Coaching youth soccer drills can be exciting and fun but there are important aspects every coach needs to take into consideration. Here’s a list of some of these important guidelines that can help you in many different ways:
1. Don’t make speeches. This may not seem important but kids really get bored and distracted when coaches have the habit of making incredible long speeches and instructions. The age of your players is nor important. What is important is that you keep your speeches short, sweet and right to the point.
2. Don’t complicate things. Strip every drill to its basics and test it with your players making sure they are ready to move forward and perform it well. I can bet your players will lose their interest in the practice sessions if you try to give them over complicated exercises with lots of instructions.
3. Don’t be a ball boy- during a soccer practice ball will be travelling all over the field. Leave them alone! This can affect your authority and control over the players and severely damage the respect they have for you. They need to go get it.
4. It’s important that you don’t allow the ball-kids to join practice if they are there just to get the balls. This simply signals a laxity in discipline- ball boys are just there to get the ball. You can also make some of these kids join your team, but that same day they will not get balls anymore.
5. Never, ever criticize the player. If a player misses a shot or fumbles, don’t blame them. Point out the flaws in their technique or skill and do that calmly. Screaming at a player for being ’stupid’ is a great way to make them want to leave your team.
6. While coaching youth soccer drills, explain it clearly and as briefly as possible. Then demonstrate it- your players will pick it up quickly if they see how it’s done. Conversely, don’t try and demonstrate something that you can’t do.
7. Health and safety should always be foremost in a coach’s mind. This means making sure that the ground and the equipment are in good shape before your soccer training session starts. Remember that if a kid sprains his ankle because the ground was slippery, then it’s technically your fault.
8. Don’t leave the parents out in the dark. Make sure you hold meetings from time to time with parents and keep them informed about future events and the team’s concerns. Parents are a powerful ally when it comes to keep your coaching activities running smoothly.
When coaching youth soccer drills, these are important aspects that every coach should consider. Learn how to literally explode your players’ skills and make trining more fun in less than 29 days at SoccerDrillsTips . com.
