Coaching Youth Soccer: Things Coaches Miss

Youth Soccer Coaching

When Coaching Youth Soccer and as with any profession, there is a list of things that a soccer coach should always follow. Most of these are based in common sense and as a result, are pretty easy to remember:

1. Don’t make speeches. This may not seem important but kids really get bored and distracted when coaches have the habit of making incredible long speeches and instructions. No matter how old your players are, be short and sweet in whatever you have to say to them.

2. Don’t complicate things. When teaching a drill, try to strip it down to its bare run-through and make sure that the players are fluent in it before you modify it. You can test this by showing the kids a complicated soccer diagram of a drill with fancy arrows and dozens of instructions, you’ll lose their interest.

3. Don’t be a ball boy- this is essential. If you want to keep your players’ respect, don’t run after balls. Make your players go run and get the balls that they shoot out of the field. You can even make it a rule that if they score they don’t have to catch it anymore for that day.

4. It’s important that you don’t allow the ball-kids to join practice if they are there just to get the balls. This simply signals a laxity in discipline- ball boys are just there to get the ball. Some of these kids may want to join your drills. Let them know that they can join if they want to make part of the team in the future.

5. Never, ever criticize the player. Never blame a player for missing a goal or a shot. Point out the flaws in their technique or skill and do that calmly. Screaming at a player for being ‘stupid’ is a great way to make them want to leave your team.

6. While Coaching Youth Soccer, explain it clearly and as briefly as possible. Now make a demonstration for your players so they can implement it and perform it properly. Conversely, don’t try and demonstrate something that you can’t do.

7. Health and safety should always be foremost in a coach’s mind. This means making sure that the ground and the equipment are in good shape before your soccer training session starts. Remember that if a kid sprains his ankle because the ground was slippery, then it’s technically your fault.

8. Don’t leave the parents out in the dark. Make sure you hold meetings from time to time with parents and keep them informed about future events and the team’s concerns. Always remember that your player’s parents can be your best ally.

When Coaching Youth Soccer, these are important aspects that every coach should consider. You can discover how to improve the soccer skills of your players really fast and make training more fun and exciting at SoccerDrillsTips . com.

About The Author:

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching. If you want to learn how to explode your players’ skills and make practice more fun and interesting, get your free Soccer Coaching guide at http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Coaching Youth Soccer Drills.

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Top 5 Soccer Coaching Tips

Youth Soccer Coaching Tips

Do you wish to accelerate your team’s growth using proven soccer coaching tips? The fact that the players are not taking their sessions keenly or your designs and procedures are failing is driving you crazy.

These 5 guidelines are sure to make victory a habit with your kids and also keep the momentum going.

1. Make Elaborate Preparations: It is only half battle won but is crucial to the achievement of your goals. Make your kids aware of your plans for the team, take what they have to offer in terms of advice and move on from there. Getting everyone involved is a good thing. Timing of results is a crucial factor and if your plan does not talk of achievement of goals within a specific time-frame, it is sure to have a negative impact overall. There should always be scope for improvements, big or small. Even the best plans stand the test of possible failure due to unforeseen circumstances. Flexible plans are the best plans.

2. Make Training Sessions Fun-filled: Remember that even the best designed soccer training drills fail to produce results when they are rigid, dull, and devoid of any fun and games. Use different forms to introduce the element of fun and excitement. After the training, you can take them out on an excursion, initiate a group discussion (not necessarily on soccer), and encourage them to intermingle with each other and so on. This will help them unwind and feel good about these sessions.

3. Be a friend as well as a guide: The game of soccer demands total dedication and sincerity and achieving this can be a little tricky with kids. So ensure discipline at all levels and that it is never compromised. It will do you world of good to follow these soccer coaching tips in entirety.
It is a great idea to leave a few minutes/hours out of regular sessions where the players can hang out and discover things on their own. Spending time outside of their regular sessions will make them feel relaxed and happy.

4. Be there for your kids: It is essential that the players try out new strategies to succeed and it is imperative that when they do so, there will be failures. Ensure that you are available to motivate them to try again or try something new in such situations. Keep the group under your watchful eye and lend a helping hand when things do not work out the way as expected. However, note that it may prove counter-productive to scold the players for errors. Your success as a coach is measured by how well the kids are able to execute new ideas or recover from failures. That is the yardstick of your performance.

5. Maintain Harmony and good judgment:  A soccer field is where you will appreciate true skills of the players. A winning team blends the positive points of all the players, although there are negative points as well. Make the most of your excellent players in the team to stimulate the other not so good ones. The primary objective of any coach must be to keep the flock together so that there is perfect harmony and unison between all the players irrespective of their abilities. Never make irrational judgments that seem partial and one-sided.

Coaching youngsters is not easy and demands a lot of innovation and good thinking. Nobody said that getting the kids to perform under stressful conditions was easy. However, these soccer coaching tips will help you get the best out of your players and the team. So where do you go from here? Incorporate the tips that you got here in your coaching sessions and be a part of our coaching community to keep improving on your own as well as your player’s skills.

About The Author

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He’s the creator of the “Ultimate Soccer Drills System” and influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching style. To download your free soccer coaching guide visit: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Coaching Drills.

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Coaching Youth Soccer – Top 8 Common Mistakes

Coaching Youth Soccer Drills

When Coaching Youth Soccer and as with any profession, there is a list of things that a soccer coach should always follow. Most of these are based in common sense and as a result, are pretty easy to remember:

1. Don’t make speeches. This is particulary important if you coach young players and have the habit of making long lectures during your training sessions. This as nothing to do with your players age group. When it comes to making speeches and giving instructions, make it short and sweet.

2. Don’t complicate things. When coaching a soccer exercise you should try to keep it as simple as possible. People have problems in implementing complecated things. I can bet your players will lose their interest in the practice sessions if you try to give them over complicated exercises with lots of instructions.

3. Don’t be a ball boy- during a soccer practice ball will be travelling all over the field. Leave them alone! This can affect the relationship between you and your players. Make it as a rule that every player is responsible for their shots (that includes getting the balls.)

4. If you do have special ball-boys on hand to help out, make sure they don’t join the practice. This simply signals a laxity in discipline- ball boys are just there to get the ball. Some of these kids may want to join your drills. Let them know that they can join if they want to make part of the team in the future.

5. Never, ever criticize the player. If one of the kids makes something wrong, don’t blame him. Point out the flaws in their technique or skill and do that calmly. Screaming at a player for being ‘stupid’ is a great way to make them want to leave your team.

6. While Coaching Youth Soccer, explain it clearly and as briefly as possible. After that it’s time to show the kids how it’s done. They will understand it if you do it properly. Conversely, don’t try and demonstrate something that you can’t do.

7. Health and safety should always be foremost in a coach’s mind. This means making sure that the ground and the equipment are in good shape before your soccer training session starts. Remember that if a kid sprains his ankle because the ground was slippery, then it’s technically your fault.

8. Don’t leave the parents out in the dark. Make sure you hold meetings from time to time with parents and keep them informed about future events and the team’s concerns. Remember that parents can be a powerful and useful ally for any youth soccer coach.

When Coaching Youth Soccer, these are important aspects that every coach should consider. If you want to dramatically improve the skills of the kids and keep their interest and focus during practice sessions, you can learn that and much more at SoccerDrillsTips . com.

About The Author:

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching. If you want to learn how to explode your players’ skills and make practice more fun and interesting, get your free Soccer Coaching guide at http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Coaching Youth Soccer Drills.

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