Ever wondered how to coach soccer or more specifically youth soccer? Although the question looks simple and easy but you’ll find it difficult to answer even if your try your best.
Of all the soccer skills, communication is one thing that is imperative for both coaches and players to learn. A coach has to give instructions, share feedback, evaluate players, council them, maintain discipline, and all this requires communication skills.
Players, then again need an outlet to discuss performance issues with coach, peers, parents, colleagues, and share tips and tricks with relatively weak players in the team. Coaches and players have a comprehensive language of soccer that allows them to express with one another, their feeling and ideas.
Soccer coaching has some fundamental principles of communication that are essential for coaches to learn and then teach them to their players.
1. Call players by their name. It feels good to listen to one’s name and is also courteous.
2. Make it clear in your head what you want players to do and achieve before sending out instructions.
3.Be empathetic: The goal of communication is to connect and not to defeat. So try to understand the viewpoint of the other person.
4. Look at your body language: it should make the other person comfortable and transmit positive vibes.
5.Make an eye contact with players when talking to them individually or together. Face the person you are talking to and look him in the eye.
6. The way you speak should make a mark upon the other person. So choose a style that not only suits your personality but also suits the other person.
7. Select a subject that requires redressal. Communication is the key to finding answers, how to coach soccer is successful when it is short and clear-cut. Choose a list of items and stick to it.
8.Be objective: Just remember that as a coach, you are interacting with a team or an individual player. So keep your sentiments in control and talk to them only about the game.
9.Speak clearly: it is important that your intended message reaches the recipient as it is.
10.At the time of teaching soccer, keep talking about the important issues. The players should be reminded of the important points by repeating them in different ways.
11.Introduce light and funny words in the conversations so as to keep the talk light and stress free.
12.Give your players flexibility so that they can seek clarifications from you without any hitch. Give them permission to ask questions.
A soccer coach without the capability to speak and distribute the information required for high performance isn’t successful in the long run.
Finally, how to coach soccer is a way for the coaches to understand that there is a difference in cultures and accordingly make room for them. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of information and knowledge on coaching soccer to young players, and tips on developing different aspects of game skills in players.
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.