Many coaches are faced with the problem of selecting the players that they will use to build their team. This might be for as short a period as a week end all-star tournament up to establishing a select team with the possible life span of several years. In any case the coach must use a selection process. For the process to be effective there must be careful planning behind it.

The first step is to understand how the team should play. This goes back to the plan. The selection process should bring out the qualities that will be needed to produce the type of soccer that is hoped for. The plan, in turn, may have to be modified if the talent pool doesn't contain the player's with those qualities. Somewhere, between the ideal playing style, and the reality of the player's limitations, the coach will make his decisions as to what is of value and what isn't.

In the video " Dreaming of Ajax, " the narrator notes that Ajax has a long history of success with their youth program. After crediting the training program he goes on to say, " What precedes these (the training program) is a process of recognizing and selecting young players with potential. " The basis for their selection process can be found in the acronym TIPS. By establishing TIPS as the criteria for selection process the coach can plan activities that will allow the players to express themselves. (Further information on TIPS can be found in the The Ajax Training Method, tapes 1 & 2, and in The Coaching Philosophies of Louis van Gaal and the Ajax Coaches by Kormelink and Seeverens. These are available through Reedswain. )

TIPS stands for technique, insight, personality and speed.

Technique is more then the simple measure of passing, dribbling, heading, tackling and so on. It also involves assessing the players motor skills. How comfortable are they under pressure? How economical do they play?

Insight is measured by the ability to read the game and make the correct decisions. Are they active in and make a contribution in both of the main moments?

Personality is measured by how the player gets on with the group in a variety of situations. One area of personality that is dealt with in greater detail is mentality.

Speed is perhaps the single most important quality. It is measured in both "speed on the ground and speed of reaction." If one of the the other qualities is weak or missing it is very difficult for a player to play quickly and be effective in the plan.

Some factors that can affect the selection process.

1) Time. A selection process that must be done in two or four hours is hampered by a number of " what ifs."
2) Familiarity with the players. This works both ways. Not knowing the players leaves the coach with an unbiased view but a task of analyzing a great deal of potential. Knowing them too well can lead to presumptions and a bias.
3) The plan. The coach needs to have some idea of what he's looking for. Picking the best available talent might work but it needs to be applied to a specific program or idea.
4) The facilities and resources. One coach with a half dozen balls and no cones or vests will have a great deal of difficulty in organizing a trial for 30 players. A trial in a small gym will not show everything that a player can do on an actual field.
5) The talent pool. You can only observe and select from who shows up. A small tryout of high quality is better then a large one of low.

The selection process often means that the players are moving up to the next level of play. At this new level old problem solving solutions may not work. The elements of the candidates TIPS will be placed under new and increased resistance and stress. The biggest factor that they will face will be the speed of play. It's not just the speed on the ground that changes. The speed at which decisions have to be made, their insight, and executed, their technique, increases. This places additional stress on the players mentality as they have less time to react.

The methods used for selection should allow the coach to view the players TIPS in actual soccer situations. To measure speed by a series of sprints doesn't show anything about the players speed of reaction. Likewise, to watch players pass a ball back and forth doesn't show anything about the players passing skill, only their technique. To actually assess a players soccer skills and potential they must be playing soccer and solving real soccer problems. Since 4v4 is the smallest way to actually play soccer it can be a valuable tool in the selection process.

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