Philosphy
Club Philosophy
At GZS our primary objective is to nurture the talent of all players. We are a development club, in which the development of people is important. Our goal within that objective is to combine soccer with education to develop the character of every player. (Focusing on education and behavior is part of our core philosophy) Ultimately we aim to build players in a healthy team environment where everyone knows their role and contribution as well as inspiring good future leaders in their communities.
We have a structured yet flexible training program that will enhance all player skill sets to maximize their individual potential. Our holistic approach to youth development, the quality of our coaches, our value system and history of success is what makes GZS special as a club .
Safe and Enjoyable / Learning Environment / Trust / Integrity and Accountability
Soccer Philosophy
Our soccer philosophy is built around the development of individual players within a team setting. We nurture and inspire our players within our GZS Development System. Our players strive to have a confident mindset, display common characteristics in their approach to the game, have an understanding on how we want to play the game, and know how to conduct themselves both on and off the field. They have an understanding of individual roles, skills and responsibilities (position specific).
Our Club prides itself on playing an energetic and attacking style of soccer. Other than exciting, GZS’s style of soccer reflects our cultural and demographic characteristics and development objectives (allows creative players to flourish). Our teams are proactive in their approach and display intelligent tactical knowledge (anticipate situations on the field and making the best decision under pressure). Our idea “in possession” is to find an optimal way for creating a goal scoring opportunity – look forward, play forward & threaten the goal, support with numbers, hard runs and quick combinations to create scoring chances (attack minded). ”Out of possession” we exhibit high energy, high intensity, organization and appropriate defensive understanding. All players are expected to defend – this is non-negotiable. In transitions we are looking for immediate, cohesive reactions.
We give our players freedom to express themselves in the final third and a concept of purpose and decision through the phases of the field within our playing system and style. Our style of play is not based on a set system, however, we have some common characteristics that are aligned with our principles of play. We expect our players to strive to become proficient technically and have a superior understanding of the game over their opponent. We always support and help each other on and off the field (teamwork).
Creative / Proficient / Disciplined / Passionate / Adaptability
Player Philosophy
Developing intelligent and creative players with a good decision making capacity is our primary goal. GZS selects players in accordance with our soccer philosophy. We believe every player has to have an aptitude for soccer and learning capacity.
Our players are self motivated and inspired to drive their own development. They have the physical capabilities to be an elite athlete. They have to be technically sound in order to meet our game demands.
Facilitating our players development in a nurturing, challenging, technically proficient environment fuels their potential to become independent decision makers. For us, being versatile and having the ability to adapt are as important as creativity.Ultimately, we want players developed to understand the game and to love the game.
Creative / Proficient / Disciplined / Passionate / Adaptability
Teaching Philosophy
In accordance with US Soccer’s curriculum we strive for our learning environment to be reality based & experiential with a holistic approach.
We strongly believe in letting the game be the teacher. Our coaches are tasked with creating sessions that follow the curriculum objectives and include lots of decision making scenarios that may occur in games. Our vision is based around individual player development that will then fit into the team dynamics ultimately optimizing player development through the team.
Coaching education is vital in supporting player learning. Through a series of coach development sessionswe support our staff in having a clear understanding of the guided discovery techniques and the timing and types of interventions they use either on the training field or on match day.
We encourage our coaches to focus on the process, to be role models, and to use the power of examples. We believe the most experienced and most effective teachers should be coaching in Zone 1. Our coaches have the freedom to structure the practices to ensure the most productive learning environment. Our coaches are required to adhere to Solar’s high standards.
The game is a sum of decision making actions. In order to develop players to make autonomous decisions, our coaches ask questions that consistently challenge the players to think. In training, we replicate game-like situations. We also train in small, tight spaces with overloads and multidirectional objectives. Coaches are expected to lead the players and not just to manage them.
Our game priorities are individual and team performance based NOT winning at any cost. Our coaches encourage players to take risks, to be brave and to try new things.
As adaptability is a key quality in our players, we expect our coaches to adapt their teaching to the meet the individual needs of the player. Coaches have to listen to & support their players. We believe our coaches need to be intelligent, exhibit stable and enthusiastic personalities, and have the ability to transfer knowledge while possessing a genuine feel for the game.
Our practices – intense, educational, complex exercises, variational, always with the ball, position specific. We give our players freedom to express themselves in the final third and a concept of purpose and decision through the phases of the field within our playing system and stylefield (teamwork).