Permit me a straight question. To Coach youth soccer, what are the 3 things for the coach to do? Now, before you respond to this query, it is critical to understand that the meaning of youth soccer is that the kids entertain themselves. The spotlight should be on making the exercises exciting and enjoyable so that the kids always look forward to them.
So, to teach youth soccer, remember the following rules. These will allow you to guide the kids to become advanced players.
Make the kids enjoy the game: As we talked about it earlier, having fun and enjoyment is the key to youth soccer. As a coach, you must plan each session well in advance. As an example, ask them to do warm up drills before moving to the regular drills. After that, get to the advanced exercises such as dribbling, passing, trapping etc.
Also, allow the kids to be creative in their approach. 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. Ask for cooperation from the parents since it is crucial in keeping a check on their daily diet, regularity in sessions, and encouragement.
Condition yourself to the age level: Teaching soccer to the young players is generally between the age of 7 and 14. At this time, it is highly testing to create drills that stimulate the kids. Therefore, you must spend a considerable time researching on various drills that are appropriate for this age group. 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 pumps in a sense of belongingness. Also, do not experiment a lot. The sign of a productive session is that there are both new and old drills.
Document the Drills: You must always write down the sessions, drills, and the goals associated with them. It makes the efforts of the team worthwhile. The documentation also helps you in evaluating the progress of the players. When you have to revisit your plan, it is easy to do so when it is in a written form.
Also, with everything documented, it is easy to track your goals. It is obvious that some things will not work out as you expected and you can always get back.
It can be assumed that youth soccer coaching is a fun filled and challenging job. With these handy tips and techniques, you can easily tackle the job.
Put this to test right away! These tricks on coach youth soccer will bring you immense results. For more such tips on youth soccer, join our youth soccer coaching community where you will find many resources and like-minded individuals from the soccer community.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 training fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Drills
