The best way to coach or teach anything is by providing training sessions that are fun. This is true if you’re coaching seniors, but even more so if you’re youth soccer coaching.
Kids soccer coaching ought to be easy. After all, your players are doing something that they enjoy and they’re doing it with their friends. However, sometimes things can get out of hand.
The best way to keep your coaching sessions fun and focused is by sensible planning. This doesn’t mean that you have to have everything mapped out but you do need to be clear about what you want your players to have improved on by the end of the training session.
What you decide to work on will vary depending on the age and abilities of your players, but you should consider the following aspects of youth soccer coaching as you put your training programme together.
Warm-Up
Getting players to warm up and stretch gently increases their heart rate and prepares their muscles for the session. It’s also a good idea to allow some time for stretching in the middle of the soccer training, especially if you plan to step up the pace. What’s more you get the opportunity to keep your team motivated by chatting to your players informally.
Show And Tell
The best way of explaining what you want your players to do is by demonstrating the drill. Your players will understand what you want much better if they see it in action.
If you can’t demonstrate the drill yourself, you’ve got a serious problem. Is the drill badly thought out or too advanced? You should also ask yourself whether you should be coaching in the first place.
Listen To Your Players
Players will let you know if the session or drill is too easy or hard. Don’t take this as criticism – it’s important feedback and will help you get a better idea of what is and isn’t working.
You should always be talking to your team. Warm-ups and breaks are particularly good opportunities for informal chats. If you have a good relationship with your players – in command but approachable and open to ideas – criticism will be constructive and your team will end up playing better.
It’s also very important to encourage respect and the best way to do this is leading by example. If you treat your players with respect, you’ll find that they’ll respect you in return and they’ll also be more respectful towards each other – this will also stop them from misbehaving when your back is turned.
Be Flexible
Never make your training sessions or plans too rigid. You need to be able to adapt, not only because some players
might have difficulty with new drills but simply because what you planned might not seem such a good idea when you actually see it in practice.
For this reason, it’s always a good idea to have a Plan B!
Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Keep training interesting by mixing things up and using different variations of similar drills.
By changing things you keep your training sessions fresh and stop players from getting complacent. Keeping your players on their toes and continually learning will guarantee you a mischief-free session. If you make your training sessions boring, you’re heading for trouble.
Youngsters respond well to a predictable training format that contains a few surprises.
Put New Skills Into Practice
Once you’ve completed the technical side of training, always remember to try and incorporate the new skills learned in a game situation. Always try and end the session with a small sided game that will allow your players to experiment with their newly-acquired skills.
The greatest mistake you can make as a youth soccer coach is to starve them of the ball. Your role is to teach by showing but you also have to be able to stand back and let them learn from their own mistakes.
Don’t Make It Feel Like School
Don’t preach or lecture them too much – otherwise you might as well send them to school. Most importantly, allow your players to enjoy soccer without you trying to coach every second of the play.
You should also bear in mind that more doesn’t necessarily mean better. So don’t pack too much into your training sessions. It’s often more productive to concentrate on a few new skills in each session allowing plenty of time to go over drills that you’ve worked on previously.
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In many respects, coaching youth soccer is a question of common sense – being prepared, flexible and practical will mean that both you and your team get more out of training sessions, and that’s a great way to start building a great soccer team.
Training Technically In A Tactical Environment. 
