What motivates people to coach?

• No other person volunteered and the team needed someone to coach.

• Spend more time with their daughter or son.

• You are a person that loves the sport and wants to share their passion by working with kids.

There are many different reasons that a person could volunteer to coach. This document is aimed to help you prepare for the upcoming season and tackle the many obstacles that could come your way. It is important as a coach to understand the age and ability of your players and be able to communicate with each player on their own level.

PRACTICE OR TRAINING??? WHICH ONE IS IT???

Practice = what a player should do alone or with a friend – trying to improve ball skills and fitness.

Training = what players and coaches should do together – trying to learn the rules of the game, fair play, new ball skills, general strategies of the game.

Coaching Organization

Preparation/Session Plan: in order to be efficient during training sessions all coaches must prepare a session plan. Regardless of a coach’s experience preparation prior to training is essential to a dynamic and rewarding training session.

Time: The length of time spent on each activity can be adjusted depending on how the session is flowing. Let the session flow and make your coaching points at the right time, using breaks in the game to give feedback to the group.

Before the Session/Initial Set Up: make sure you have the spaces organized and plan for a smooth transition from one activity to another. Keep the organization of the space simple. The initial set up, with small changes, should be maintained throughout the whole session. Resetting cones during the session can easily disturb the flow of training.

WHAT SHOULD MY TRAINING SESSION LOOK LIKE???

Warm up/Individual activities – If appropriate, have each player with a ball to ensure maximum number of contacts with the ball.

Small group activities – This is when you train your players on the technical points of the workout in a more game-like environment keeping the numbers in each group small enough to provide repetition for each player.

Large group activities/final game – This does not necessarily mean 8v8. It does mean a competitive game or game-like activity with the teams playing to a goal or designated target.

WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES WILL I DO???

The number of players in training should progress from smaller to larger groups of players – individual to pairs to groups to team.

Game like activities > In training sessions present problems of “what to do?” and “when to do it?” This objective can be achieved through the use of game-like activities. The activities challenge the player’s skill and puts the skill used into the right moment in the game.

Decision Making > The most important part of a player’s body to develop is the soccer brain. Soccer is a game of constant problem solving. Thinking for themselves is a crucial skill for talented players. Decision making needs to be present in every training session. When that happens then awareness and thinking fast on your feet have a chance to occur during a match.

Guided Discovery > Getting players to read the game. Guided discovery helps to develop anticipation players.

Fun > Most important of all the session should be fun and enjoyable for the players. Every player should want to return for the next session because they had such a great time

As a coach you have agreed to take on a significant responsibility. For first time coaches it is a daunting task. Use the five characteristics of an effective COACH to support your efforts in training and competition environments as well for your off the field interaction with players and parents. Successful coaches embrace the challenge, seek knowledge and information and have fun providing a quality, meaningful experience for their players.

C-COMPREHENSION
O-OUTLOOK
A-AFFECTION
C-CHARACTER
H-HUMOR

C – Comprehension
• Understand your role as a coach
• Know your sport specific knowledge – includes rules, skills , activities, game tactics, etc.
• Understand how to provide a safe environment
• Be objective and self-aware – assess your own strengths and weaknesses – take action to improve all coaching skills

O – Outlook (Philosophy)
• Define your coaching philosophy, perspective and goals
◦ Have fun
◦ Help players discover skills
◦ Help players strive to play their best
• It is important to share your philosophy with players and parents, take time to conduct a pre-season team meeting to address this and other critical information

A – Affection
• Demonstrate genuine concern for each player
• Treat each player as an individual
• Be positive in tone
• Recognize effort, reinforce skill development and acknowledge failure as part of the process for being successful

C – Character
• Understand your role, responsibility and influence in helping develop character in the players you coach
• Set goals for yourself to improve
• Communicating expectations and recognizing behavior during the season

H – Humor (Fun)
• Humor can be an effective coaching tool
• Be careful that humor is not at the expense of any of your players
• It’s ok to smile – positive energy is a powerful force, so too is negative energy

*The information contained herein has been adapted from a document produced by Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer Director of Coaching.