football

Futsal · News

The Sharp End

This article was written by Chris Rue, Rush Soccer’s Global Futsal Manager.

There is no better way to learn and understand the nuances of futsal than to jump head first into the sport. Form a group of 6-7 players, enter a tournament and get on the sharp end. Coaches and players will learn a tremendous amount while competing against all levels of competition. The sharp end has always been the best teacher. Whether you are a coach or player, being in the mix always asks questions and will continuously put you in uncomfortable situations. Experiences are the true teacher. Learning to become comfortable being uncomfortable is paramount to development. For some, this is difficult to stomach; others will thrive.

The Futsal environment has many similar characteristics to the surfing culture. The surfing culture can teach us a lot about youth development. Kids thrust themselves into the environment and learn by watching others and experimenting. They fail and repeat until the problem is solved. Soon, they know. This is a very different form of learning. They are not asked to regurgitate answers that they remember to take a test. This is a form of education that, once learned through trial and error, sticks. We define skill as a task that can be completed on demand in the right situation but we rarely ask players to learn that skill in a fluid way. Sessions are set up with cones or mannequins and we ask the players to perform tasks, but this is not developing a skill. The genius is the ability to read the situation presented and find solutions, who are we to tell a player how to do it? Their own experience should guide them.

We have proven extremely adept in this country at making the player who can perform a maneuver over and over again, flawlessly, but be careful what you are creating; robots. The soccer greats all point to futsal as a main course in their youth careers because of the pure raw nature of being on the sharp end. Dealing with defenders, anticipating situations, and learning the art of deception will undoubtedly frustrate growing players whilst learning. Failure will occur often. However, an education in this setting will become permanent. We would be smart as a soccer nation to include a massive amount of our younger players in this culture. Only then, will we compete at the highest levels. It falls on our shoulders as educators. Form a group and enter a futsal event, you will be happy you took those first steps.

The Rush Futsal Cup: Register Here!

Image Credits: Minnesota Rush.

March 10, 2022

News · Players

New Videos & Records To Be On Top Of The Juggling Club Leaderboards!

Rush Players keep working hard and breaking their own records and the Leaderboards have new contendents!

“Keep training, no matter the rain, the snow, or the heat of the summer!”. Our Train @ Home slogan fits perfectly with the Juggling Club, since Rush Players kept working hard to improve themselves during February.

In this opportunity we present two new Juggling Records, which deserve to be highlighted! Lauren Owens, from SWVA Rush, and Brecken Allen, from Iowa Rush, sent their videos and took their Juggling abilities to the next level.

Lauren reached the amazing mark of 1242 Juggles/Keep Ups, and is now on the fifteenth position of our Elite Division Leaderboard. Watch her video below:

Brecken, who currently plays for the 2009 Boys Team, worked hard to reach his new record of 318 Juggles/Keep Ups, and is only one spot away from the Top 10 on our Royal Division Leaderboard! Watch his video below:

CHECK THE JUGGLING CLUB’S BEST VIDEOS AND LEADERBOARDS HERE!

As Lauren and Brecken, you can also show the Rush Nation your skills. There’s no limit to a player’s ability, you need to believe in yourself and work hard! Send us your video and get featured on our Social Media!

More About The Juggling Club: Mallory Shows Her Skills & The Linski Brothers Broke Their Record!

March 2, 2022

Goalkeeping · News

Goalkeeper Curriculum Review and Implementation

This article was written by Sean Connors, Rush Soccer’s Global Goalkeeping Director.

As part of the Rush our goal is to be the best soccer club in the world. Have the best soccer players in the world, and of course the best goalkeepers in the world! We need to know where we want to go in order to plot the best course to get there. The same goes for individual clubs and coaches when thinking about how to best train and teach the goalkeeper.

The overall goal is to produce goalkeepers that keep the ball out of the net, keep possession for the team, organize and lead the team, and play with a presence that exudes confidence in self and team. To achieve this goal it starts with putting goalkeepers in the best training environment possible every week!

At Rush we recommend group GKs based on their skill level rather than age. This is different from your typical team training environment. The uniqueness of the position allows grouping based on skill and logistically it is easy to achieve at specialized GK training.

Below is an example based on using five training groups. Listed with the levels are age groups, however this is only for reference. The best players should be pushed into the next group. If your staffing allows the division of more groups that is even better.

Level 1: Usually 7v7, U9-U10
Level 2: Usually 9v9, U11-U12
Level 3: Usually 11v11, U13-U14
Level 4: Usually 11v11, U15-U17
Level 5: Usually 11v11, U18-U19

Be very careful when advancing a 9v9 GK into a 11v11 group. The ball size and the goal size are different and require the GK to handle changes from training to game.

