Yesterday, I experienced a paradigm shift. Over the last 12 months, I’d been watching and thinking about a kid out in Beaverton who loves to act out in our class. It seems, however, that the exact opposite had been happening.
Since our start together, this particular child been acting out in class – using his hands on other kids and generally disrupting the class several times each week. We’d spoken with the teachers to ensure our strategies aligned with theirs. We learned his general background to enable us to have insight and compassion into his behavior. We heard from the child and his parents about how much fun he has with us. We were not letting this one go.
The challenge was that most anything that is established as a behavior is just that – established behavior. So, getting a change – getting a new behavior or an absence of that behavior – entails having purposeful, meaningful interactions to help a child learn new ways to express the sentiment behind the behavior more compassionately or appropriately. To be sure, this boy is sweet, protective, helpful, independent, silly, athletic and intelligent. He’s a bright, fun kid with an oversized heart. However, as I sat down to talk with the director of his school yesterday, the child’s acting out was still on my mind. We’d seen improvement, but not what I’d expected – not over this long a period of time. Was it time to re-strategize?
“Oh no,” she said. “You don’t know what he was doing outside your class.”
She went on to describe a set of behaviors another full notch beyond what we’d seen at Soccer Shots. Her words were a block of wood hitting my head, rattling around facts and lines of thought I’d drawn.
In the wider context of his behavior elsewhere, he wasn’t acting out much at all with us. My head rocked for a minute as a huge paradigm shift occurred: Instead of thinking of him as acting out in our class, I began to see how with us, he may have found a place to act in.
The first Soccer Shots class I attended, I was completely blown away by the excitement of both the kids and coaches. It was such a great experience to see kids outside enjoying each other and having an amazing time kicking the ball around. When children are young, joining a soccer program might just seem like something fun to get them outside. Which is definitely true, but it is so much more.
People may not realize the excellent life lessons these children are learning from these simple 40 minutes classes. Not only are they learning how to play one of the world’s favorite sports, they are gaining social knowledge that will stay with them forever. Soccer is a sport that requires communication, teamwork, and positive attitudes.
Sounds a lot like every day life, right? Because these kids are young, being apart of a soccer team teaches them how to be social and make friends with the people around them, which will be very handy for when they are growing up. If they are able to learn how to be outgoing when they are in preschool or kindergarten, school and future life experiences will be much easier.
When I was watching the class, I noticed a little girl in the beginning who seemed shy and embarrassed to do the soccer drills. When I asked her if she was okay she replied quietly, “Yeah, but I don’t want to mess up.” Because the coaches had the other children encourage and cheer for everyone, it helped the little girl gain confidence, and she ended up having an great time and scored a goal! By the end, she was chanting the other kids names for them to score goals just as they did for her. As simple as this seems, the little girl was able to break out of her shell and make friends from that one experience. Soccer has really helped me in my life too. I started playing when I was just five years old and now I am nineteen and still loving it. All of my closest friends are my soccer teammates and we all push each other to do good in school and life.
For me, not only am I staying active, I have learned to be dedicated to everything I commit to, I am able to communicate with people very easy, and I also know how to listen to rules and follow them.
I am totally not the type of person that will go outside and run on my own, but I look forward to going to practice to be with my friends while being productive. My team (as are most teams) is required to have a certain grade point average, so that disciplines us all to make sure our school work is going good. I give soccer and my coaches a lot of the credit for who I am today.
I was so happy to see those kids playing because I know the experience they are getting. It is hard to understand how children this young can be affected so much from these classes but it will be very apparent when they are older. In my opinion, the three main qualities a person needs in life is, being social (communicate well), dedication, and having a good attitude. With those three attributes, a person is able to do well in school, make friends, and eventually get a job. Any parent worried about how their child will do in life, sign them up for soccer!!
