When it comes to a simple thought like how to coach soccer, almost everyone gets into a spree of finding am appropriate reply. After all, youth soccer coaching is a dynamic and a difficult job and it is not easy to keep the players motivated to deliver under extreme pressure.
I’ll share 5 matchless tips that can never go wrong when it comes to enhancing your team’s performance.
1. Make elaborate plans: To become a successful coach, you need to plan carefully and systematically. Have a heart to heart discussion with the players when you sit down to discuss and decide the team’s objectives and the timelines to reach them. Goals not met within the time frames decided for them, get in the way of a team’s progress.
Once the plan is finalized, remain loyal to it but do keep some space for minor changes as and when required. There are unanticipated situations that require changes in even well made plans.
2. Kids should enjoy being a part of practice sessions: Design your practice schedule in a way that includes a variety of drills, activities, fun-filled games and exercise so that the kids don’t feel the monotony. It is possible to incorporate this in many ways. For example: keep a few extra minutes for players after practice and have them perform a fun activity of a game that is fun and helps develop a bonding between them.
3. Discipline and freedom work best together: Discipline in the team should be a priority for you as a coach. However, you must also understand that freedom and some respite from control is as important as the respect for rules. You should never undermine the importance of freedom and relaxation in teaching soccer.
Give the players sufficient time between the drills so that they can do their own stuff, interact with each other and simply relax. Talking about how to coach soccer, it is also a good idea to take them out for camping or a pleasure trip for a day.
4. Remain supportive and tolerant: Stir your players to keep doing new things as and when possible and if they are not able to do things correctly, show your support. Keep a close watch on their activities. If you must intervene to correct a potential blunder or a silly mistake, do it without reprimanding them.
Keep in mind that angry behaviour leads to fearful players while compassion and encouragement leads to fearless players.
5.The balancing act: Training sessions are the best places to recognize player’s talent and develop soccer skills in them. It is well known that when we talk of a team, there are bound to be players of different calibers; the good, bad, and worst. It becomes your responsibility as a coach to make the best use of your good players in inspiring others.
Befriend the good and bad players together so that stay with each other maximum and share the techniques during and after the sessions. It is crucial that you do not make any sort of comparison between the players ever.
Your objective now is to make sure that you use these tips to improve your approach about how to coach soccer.
You can also join our youth soccer coaching community to learn more and dramatically improve your coaching skills.
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Youth Soccer Training.
Good coaching tips. We have a kids’ sports and activities magazine and I’d love to talk with you about a future article on youth soccer in Cary .