How To Coach Soccer

If you think the way I do, I’m sure you’ll agree that in coaching soccer drills, zeroing down the best method to organize conditioning programs is by far the most difficult part. There is a reason why I’m saying this and it’s because the thin line between educating and coaching the players has somehow vanished.

I’m sorry to say that even today, there are many coaches who fail to recognize the importance of designing player specific coaching plans in teaching soccer. They should make an effort to develop them professionally together with educating them on the game. Many a times, this educational characteristic of soccer gets totally neglected in almost all scenarios.

Still, we must not forget one theory on which the coaching drills for the layers should be based. Any young player must first endeavor to grow as an individual and only after that he can become the best and a high ranking soccer player. The coach must therefore base his strategy on the above stated principle.

If we try to figure out something that cheers a former player to become a coach is pretty easy.
After the player is no more a part of the team, he wishes to continue being associated with soccer. As a result, many successful players become soccer coaches. However, what they don’t understand is the seriousness that this role requires.

Soccer Coaching

Some of them take this as an opportunity to get into the field of coaching and training adult players. There are still others who take this up because they truly love working with kids and wish to share with them their passion for soccer. Both the reasons are equally acceptable and convincing. But along with this, there are some ethical responsibilities as well that come hand in hand with being a coach.

In coaching soccer drills, the key factor is communication and sadly it’s the one that people find most difficult to recognize. It is not enough to have a great career history spanning many years of top rated success and achievements to qualify as a professional coach.

In order to be accepted as a great coach, certain standards need to be set and followed. It’s a capable and an expert coach who alone can cheer his players to fall in love with soccer so much so that they begin to experience it as an upbeat and a stimulating practice. As a coach, make sure that during the soccer practice, players feel comfortable in openly expressing themselves by way of the game.

All players in the team vary in terms of strength, style, and individual skills unique to them. It is not important whether each of them has great potential and skills of a winner or not. What is most important is that every single player must be able to reach his own ability ultimately.

This needs to be understood that every soccer player, no matter how skilled, renowned, and competent he may be, is not capable of coaching young players. A special ability to work with kids is of paramount importance; an inborn gift to make contact with people and nurturing relationships.

Some food for thought; serious consideration of one’s real motivations should always be a precondition in this context.

You can lay your hands on loads of relevant information pertaining to coaching soccer drills in form of newsletters, articles, and videos by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.

It is well known that in coaching soccer drills, every skill and teamwork imparted to the players has only 1 objective; to shoot the goal. It takes skill as well as gut feeling to produce quality shooting. But other than this, winning attitude is also equally important.

Even though, all players must do this but it is more onto the forward players to shoot the ball. When teaching soccer, shooting should be at the top of your list.

There are so many things that may be a consequence of shooting. Shots can be directed towards a goal. It might be that the goalkeeper drops the ball at the foot of your forward player. Rowdy shots can turn into accurate passes. Ground shots may spring back. You might even score a goal directly from the shot.

When in soccer practice, attacking players are always looking for a chance to shoot the ball right into the goal. They are made to think in a way that they always have goal scoring on their mind. In England, these attacking players are called sniffers. It is so because they are always looking for scoring opportunities.

Soccer Coaching

They take every shot as if it was the last chance to score a goal. They are always present at the right time at the right place. They have the skills to even convert negative situations into positive ones. Hence, in coaching soccer drills, you must instruct the players to hit the ball whenever they get a chance.

In most cases, when the ball is knocked with a view to get it through the goalpost, it is termed as a shot. One of the most effective techniques of driving the ball is through its middle with the help of laces of the foot. While performing this, head of the player should be over the ball, his upper body be steady, and his toes should be extended.

The players should be taught in coaching drills to shoot the ball low and wide of the goalie. In such a scenario, high shots are less preferred that low ground shots. This is because goalies find it difficult to stop the ground shots as they have to stretch their hands relatively more.

Young players tend to score more when they practice inside regulation sized goals by kicking the ball above the head of the goalkeeper. You must discourage your players to do this as it instills the habit of shooting high goals. In coaching soccer drills, don’t allow the kids to play in adult sized goals to stop this practice.

So go ahead and make your players expert in shooting the ball to score goals by confirming the position of the goalkeeper once before shooting.

There is a lot more that you can get to know by just subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community which has tons of information on coaching young players in form of newsletters, articles, and videos.

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: Youth Soccer Drills.

