After watching my video clip of teaching soccer passing and trapping, I noticed that there were some positives and a number of ways to improve. To be honest, I was not expecting to jump right into teaching on the first day and wish I was more prepared. After my second class, I am quickly learning to expect the unexpected! And I see that as a good thing.
Probably the best aspect about my session was my voice level. I was loud enough for the students to hear me. However, I did stumble on a word or two so I can focus on my clarity. I think I had an "ok" description of the skill and cues. When passing, I mentioned stepping and planting with the non-dominant foot, then striking the ball with the inside of the dominant foot and following through. I wish I had a better demonstration. I was demonstrating with a student and then some students started to pass before I was done demonstrating. This is a result of poor communication. I should have made it clear to watch the full demo and start when I said start. If I was going to do it all over I would have had the students sitting and watching without a ball for a few seconds then let them try the skill.
When I switched over to trapping, I liked my analogy of trapping the ball with your foot like you would catch and egg with your hands. I said they should cushion the ball with the inside of their foot. I would have also liked to have done a better demonstration with this skill so I could make sure I had the classes full attention.
At first I thought it was a good idea to participate with a student because there was an odd number, however, now I realize I should have had the extra student work in a group of 3 because I was not able to evaluate the students. I was not able to give my full attention to all the students and make sure they were doing the skills correctly.
Lastly, I'm kicking myself because I forgot to ask the students if they had any questions or concerns about the skills. I also think I could have picked up my energy level so the students would have been more excited and enjoyed the skill even more.
This is the first time watching myself teach and I think it's awesome. It is giving me an opportunity to see my mistakes and learn how to correct them. I'm looking forward to learning the skills I need to be a better teacher and I'm constantly looking for ways to improve. The better teacher I am, the more my students will learn!