GOALKEEPING DEVELOPMENTAL CURRICULUM – TECHNICAL CHECKLIST BY TRAINING LEVELS

GOALKEEPING SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE RUSH COACHING MANUAL!

Lastly, taking into consideration the distribution abilities of the GK before advancing them into higher groups. They must be able to distribute at the level of the higher group in order to achieve proper training reps for the other GKs around them. It’s not fair to the more advanced GKs to train with a lower level GK that can’t produce the service needed for their own development.

Once proper training groups are established, and technical/tactical focuses are established, it still comes down to the coach and the player working together to develop.

Coaching Goalkeepers is more than just teaching the technical and tactical aspects of the position. Working to improve a Goalkeepers mentality is vital to their success. Goalkeeper Coaches must work to create an environment that is safe for the GK to train and make mistakes. All Goalkeepers will let in goals… especially during training when they face shot after shot. GK Coaches must work with their GKs to be comfortable in those moments by focusing on learning from the goal, and then moving on and focusing on the next save.

Download The Full GK Curriculum HERE!

To learn more about the Goalkeeper and Coach Relationship click HERE.

February 22, 2022

Futsal · News

Pivot, The Art Of Playing With Back To Goal

This article was written by Chris Rue, Rush Soccer’s Futsal Manager.

“The ball must stick when we find you.” – An accurate phrase often shouted to an aspiring forward. How many times in a match is a vertical penetrating pass to the striker incorrectly handled, leading to a transitional moment to defense? When the vertical pass is played, visual cues are given for teammates to make penetrating runs accordingly. Then, possession is lost and defensive transition sprints occur.
This leads to a lack of confidence in the striker’s abilities and ultimately the lack of desire to make those necessary penetrating support runs. On the other hand, when the ball sticks to the forward, territorial advantage is gained, attacking possibilities emerge, penetrating runs are rewarded, and chances can be created.

There are countless times on a futsal court where we see the requirements of receiving a ball, under pressure, with back to goal; but no such position does it occur as often than with the pivot (pronounced Pee Vo). The role of the pivot is demanding. This position is the most advanced player in the diamond formation. The main role, in attack, is to provide forward passing angles for teammates. Upon receiving the penetrating pass, the pivot must control the ball, anticipate a first-time pass to an off the ball runner, hold possession for a delayed runner or use their own craft and guile to turn and shoot. The pivot’s ability to make the ball stick enhances a team’s chances to score in futsal.

The physical requirements needed in this position cannot be emphasized enough, however, cleverness is the important trait. Receiving a pass with a defender draped on your back is a difficult task. Anticipating space and finding angles for the entry pass is the first obstacle. Keeping yourself between the ball and defender is the next. Now, proper technique must be applied on the first touch to secure possession. These are all difficult skills to master; but the ability to read the cues, apply the best technique and make the correct decision, all in a fraction of a moment, separates good and great players.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4xhSIVT9w

Working relentlessly with players in the pivot position, during futsal training, will pay dividends in your team’s chances to score. Regardless of position played, the skill sets required of the pivot should be understood and trained by all. At the highest levels of the game, being comfortable receiving the ball with a defender on your back is a box that must be ticked.

Learn More! Futsal Formation: The Basics.

February 9, 2022

Rush Way

Rush Way: Playing Time Using The 80-20 Rule

This article was written by Pablo Toledo, Rush Soccer’s Sporting Project Director.

I’ll start with an honest comment: I totally made the following two mistakes when I started coaching.

I was starting my coaching career and I had decided after studying and hearing from more experienced professionals that I wanted to give equal playing time, so suddenly I found myself coaching games in which I was spending most of my time trying to fight the clock and make it as balanced as possible for all of my players.

I had also studied and was supportive of the idea that a developing player should not specialize positionally too early, so as my team was under the generally referenced age of 13 to start the specialization process, I was playing, within the game, many of my players in different positions.

You can imagine how chaotic and complicated it can be to try to coach a game in which you’re trying to accomplish both things simultaneously: Give equal playing time to all, and allow players to experience multiple positions. It was a mess and I had so much going on that my coaching was almost completely based on administering these two factors.

It didn’t take me long to fix the second one and say: “Ok, I do want these players to experience different positions, but that doesn’t mean they have to all do it within the same game. Let’s spread that out”, so suddenly Danny that year was playing some games as a mid and some others as a defender, and here and there as a forward. Good, we got that one sorted out.