I stumbled upon this quote yesterday and I smiled because I am lucky enough to work for a company that impacts youth all over the world. After watching the terrible events that occur in the news, including the most recent tragedy in Chardon, OH, I can’t help but wonder what happened in this boy’s life that drove him to commit such an act. Did he not have a role model or a positive influence in his life? Was there one incident in this child’s life that shaped who he would become? Although we may never know, it is safe to assume that this could have been prevented.
As a Soccer Shots Director, I receive a handful of emails each season from parents stating how much their child LOVES his/her coach. It puts a smile on my face because we take such pride in hiring a staff that we believe shares our mission to impact youth positively. Managing a group of 3-5 year olds can certainly be a challenge. But if that instructor is with us for the right reasons, they will undoubtedly make a difference in the life of a child.
“Children are one-third of our population, and all of our future.”
Kids are the future, and we must invest in them as we would a 401k. The time and energy that I have put into working for Soccer Shots has been rewarded tenfold. Every time I walk into a center and see the children’s faces light up to see someone wearing a Soccer Shots jacket, it makes it all worthwhile. Not only are those children eager to be physically active, they now have a positive role model in their life. Next time you have an opportunity to dish out a high-five and make a child smile, take it. You never know what that moment might mean in the life of that child.
(Guest post from Coach Alia at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
Encouragement is the gift that every child should receive. Although this statement seems obvious, encouragement really does make a difference in a child’s life.
I was coaching at Life House Preschool and about two sessions into the program a new child enrolled in my class and I was absolutely thrilled! The kid who was new to the class seemed apprehensive about playing soccer however he came along and attempted to play in all the games. About midway into the session I noticed that he was crying and I went over to him to see what was wrong. He informed me that he was sad because he did not think his mom would pick him up after lunch. I informed him that he had nothing to worry about because he would see his mom soon.
During this situation I saw more than the need for his mother, I also saw a kid who was easily upset and scared. I could easily relate to this child because when I was younger I was very much like him. I was very shy and was often afraid to talk to other people so I was quiet and kept to myself. What really helped me when I was younger was to have somebody encourage me and let me know I was doing a good job in whatever I was doing.
I knew that this child needed encouragement.
What made the situation even more perfect was the fact that the word of the week was encouragement! During the session I explained what encouragement was and had all the kids cheer for one another throughout the session. At the end of the session I also had everyone clap for this kid to show him that he did an amazing job that day at soccer.
During the following week to my surprise this kid did not cry at all!
Instead he was laughing and having a great time throughout the whole class.
I was very excited about this because I know that the other kid’s encouraging words made a difference in this child’s life. It doesn’t take much to encourage a child but it can make an enormous impact on their life in a positive manner. Each and every day, no matter how small it is, encourage a child. It may seem trivial however it can make giant impact in a child’s life.
I wanted to share this review that we received via Yelp from a parent in Echo Park. Thank you again for so beautifully putting into words your experience with our program. It truly makes me happy to know that our program has this affect on families in the community.
Review from Michelle M. in Echo Park:
My mantra as a mom is to expose my son (now 3) to everything life has to offer – from museums, a variety of music, different people and languages, etc.
It’s about encouraging a well rounded and secure relationship to the world around him, and ultimately, to empower him to chose what he enjoys in life.
So as he turned 3, I felt the next logical step was to enroll him in team sports… what better way to learn about working with others, burn off toddler energy and enjoy the outdoors? My ideal was soccer, but there were no options in my area (Echo Park). That’s when I came across Soccer Shots.
They were pretty much the only soccer group that focused specifically on the 3-5 year old set… but even they hadn’t yet spread to the East Side. I contacted them anyway and long story short – they decided to donate a community outreach grant to my son’s preschool (10 sessions for the fall season!!!). I was shocked and thrilled … what a great way to build community!!
My son and his school mates have been going to soccer weekly now for about 5 weeks. He’s more agile and is learning to direct his energies. He’s starting to grasp the idea of team (a hard one for a 3 year old) and likes to talk about his scrimmages and how he and his buddies worked together.
