DM Football Academy

“My time In Futsal was incredible, decisive in my life.  All players should learn to play soccer by playing Futsal.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

The importance of futsal in youth development cannot be understated, many countries across Europe and South America have a heavy emphasis on futsal in the early stages of a footballers journey.  In futsal is constant ball contact and it requires a high degree of skill, quick decision-making and improvisation.  The ball is in play longer with more and there are more passes, interchanges, defensive and goal-scoring opportunities.  For young footballers to develop they need to play and be truly confident with the ball and the best way to develop this is by maximising their touches on the ball.  Futsal has been the training ground for some of the world’s greatest footballers.

You can start a child in futsal from early ages with most competitions starting at 5 years old.  Futsal in the off-season will ensure you maintain your fitness and you’ll head back to the football world with a much better level of skill and techniques.

 

 

Click to access DMFA-Magazine-2.pdf

DMFA Magazine Issue 1

Welcome to the first issue of DMFA magazine. With DMFA digital magazine I aim to provide a unique voice to promote, support and develop local football. In this free quarterly magazine you’ll find a mixture of football information, news, features and regular columns. I aim for DMFA magazine to be entertaining, informative, and useful.

The magazine will serve as a forum for anything football and accepts articles in the following football-related categories: player development, youth football, local football, football research, coaching, refereeing, fitness, goalkeeping, futsal, street football, freestyle football, school football, international football, match analysis, interviews, sport psychology, football tactics and techniques.

If you or your club would like to feature or have an article that you would like to share see our contact information.

– Daniel Micevski

“Children learn in play.  Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” – Fred Donaldson

I think it’s a good idea to keep in mind that we need to do a lot of physical activity.  We should always remember that active play and physical activity, especially in children, is critical for a healthy future.  Physical activity is not only important for a child’s physical development and fitness, it is important for their brain development and mental health, and helps them to develop socially and emotionally.  It is nationally-recommended that children aged 2-5 get three hours of daily activity and children age 6 and up should be active for about an hour a day (noting more is better).  A recent UWA study found that the majority of our young children are not doing enough exercise and physical activity (Carmody, 2018).

80% of parents are concerned about the amount of screen-time their children are getting.  A new Canadian study shows that using screen time to control behaviour may heighten a child’s attraction to it.  There’s footballs, playgrounds, bathers, and bats, and not just iPads and Xboxes.  Have fun, move and play every day.

– Daniel Micevski

References

Carmody, R. (2018). Majority of young children not doing enough exercise and physical activity, UWA study finds. Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-06/study-finds-most-young-children-not-getting-enough-exercise/9627006

 

 

Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life. – Billie Jean King

It’s a word that’s developed something of a bad reputation: “competition.”  I remember when everything become a competition to me.  First to score 3 goals, first to touch the tree, first to get to sleep or first to get upstairs.  It kicked in around 4 to 6 years old.  I want to be the fastest or I want to be the biggest or I want to have the most.  I think it’s around that age when children start thinking about competition the way adults do: They want to win, every time.

 

Now I know there are many popular beliefs where young children are not encouraged to compete.  One I recently read was from professional athlete and trainer Ben Askeren.  Ben encourages 5-8 year olds not to compete.  On the contrary, it is my belief that competition is not a bad thing.  I encourage a balanced competitive experience so that children will learn to lose gracefully but also occasionally have the thrill of victory.

 

Balanced competition can be motivating and bring out challenges.  Winning can give children a sense of accomplishment and self-worth.  Managing failure and learning from mistakes are vital skills in adulthood that we should to be taught as children.  Failing will motivate children to become more skilled and more resilient.  In competition children can learn to lose gracefully but also occasionally have the thrill of victory.  Now balance is the key and winning should not become everything as some may lose confidence and motivation.  Some might even have a tendency to be a sore loser so that’s why we need to model good sportsmanship.  The ultimate aim for me is to be motivated to improve and develop personally.

 

“If every single player on our team knows, when the game’s over, that they played the best ballgame they are capable of, I can’t fault them.”

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Daniel Micevski

 

“Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” – William Faulkner

It’s a statement that I’ve heard many times from my students over the years.  So I thought it would be worth a discussion on my blog.  The first thing I would say is football is the world’s biggest sport and competition to play at high levels is immense.  Now regardless of age or ability, becoming a better footballer is what all footballers want.  Even Lionel Messi seeks to improve his ridiculous standards year after year.  Here are six areas that I have made up that I think can elevate anyone into becoming a better player.

 

Control

This is the key to the game.  Whether it be bringing down 40 yard balls or dribbling with both feet through tight areas, this area can always be improved. This is the area I believe the top players excel at.  You need to master the ball and control it proficiently with all areas of the body and both feet.  I believe futsal is a great game to develop control of the ball and control in football movements.  It’s not difficult to make up your own activities to develop your control… even a carton of milk can be used!

 

Fitness

I think this is important at all levels of football nowadays, football is fast and explosive.  Having good fitness early on in your career will stand you in good stead for your future, with both aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels needing to be great if you want to climb to the top. Through experience I have seen that you really need to be specific to the game.

 

Set Goals

Whilst achieving as a team is paramount, I believe in setting individual goals.  Whether it be improving your weak foot or learning to throw the ball into the box.  Setting lots of achievable goals I feel is vital for development.

 

Keep Healthy

I see this as much more than eating healthy and getting enough rest and fluids. To keep healthy we need to have grit and the right mindset.  Grit is the drive that keeps you on a difficult task over a sustained period of time.  We all need the ability to bounce back from adversity and keep persistent when things get tough. Like most valuable skills, grit and the developing the right mindset take practice.  However, the work is well worth your effort because fostering these traits will have a positive impact on not just football but every aspect of your life.

 

Learn From The Best

Kids are great imitators and we all should have great players we can model our game off. Practice the skills of Neymar and watch the movement of Toni Kroos. Find out how much they train, how they grew up and what their advice for young players is.

 

Play, Play, Play

This is what I feel is the most important. It sounds straightforward, but the number one way to help players grow is playing.  The more minutes you spend with the ball and on the pitch the more you’ll be able to grow.

 

Be your best!

-Daniel Micevski