Now for the always debated topic of playing time. I re-stated my resolution that I still support to this day: Give equal playing time. Just because Danny is a bit better today than Johnny, that doesn’t give him an automatic pass to have more developmental opportunities. What if Johnny is just a late developer? Does he deserve to get less opportunities to develop his potential just because of that? The answer is no, so the problem to solve is how we can give equal playing time without going into the craziness of my early days. The Rush Way 80-20 gave me the answer. Read it below from the Rush Way Philosophy.

Playing Time

Playing time for any individual is completely at the coach’s discretion. Rush encourages that playing time at all levels should be equal throughout the season. At the younger developmental ages, players should be exposed to as much of the game as possible. Limiting team roster size will aid in increased playing time for all players.

At the older/higher levels there will be instances when playing time will vary from game to game, but if player placement has been completed correctly, then equal playing time throughout the year should be achieved. For instance, of your ten field players, this could mean you play eight of your starters and play two of your weaker players, 80/20 rule. This will provide a more balanced level of play. Especially in the youth division, starters should vary throughout the season.

Simple and effective solution. If one day, because the game was like this or like that, Suzie played more than Jenny, you don’t have to feel so bad about it, maybe next game Jenny plays more. Sometimes this happens naturally and you don’t even need to plan it so much.

At the younger ages, I think the 80-20 is also great to remove the “I’m a sub feeling”. As you constantly rotate the starting team, everybody feels important.

Tim Schulz, Rush Soccer’s President & CEO, and the founder of the club, talked to us about this during a podcast interview highlighting this same last point.

However, I do think that the 80-20 loses strength as the players enter the last couple of years at the club. U17+ to use an age group as a reference. Even if I truly think and frequently tell my players that to be a starter within my team doesn not necessarily mean I consider them better, because players are different and might offer diverse skill sets and there are so many reasons why a coach might pick this or that starting team, it is true that most of the times there is a certain tendency, or a certain preference for an eleven, and at this stage I don’t want to shy up from actually talking about starters and subs, and the reason for that is that we get close to the performance stages that they aspire to (whether it is college or professionalism), and this is how it will be then, so I care about preparing them to deal with adversity if they’re not in the first eleven. To be a good sub is actually something that you can learn and I know many high level coaches that look at this because they want to know if a player, in case they’re substitutes, will still contribute to the group or will become a cultural assassin (quoting Damien Hughes on his book ‘The Barcelona Way: Unlocking The DNA Of A Winning Culture’). In fact, when we spoke to Fernando ‘Bocha’ Batista, who at the time was Argentina’s U20 & U23 MNT Head Coach, he made a strong emphasis on this topic.

Beyond that aspect, I don’t want to be hypocritical. The players realize that there are teammates that I overall think are my first picks, so I don’t want to lie to them.

Lastly, this actually allows me to also coach the starters to be good starters, so I tell the group openly: If you’re in the first eleven, train hard to stay in it and know that I support you even if you have a couple bad games, don’t fear to be on the edge because you got up with the wrong foot today, and if you’re a sub, work even harder to prove me wrong and know that if you make it to the first 11, I’ll support you just like I did with the player that was starting before.

Maybe there’s a better way, but I think you stay honest, loyal, and fair to your players when you approach it like this.

In summary and to make it a simple rule of thumb, use the 80-20 until they reach U17 and from there move progressively to a more similar format to what they’ll experience at performance stages. This might be obvious, but basically we are saying: The closer you get to performance stages, the more we try to resemble the environment.

February 8, 2022

News

Rush’s Worldwide Sporting Project

This article is based on an interview with Pablo Toledo, Rush Soccer’s Sporting Project Director, based on his presentation “How To Develop & Implement A Club’s Player Development Approach” at the 2022 USC Convention.

“Every sporting organization makes philosophical statements publicly, expresses core values, and beliefs, but very few manage to imprint this in every action. If we took away the logos, the colors, the banners, and everything was neutral, on a field we’ve never been at and with a group of players and coaches we’ve never met, running a session we’ve never seen before, would there be anything on that session that would tell you ‘yes, that’s a session from my club’? I think in most cases, most sporting organizations would honestly say ‘no’. Well, that’s what we want to accomplish, and today I’ll explain our project to make that happen” – expresses Pablo Toledo, Rush Soccer’s Sporting Project Director, at the start of his presentation at the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention and continues – “There’s no secret sauce, the right approach or the ‘solution’, in most cases, tends to be specific to the context of the ‘problem’. Our sporting project is not an undeniable truth, it’s a project tailored to the characteristics of our club, players, and coaches, and has the objective of imprinting our club’s DNA in everything that we do, of turning words into actions. This is something that very few sporting organizations in the world have accomplished. I believe we can”.

