hands, or pick it up. Several parents will yell at them not to do that.
• A model rocket that is launched from a nearby field will get 99% of the player's attention. By all means, stop whatever you are doing and watch for a couple of seconds!
• During a season, you will end up tying at least 40 - 50 shoe laces.
• They will do something that is absolutely hysterical. Make sure that you laugh!

Why Small Sided Games?

Did you ever wonder why we play with small goals, small fields and games that feature less players then a traditional game? The answer is quite simple. Studies have shown that small sided games are most beneficial to young kids. Some points that support small sided games are as follows:

• The game is the great teacher. The game is age-appropriate, easy to learn, and FUN. This provides an environment where the players can develop their soccer skills
• The fewer players on the field, the more possible times a player will come in contact with the ball. In fact, players will find they have no choice; the ball will quickly find them!
• We want our young soccer players to touch and play the ball more often and become more skillful with it!
• Less players on the field = less complicated decisions.
• Players need to feel worthy…they need to feel important!
• More opportunity to solve problems that only the game can present.
• More exposure to attacking and defending situations...
• The smaller field size and fewer players will foster more goals.

We hope you and your child enjoy their San Tan Soccer Academy experience. You child will improve his/her motor skills, social skills and listening skills over the next six weeks. It is our desire that your child over time will develop a love and appreciation for this game just like the coaching staff does. It is now official: You are a soccer mom and/or dad!!!