Putting a foot on the ball

Colm has really taken to soccer. He is active out on the field, pursuing the ball and then making some pretty good decisions with the ball when he gets to it. It's been fun to watch him begin to sort out the dynamics of the game,







for example he has learned to take a good defensive angle to his own goal when the ball gets behind him, and most surprising, he has begun to make runs into space instead of closing in on the ball all the time , especially when a teammate has it. Also, he has developed something of a nose for the goal, pulling the trigger off the run and in traffic.








He's curious about adding new moves to his arsenal. This week it was the sliding tackle, which is not one that I necessarily wanted him to use just yet. But I saw him attempting it on the sidelines and after three or four attempts where he planted his lead foot and nearly rolled an ankle, I decided to at least give some help with the the sliding technique. He eats up instruction, especially if he can see an example. His first season is now over. It was a good experience, and I'm sure he'll be up for another one next year.
K