| A Case Study: Methodology of Training Youth Soccer in Mazatlan, Mexico (Part 2) |
By Phil Vigil
This is Part II of a two-part series of a case study of a youth soccer club in Mazatlán, México. These are observations and interviews made by Phil Vigil, an NSCAA member, after a visit to Mazatlán in May 2008. Vigil is the coach for the Girls U-17, Club Colorado Ice, Table Mountain Soccer Association, Golden, Colo. This article originally appeared in the January-February 2009 issue of Soccer Digest.
Centro de Formación Club de Fútbol Pachuca, Mazatlán, México
Being a young soccer player in Mazatlán, México can be an exciting adventure. This magnificent popular sport is passed on from father to son, generation to generation, and their exposure to the game begins at the age of 4 to 5 years old. It is the intrigue of the game as seen through the eyes of youngsters; the technical skills of controlling the ball, passing, heading and shooting on goal; and, the universal challenge of developing tactical skills such as navigating around players, team play, attacking and defending. In retrospect, soccer is a game that energizes the Mexican soul into a pulsating passion, whether male or female, young or old.
On a recent trip to Mazatlán, I met with a former acquaintance, Modesto Efraín Lizárraga, the director of coaching of the Club de Fútbol Pachuca, Mazatlán. He is 38 years old, married and has two sons playing soccer and a daughter. Modesto earned the title of Director Técnico Profesional de Fútbol from the Mexican Soccer Federation. During the day he is temporarily employed as a Physical Education teacher for a school district earning a minimal income.
As Mazatlán is noted for its baseball aficionados, soccer receives very little attention, although the game is becoming more popular among youth-age groups. I was curious about the training methodology he instituted with his soccer players at his academy. His soccer training program during the week is Tuesdays through Friday. Monday is his day of rest, and, also, his opportunity to prepare his training plans. He has a staff of coaches, mostly experienced older players that train the younger players in the 5-, 6-, 8- and 10-year-old age groups. Collectively, although experienced players themselves, these coaches have a somewhat limited knowledge of modern training concepts.
Modesto Lizárraga trains the U-12, U-13 and U-14 boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. followed by the U-15, U-16 and U-17 boys on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. His training facility is the city Toledo Corro Fields 1 and 2, which are little more than dirt fields littered with rocks and debris. The climate is cool during the winter evenings and extremely hot during the summer. Yet, it is still a paradise for the youth soccer community. Field 1 is poorly lighted and barely adequate for training, much less for playing a game.
I have attended many of his sessions, and Modesto sticks to his seasonal training plan. There are about 50 players in each training session for each age group, although this varies from season to season. He divides the players into groups of eight to 10 players for circuit training based on his theme. He begins with a group warm-up, followed by stretching and short sprints. The groups rotate from one station to another, performing different exercises sequentially, and finish with small-sided games. He does have to pay a rental fee for the fields. Modesto collects less than a dollar per session per player, and at times, he is not fully paid. He earns little while working very hard, yet he is in love with his job.
Club de Fútbol Pachuca teams compete in leagues against other soccer clubs throughout Mazatlán. Some are actual social clubs while other teams are sponsored by a business patron. Games are scheduled on weekends throughout the year, except for religious holidays. Prior to the game, players appear just before kick-off, stretch individually for a few minutes and they are ready and eager to play. A single referee is scheduled to work each game. After checking the player passes, he brings his arm down and blows his whistle and a game of pure passion begins. It must be noted that these solitary officials make consistently sound, split-second decisions, and are usually correct in their offside calls as well. This singular competence deserves and is granted respect by all players and audience alike.
Modesto told me that the golden age of learning how to play soccer is preferably from 4 to 5 years old. This is the best time to instill soccer technical skills. As individuals develop physically and become more experienced in the nuances of the game, they will also become commensurately more complete players. Modesto contends that players become more aware of the technical and tactical skills required to play the game by watching the professional teams compete.
Arturo Arévalo, Athletic Director, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mazatlán Campus
Also, in May 2008, I met with Profesor Arturo Arévalo to discuss his methodology regarding training soccer players in Mazatlán. As a prestigious private high school and college, the Tecnológico de Monterrey is able to provide the only grass field in the area. This institution has nothing to do with the youth soccer in Mazatlán, and they conduct their own programs. Arturo was quick to point out that there are no adequate fields for soccer in the city, and that soccer players have always been familiar with poorly marked dirt fields. This is the first obstacle facing youth soccer participants. He also maintained that, generally, coaches lack the necessary training material, such as balls, cones, vests, goals with or without nets in order to conduct their training sessions and play a soccer schedule.
Regarding the technical aspects of training, Arturo feels that Mexico, in general, aside from the professional clubs, does not have enough qualified coaches that are familiar with the prerequisites necessary to train players. Many club coaches are fathers, for the most part, and they lack a methodology of training. Often, they do not respect the needs and interests of individual players, and do not have a sense of planning a training session. Their limited knowledge of coaching consists of long single lines without any dynamic exercises, i.e., demonstrating the skills of receiving the ball, passing, shooting, etc.
Tactically, Arturo maintains that coaches, typically, define only the cursory fundamental roles of defensive and offensive player positions without expanding on the dynamics of play that each position requires. As a result, players do not understand the overall concept of how to play the game. He also contends that coaches do not have a culture of using the clipboard as a visual aid to demonstrate tactics, and even if they did, the players would not understand them. They seem to follow a given tactical formation, and fumble through the game unaware of the intended offensive and defensive schemes.
Few coaches are adequately prepared to teach players the element of the psychological dimension, as most are not even fully aware of it themselves. Therefore, the mind-set of the typical Mexican player in Mazatlán is not to train intensely but rather to just play the game. This lack of discipline and lack of dedication to the sport instills an attitude that limits their ability and the potential to grow. The net result is that all teams suffer and do not play to their potential.
Club de Fútbol Pachuca “Tuzos” compete for National Title in Mexico
Despite the shortcomings of soccer training in Mazatlán, Profesor Modesto Lizárraga is to be admired for a recent accomplishment. In June 2008, his U-14 boys team won the championship for their State of Sinaloa. The team had to work hard to gather finances in order to travel to Acapulco in the State of Guerrero, to compete for Mexico’s national championship. The trip cost each player $350, and they had no patronage, so the parents had to cover the expenses for one week. They played a game a day, winning three and losing only to the Federal District (Mexico City) 3-1 in group competition. They qualified for quarterfinals and from there won 1-0 over Quintana Roo and avenged an earlier loss to the Federal District, winning 4-1. On July 12, 2008, his Club de Fútbol Pachuca “Tuzos” advanced to the finals defeating the State of Nuevo Leon 4-1. The MVP was Enrique Guzmán, who had nine goals overall with three in the championship game.
It is a fitting tribute to Modesto Efraín Lizárraga’s dedication to the sport and his ability to train and motivate the hearts of humble athletes from impoverished neighborhoods, and make them national champions. Winning the gold medal against the best team from 31 states in Mexico and the Federal District in his U-14 category is a well deserved recognition. It was an event that he and his players can be proud of for the rest of their lives.
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