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Balls, cones and kids
Over the years I've found this list of key messages to be very useful, both at training and at matches.
You could pick one of the messages as a focus for your next training session, add one to the next newsletter, email or text message to your players or (like me!) keep one in your 'back pocket' for use in pre-match or half time team talks.
25 key messages for young soccer players
1. Always play fairly, according to the spirit and letter of the rules.
2. Stay calm under difficult conditions. It's easy to maintain composure when things go right; when they don't real athletes step forward and stand up to the test.
3. Support and encourage your teammates at all times. All of us make mistakes at times and they are not done on purpose. Encourage your teammates to be the best they can be.
4. Play as hard as you can in practice and in games. Never be beaten because of lack of effort. Even opponents who are bigger or more skilled than you can be beaten if you out-hustle them.
5. Show respect to your coaches, referees, and your opponents; win or lose.
6. A good soccer player must have conditioning, skills and tactical knowledge. A player must work on all three to be the best they can be.
7.When your team has the football, everyone is an attacker; when your opponent has the ball everyone is a defender.
8. No matter what position you are in, you are first a soccer player and you will have to be able to receive, shoot, pass, dribble, head, make space, etc., regardless of your position.
9. Do not just "kick" the ball unless it is in a dangerous position in front of your goal. Instead take a " picture " of the situation before you get the ball. In this way you can perceive the situation, determine the best solution, and act accordingly when the ball arrives. Develop Field Vision. Always send the ball to someplace or someone.
10. Always maintain your position. Don't run following the movement of the ball. Know where you are on the field in relation to where the other players and positions are on the field.
11. Don't run forward when your team has the ball unless you are willing to run back when the other team has the ball.
12. If you lose the ball, you should be the first person to defend. Giving immediate chase is the first rule of defence.
13. When changing from attack to defence, sprint to get between your opponent and the goal you are defending.
14. When defending close to your goal, the player closest to the ball should attack the ball. The other defenders should "mark" other opponents who could receive and shoot the ball. In "marking up" your opponent, you should position yourself between the ball and your opponent and prevent them from receiving the ball. A common error on defence is to have too many defenders move to the ball leaving opponents open to receive a pass and score an unopposed goal.
15. On the defensive side of the field, always move the ball toward the touchlines and away from the middle of the field. On the offensive side of the field move the ball toward the centre, where your teammates can take a good shot on goal. This is "centering" the ball.
16. Good ball handlers pass the ball before they get into trouble not after they are in trouble.
17. Make no small strikes on the ball. Whether clearing, passing or shooting MOVE the ball. Proper technique on striking the ball will enable even small players to effectively move the ball a good distance.
18. Take your shot! Don't hesitate to fire a shot if you feel an opportunity. Shoot into the back of the net. Shoot where the keeper isn't.
19. Don't limit yourself to shots taken only near the goal line. Good opportunities for goals are hard shots taken further out from the goal. Keep your head down, strike and follow through the ball for the goal.
20. Most players are right-footed. At this level, when playing defence against an opponent with the ball especially watch and attack against the right foot.
21. When playing offence with possession of the ball, anticipate your defender attacking your right foot. Use your left foot. It is imperative that you develop your passing, dribbling, and shooting skills with both your left and right foot.
22. Always be aware of protecting possession of the ball. Resist "kicking" the ball directly into the shin guards of the defender in front of you. Passing or dribbling the ball laterally or even backwards can be a better choice if it maintains possession of the ball.
23. When on offence always "support" your teammate with the ball. Supporting your teammate means being in a position where they can pass the ball to you. Stay far enough away so the pass effectively neutralizes the defender. Stay close enough so they can make a good pass. If you are too far to make a good pass to your teammate, then you are too far for your teammate to make a good pass to you, and you are not supporting.
24.Win, lose or tie; if you have given 100%, when you walk off the field you have nothing to regret and no reason to be ashamed.
25. Don't be afraid to be a hero. YOU CAN DO IT!
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youth soccer coaching - a one page guide
What are you trying to do?
It is comparatively easy to construct a team of young soccer players who can win matches. All you have to do is teach them the basics, ensure they obey your instructions to the letter and (most importantly) don't let them think for themselves.
However, it is better to:
a) encourage your players to recognize and solve the challenges of the game on their own and
b) be as concerned with developing their life skills as their footballing ability.
Following such a policy will, in the short term, mean that you will lose matches that you could have won. However, in the long term you will produce a set of clever, confident players who can go out and win a game without being told what to do.
And more importantly, they will enjoy their soccer regardless of the match result.
Do I need any special attributes to be a good youth soccer coach?
