We kicked off the 2019-2020 NASA Tophat (NTH) Junior Academy Girls soccer year with our Team Camp. We thank the girls for their consistent effort and boundless enthusiasm! All of the girls were able to attend, and all of them showed promise. We look forward to the upcoming fall season!
Our main camp theme was “keep the ball.” Young players often see a soccer ball as something to randomly kick. We want them to treat the ball like a friend and take it on adventures toward goal or into open space, away from opponents. Girls who learn to control and manipulate the ball will be better prepared to understand spacing, which will help develop teamwork down the road.
We mixed foundation footwork activities and some basic dribbling moves with various dribbling games, finishing each session with scrimmages. We love dribbling tag games and 1v1 games, because they combine competition, dribbling control, changes of direction and speed. They also help develop vision, which is a critical but often overlooked element to success. (Our secondary theme is scan-plan-play, which starts with vision.) And dribbling games help improve fitness.
We encourage parents to get out in the yard and play with their daughters. This might be some simple footwork challenges, or it could be a mini game. If you have a 12×12 yard space, you have a plenty of room to play dribbling marbles or snow cones and see who rules in your family!
Camp photos and videos:
Check our photo site for daily group photos, or click below to view any of our camp videos.
Thursday, August 8 recap:
We finished camp on a very hot day! The girls were well-prepared on the hydration front, though, so we didn’t have anyone fade out from the heat.- We played some warm-up games that emphasized vision. We followed with a new progression to the 1v1 dribbling game we call snow cones before going into scrimmages.
- We finished with a camp tradition: group photos plus a special goofy video. We’ll post the video over the weekend.
- Thanks to the Hampton and Williams families for bringing cold treats for the girls.
- Special thanks to our frequent helpers Allison and Ally. You girls rock!
Wednesday, August 7 recap:
- It was hot today, but we were lucky to have a mostly shaded field.
- The girls worked on the hip shimmy dribbling fake, and found opportunities to use it in a chain tag game.
- We introduced the 1v1 dribbling game we call snow cones. It’s all about turning away from defenders and attacking open space. It combines dribbling control along with vision and decision-making.
- Thanks to the Derrer family for bringing cold treats for the girls. The popsicle sticks had riddles: “How do you fix a broken gorilla? With a monkey wrench!”
- Special thanks to our regular assistant coach Sydney and our new helper Eva — you girls rock!
Tuesday, August 6 recap:
- We had warm but not brutally hot weather. All 24 current players were able to attend. We also had a guest, who showed she belonged and earned an invited to join us to become a real live Junior Academy Girl!
- The girls worked on two dribbling turns: pullbacks and twist-off turns. These moves are effective at any level, and rely more on ball manipulation than sheer trickery. In other words, they work for both daring and cautious players!
- We were excited to see lots of girls try the twist-off turn — many with success — in the scrimmages!
- Thanks to the Kobliska and Singh families for bringing cold treats for the girls!
- Special thanks to our helper Ally. She’s been a regular helper now for 5 years!
Monday, August 5 recap:
- We dodged a field availability issue and were able to get in our full session. 23 of our 24 players were able to attend. The girls’ energy level was good throughout. Listening skills wavered at times, but that always happens early on with 6-7 year olds!
- Our biggest current on-field challenge is helping players make the transition from kickball players (kick the ball, chase and hope) to keep-ball players (keep the ball, keep the ball moving, get your head up, make a plan, and then try to execute the plan). This requires patience on all of our parts — kids, parents and coaches. When the camp is completed, we’ll post some “play at home” activities you can do with your daughter to help her make that transition. (You don’t need a soccer background to help your daughter in the backyard.)
- Thanks to the Vega family for bringing cold treats for the girls.
- Special thanks to our helpers Allison, Ellery and Eva. You girls rock!
