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. This philosophy can be applied to your youth team with relative ease as it is easier than you think.
The elements which are essential for an effective youth coaching philosophy are 6; parents, coaches, excitement, selection, time, and success windows.
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. The pamphlet of “parental responsibilities” provided at the beginning of the term is not adequate. Meetings with the parents should be set to discuss the concerns and reminding them the important points.
Developing soccer coaches: Training of soccer coaches should be an integral part of your philosophy instead of targeting the players. Try and see if you can make one of your kid’s parents to become a soccer coach? They are the perfect choice for this job, and could be tried in the future.
Selection: One of the biggest reasons why players with great soccer skills drop out is non-selection. Studies reveal, that the players think that they would not get selected for a good team so they opt for a bad team. Hence, a fair selection system should be used so that all the players are given equal game time.
Time: Start the session on time and tell the parents to be on time as well. When you define the start times and finish times clearly, it helps you deliver the session effectively.
Excitement: Is it imperative that every soccer coaching session has to be enjoyable? Make an effort to make each session an enjoyable one but do not forget that it is not possible to each session like that. Hence, choose enthusiasm as a substitute.
When training the kids, it is certain that the coach will have problems with ideas on how to make practice drills interesting. So, the biggest challenge in teaching soccer is to be creative enough and keep introducing new and innovative ideas so that the kid’s remain interested in the game.
In soccer drills, it makes sense to keep escalating the difficulty aspect so that kids get skilled. 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 achieved for both the team and individual members.
Do good and adopt 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