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. This philosophy can be applied to your youth team with relative ease as it is easier than you think.
These are 6 elements; parents, coaches, excitement, selection, time, and success windows that are needed for a successful 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. 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.
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 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. Therefore, with the help of a rational selection system all the player could be given equal game time.
Time: The session should be started on time and the parents should also be told to be on time. Clearly established start times and finish times allow you to plan and deliver the session effectively.
Excitement: Is it absolutely necessary that all the soccer coaching sessions are entertaining? Try to make every session an enjoyable one but also remember that you cannot do it all the time. So adopt “excitement” as a substitute for this.
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.
With soccer drills, it is necessary that you increase the challenges for the kids so that they grow. The best way of doing this is to get started with a game, look for a problem, and then rectify it with a drill.
Success windows: Try and incorporate a “success window” for the season as a significant element in your training sessions. This necessitates for 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 instance, time frame of minimum four and maximum eight weeks. This can be done for both team as well as individual team 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. If you would like more such knowledge and resources, subscribe to 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