Review: Dutch ‘Total Football:’ How the Dutch Created ‘Total Football’ Their tactics, Drills, and Coaching Methods

Dutch 'Total Football:' How the Dutch Created 'Total Football' Their tactics, Drills, and Coaching Methods
Dutch ‘Total Football:’ How the Dutch Created ‘Total Football’ Their tactics, Drills, and Coaching Methods by Terry Michler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

While two thirds of Dutch ‘Total Football’ are filled with valuable Drills and Exercises for anyone interested in coaching with a Dutch sensibility, most of this book is comprised of recycled material reassembled from a handful of sources into an edited introduction to the subject from a coaching perspective. That is not all bad for anyone unfamiliar with the Dutch national team, Ajax, or some of the most famous coaching exports.

However, for anyone who has read Coaching Soccer, the official coaching book of Dutch Soccer Association, by Bert van Lingen There simply is not a lot new here. For anyone deeply interested in the topic or who has read Brilliant Orange or Ajax, Barcelona, Cruyff there is even less new in this slim title.

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Another Summer Ends, Another Autumn Begins

As if the last day of summer rang a bell for the seasons, New England is already beginning to show its fall colors. The leaves are just now visibly changing, speckling the green with red, yellow, and orange. We have had a couple of sharp, biting cool nights which usually helps make for a beautiful autumn.

Of course autumn signals the start of football season, and the indoctrination process has long since begun. Of course soccer has started across Europe too. Plus, more games than ever are now on ESPN. I am loving it.

Go Pats! Cutest Pats Fans

School has gotten off to a good start this year, at least more noticeably than the typical first month. The only real trouble is that our computer network has rendered the internet almost unusable, which significantly impacts the day. Yet, I have been able to work round this for the most part. It is just mighty inconvenient, especially now that three out of the five classes I am teaching rely heavily on regular internet components, one is exclusively online, one is half online, and the other will spend half this term involved in a project that is almost exclusively online. Despite all of this, I am very much enjoying the classes and it looks to be a good year.

In His Grill

On the soccer front, my team of freshmen girls look like they are about to start really making progress and getting results. It is still a bit early to tell for sure, but the early indications are good. Their last game was the best they’ve played yet.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

Ali continues to be a remarkable mother of our beautiful children. Fritz is really starting to reveal his personality now that he is smiling and cooing. He definitely has quite the expressive little face, in spite of his Chuchillesque cheeks. His expressiveness seems to be focused in the brow and mouth, as opposed to the eyes like his sister. Sadly, the photographs don’t quite capture this as well as video. As for Hadley, she continues to talk away with enthusiasm. If only she would do more of it when prompted by the phone. Then everyone could hear her little chipmunk voice cuteness.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

Hopefully, the videos reveal a bit more about each of them that a simple photograph can’t quite capture.

A Long Awaited Fall Update

It seems as though ages since the last update. So much has happened. Of course our baby daughter has turned one and is far too quickly becoming a baby no longer but a little girl. In fact, in the last six weeks or so she has begun walking and gotten so good that she is on the verge of running. It certainly gets trickier to keep up with her and she is into more now than ever before. Yet, it really is fascinating to see her relish her newfound freedom and curiosity growing. Plus, her personality just keeps evolving more and more, and out kid is definitely a character. Also, she just keeps getting more teeth, as you can see here.

Six Teeth!   Check Out These Bracelets

Look How Well I Stand

Pumpkin   Hadley and Puppy

In other news, right after the school year started I hurt my back pretty severely, which laid me up for about six weeks. It was everything I could do just to get to work everyday. It really cramped my soccer coaching this year. Fortunately, I am definitively on the mend, and while not completely healed I am getting close. Unfortunately, I inherited more than my winning looks and personality from my father. I got his back too. So either of us can have a bad spell any time. Yet, we can stave of too many disasters with some good old-fashioned exercise.

Family at Chowderfest

Walking Out Front   Look at My Leaves

Pumpkin Patch Sign

On the soccer season, my girls will finish this campaign already guaranteed with a winning season, which is always a goal. I am endlessly interested in just how different the character of each team is from year to year. It is one of those bonuses of coaching or teaching anything. This group has probably the widest disparity in talent and skill of any team I have had recently. Mixing them together provided some interesting play and required more tinkering than usual to ensure strong results. In fact, I would blame most of the non-victories on me, as I tried to find the best way to work everyone into the game while maintaining a certain level of play. This season was more challenging, in that respect, than any other I can remember.

Ali and Hadley in the Corn Maze   Mom and Daughter at Cranberry Fest

Sox Playoff Day

Walking with Daddy   Hadley and Pumpkins

Last month, Keri and Ali took a mini vacation and headed north to Toronto. They took in the sites and the Red Sox over a weekend. That left me and Hadley on our own as Ail got a little r-and-r from mommydom.Their consensus was that Niagra Falls was cooler than the city. Still, I have to say I want to take a trip to Toronto at some point and have a look around for myself. Tragically, they were having some camera issues. So the shots from the trip are limited.

Keri's New Boyfriend   Ali's Sweet FriendLunch at the Ball Park   In front of Bridal Falls

So fall is in full swing and the New England leaf peepers and Red Sox Nation are at the end of their glory. Winter’s chill is already starting to nip the air a bit. Sadly, the Sox did not make a repeat trip to the Fall Classic. Still, autumn is the best part of the year, if you ask me. Fall is festival season, and we have been making the most of it. I imagine it won’t be long before we see some snow here.

Aunt Keri and Hadley at the Pumpkin Patch

Hadley, Pumpkins and Rocks

That’s all for now. Hopefully you enjoy the pictures from the last month and half.