He looks forward to every Tuesday AM (the weekly session) and I look forward to his evening breakdown of the day as it inevitably features something new Coach David has taught them (dribbling, balancing, passing) the thrill of a goal he’s scored, or praise for a buddy who did the same.
Soccer Shots is one part of the overall balance we seek for our son. In a city with such a strong focus on the individual, Soccer Shots provides an early lesson on the importance of working together, self-discipline and the fun that comes from physical activity.
We can’t thank Soccer Shots enough for all their efforts and support – all the parents are thrilled. And while we were fortunate enough to be awarded the community grant, the overall costs are well worth it.
We’ll definitely be signing up next season. Yay for soccer shots coming to the East Side!!
(Guest post from Coach Alyssa at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
As I teach Week One curriculum to my soccer kids, I can’t help but hum “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” in my head a little bit each time. When I ask the kids to define respect, I get a myriad of answers, ranging from, “do what’s right” to “treat other people nicely”.
In the back of my head, I hear my own parents reminding me to treat other people the way I want to be treated.
This past week, I began a mini-season at a preschool in the San Fernando Valley, where other students have already been enrolled with another coach at a different time. The school and the students were warm, inviting, and welcomed me right away. As I gathered the students, and walked over to the field, a child and their parent approached me. The child was visibly upset and kept saying they didn’t want to play. Their parent explained that they had taken their iPhone from the child, as it was time to play soccer, but this had caused the young boy to get upset. I responded that it was quite alright, and we could give him some time to watch, calm down, and join in at his own pace. His parent even participated in the warm up with us, to show him that soccer would be much more fun than the iPhone. As the child watched his parent hop around, pretend to be a tree swaying in the wind, and run from sideline to sideline, the tears kept streaming down his face.
After warm up, the parent and I agreed that the child could sit by my equipment, while they went and sat somewhere else. We talked about control or stop position, and passed out soccer balls; I even made sure to give that boy his own ball to ponder joining us. As we played one of my favorite games, the “Body Part Game,” in which the kids have to stop the ball with various parts of their body, he began to smile. We stopped the ball with our noses, and our ears, and our elbows. Soon he was laughing with us as we all stopped the ball with our bottom!
Huddled together, I took this time to ask the kids if they knew anything about the word “Respect.”
Another child raised their hand, and said “treating other people nice.”
I commended this response, as oftentimes I get blank stares when I ask kids to explain the meaning of a character word. I then asked all the kids to repeat after me, “treating others the way you want to be treated” and “treating others the right way”. Next, I took
time explaining that in the next game we would all get a chance to score a goal, but we had to practice respect by watching our friends and cheering for them, so they would do the same for us.
I looked over to my equipment, where the child had been sitting, and now he was standing, almost ready to join us. I asked him if he wanted to join us, but he was still hesitant, so we started taking turns cheering and scoring goals. After every one had gone once, he spoke up, saying he’d like to go now. Of course we high fived and we all cheered for him as he dribbled down the field and scored a goal. We did this one more time each, as the group was relatively small, and this child got to and wanted to go first!
I gave each child a high five and thanked them for respecting their friend, letting him take his time to join us, and then making him feel welcome when he did join us.
It was a subtle, yet poignant reminder that we are all a little different, take our own time to warm up to things, and deserve to be respected for that! It just so happened that respect was also the character word of the day.
The kids even shared cones as they collected them at the end of practice, another great way of showing respect!
As I left that day, the boy shouted to me, “See you next week for soccer!”
We are thrilled to have Adam Marino join our team here in Los Angeles as an Area Manager & Instructor. As a native Californian, Adam brings to Soccer Shots the most important component for your children’s success…Passion.