Rush Soccer’s sporting project, in terms of technical development, is basically explained in three basic stages that run simultaneously but alternate priorities.

DESIGN / DEVELOP is the phase in which the focus was to define the club’s player development approach. “The construction of The Heart Of The Rush as our cornerstone document that summarizes our identity, a Game Model that represented the concepts that we foresee our full rounded player has mastered and that sets the basis to favor the learning process by standardizing our language, and the Blueprint to provide a base structure and progression to teach the foundations that our players will need towards dominating those concepts, that’s the framework of it all. That’s where and how we ‘line the field’. Within that framework, the curriculum itself becomes purely an example, and this is important because we don’t aim to prescribe anything but provide a context that grants the representation of our club’s DNA (example below). Within that framework, you have the liberty of expressing yourself. We wouldn’t conceive or accept a different approach than that” – explains Pablo.

IMPLEMENTATION is explained as the ongoing, predominant phase nowadays. “Once again, solutions are specific to the problems. In our case, as the largest youth soccer club in the world, operating in so many different contexts, it would be nearly impossible to always work on an individual basis. We need to use massive approaches without becoming too impersonal. Technology, for the massive side, can be very useful. The creation of Rush Soccer Development as our “one stop shop’’ platform to access all of our resources for player, coach, parent, and club development, complemented with The Rush Coaching Manual to bring our curriculum to life, are vital tools for success.

The season planner, within Rush Coaching Manual and allowing us all to create Rush specific season plans by simply answering a few questions, has a special role in this project. The challenge we are facing now is to work on an individual basis with all of our clubs to customize the implementation model. Again, solutions specific to each context” – adds the presenter.

WHAT’S NEXT?

“July 2022 will find us releasing the missing piece: The Rush Way Coaching Certificate. This is a key aspect for implementation, to help us share the message massively and assist all of our coaches in learning to use our tools.

This will all be combined, as said before, with other initiatives and in person approaches: Club visits, workshops through Select events, podcasts, webinars, among many others.

After that, it will be about ASSESSING COMPLIANCE. That’s where we want to be in 2023. Once we’ve implemented the club’s approach in most locations, it will be time for us to adopt a ‘permanent improvement’ mentality, so it’s time to assess how we do in certain areas, but always granting a consequent development plan. There’s no point in assessing if we don’t know how to help the clubs and coaches develop in those areas after, so we’ll build a team of Club Technical Developers formed by top professionals from our network that can work with each club, based on an initial assessment, for months to help them improve in the areas identified, to then reassess” – he explains.

“In our case, there are nine Key Performance Indicators we want to see all across the board:

Coaching Training Session The Rush Way
Coaching Games The Rush Way
Rush Way Culture Implementation
Rush Curriculum Implementation
Programming to Maximize Playing Hours in U12 and under
70 Games Implementation & Tracking
6-3-1 In all teams
Rush Way Coaching Course Compliance
Continuous education

Ultimately, by 2024 we are aiming to start posting Rush’s Worldwide Technical Reports, through which we can bring transparency and clubs can observe how they rank in these areas in comparison to other partners” – expands Pablo to then conclude – “The last stage is to observe, as in the graph below, that this entire project forms one of the many areas that a long term well rounded club development program can incorporate. This is purely the technical side. The objective is to, long term, replicate the model to assist our clubs in other areas like HR, Marketing, or Governance, for example. It will take us time, not only to develop but to implement in such an extensive club, but we’ll make it happen, I’m confident of that”.

February 3, 2022

News

Now Hiring!! Check Rush Soccer’s NEW Job Openings!

Develop your career within the Rush Nation! Rush is proud to provide our coaches new job openings and career growth opportunities. Are you the right person for these positions? Do not hesitate and apply today!

See below our Current Job Openings – Click HERE for further information and applications!

Director Of Coaching (DOC) – PA RUSH

PA Rush is currently looking for 1-2 full-time DOC’s to join its staff in New Britain, PA. Top candidates will possess 7-10 years coaching experience, a B level coaching license (A is preferred) and exceptional communication skills (both verbal and written).

PA Rush is looking for Directors with a proven track record of program management, the ability to multitask, manage staff and have experience growing membership and successful player development.

Are you the right person for this position? APPLY NOW!

Coach – CO RUSH

Colorado Rush is hiring part-time coaches to join its staff in Littleton, CO. The coach must be able to demonstrate the skills and techniques of soccer. He/She must be able to articulate and communicate the tactics appropriate for the age level coaching.

The position requires an outgoing personality with the ability to work with volunteers and possess the desire to excel and strive to make the Rush Soccer Club the premier club in the Nation. If you have at least 3 years of coaching experience, a D (or higher) coaching license and are ready to be part of something bigger we want to hear from you!

