Make pitches smaller and simplify the rules, says Olympic-winning coach

PRIMARY school students should not be playing the 'adult' version of hockey and soccer.

They are simply not ready, physically and mentally, for the full-sized 11-a-side competition, says former Olympic-winning hockey coach Horst Wein.

Instead, they should be playing the 'simplified small-sided' games.


But the Ministry of Education begs to differ.

While it has made some modifications to some of its primary school sports formats, it feels that kids are ready to play the adults' game (See report, right).

Mr Wein, a renowned German-born youth coaching expert, led Spain to one Olympic hockey gold medal and two silver medals between 1980 and 1996.

He was in Singapore recently to conduct hockey workshops for our primary school coaches and teachers, Invited by the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF).

This is his third visit to Singapore in two years to promote Funkey Hockey or the kids' version of hockey.

DISAPPOINTED

Mr Wein is a strong proponent of small-sided (three-a-side) games for kids in lower primary (juniors), with the maximum of a six-a-side tournament for those in upper primary levels (seniors).

He has been making the same call every time he's been in town.

But it seems to have fallen on deaf ears and this time he left a rather disappointed man.

In an exclusive interview with The New Paper, he said: 'I just do not understand your school authorities. If it was costing them millions of dollars to make the change, then I can understand their hesitance.

'But this is for free.

'All it requires are some minor changes to the rules and the tournament fixtures, but the results are worth millions.

'You will have maximum involvement from the kids, tremendous learning opportunties. and much better players in the long run.

'We should not lose yet another generation.'

The reasons for his strong views:

* Primary school students are not ready, both physically and mentally, to play the adult game. They do not enjoy the adult version of the game.

* There is a greater chance of success when kids use simplified rules in the smaller games. There are more touches of the ball by the players, with greater involvement all-round as compared with the full 11-a-side match.

* More students get a chance to play. His suggested format is for four teams of three players with a substitute in each team. The substitute has to go on everytime a goal is scored, with the goal scorer forced to rest.

* Games will be less demanding on the young players if playing time is shortened, but the kids will be more actively involved.

Mr Wein said that the introduction of these small-sided competitions to Spanish juniors in 1981 saw 10,000 players help Spain to be one of the top four hockey-playing nations in the world.

He added: 'So far, nobody has shown me any disadvantage to the players if we adopt this small-sided games format.'

Mr Wein also visited New Zealand and Australia, where young players are being gradually introduced to sports. 'They know what is good and right for their kids,' he said.

Primary school teachers and coaches who spoke to The New Paper agreed with him. One coach said: 'It is sad that we have not started on this earlier and it is sadder that we are still not listening to a world-renowned coach.

'The 11-a-side format does not benefit our younger players. There is also the risk of them getting injured playing the adult version of the game.'

PICK UP SKILLS

Another teacher-coach said: 'I am all for the change. The smaller games allow for more players to be involved, they pick up the skills faster, and these skills stay with them for life.'

The SHF has already taken up his ideas. President Annabel Pennefather said: 'Since he started coming to Singapore to conduct the first of his clinics, more than 800 primary school children have been introduced to his development model under SHF's Youth Development programme called Funkey (coined from the words 'fun' and 'hockey').

'Today, whenever we see a 12-year-old standing out in a hockey match with good skills and game intelligence, it is more than likely that he or she comes from a school which is participating in Funkey or is trained by a coach who has attended the Funkey courses.'