| A 'Jamboree' Approach to Tournament Play |
| by Cy Philbrick, Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 7:15 PM ET |
By Cy Philbrick
Competition
is a hot word out there in the soccer world. Everyone agrees that
competition lies at the core of soccer's value; it makes the game fun
and exciting while improving players. But to what degree should
competition function in youth soccer tournaments that risk emphasizing
winning over more important aspects of player development, such as fun
and improvement?
Answering this question requires examining
what competition can mean in youth sports and tournaments. Different
types of tournaments promote different types of competition. And
instead of favoring one type of tournament over another, coaches should
consider them all with an open mind, but with knowledge of the values
and risks inherent in each type.
Traditionally, a competition
refers to a contest for a prize or reward. But youth organizations like
US Youth Soccer have recognized that "competitive tournaments," which
often eliminate losing teams and reward winning teams with trophies,
create an environment that can harm youth development.
On the
US Youth Soccer web site, Sam Snow writes: "We believe that youth
soccer is too competitive at the early ages, resulting in an
environment that is detrimental to both players and adults; much of the
negative behavior reported about parents is associated with preteen
play."
The competitive air of tournaments can cause coaches
to focus on the results of games rather than on developing well-rounded
and savvy soccer players. Also, it can enable parents to breathe
venomous insults on coaches, referees, players, and even fellow
parents.
For these reasons, US Youth Soccer now suggests that
players under the age of 10 should play "non-competitive" soccer
festivals, or jamborees, instead of traditional tournaments.
However, many competitive tournaments for younger players (U-6 to U-12)
still exist. And while competitive tournaments tend to create a more
intense atmosphere than jamborees or festivals, this atmosphere is not
necessarily detrimental to player development if tournament organizers,
coaches, parents, and players have the right attitude and take the
right precautions. Despite the more risky nature of these tournaments,
they can benefit a team in ways that a more non-competitive tournament
might struggle to. For example, competitive tournaments can teach young
players plenty besides learning to win.
America Scores Bay
Area runs both jamborees and more competitive tournaments because the
organization believes that both types of competitions hold value. Colin
Schmidt, the Executive Director of America Scores Bay Area, says that
competition, and trials that come with losing, can teach young players
some of the most important values.
"Losing teaches you about
sportsmanship, about pride, about respect, and about what you need to
do to improve as an individual and as a team," Schmidt said. "Learning
to compete is valuable, as long as you define competition in the right
way. It's about much more than just winning."
When coaching a
team in a more competitive tournament, a coach has the responsibility
to ensure that players and parents understand the values that
competition buoys. As these values can take a degree of maturity to
understand, coaches might want to ask themselves whether or not they
think their team can handle such a test.
"Everybody loves
competition," Roberto Gil, the Soccer Director of America Scores, said.
"You get more participation and attendance. The kids try harder. It
means more to everybody ... Of course this has a downside. Players and
parents can get out of hand. And if the competition is not designed
well then it might be counterproductive."
Many competitive
tournaments are structured to help players, coaches, and parents have a
positive experience. For example, America Scores runs tournaments that
rank performance in areas besides wins and losses, such as
sportsmanship. And some don't eliminate teams, allowing all teams to
play an equal number of games even though they might finish in
different places. Also, like jamborees, many tournaments provide every
participant, not just the winners, with a reward.
Jamborees
eliminate the double-talk that can occur when coaches want their team
to win, "but not to focus on winning that much." Jamborees can also
make structuring the event easier, as everybody wins, or receives some
reward for participating.
Labeling jamborees as
"non-competitive," however, can mislead. Although they might promote a
less intense and less challenging atmosphere than competitive
tournaments, they still rely on competition, as any game of soccer does
inherently. Kids want to score, and they want to score more goals than
the other team; these are the objects of the game. Ideally, players can
learn to value competition by itself, the purity of a game untarnished
by the ugly behavior that coaches, players, and parents display when
winning is on the line.
By taking the emphasis off of
winning, jamborees also allow coaches the freedom to focus on valuable
aspects of player development. Coaches can focus on player improvement
by ensuring that players get to play equal time, and many different
positions.
Also, the friendly nature of jamborees can serve
to promote a more community-oriented atmosphere than traditional
tournaments.
"Jamborees are great because they can connect
communities together through the sport," Carlos Danny Mora, an America
Scores club coach, said. "Parents can come and talk, eat together, and
meet face to face. They can see how other teams or schools do things.
They get a chance to build good relationships."
Before
entering any event, coaches should pay attention to, or inquire about,
the event's structure and rules. By knowing the nature of the event,
coaches can prepare players and the parents of players to gain positive
values from the experience. Whatever the type of event, jamboree or
tournament or something in between, coaches of younger players should
try to focus on the values besides winning that accompany competition,
like player and personal development.
(Cy Philbrick is the Managing Editor of Coach-Smart.com, where this article originally appeared, and a free-lance soccer writer.) |
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