Allow me to put a simple question to you. In order to coach youth soccer, what 3 things should a coach do? Before you jump into answering this question, realize that youth soccer means that kids should enjoy the game. The focus should be on making drills and sessions so exciting that they are always full of enthusiasm.
So, to teach youth soccer, remember the following rules. These will give you the leverage to turn the young kids into expert players.
Let the kids have fun: As I said, youth soccer is all about having fun with the game. As a coach, prepare each of the sessions beforehand. For example, make them start with warm-up drills that prepare them for the sessions. Once done, instruct them to go ahead with the advanced drills such as passing the ball, dribbling with it and trapping etc.
In addition, help the kids do some creative thinking on their own. Motivate the kids to attempt new things and when they make mistakes, which is natural, do not disrupt them. Discuss with them after the practice session is over. The support of the parents is also extremely crucial in achieving the fun objective.
To coach youth soccer, it is vital because the players are more at home than on the field. Request the parents to help you in monitoring their diet, motivate the kids, and maintain regularity in trainings.
Adapt to the age level: Teaching soccer to the youth is generally for kids between 7-14 years of age. At this level, it is very painstaking to find drills that actually make the kids happy. So, research a lot over what games you would like them to play. Also, communicate carefully with them as they may not understand your intent behind the exercises if you are too formal in your approach.
It is always a great trick to divide them into teams and also give them individual names. This inculcates a sense of team spirit. Also, do not experiment a lot. The sign of a productive session is that there are both new and old drills.
Write down the drills: It is a good idea to write the exercises and the results that you are expecting from them. It achieves a road-map for the efforts of the team. Recorded data is highly beneficial in depicting the performance of the players. If something needs a change, written plan will assist you in assessing it.
Also, with everything documented, it is easy to track your goals. It is quite normal for some things to go awry and then, you can always check them.
It can be assumed that youth soccer coaching is a fun filled and challenging job. With this information at your disposal, you will without doubt be able to do full justice to your job.
Analyze these tips straight away. These tricks on coach youth soccer will bring you immense results. For a treasure of resources, tips, and techniques on soccer, enroll for our youth soccer coaching community.
Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Coaching Drills.