Of vital importance is the coaches personality and character. Working with children requires patience, kindness and respect.
How should I go about it?
The most fundamental skill in soccer is individual mastery of the football and the creativity that comes with it. This should be a priority in training and games, especially in the early years. As this skill is mastered, the rest of the game becomes easy - both to teach and to learn.
Practices should be built around facilitating the development of the skills necessary to move and control the ball well. As these individual skills and the creativity to make them come alive in the game are developed to a level of competence, the finer points, first of passing skill and later of team organisation can be taught. You need a plan.
Some tips:
1) Set up situations where the players can learn by playing the game. Avoid the three Ls - lines, laps and lectures - and remember that the game is the best teacher for young players.
2) Communication is key. Coaches can often be more helpful to a young player's development by organizing less, saying less and allowing the players to do more. Set up a game and let the kids play. Keep most of your comments for before and after practice and during breaks. Comments should be kept short and simple. Be comfortable organizing a session that looks like street soccer. Communicate your coaching philosophy and expectations to parents and players at an early stage.
3) Teaching and learning the game of soccer is a process: make your goals seasonal, as well as daily and weekly. Often, at the younger ages, the developmental efforts of one season are not noticeable in children until sometime in the next season.
4) Set age-appropriate goals i.e., know what the child is able to do at that age.
5) From a developmental standpoint, the young ages are the best ones for learning skills. Spend the time now encouraging this growth. By the age of 17 the capacity to pick up new motor skills begins to wane, while the ability to conceptualize team organization, tactics and strategy increases. As a coach, work with these strengths, not against them.
6) Do not expect games and practices to look like professional soccer. If you want to use high level soccer as a teaching tool, focus on the individual skill level of professional players, not their organization. Give your players opportunities to see what older, more skilled players, i.e. a high school, college player or an older brother or sister, can do with the ball. On occasion, invite some of these players to participate in your practice. Use them to model good soccer qualities. Let your players learn by experiencing the game alongside or against these better players. Older players can also be used as "neutral players." In this case, the neutral player helps whichever team has the ball i.e. he or she never defends. Maybe the neutral player has limited touches and/or can't score, but he or she gives the team with the ball a better chance of keeping the ball. By helping to maintain possession, the neutral player(s) helps the game maintain some rhythm, and gives the kids a clearer picture of the game's possibilities.
7) Recognize and understand how the skills learned at each age are connected to preparing the player to move into the next phase of his or her development. Know what the next level of play is, and the general tools that your players should carry with them as they move on. Help them to be prepared.
8) Allow your players to develop these requisite skills in an environment where the main goal is to have fun with the ball.
9) The value of matches is that they provide youngsters with an opportunity to showcase their newly acquired skill and creativity. It is always nice to win, however that should not be your focus at the younger age groups.
10) Have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish at practice. Create exercises/games that replicate and repeat the movements and situations that are found in soccer and that allow the player to grow comfortable and confident with the ball at his or her feet. Encourage players to move with the ball at his his or her feet and deal with boundaries, opponents, teammates and goals. Keep in mind that soccer is a pretty simple game. If you're involved in soccer long enough, you begin to realize that all the many little that work are really just variations on the same basic concepts. As long as the parameters that you have established in your exercises/small-sided games are true to soccer (goals for scoring and defending), creates the problems that you want the kids to solve (protecting the ball while dribbling, etc.), and allows your players to be challenged and find some success, you're on the right track.
11) Don't be afraid to experiment to find what works best.
12) Remember that the game is the best teacher for the players. Coaches and parents should think of themselves more as facilitators, monitors, guides or even participants, to provide a rich environment for the kids to learn from and enjoy. Your coaching style is important.
What children want from their soccer coach
Everyone involved in soccer coaching needs to understand what children want from their 'ideal' soccer coach.
Most importantly, it is important to treat children with respect and not as if they were objects. They like you to listen and take notice of their feelings and opinions.
A recent series of interviews with 140 young athletes in different sports gives an idea of those aspects of coaching which young athletes think are important. The opinions, which were given, may change according to sex, age, and sport; these are just the general comments.
Knowledge. Coaches should know their sport well and most children prefer coaches who have participated in the sport. It provides them with credibility.
Personality. Children like coaches who are friendly, happy, patient, understanding and have a sense of humour.
Authority. Children like coaches to be firm but fair, and while boys, particularly, like to be worked hard they don't like to be shouted at.
Taking personal interest. As they get older and more able, many young athletes like coaches to take an interest in the things they do besides sport.
Reaction to performance. When they do well, children like the coach to say "Well done" but they don't like them to "go over the top." (OTT) When they do poorly, they like to be given some encouragement and told what went wrong. They want to be told how to correct mistakes and not to be shouted at or ignored.
