South Jersey Elite Barons Youth Academy

South Jersey Elite Barons Soccer Academy

Player Development

U12 - U18 Curriculum Guidelines
Back in 2002, US Soccer put together a list of curriculum guidelines for the U12 through U19 age groups at the club, state, and regional team levels. The primary purpose of their effort was to educate coaches as to the standard of play and expectations for each age. The idea was that, with the establishment of this standard expectation level, clubs could plan their curricula and resource allocations in a way that is suitable for their communities and player populations. The original document published by US Soccer.

At South Jersey Elite Barons, we have adopted these guidelines as the basis of our U12-U18 Player Development Curriculum. On this page, you’ll find the outline presented by US Soccer, and as we expand it, a description of how our programming marries up to its intent. Obviously our programming evolves as our community evolves, so you should refer to this page regularly to keep up with any programmatic changes we may make over time.

U11/U12 Goals	Development of Individual Skills, Individual & Small Group Tactics
Technical Objectives	Develop individual skills under the pressure of time, space, and an opponent. Increase technical speed.
Tactical Objectives	Individual: 1v1 situations in attack and defense Small Group: Play a variety of positions; Develop an awareness / Complete player. Basic principles of play. Attacking: Keep possession; Encourage risk taking; Take players on 1v1 in proper areas of the field. Support. Basic combination play (Wall pass, takeover). Promote attacking soccer. Defending: Proper pressure (in front and behind); Channel player; Immediate chase; Cover; Marking.
Team Objectives	Team tactics do not take priority at this age. Focus is placed on maintaining balance and playing skillful soccer. Players play a variety of positions and emphasis is placed on player development instead of getting results as a team.
Physical Objectives	All fitness work done with the ball, in partners, and in fun, engaging activities. Flexibility Agility - with and without the ball Speed Strength Endurance Balance
Psychological Objectives	Keep the game fun and enjoyable to foster a desire to play (intrinsic motivation). Encourage decision-making Imagination / Creativity Increase demands Discipline Encourage players/teams to watch professional and national team games on TV.

U13/U14 Goals	Further Development of Individual Skills, Individual & Small Group Tactics
Technical Objectives	Development of individual skills under the pressure of time, space, and an opponent. Increase technical speed.
Tactical Objectives	Individual: 1v1 situations in attack and defense Attacking: Keep possession; Encourage risk taking; Take players on 1v1 in proper areas of the field. Defending: Proper pressure (in front and behind); Channel player; Immediate chase; Cover; Marking. Small Group Play a variety of positions; develop a complete player. Basic principles of play. Attacking Keep possession; Support. Combination play: wall pass, take-over, overlap, double pass. Width, depth, penetration; Crossing with proper runs in the box; Simple set plays. Defending: Angle and distance of cover. Balance. Delaying and pressing as a group.
Team Objectives	Attacking: Keep possession. Play the ball away from pressure. Maintaining balance in the chosen system. Interchange of positions during the run of play. Encourage attackers to take defenders on in the final third. Keeper as an integral part of the attack (play balls back to the keeper). Players play a variety of positions. Defending: Maintain good shape. Zonal concepts. Knowing when to delay or step. Clear decision on where the line of confrontation will be. Maintaining good pressure & cover through all three thirds of the field. Recommended Systems: 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.
Physical Objectives	All fitness work with the ball. Flexibility - Static Stretching and Dynamic Flexibility Agility - Coordination with and without the ball. Speed Strength - non-weight bearing, core strength and stability Endurance Balance
Psychological Objectives	The game should remain fun and enjoyable. Players should have a passion for the game. Imagination/creativity Increase demands Establish training targets Maintain discipline Encourage players/teams to watch professional and national teams games on TV.

