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Ian McClurg established 1v1 Soccer in 2000 and it quickly established itself as one of Canada’s leading soccer development companies, providing specialist soccer coaching to boys and girls of all abilities, aged from 5-16+.
Learn more about Ian McClurg and 1v1 Soccer at http://www.1v1soccer.ca/.
In this interview, Ian and RedNation discuss his recently published book, which outlines the academy’s unique approach to developing young players.
The recently-released Play the 1 v 1 Way: Soccer Tips From an Emerging Talent Centre is aimed at parents, coaches and players, and details both McClurg’s philosophy on development, as well as practical tips for building young male and female players looking to take their game to the next level.
See also: How North American players can make it to Europe - An excerpt from Play the 1 v 1 Way: Soccer Tips From an Emerging Talent Centre
RedNation Online: Ian, an obvious place to start this interview about your new book is at the beginning. What motivated you to write your book and become a published author?
Ian McClurg: I consider our coaching to be something a bit different in that we focus a lot on technique and have a strong focus on the individual player. I thought that we do something that is a little bit unique and it would be good to get that information into the marketplace in terms of coaches and parents and also players as well. We spend a fair bit of our own time with our own parent base in terms of stressing the importance of education, long-term development and individual skills development versus team-based coaching. I spend a fair amount of time doing that in my daily job and I thought the book would be a good way to hit a wider audience and get that information out there.
RNO: Obviously, writing a full book is different than writing single articles or course materials. What, if anything, did you learn from the experience?
Ian McClurg: I was very inspired by a writer named Daniel Coyle, who has a book called The Little Book of Talent. I quite enjoyed that book and have kept in touch with Daniel over the last couple of years about his work. That kind of prompted me to use the format that I ended up using, which allows the reader to pick up the book and read about a particular subject as opposed to having to read a book from cover to cover.
It was a long endeavour but I did learn more about some things that I did naturally but had kind of lost track about why I was doing them. So it was a good opportunity for me to go back and look at what I have done over the years and what has made us successful. It kind of reinforced what does work for us at 1v1 and what works for our players. More than anything, I think it was a good learning experience for me as a coach.
RNO: That was my next question. Did going through the process of writing the book change you as a coach? It must have made you look at things differently as you had to communicate concepts via the written word versus being on the pitch.
Ian McClurg: My coaching style has definitely changed. I do have a plan in place for every session. At the same time, I like to keep it fresh, off the cuff and flexible, so the plan usually goes where it has to when I am in the moment coaching in a particular situation. I actually find myself as someone who documents after a session versus before a session. I do both, but the actual value for me comes from what I actually did in a session because I often make things up as I go. I also like to watch a game on television and notice something or see something with one of our players and kind of use those instances to develop new things and exercises.
RNO: Obviously a big part of the book is focused on the 1v1 philosophy. What makes the 1v1 philosophy different from what parents and other coaches might get from other books and instructional manuals?
Ian McClurg: It is really the heavy focus on technique, patience and development. I think that in Canada we kind of go year to year with development with players and parents and people track their progress purely based upon that timeframe.
RNO: The audience for the book is parents, coaches and players. They all have different needs and different perspectives. What do you hope those three audiences will take away from the book?
Ian McClurg: One of the big things that we preach is that it is important for the triangle to be complete. So we feel that is important that the player, parents and coach are working together and that they all understand that it is a long-term process. In the end, it is a sport and it has to be enjoyed. So we are also big believers in making sure that the kids enjoy the game. I think there is often big emphasis here in Canada on short-term focus and short-term results and instant gratification regarding development.
One question a coach recently asked me is ‘how you know if a player gets something or not’. I responded by saying that a particular player got it after committing for three years. He was a hugely talented and skillful player and all he needed was a bit of confidence and an understanding that he has to take a bit more ownership of his own development. He is finally at the point now where he is one of our better players and it ended up being a three year process. If his parents or he himself had given up on the process a few years ago, then he wouldn’t be where he is and we wouldn’t have the player that we have right now. So that triangle is a critical thing.
The players can take away insights on being patient and the parents can sort of understand that there are a lot of things involved in developing a player – a lot is psychological and a lot is technique-based obviously – and everyone has to be patient with it.
RNO: What are the most important technical aspects of the game that young players need to learn to build a strong base for themselves?
Ian McClurg: We focus a lot on the body shape in relation to the ball. How your body reacts to the ball will determine a lot of your technique. So we spend a lot of time making sure that they are in the correct position with the ball. We spend a lot of time having games with a smaller number of players and having players play 4-5 minutes with the right foot only and then switching to the left foot only. It is amazing because it teaches them a different feel for the game. It is a different game when you play only with your left foot or right foot. If I tell the players to play only with their left foot, they have to be aware of the differences inherent to passing to their teammates from the left side versus the right side. I think little things like that are important.
RNO: The book has only been out for a couple of weeks now. What has the early response been to it?
Ian McClurg: It’s been very positive. We’ve obviously been doing what we do for a bit of time. I have had a lot of calls and emails from people who have been with us and gone back as far as ten years. I’m very happy with the response and I’m looking forward to our book signing which is on April 12th.
RNO: I get the impression that as an educator you are someone who is influenced by experts both within the soccer sphere and outside of it. Who are some of the coaches and thinkers who have really influenced you as a coach and as an educator?
Ian McClurg: Dario Gradi, the Crewe Alexandra coach, is one influence. I spent some time working with that organization several years ago and I’m definitely influenced by his work and his coaches work for sure. There is also Daniel Coyle. I read a lot of his stuff and we have exchanged correspondences every once in a while. He is definitely another influence in terms of long-term development, making learning enjoyable for kids and understanding how they react to things. I have also read a lot of Malcolm Gladwell’s work as well and I try to take influences from outside the sport as well. Basketball is a big influence, with people like Phil Jackson and his approach to coaching. I think it definitely important to reach outside of your comfort zone of just football.
Ian McClurg will be holding a Book Launch and Signing Event on Saturday, April 19th. Click here for more information.
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