If you are Coaching Youth Soccer, there are some things every youth soccer coach needs to consider and be aware. You’re probably thinking to yourself that some of these may be common sense, but are you following it?
1. Don’t make speeches. Especially if you’re coaching young kids, making them sit through long lectures is a great way to bore them out of their minds and disinterested in soccer really fast. No matter how old your players are, be short and sweet in whatever you have to say to them.
2. Don’t complicate things. If you’re demonstrating an exercise, try to break it down to its basics. Complicated things never work and this is not different. 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. You can also make some of these kids join your team, but that same day they will not get balls anymore.
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. Meet with parents regularly and always keep them up-to-date when it comes to the team’s problems and challenges. 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. If you’re a youth soccer coach and you’d like to learn how to dramatically improve your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time visit us right now 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.