Encouragement. Most children, particularly in team sports, like to have the coach shout encouragement to them when they are competing.
Decision making. Few young children express a wish to have a say in the decisions which affect them; they expect coaches to coach and trust them to make the right decisions. As they get older and more experienced, they are more likely to want to be consulted. This may be the case with13+ children
Organisation. Children like coaches to be organised and present structured coaching sessions. They also like them to take responsibility for seeing that they are in the right place at the right time
Instruction and feedback. Children do like to be shown what to do, how to do it and to have mistakes corrected. In short: teach them!
DO:
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Be aware of the effect you have upon growing children.
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Find out what the kids expect to get out of sport with you.
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Be firm, fair and organised.
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Give credit where it is due and give help where it is needed.
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Be consistent.
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Provide learning experiences: teach.
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Make practice and competition fun; it needn't be silly.
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Set challenging goals tailored to the individual.
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Recognise the value of friendships between children.
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Show your approval whenever you can.
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Listen to the children
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Relax and enjoy yourself with the kids.
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Emphasise learning skill, not competing.
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Reward children for effort.
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Help children over the realisation that they might not have the ability of others.
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Build confidence by being positive.
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Reduce competitive expectations.
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Help those who do not want to compete.
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Tell children about how outcomes are affected by things other than their own ability.
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Remember that mistakes are part of learning.
DON'T:
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Put kids down for not doing as well as you wanted.
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Shout and humiliate them.
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Ignore them when they need some support.
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Blind them with science they don't need.
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Overdo the praise; they won't believe you.
The plan
Every youth soccer coach needs a plan, a vision of how he wants his team to play.
But what does a plan look like? Is 4-4-2 a plan?
In this article, the key elements of a soccer coaching plan are identified and discussed.
"When Johan started as Ajax coach he had a vision in which he continued to believe, even when things didn't go so well."
Frank Rijkaard
In order for a coach to coach he needs to recognize when things are going wrong. To do that he needs some idea of when things are going right. He needs to have in mind a picture, a plan of the team playing well. Any deviation from the plan is what will concern him.
The plan is the collective understanding and agreement as to how the team will approach the game. It involves the distribution of tasks and responsibilities so that the team stands the best chance of winning. It involves key moments when certain players will have to work together to achieve their tasks. This, in turn, involves the analysis of the expected demands and resources available to meet them. It is what we must do, how we will do it, who is responsible, and when it will be done. The why is to provide a degree of predictability, a standard, to the game. It is the image of the team playing well in the two main moments. Without this the players and coach can have no clear idea by which to evaluate their efforts.
The plan has limits and is affected by a number of factors. The abilities and limitations of the players and the opponents. The meaning of the game, is it a cup final or a casual kick around with a football. The score and time remaining. Being 1-0 up at the start is different then being 1-0 up with two minutes left. Substitutions can wreck a plan; the new player may not be able to fill the task as well as the one he replaced. Weather and field conditions can play a part in making a plan. Parents, spectators and the referee can have an influence on the match. The coach and players must keep in mind which of these factors they can influence, and which ones they can't. Control the controllable.
While there are a number of factors that both soccer coaches and soccer players must consider, the steps in how they do it are the same.
1) They make assumptions. Everyone does it, it's what you start from. Coaches guess which opponent will be dangerous. Player's size up their immediate opponent and build expectations. If the assumptions are accurate, good, if not they need to be changed quickly.
2) The predictions. Assumptions just sit there. They need to be analyzed as to what they mean. Simply assuming that your immediate opponent is faster then you, what does that mean about the game? This step involves taking the assumptions and calculating the probabilities. What is likely to happen?
3) The decisions. When the coach and players have arrived at their predictions about the game they can decide what they want to do about it. Which ones deserve consideration and which don't? The decisions will be coloured by the coaches soccer experience and insight.
Plans precede the game. Some coaches mistake a line up, a system of play as a plan. It is not. Nor is the plan something like "a flat back four." This deals with one line in one moment. It is not general comments like "pass the ball wide" or "apply pressure in their half." These are elements of the plan, they are contained within it but fall short of being it.
Plans primarily go wrong when any one or more of the above factors are incorrect. When the assumptions are wrong a correct prediction won't follow. If the assumptions are correct but the predictions are wrong then the decisions will have to be changed. If both the assumptions and predictions are correct a coach can still make a poor selection for solving the problem. When a coach is correct in what he assumes about the game, and he correctly predicts events, and has enough insight and understanding about the game, it's problems and solutions he is in the best position to make a good plan. Things may still go wrong, but it will be something either unforeseen or uncontrollable.