U15/U16 Goals	Continued Development of Individual Skills, Individual & Small Group Tactics
Technical Objectives	Skills should be mastered leading to artistry and improvisation: All under match conditions. Individual skill covered during the warm-up, and/or in competitive situations. Increase speed with emphasis on proper technique. Strike balls cleanly over distance with accuracy under pressure.
Tactical Objectives	Increase tactical speed (decision making) Individual: Decisions based on thirds of the field. Attacking: Application of varied technical abilities in order to increase tactical options. Aggressive attacking mentality in final third. Emphasis placed on predicting what the game will need next. Knowing what each player’s specific roles and responsibilities are lends to greater understanding of the big picture. Defending: Clear understanding of how the quality of pressure affects team defending success. Being able to take options away from the attacker. Small Group: Attacking Balance of needing possession and penetration. Combination play: wall pass, take over, overlap, double pass, third man running Penetration Creativity in solving problems Mobility - movement without the ball Crossing - picking out a runner rather than putting it in the box Box Organization - penetration, width and support for every ball played in the box Attacking as a group of 3 (forwards, midfielders and defenders) Set plays (80% success rate: where we get: 1)Goal 2) Shot on Goal, or 3) Corner Kick) Defending Compactness Cover, Delay, Dictate and Recover Communication (Who, what, when, where) Defending as a group of 3 (forwards, midfielders and defenders) Enjoy winning possession of the ball and dictating the play Set plays
Team Objectives	Clearly defined team tactics - how the team decides to play as a group. Attacking: Comfort with direct and indirect styles Sustained possession as a means to break down the opponent’s defense Understanding how to counterattack Decisions based on thirds of the field. Defending: Comfort with high pressure and delayed high pressure styles Understanding of zonal and man-to-man marking play Goalkeeper as the last defender Keeping good team compactness Stopping the counter attack Recommended Systems: 4-4-2, 4-3-3
Physical Objectives	Fitness work with and without the ball. Flexibility - Static stretching after training / matches. Dynamic Flexibility - partner stretching Importance of discipline for warm-up and cool-down Agility - with and without the ball Footwork - keeping the feet active when moving / playing Endurance - Aerobic and anaerobic Strength - Upper and lower body. Core strength and stability Balance Nutrition - Proper diet - pre-game, post-game, tournaments, etc.. Prevention and care of injuries. Importance of rest/recovery - schedule issues relative to the physical demands.
Psychological Objectives	Increased concentration Leadership / player responsibilities Discipline Respect for the game Goal setting Vary program- Satisfy player’s urge for competition Establish pre practice and pre game routine (as individuals and team). Encourage players/teams to watch professional and national team soccer on TV.
U17/U18 Goals	Development of Functional and Team Play
Technical Objectives	Mastered skills leading to artistry All at speed under match conditions Demanding excellence Individual skill covered during warm-up and competitive situations.
Tactical Objectives	Increase tactical speed (decision making). Increased pressure and competition. Having the ability to change and adapt to game dynamics, up or down a goal, management of the clock and flow of the game. Individual: Attacking A good deal of time spent in functional training environments Decisions based on thirds of the field Comfort in playing in the different areas of the field/team (back, middle, front, center, wide). Confidence to hold possession as an individual and solve problems at the individual level. Defending: Clear understanding of how the quality of pressure effects the ability of the team to defend Decisions based on thirds of the field. Comfort at playing two different positions Small Group: Attacking Improvisation/deception encouraged Advanced understanding of combination play and how to combine to break down a defense Balance of possession and penetration with a purpose to score goals Recognize opportunities to penetrate by a variety of means. Attacking in groups of 3 (forwards, midfielders and defenders) Defending: Pressure, cover, balance Control of the game’s speed and direction due to defending decisions Recognition of double team opportunities Defending in groups of 3 (forwards, midfielders and defenders)
Team Objectives	Understanding of lines and linkage. Positional and Team needs. Attacking Comfort with direct and indirect styles of play Combination play with tactical implications Sustained possession as a means to break down the opponent’s defense Speed of play: the game is faster and more physical Creativity, quality of final ball to beat backs Understanding how and when to counterattack Serving runners in the box Organizing the box with runners (penetration, width and support) Decisions based on thirds of the fields Set plays (80% success rate: where we get: 1)Goal 2) Shot on Goal, or 3) Corner Kick) Defending Comfort with high pressure and delayed high pressure styles Understanding of zonal and man-to-man marking play Goalkeeper as the last defender Keeping good team compactness Stopping the counter attack Decisions based on thirds of the field and different systems of play Pressing (when and where to pressure, channel and dictate defensively) Recommended Systems: All. Based on a variety of factors (individual/team abilities, opponent, field conditions, game management etc.)
Physical Objectives	Fitness work with and without the ball. Flexibility - Static stretching after training / matches. Dynamic Flexibility - partner stretching Importance of discipline for warm-up and cool-down Agility - with and without the ball Endurance - Aerobic and anaerobic Strength - Upper and lower body. Core strength and stability Balance Nutrition - Proper diet - pre-game, post-game, tournaments, etc.. Prevention and care of injuries. Importance of rest/recovery - schedule issues relative to the physical demands
Psychological Objectives	Increased concentration Leadership / increased player responsibility Discipline Accountability Goal Setting Respect for the game Self confidence, self motivation - goal setting. Vary program - satisfy player’s urge for competition. Will to win. Mental Toughness/Competitive Mentality Establish prepractice and pregame routine (as individuals and teams) Encourage players/teams to watch professional and national team games on TV.