Hi Ralph. Further discussion..........

My point here is that I don't feel that the PRIMARY problem is that the player will not fight for the ball, but rather, they are still learning and it is unfair to expect all 11 year olds to be developmentally the same.

As far as the rec. all-star, you and I would handle it differently. It is my goal as a travel coach to develop the players as much as possible in preparation for High School play. I will take a good passer with a great attitude every time. A good pass will out-pace the fastest player all day. I do not have the talent pool that you have. I think Gary said that his talent pool was on the smaller side also.

As for passing the ball behind the defender, it implies an advantage for the attacker because she is moving toward the ball and the defender must change direction first. For the attacker to assume the ball could not be won would in fact be lazy.

I never said "and not the ball". I said you need to see both, but if you have to lose sight of one choose the ball. The thought here is that the ball will continue on the same path and you will know where to find it. The defender has other options. I appreciate your concerns about fouls, but for what it is worth I don't even allow my players (boys) to tackle. I tell them if they play smart they shouldn't have to tackle because it means they got beat. Tackling promotes lazy feet and defense.

If you are looking up at the ball, it may be going over your head and I would rather you shield the defender and run with the flight of the ball; as opposed to chesting the ball or giving it up with a header. If you are looking down as the ball approaches, then it will fall in front of you and you should move toward this poor pass. Moving away to allow a shot on goal was not Gary's question.

As far as benching, we disagree. If it works for your players, I think that is great. It won't make a difference in my coaching and teaching ability because I will not do it. I was simply offering Gary a different perspective and he is free to think about it, or laugh about it if he thinks I am nuts. Thats okay too.

Congratulations on your 25 years in coaching. I hope you can do 25 more.