Data-driven approach to soccer coaching for little goalkeeper

For your next computational exercise, soccer coaching.

Before playing soccer as a goalkeeper, this activity for you and your child to practice.This is called, "Data-driven approach to soccer coaching for little goalkeeper"

How to Play

You and your child have a great day for soccer drill before the big soccer game! In this activity, your child will be able to explore data-driven approach. He/she will start creating personas of strikers, brainstorming with you to tackle possible problems, and creating an algorithm to follow.

Step 1: Begin knowing about other team's striker(s)

It is important for the goalkeeper to know how to prevent the scoring of a goal from other team’s striker(s). Allow your goalkeeper child to demonstrate the problems faced by the soccer team during the game.

Back and forth conversations about how your child’s thinking process help him/her learn to think logically —all important in the development of computational thinking and design thinking skills.

It is easy to create a persona for your child as a goalkeeper, however, it is challenging to create a persona for other teams’ striker(s).

Let’s assume there are two strikers in the other team. There are two ways to know how to create a persona for him/her.

First option, you and your child already know the kicker since previous soccer games. If not, the second option is to know about him/her during the next game.

Step 2: Creating personas

What is the best way to predict strikers dribble and shooting the ball? It is based on his/her previous games data, right? Exactly! Therefore, it is the right time to create a persona for your other team's striker and your child as a goalkeeper as well.

Ask your child to know how he/she decides preventing the score while strikers’ shooting the ball. Is his/her approach the most effective, efficient, and healthiest way to solve?

Start asking him/her about strikers' persona. You are welcome to create a persona similar below for your child and striker.

Persona 1

Name:

Jersey number: 14

Position: Striker

Strength or weakness: Use right foot, however, not left foot.

Skills: Run fast

Needs: Run quick long-distance.

Step 3: Brainstorming with your child

When personas completed, you and your goalkeeper child should define the best strategies to follow.

Together, you would analyze the strikers’ strengths and weaknesses. What foot the strikers usually use or what is the strongest foot of strikers.

Strikers usually presses or counterattack during the game or he/she shots often to score. When the other team uses the corner, players are using a short pass or long pass the strikers or do players use head or feet to score by the strikers.

It all depends on personas and brainstorming to tackle problems. Therefore, you and your child start brainstorming based on personas.

Encourage your child to find a solution. Should he/she jump right, left, or stand in the middle when strikers' shooting the ball? What are the strikers good at it? Based on the conversation, let your child come up with the ideal solutions to prevent from the scoring.

Step 4: Testing soccer game day!

You prototyped your strategies. Today is the game day. It is so valuable for your child to apply the algorithm to get the most out of the game.

Your child will play, enjoy, and utilize algorithmic design. It is so exciting for him to learn new things to apply and get feedback.

When the game is over, time to debrief! Let your child talk about the game and what he/she needs to work on and he/she is good at it.