Soccer coaching's cardinal sins
1.
The coach boring the group with long-winded speeches.
2.
The coach complicating the exercise by offering too much information and by elaborating on the chosen theme by involving too many phases of play.
3.
Skills practices becoming endurance work.
4.
Forgetting to agree ground rules with the players.
5.
Not planning a coaching session in advance.
6.
Sticking too rigidly to a session plan!
7.
The coach following the ball around instead of observing from a detached position.
8.
The coach acting as ball-boy.
9.
The coach failing to demonstrate.
10.
Ball-boys taking part in the exercise.
11.
Poor organization of the footballs.
12.
Not having a football per player at training sessions.
13.
The coach offering instructions while running.
14.
Criticizing a child (rather than the behaviour).
15.
Not discussing or involving parents/carers.
16.
Lack of awareness of space required for a particular exercise - forgetting that lines and bodies limit the area.
17.
The coach failing to communicate the purpose of the exercise to each player.
18.
The coach speaking in generalizations.
19.
Failing to consider the health and safety of the players.
20.
The coach offering a running commentary.
21.
Spectators and additional players encroaching on the field.
22.
The coach trying to demonstrate something which he cannot do (Steve: I do this a lot!!)
23.
Using drills that involve children standing in lines for more than a few seconds.
24.
The coach failing to spot flaws in the practice and subsequently neglecting to make appropriate corrections.
25.
Forgetting that the teaching process involves:
a. communicating the instructions;
b. organizing the practice;
c. offering the key teaching points.**
Some coaches never get to part 'c' of this process!
Understand why children participate in football
The majority of the reasons children participate in sport are intrinsic. The top priorities are:
* To learn and improve their skills
* To have fun
* To be with friends
* To experience the excitement of competition
* To enhance their physical fitness
* To demonstrate their competence
Notice that the extrinsic goal of winning and beating others is not at the top of the list.
Similarly, when children drop out of soccer, their withdrawal can be traced to the inability of the sport experience to meet their primary motivations for participation. The common reasons are:
* Failing to learn or improve their skills
* Not having fun
* Not being with their friends
* Lack of excitement, improvisation and creative opportunities
* Lack of exercise, meaningful movement and fitness improvements
* Lack of optimal challenges and/or consistent failure
Practical suggestions for coaches:
1.Encourage players to measure their performance by improvements in their own, personal levels of proficiency and ability rather than by comparing themselves to other players or to other teams based on the game outcome.
2. Because children have several reasons for participation and not just one, design practices to meet as many different participation motives as possible (i.e. learning, fun, friendship, fitness, challenge, etc.).
3. Utilize the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Short and Simple) when introducing new skills:
- Give short effective demonstrations while briefly explaining the new skill or concept use picture cues liberally;
- Focus only on one or two important aspects critical to performance success (avoid "paralysis by analysis");
- Decrease time spent in transition between activities, drills and games. Keep practices short, clear and well planned.
4. Utilize a positive approach to skill instruction by focusing on what the athlete did correctly ("catch them being good").
5. Make practices meaningful, fun challenging and exciting
- Avoid static line drills;
- Encourage creative improvisation by players;
- Optimally challenge all athletes throughout the full range of abilities (avoid coaching only the mid-ability performer
- Eliminate "elimination games" because players most in need of improvement and repetitions are usually the first to be eliminated;
- Be fully focused on the players and the activity (coach the players as well as the game).
6. Plan time for the children to meet and make new friends (ice cream stops after practices, pizza parties, watch a video, free time before and after practice).
7. Focus on teaching players the active, ever-changing game of soccer rather than the static, predictable soccer drills.
8. Utilize dual function fitness activities that concurrently enhance fitness and also improve soccer skills (i.e. soccer tag with a ball) and/or psychological dispositions (players are having so much fun they don't realize that they are conditioning too).
9. Provide competitive challenges for athletes that can help define success not only by comparison to others but also by improving one's own standard of accomplishment.
Know the Factors That May be Stressful for Youth Players
Coaches and parents can do a great service to children by helping each athlete develop self-confidence, a sense of personal worth and mastery, and a constructive attitude toward failure and adversity. Behaviour that adults view as encouraging can often be perceived by athletes as stress producing and pressure-filled. Kids will freely choose to participate in activities that they view as worthwhile, enjoyable and fun. The challenge for adults is to maximize the inherent joy of what Pele calls "the beautiful game of soccer" and minimize experiences that increase children's anxiety and likelihood of burnout.