Are you the right person for this position? APPLY NOW!

Contact Us!

If you have a job opening within the Rush Nation, we can help you find the ideal candidate! Contact Kris Downs at [email protected]

February 2, 2022

News

Rush Soccer’s Specific Events At The 2022 USC Convention

That’s right, Coach! The 2022 Edition of the USC Convention is finally here. Hundreds of coaches will be reunited in Kansas City and Rush Soccer will have a big participation and three specific Rush / Capelli Events!

RUSH SOCCER’S PARTICIPATION AT THE 2022 USC CONVENTION

How To Design & Implement A Club’s Development Approach:

Pablo Toledo, Rush’s Sporting Project Director, will lead his presentation to the public. We are hoping Rush coaches will attend as it reflects the club’s vision from a sporting standpoint. When? Thursday, Jan 20th, 11 AM (CST) – Room 2105.

2. Capelli Party:

Please keep in mind that this will be RSVP only so make sure you’ve filled this form so you can be added to the list! When? Friday, January 21st, at 7 PM (CST).

3. Private Rush Soccer Meeting:

Pablo Toledo will be presenting on the release of our full curriculum, season planner, and options for local implementation. When? Saturday, Jan 22nd, at 10 AM (CST).

THE RUSH PODCAST NETWORK AT THE USC CONVENTION

Josh Tyler, our National CAP Director, and Pablo Toledo will be at Podcast Row this year. Stop by, we’ll be interviewing live some Top Level Guests!

January 19, 2022

Goalkeeping

Announcing the Rush Goalkeeping Curriculum!

This article was written by Sean Connors, Rush Soccer’s Global Goalkeeping Director.

The main objective of this Goalkeeping Curriculum is to provide all Rush Clubs with the structure and framework to best teach the goalkeepers in their club. The goalkeeper position is unique within soccer and needs to be treated differently than the rest of the team. By providing goalkeepers additional and specific training outside of regular team training, clubs are making a commitment to individual improvement which will directly benefit the entire club’s success.

CLICK HERE OR IN THE IMAGE BELOW TO CHECK THE GK CURRICULUM!

This curriculum gives advice about how to best coach different ages, specifically addressing physical and mental needs. When putting together GK training groups we advocate grouping players based on their ability in the goal rather than by age. Coaches still need to be aware of players’ individual needs, but grouping based on ability will push the level of the goalkeepers and encourage the development of younger talented GKs. This will also allow the club to demand specific competencies of their goalkeepers as part of their development.

Please also take some time to acquaint yourself with our history, goals, policies & procedures, programs & services: The Rush Way, and if you need any additional help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Enjoy the process of developing goalkeepers! Remember that the position will affect children differently. The weight and responsibility of being the goalkeeper can be a burden for some. The coaches must create a safe environment that allows learning and growth, and also address how to handle directly impacting the success of the team as a whole. Teach with passion and have fun!

We are The Rush, all together.

December 21, 2021

Futsal · News · Players

Toe Poke, A Finishing Art

This article was written by Chris Rue, Rush Soccer’s Futsal Manager.

Scoring and denying goals are the main missions during a match. So much time is spent on the training ground in the buildup phase to create chances and deservedly so, but how often are sessions void of individual guidance in techniques to put the ball in the net?

Scoring goals is extremely difficult and an artform that few possess which is why these players are coveted the world over. Master finishers have an innate understanding of where to be and what technique to apply in order to score. One of the more recent finishing trends that has been employed is the near post, top corner blast by the keeper’s ear. For a long time, strikers have been taught to go across the GK to the far post, but this new technique has become quite effective. Sergio Aguero highlights will give prime examples. The premise is to surprise the keeper. The modern GK is big and agile. When they can see and read the ball strike, the save is imminent unless a deflection has occurred.

Almost a forgotten technique, and one that futsal players are adept at, is the toe poke. The surprise element of this technique cannot be overstated. The speed at which this can be applied is why it is so effective. Minimal back lift does not allow the GK to get set and typically catches them off guard. Romario, from Brazil, was a master of the toe poke. He had the ability to move to his left and quickly apply a right foot poke to slip the ball past the keeper. He used it with such regularity and effectiveness in his professional career, surely, he had massive repetitions using this technique on the futsal court in his developing years.

During your next training session, introduce the toe poke finish and work on the intricacies of the technique and when to apply it. Encourage it in your futsal sessions. The rewards of teaching this will pay massive dividends in your team’s ability to, as former announcer Tommy Smyth would say, “bulge the old onion bag”.