Coaching Fundamentals of youth soccer,

building skills and techniques

Youth Soccer

Coaching youth soccer is very rewarding. If handled properly it can have a lifetime of benefits for youth and coaches alike.

Just the smiles and the laughter are worth it, not to mention that you are shaping minds and changing lives through youth soccer, hopefully for the better.

Attitudes are important

Attitude is everything, and a positive attitude produces positive results. Youth Soccer is a sport, and sports are supposed to be fun. Many youth drop out of sports because it stops being fun. Youth soccer is no exception to this "rule". Having fun is contagious. So if you are having fun as a coach, so are the players.

Understanding youth at different phases (ages and stages of development) is vitally important. Youth at certain ages can only accomplish certain tasks, so you should not implement adult practices and regimes with them and expect to get positive results. This makes youth soccer challenging yet rewarding.

Appreciating that all children also develop at different rates even within an age group, helps you design a program that will get better results.

Results

When I talk about results it is based on skill, technique and performance. I do not mean winning every game or competition. Losing is a humbling experience. It teaches youth how to cope with life's ups and downs. It also shows how to respect themselves as players and people that have tried and maybe not succeeded all the time...but are still worthwhile in their performances.

Even more importantly is the fact that players are still worthy individuals and they are loved, liked and respected, win or lose.

Players develop at different rates

The youth at age eleven (11) may be a "super" player but may not display the same outstanding performance compared to the rest of the "Team" at age fifteen (15). Again, players develop at different rates and everybody catches up eventually.

Don't give up on that "player" you don't see performing at a specific level. In fact if you spend more time on you weaker links in the beginning of their soccer careers it will pay off for many years to come.

For more information, go to these sites;
Long Term Development for Youth Soccer, and
Youth soccer and
Mental Focus.

Mental aspects of coaching youth is also understanding the "Zone".
Mental training needs to start early on in the athletes life.
Just as the body needs to be prepared, so does the mind.
This is covered in more detail at In The Zone.

Technical skills development

Less talk more action is the "motto" of the practice day.

When you have put together your practice plan, you already have a certain type of drill in mind. Get the players moving right away. The players didn't come to hear you talk. They can hear you as you are giving them pointers on the go. The pointers and coaching tips are on the skills and the techniques that they are doing ... right now... and not 2-3 minutes ago, or last practice.

Make sure your tips are topical, timely and to the point. This means stay on the topic and don't coach multiple skills and techniques.

Success to effective coaching is one step at a time. The players will fill in the rest and probably become very creative in the process.

Try and use positive phrases, in other words, catch someone doing something good, and praise them for it.

For more great information on drills and skills go to; this site.

Social skills development

Most youth start playing soccer indoors at their homes with siblings and friends. They will have gone out in the neighbourhood and played street ball and had lots of fun sweating and competing. They then join teams because their groups are getting larger and their parents want to keep them active. Very few children will just show up to the field after having never played at one time or another.

These youth will have learnt from each other and their older soccer rivals. They will also have enjoyed watching other games and would have tried out new and "cool" moves.

Learning new skills and techniques is exciting and adds to the creativity level for the player. Praise those who show initiative in trying something new, even though it might not have been perfect.

Positive talk gets positive responses and the will to do more, a better performance. Negative talk gets negative responses and the will to do less, even if it is just to avoid criticism. This therefore relates to a lack of performance. This may sound obvious, but it is amazing to hear the type of communications that could be improved, if only we took the time to listen to ourselves.

Coaches influence

The only other primary influential person in the lives of players other than their parents is "The Coach".

Coaches have enormous responsibilities with respect to development of players and athletes. Many players will emulate the coach's expectations, philosophies, habits (good and bad), mannerisms, and attitudes. Quite a responsibility isn't it?

Make sure you are listening to yourself and to others around you. Try and find as many resources available to you on the role of the coach.

Expectations

Ensure that the youth player is also fully versed with your expectations. This is specifically with respect to their nutritional habits and personal hygiene.

The youth soccer player is also very involved in their appearance. Make sure you visit the other pages that deal with soccer, cleats, jerseys and equipment.