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coachv
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Posted: Wed Aug 13th, 2008 07:57 pm |
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Youth Soccer Coaching Cheat Sheet How to be a great coach following a few simple rules. Sometimes we as youth soccer coaches, both experienced and new, can get a little confused about the best way to hold a soccer practice. These simple guidelines will make it more enjoyable for all and provide a fun but challenging practice. Often we as coaches over look the little details that make a soccer practice boring, not educational and not developmentally sound. Follow these simple suggestions and thoughts and you will be amazed at the difference they make. Part of our research when creating http://www.BlastTheBall.com and http://www.SoccerU.com was to make sure that we watched 100’s of youth practices and saw what REALLY worked, not was is supposed to work. Much of the following is also endorsed by US Youth Soccer and the FA.
1) Make sure that every practice ends on a positive and fun note. It can be the worst practice in the world, but if it ended fun and positive that is all they will remember.
2) Remove the “Three L’s” from your coaching.
a) Lines: Never have players standing in lines waiting for a long time for the next turn. “BORING”.
b) Laps: Never have kids run laps. Conditioning should come from practice related games and drills.
c) Lectures: Trust me, they’re not listening and lectures get boring quickly. Make your point in one minute and move on.
3) Break your practices into thirds.
1st – Warm up drills focused on individual technique. (Dribbling, passing, receiving, moves, etc.)
2nd – New technical skills, movement related sessions, tactics etc.
3rd – Always reserve the last 3rd for small sided games. 3v3 , 4v4 style games. Encourage what they learned in the early sessions. Don’t direct them. Let them play and give them guidance.
4) Avoid full field practice sessions / scrimmages. Many coaches spend a great deal of their time playing “big field” practice games. Some kids will only touch a ball once or twice during a 30 minute “big field practice game”. Set up small cone goals, 4 feet wide, and keep the teams small. Encourage the “keep away” format during these games. Kids will get hundreds of touches in a short period of time.
5) Stick to the basics. Work on what is performed the most in a soccer match. Every practice should include time for dribbling, passing, receiving, defending, and basic movement.
6) 95% of players will not do “homework”. Asking a 10 year old to juggle for 30 minutes every day is a waste of time. Most will not do it.
7) Be a soccer guidance coach not a soccer director.
Don’t try and control every aspect of the game. Allow players to make their decisions, right or wrong, and encourage creativity. Encourage other players to help their teammates on the field. Example: Rather than telling the defense to push up, ask the keeper, “Why are your defenders sitting back so much? Talk to them and ask them to push up.”
8) Be a quite coach that that recognizes players trying new skills or that performed a skill learned in practice.
9) Never talk to the Referee. ALL referees make mistakes and miss calls. Get over it and allow the game to play on. The rules of soccer are very lengthy and often flexible depending on the game conditions. Learn what the “play on” rule is and why many fouls are never called.
10) Ask parents to only applaud and talk in a positive way. They should not coach from the sidelines, shout out directions to players, or criticize the ref. Make sure they cheer both team’s efforts. After all they’re kids.
11) Don’t let players stand in “fixed positions”. Having defenders sit in front of the goal the entire game is NOT soccer. Encourage them to always “push up” when the ball leaves their goal zone. They are now offensive players ready to help the forwards and midfielders. The same applies to forwards and midfielders. Have then recover quickly and help on defense.
12) Have your practice planned out. As soon as you hit the field, set out cones for dribbling practice, passing and receiving, etc. Get the entire team moving at the same time. Then set up your next drills and teaching sessions while they warm up. Encourage team leaders to help with set up and guidance.
13) Rotate players to different positions. Remember, it is YOUTH soccer not the BIG LEAGUES. Give them the chance to play different positions even if they are not great at them.
14) Never ask them to WIN. They all want to win and will feel as though they failed if they lose. Ask them to play hard and practice what they have learned.
GOOD COACHING STATEMENT: “I don’t care if we win or lose, I just want a strong effort and I want to see you try some of things we worked on in practice. Even if that means losing, I know you tried new things and were giving it your best.”
