Youth Soccer and Children's Executive Function Ability

I've just read a very interesting article (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514) It discusses the fact that certain types of play can greatly benefit children in the area of "executive function". In this, or perhaps a related article, they say that "...good executive function is a better predictor of success in school than a child's IQ ."  Apparently if a child does not develop this executive function, it correlates to all sorts of bad behavior.

As I understand it, basically executive function is the ability of a person to regulate their own behavior. In other words (to have this summarized by a very non-expert), when you talk to yourself to calm yourself down or take a little extra time to consider a situation before you act, you're using your executive function abilities. Apparently imaginative, free play is an excellent chance for kids to learn this.

But this is a soccer coach's blog...how does this apply to soccer.  Well, they say in these articles that  "leagues and lessons" are not conducive to developing this executive function ability.  Under these circumstances, the children are being regulated by adults, not themselves.  Since I'm "coaching" in a soccer "league", I figure this applies to me.

How do we know this isn't just a bunch of worthless hot air?  Well assuming they're telling us the truth, there are some interesting test results.  Apparently they did some tests back in the 40s on kids 3, 5, and 7 years old.  They just asked the kids to stand still to see how long they could do it.  Well apparently our 5 year olds now are at the level of 3 year olds back then.  Our 7 year olds are barely approaching the 5 year olds of the 40s.  This seems to me to be a simple enough test that the results can be believed.  

So as a coach, how can I help make this better?  Well I've looked back at some of the things I've been doing and I'm actually fairly pleased.  From day one, I've always let the kids choose amongst themselves who would do the kick-ins, kick-offs, corner kicks, and free kicks.  They've learned not to ask me, but to talk to their teammates.  I've been moving toward trying not even assign positions.  Instead, just pick which 5 girls will go into the field and let them figure it out.  I would like to see them shifting around to the position where they're needed rather than being locked into one assigned by me.  It's a work in progress.  I figure the more decisions I let them make themselves, the better off we'll be as a team.  I guess it would also apply to this executive function as well.  

The authors emphasize imaginative play completely self regulated by children of different ages.  Soccer practice and games on a league team will never be the ideal, but we can try to move it closer.

-Bill