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 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 instill the ability in the kids to become mature 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, prepare each of the sessions beforehand. As an example, ask them to do warm up drills before moving to the regular drills. Once completed, make the kids move to more advanced drills, for example, passing dribbling, and controlling the ball.
As an addition, motivate the players to think out of the box. Stimulate the kids to challenge themselves and if they fail, do not be harsh to them. Talk to them about it after the session. It is also essential that parents are totally involved so that they can help in making the game enjoyable for the kids.
To coach youth soccer, it is important since the kids will spend a considerable time with their parents off the field. Ask the parents to inspire the kids, keep a track of their diet, and be regular in their training sessions.
Adapt to the age level: Teaching soccer to the youth is generally for kids between 7-14 years of age. At this stage, it is difficult to come up with drills that engage their attention. So, research a lot over what games you would like them to play. In addition, it is important to keep the age of the kids in mind while conversing with them as they may not find it easy to understand your instructions if they are too complex.
It is a good idea to make two or more teams and giving them names. This breeds the feeling of mutual respect. It is recommended not to conduct a lot of experimentation also. The idea of a well-balanced session is to have both tried as well as new activities in it.
Write the exercises: It always pays to write the exercises on paper along with the results that you are expecting from them. It aids in providing a direction to the team effort. 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.
And then, it is super-easy to measure your goals. It is perfectly usual for a few things to go wrong and in that case, you can always get back to the original plan.
It is correct to say that youth soccer coaching is a great job full of excitement and accountability. But with these techniques and proper regulation, you will undoubtedly succeed at it.
Put this to test right away! These powerful techniques on coach youth soccer will make you successful and rope in great results. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community where there is a wealth of resources on youth soccer.
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.
