Things You Can’t Do When Coaching Youth Soccer
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. If you’re a youth soccer coach and your teaching young kids, it’s especially important that you don’t bore them with long speeches and lectures. 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 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. It’s really easy for the kids to lose interest and attention when a coach tries to implement and demonstrate drills with lots of diagrams and instructions.
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. In case you have some kids to help in getting the balls, make sure they do not participate in the drills. 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. 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. Parents are a powerful ally when it comes to keep your coaching activities running smoothly.
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.
