Let me present a real simple way to keep in mind some of the important soccer coaching factors that are needed in building the team philosophy and getting along with it. Using this philosophy for your youth team can be very practical; and simpler than you may think.
There are 6 factors; parents, coaches, excitement, selection, time and success windows which are required for an effective youth coaching philosophy.
Consistent Parental Support: When we talk about soccer training the influence of parents is vital in the mental and physical development of your players, most importantly on the day the match is taking place. A brochure of the “parental responsibilities” at the beginning of the season is not enough. Meetings with the parents should be set to discuss the concerns and reminding them the important points.
New soccer coaches: An important part of the philosophy is that you should not only concentrate on development of the players, but also the coaches. Assess and see if you can turn one of your kid’s parents into a soccer coach? They are the ideal candidates, not necessarily to start immediately, but may be in the future.
Selection: The greatest reason for players with great soccer skills to lose interest is non-selection. Studies reveal, that the players think that they would not get selected for a good team so they opt for a bad team. Hence, a fair selection system should be used so that all the players are given equal game time.
Time: Observe punctuality and tell the parents to be punctual as well. When you define the start times and finish times clearly, it helps you deliver the session effectively.
Excitement: Is it necessary that every soccer coaching session should be fun? Yes, try to make every session enjoyable for the kids but also understand that it may not be possible every time. Therefore, go for a positive attitude as an alternative.
While training the kids, it is natural for every coach to run out of ideas on how to make practice drills exciting and enjoyable. Hence, the biggest challenge is to be so good with your thinking that you can come up with several great ideas to make drills fun for kids.
With soccer drills, it is necessary that you increase the challenges for the kids so that they grow. One way of doing this is to start with a game, identify a problem and then eliminate it by performing a related soccer drill.
Success windows: Make an effort to create a success window for the season as an important part of your training. This needs you to determine a lower limit and an upper limit of time with a view to measure the level of success that needs to be achieved.
As an example, time frame of minimum four and maximum eight weeks. This can be achieved for both the team members and the individual members.
Favor yourself and have a soccer coaching philosophy like this become a part of the development phase of your kid’s training once the basics have been covered. In order to be more resourceful, full of knowledge, and gain tips and techniques, 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.
Tags: soccer coaching, soccer drills, soccer skills, soccer training