Coaching Youth Soccer: 8 Facts You Must Know

If you are Coaching Youth Soccer, there are some things every youth soccer coach needs to consider and be aware. You may say that some of these are just simple common sense, but they are not for sure common practice:

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. The age of your players is nor important. What is important is that you keep your speeches short, sweet and right to the point.

2. Don’t complicate things. Strip every drill to its basics and test it with your players making sure they are ready to move forward and perform it well. Show your players a complicated diagram with arrows and circles and a five-page instruction manual and they’ll lose interest in a blink of an eye.

3. Don’t be a ball boy- this is essential. If you want to keep your players’ respect, don’t run after balls. This can affect your authority and control over the players and severely damage the respect they have for you. They need to go get it.

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. 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. 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. 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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