With extensive experience in elementary schools, Adam will focus on introducing our unique “older” kid” skills program* (designed specifically for kids ages 6-8) to elementary schools throughout Los Angeles. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree in History and went on further to obtain his Masters Degree in Education from UCLA. Since 2009, Adam has worked in public schools teaching grades 6th through 12th and coaches his niece’s under 6 soccer team. He expands his passion and skills for teaching into every child he coaches.
With his diverse background, Adam looks to spread the name of Soccer Shots, and bring the program to grade school age children throughout Los Angeles.
“I feel very fortunate to be able to bring my love of soccer and teaching to the Soccer Shots team. My philosophy in life is to find your passion and give everything you have to make that passion a reality.”
From this philosophy, Adam strives to ensure that his students and players practice honesty, perseverance, teamwork, and patience. Above everything else, he aims to have kids understand and embrace these beliefs.
* Our “older kid” program is an excellent compliment to AYSO and other soccer leagues. We recommend at least one season of Soccer Shots before beginning a competitive league.
(Guest post from Coach Matthew at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
Character Word of the Day: Sharing
The class with “SHARING” as the character building word is one of my most rewarding as well as one of the most challenging. Many 3-5 year old children are at the stage where everything is “Mine”. To reinforce the concept of SHARING, I instituted two exercises back to back. I began with explaining the definitions of SHARING. In one instance, a child (who we will call “Danny”) who typically grabs for the white soccer ball and never gives it up, explains to my surprise that SHARING IS CARING. I initially wondered if this would actually translate into practice for this little boy.
That day, I started out with a Halloween game where I throw all the cones onto the field and tell them that all these colorful cones are treats and their job is to dribble to each cone, control the ball, and pick it up. The object is to pick up the most cones. When all the treats are collected we sit in a circle and count how many cones each child has. “Danny” happened to pick up the least amount of cones and was visibly upset. So I said to the group, “who wants to share”? Three children gave him cones! Then I had each child share a treat with another child. Of course after someone shared, the recipient had to say “thank you” and give a high five. We kept doing this until everyone was laughing and high fiving one another.
The next game was going to be the big test. This was the exercise called “Switch” where the children dribble, and when I whistle, everyone runs to another soccer ball because we all SHARE. “Danny” was a little hesitant in giving up his ball until we reminded him about our friends that shared their cones. After that reminder “Danny” enjoyed sharing with his friends because SHARING IS CARING! His Mom even reported that “Danny” shares better at home with his siblings.
(Guest post from Coach Paul at Soccer Shots Los Angeles)
At Creative Children Preschool, Soccer Shots had a new child this Fall whose parents (or at least one of them) thought their son to be “too fragile” for soccer, but whose other parent enrolled him anyway… Well, when the parent concerned about their son’s “fragility” was surprised to see him participating in class #1 when she arrived to check him out, that same parent’s surprise was equaled only by observing his obvious joy to be in class.
After a conversation with the parent who enrolled their son, the concerned parent admitted that they didn’t have the heart to request to have him withdrawn from Soccer Shots because, contrary to their impression of he perceived, fragile condition, he was indeed one of the most engaged children who showed himself not only to be robust and equal to the task of participating fully, but that he was actually, fully enjoying Soccer Shots!
Wow. What a way to build stronger, healthier, capable and confident children! Chalk one up for belief in potential and the efficacy of Soccer Shots!
Soccer Shots is a leader in youth soccer development for children ages 3-5 & 6-8.
Offered at preschools, daycare centers, and parks, our nationally recognized non-competitive skills program offers a high energy, fun, age-appropriate introduction to the wonderful game of soccer.
Soccer Shots is owned and directed by Rian Heim and his wife Alyssa. Their passion for soccer and working with youth was their motivation for bringing Soccer Shots to Los Angeles. 2011 marks the fourth year that Rian and Alyssa have been running Soccer Shots here in Los Angeles. Together they make every effort to deliver a solid program that children, parents, and schools will benefit from and enjoy. They currently live in Playa Del Rey with their one year old son Charlie and dog Buddy.
Soccer Shots Los Angeles Blog