Practical suggestions for coaches:
1. Avoid a "win at all cost" attitude.
2. Transform parental pressure into parental interest, support and encouragement.
3. Avoid over training, long, repetitive practices and excessive time and travel demands.
4. Avoid using perfection as the standard for judging an athlete's performance.
5. Don't associate a player's worth or value as a person with their performance and ability on the soccer field (i.e. winning or a great performance means that I like you more).
6. Make sure that your non-verbal behaviours are congruent with your words and that the coaching is consistent across situations (i.e. sulking after a loss even though the team played well or being happy following a poor performance by a winning team).
Realise That Effective Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions
The familiar coaching adage that "what you do speaks so loudly that no one can hear what your saying" is especially important to remember when dealing with athletes. Players benefit most from coaches whose actions reflect both their implied and stated values. The ability to observe, analyze and communicate are three of a coaches most valuable assets. A word of caution, however, is that the beneficial effects of verbal instruction decrease in direct proportion to the amount given. Remember: Keep it Short and Simple. Take time to videotape yourself coaching, not only at practice but also in games. Observe yourself as others see you. Frequently there is significant difference between how coaches think they are talking, acting and communicating and what athletes perceive.
Practical suggestions for coaches:
1.
Give specific, performance-contingent feedback to athletes rather than general comments lacking performance-related information.
2.
Be liberal with praise. Most athletes prefer coaches who shout praise and whisper criticism rather than visa versa.
3.
Tell athletes what improvements need to be made, why and most importantly, how to make those corrections successfully and consistently.
4.
Observe and provide meaningful feedback to every athlete at least once each training session and game.
5.
Combine verbal praise with consistent non-verbal forms of encouragement (i.e. a pat on the back, smile, a high five, etc.).
6.
Maintain your credibility as a coach by being accurate and sincere in your feedback and praise. Ignoring errors, giving excessive praise for mediocre performance or excessive praise for performance on simple tasks conveys to the athlete that either you don't know what you're talking about or else you have very low expectations of them as performers.
7.
Correct performance errors in non-threatening and non-punitive ways. Finding problems is the role of a critic not a competent soccer coach. Good coaching requires the ability to not only recognize problems but also to solve them through effective, practical and successful solutions.
8.
Reward effort as much as outcome. Repeated effort, especially in the face of failure and adversity, is one of the most important ingredients for future success.
9.
Use the "feedback sandwich" when correcting youngsters. Find something the player did well and praise it. Next tell the athlete what they did incorrectly, what they need to do to improve and why. Finish with a positive, encouraging or motivational statement.
10.
Foster an environment that allows for trying new skills, approaches and strategies without the fear of reprimand and punishment. Mistakes are integral to sport improvement. Ridicule, sarcasm and fear are impediments to both immediate and future performance successes.
Putting it All Together
Athletes learn the game of soccer not only through the directed learning experiences that coaches provide in practice and game play but also through indirect means by observation and imitation. As a sport leader, you are a powerful and lasting role model for athletes by your thought, word and deed. Parents and coaches can serve as a player’s greatest ally or worst nightmare depending on the attitude, behaviour and motivation adopted for sport involvement. Remember, the game is for the kids. It is not for the ego or bragging rights of adults. Our role, as coaches, is to provide an opportunity for participation for all interested youngsters, access to appropriate and safe environments for instruction and competition, exposure to caring and competent leaders, holistic consideration of the child's entire development (physical, cognitive, social and psychological) and an unwavering belief in the worth and ability of children to succeed at their own unique level of accomplishment. When coaches expect every athlete to succeed, it's amazing how many of them really do.
Rather than measuring success in terms of numbers in the win/loss columns, perhaps the ultimate standard of our success as coaches should be judged by our ability to teach children to love and enjoy the game of soccer, to feel more confident and self-assured in their abilities and knowledge of the game, to experience mutual respect from both team-mates and coaches, and most importantly, to feel appreciation and pride in the opportunity they had to play a sport they love under your direction as their coach.
Perhaps the most appropriate summary can be found in the "Bill of Rights for Young Athletes" (NASPE, 1977) written by medical, physical education and recreation experts in the hope of creating guidelines to maximize the beneficial effects of athletic participation for all.
Bill of Rights for Young Athletes
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Right of the opportunity to participate in sport regardless of ability level
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Right to participate at a level that is commensurate with each child's developmental level
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Right to participate in safe and healthy environments
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Right to have qualified adult leadership
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Right of each child to share the leadership and decision-making of their sport participation
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Right to play as a child, not as an adult
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Right to proper preparation
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Right to equal opportunity to strive for success
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Right to be treated with dignity by all involved
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Right to have fun through sport
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