Would you be surprised if I let you know that it’s really tricky for the young players to kick the ball with a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, this is the trickiest part as far as the players and the coaches are concerned. It calls for the player to keep complete balance and bend the leg at the knee in order to kick the ball. Both power and stance to kick the ball emerges from below the knee.

In soccer practice, this is the opening pose for just about all types of kicks. The increase of rate of the foot from below the knee puts together a powerful blow on the ball. This provides the players with a lot of power to act upon a range of kicks. Still, the style of kick that would emerge would depend upon the nature of contact of the ball with the foot.

For example; it could be thumped very high, driven low, turn sharply to the left, or move to the right.

There are three vital passes in soccer i.e. a side foot pass, the outside of the foot pass, and the instep drive. Let’s discuss them further.

Soccer Coaching

The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, this pass is considered as the most extensively used and the simplest. Normally, it is used to make short distance passes. Though it is a little slow and quite predictable during the game but is very easy for the kids to learn and execute accurately. The contact with the ball is made on the inside of the ankle and the foot with the foot turned outwards.

In coaching soccer drills, the players should be trained to keep their bodies relaxed all through the action. When it comes to different kicking actions, this rule is the truly indispensable. The ankle and the foot need to be stiffened only at the time when the players is about to get in contact with the ball.

Subsequently, as players are convinced of their ability to perform it, the action should come out smooth, natural, and relaxed.

Outside of the foot pass: Since this pass can never be predicted, is pretty accurate and quick, players must be trained on this even though it’s a little tough to master. A contact is made with the ball between the laces and outside edge of the foot with the foot extended and turned inward. The pass is then transformed into a quick throw for short distances by using the foot.

During all these coaching drills, the body posture should be relaxed.

The Instep Drive: Both the versions of instep drive i.e. the low driven version and the lofted version are brought into play to pass the ball over longer distances. There is also an option to adapt this style to make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass”. As the approach of the instep drive is slightly angled and the non kicking foot is placed about 12 inches to the side of and behind the ball.

The ball makes a contact with the laces and inside of the foot, which should be firm and extended.

So, go ahead and teach your players these basic kicking techniques with variations to make the ball do slightly different things.

To know more about coaching soccer drills, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that offers effective and practical knowledge to help you excel in your career as a soccer coach.

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: Soccer Training Drills.

Before you get on with coaching soccer drills to kids, let me share with you some teaching ideas that are sure to help you, whether you agree or not. During soccer practice, focus on a specific objective like kids must have loads of fun in the game as it benefits both the coach and the players.

At this time, it’s essential to follow your goal and not feel distracted by other things. For this reason, I suggest that your goals should be as precise as possible both for your own good and for the good of your team. For instance; constantly remind the players to remain physically fit, develop them into sporting players with a positive attitude towards the game, and concentrating on skills unique to them.

When it comes to sportsmanship, the onus lies on you to set a high standard for the players. Promote the feeling of sportsmanship, team spirit, and fair play amongst team members. When teaching soccer, you have the option to include any number of relevant objectives along with the ones stated above.

One more concept that needs to be highlighted in youth soccer coaching is the notion of winning the match. Try to infuse an open idea of winning the game inside your player’s minds while training them. Teach them that as long as their performance is out of ordinary on the field, they are winners, no matter what the final result.

Soccer Coaching

The players as a result will feel totally relaxed but much more responsible to play the game sensibly with the team’s objectives in their mind.

It’s important that your instructions during coaching soccer drills are to the point and exact for players to fetch expected results. Before coaching, you need to teach your players about some explicit do’s and don’ts in soccer. The disparity between coaching and teaching is obvious in the fact that coaching deals with the bunch of players who already know the game to some extent.

In coaching drills, it is great idea to first demonstrate to the kids about 5 to 6 times a specific drill and then let it di it themselves. It is due to the fact that kids grasp visualizations more effectively than simple instructions. If you endeavor to explain in instructions, they will not understand it. However, they are good at replicating things.

Therefore, consider giving demonstrations wherever you can.

In the end, but still important is to keep the kids involved in several activities. This holds even bigger importance when the weather is not conducive to a regular session. It’s a fact that all kids love to play in the rain. Hence, instead of simply cancelling the session, it makes more sense to have them play soccer games or something like that.

Ensure that in situations like these, the kids are wearing proper soccer gear as well as additional protection.

Move forward now and start using these tips to your training sessions. You’ll be amazed to see the results.

To know more about coaching soccer drills, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that offers effective and practical knowledge to help you excel in your career as a soccer coach.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Coaching soccer drills.