BAD STATEMENT: “We can win this match if everyone tries hard and gives 100%”. (Any kind of loss will mean failure.)
15) Talk to your teams parents upfront and have them realize these important points. Let them know that Rec Soccer is just that. It is recreational soccer that is designed to be fun, not competitive based.
16) Water is best for youth players.
Study after study has shown this to be true. The only time we need to replenish electrolytes and salts is when we have been extremely active for more than 60 minutes. Our bodies simply need fluid. Since most rec players play less than 50, water is just fine. However, if a child doesn’t like plain water, consider a sugar free drink mix. They will often drink 3 times more than plain water alone and run less of a chance of having an upset stomach during then game.
Soccer coaches play a HUGE role in the future of our sport.
Did you know that many professional soccer players started out by playing public recreational soccer?
Rec soccer allows many kids their first exposure to soccer. That is where they discover the love for the game. They often move to academy leagues, travel and school teams, but ask them about their fondest memories and they always refer back to their youth days.
Your time and efforts will always be remembered by the players you coach. Make sure they are positive and teach them that the game is fun. Win or lose it is about building the love and passion inside the child for a special game we call soccer.
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Deanmac
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Posted: Tue Dec 2nd, 2008 01:52 pm |
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| Thanks, some great information
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coachdave
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Posted: Thu Feb 25th, 2010 03:06 pm |
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Hi, thanks for this info. I agree with all the points you've made and wanted to add that while doing laps is very boring and this isn't a particularly effective way to build youngsters' fitness skills, you still do need to work on fitness and stamina.
Any coach who has tried to keep up with the kids running around a pitch for five minutes knows how fitness and stamina are crucial to playing the game.
It is hard to get kids to do the getting fit bit - that worry only seems to come once you get closer to your 30s and 40s! I'd be interested to hear if anyone has a set of drills to make fitness, speed, stamina etc appealing to youngsters.
In the meantime, this is an article which I think adds more to the youth soccer coaching essentials debate:
Skills and tips for better youth soccer coaching
The art of coaching youth soccer requires one thing in abundance... enthusiasm. It's your most important quality. Kids will respond to you if you're an eager, hard working leader. Some kids find learning boring, some don't care about winning, and some can't remember which goal they're kicking towards. But what unites them is the desire to have fun and play a game. This is our blueprint for successful soccer coaching.
Think first
Think about why you want to be a soccer coach and what you want to achieve from your soccer coaching drills and training sessions. Gain trust and respect. You are a role model with responsibility to your team. If you set high standards for the drills, the children will follow. Be enthusiastic and make your soccer drills fun.
Praise not criticism
Be patient with your kids, you get more out of them if you praise their efforts and hard work rather than criticise. Body language is important. Smiles and positive gestures will reap rewards. Shouting will not help you keep control and many parents watching may not like it. Be consistent, set achievable goals and give lots of feedback.
Get the knowledge
If you understand the skills and techniques involved in what you are trying to teach, you will be better equipped to pass this on. Try out the soccer drills yourself, are they too hard, too easy? Demonstrating how skills and drills work is better than using words. If you can’t do a particular skill, use one of your helpers who can.
Warm-up drills and warm-down drills are essential!
You must make sure the kids stretch their muscles before and after a soccer (football) training session. Growing bodies need to be looked after. Some knowledge of how the body responds to training and how to prevent injuries is important.
Remember, you’re training individuals
Some kids take longer than others but it doesn’t mean they are not as good, you have to adapt to their speed rather than the other way around. Make sure you have equipment and kit for the whole group. Children react badly to being left out. Avoid soccer drills where some kids have to sit out. Don’t make all the games competitive.
Mind games
You are the confidence-builder for individuals and the team, set goals, control emotions, help your kids concentrate. As a soccer coach you are in charge of minds as well as your players' physical skills.
This is taken from a website with free to download soccer drills, games, coaching tips, etc. You just have to click the 'no thanks' pop up when it appears on your screen. http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com
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