Here’s a really simple way to remember some of the key soccer coaching factors that are required in determining your team philosophy and run with it. Applying this philosophy to your youth team can be very easy, easier than you can think.
There are 6 factors; parents, coaches, excitement, selection, time and success windows which are required for an effective youth coaching philosophy.
Regular communication with Parents: When it comes to soccer training, parental influence is the key influence in the mental and physical well being of your players, especially on the day of the match. It’s not enough just to provide the parents with the brochure, “parental responsibilities” at the beginning of the term. Arrange for regular meetings with them so that the key points can be repeated and concerns shared.
Developing soccer coaches: Training of soccer coaches should be an integral part of your philosophy instead of targeting the players. The kid’s parents can also be considered for soccer coaching. They would be most suitable and a great option for the future.
Selection: Players with great soccer skills drop out mainly due to non-selection. Studies show that players would rather get selected for a bad team out of the fear of getting rejected for a good team. Hence, a fair selection system should be used so that all the players are given equal game time.
Time: Be particular in starting the session on time and also the timely arrival of the parents. When you define the start times and finish times clearly, it helps you deliver the session effectively.
Excitement: Is it a must that each soccer coaching session is interesting? 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.
When you train the kids, it is perfectly natural that coaches have problems coming up with different ideas on how to make sessions fun. As such, the biggest hurdle that the coaches face is with regard to the creativity aspect of coming up with fun drills every now and then.
In soccer drills, it makes sense to keep escalating the difficulty aspect so that kids get skilled. A way of doing this is to begin a game, take note of a problem, and then remove it with the help of a 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.
For example; time frame of minimum four and maximum eight weeks. This can be done for both team as well as individual team members.
In your interest, embrace a soccer coaching philosophy like this become a part of the development phase of your kid’s training once the basics have been covered. For more information, join our youth coaching community which has a collection of relevant material and 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.
Tags: soccer coaching, soccer drills, soccer skills, soccer training