Joe, Edwin, Alex and I were the four coaches for the camp. The 35 or so kids ages 8-12 were divided up into four teams that competed through the week. Germany, USA, Bazil and South Africa. I coached South Africa to a stellar 4th place. Fortunately, there was no relegation involved ;)
The younger kids we coached were definitely much better than the kids I have coached at OnGoal tactically and technically. I’m not sure if this is because of the demographic of kids that came to the camp or a cultural difference. I would guess that this is cultural difference. Everybody I played with from recreation to semi-pro valued a highly possession style of soccer. So, it would follow that little kids would be coached with an emphasis on foot skills (technical) and field vision (tactical) as a basic skill instead of "fun faster, kick harder". For example, in the US, if a kid is dribbling down the field and a defender steps up the first instinct is: dribble by him. Here, when a kid saw the same situation (saw this because his head was up when he dribbled) his first instinct was: pass around him. I was amazed to see 8 year olds that could turn, shield the ball, and pass back.
The older kids were comparable to the kids in America. I would guess this is because as the kids in America get older they work under better coaches and are taught to play smarter. In all ages, in the games at the end of the day the "soccer passion" ran high. Losing was a travesty complete with tears and anger. Winning was better than snack break.
Off the field, the kids enjoyed asking questions about what soccer clubs we liked, what music we liked and what movies we liked. There was a language barrier. About half the kids spoke a bit of English, others none. However, thankfully, there were plenty of staff around to help translate. Games were difficult because anything I would yell on the field would be delayed 30 seconds.
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