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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season the art of coaching soccer to kids requires one thing in abundance enthusiasm it s your most important quality kids will respond to you if you re an eager hard working leader some kids find learning boring some don t care about winning and some can t remember which goal they are kicking towards but what unites them what they all want is to have fun and play a game and that s your job making learning fun this is the better soccer coaching blueprint for you to get the mix right as a coach 1 make sure your players are listening if your players aren t listening how will you get your important message across remember these simple points to keep them concentrating when you are coaching l no one can listen until everyone is quiet and still don t talk until then l hold up your hand to gain attention l don t hold a ball while you are talking unless you are demonstrating something ­ for some reason nothing is funnier than the coach dropping the ball make sure your players know their tasks signs of the overbearing coach player 1 support cover pass fill in player 2 link cover width pressure l make sure all balls are on the ground l make sure the sun is in front of you not behind you players need to look at you as well as hear you to gain understanding so if they have to squint communication is less effective l face your players away from any other activity to avoid distractions player 3 shield hassle score block there s a history made up by each of us that leads us to that final victory it s that history in it s entirety that turns us into champions jose mourinho former manager of chelsea football club

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 2 plan your sessions and make them fun possibly the most important key to successful youth soccer coaching is making training sessions fun for everyone ­ including you you can only do this with careful planning always think about what it is you want to achieve beforehand your training session plan should take into account the ages and capabilities of your players but generally your sessions should follow this pattern l a warm up to raise the heart rate stretch muscles and get players focused on the session l a quick and simple demonstration of the skill or technique that you want them to learn important don t forget to ask them what they think is the best way to pass or shoot or keep the ball rather than tell them why you think they should do it that way l some fun games that will allow them to practice what you ve just shown them l a small sided game to finish you should always consider an individual session as part of a larger training schedule how do your sessions progress from week-to-week variety is important in order to keep your sessions fresh and interesting while coaching young players new skills and techniques while it s important to plan your sessions be careful not to make them too rigid be prepared to adapt according to what you see and hear on the practice field above all don t be afraid to let your players play don t try to pack too much in ­ remember to allow time for discussion setting up drinks and even arguments don t persevere with a plan that isn t working have a couple of tried and tested alternatives up your sleeve and work out what went wrong afterwards don t use drills that involve children standing in lines for more than a few seconds ­ they ll soon get bored and bored players are trouble don t train children on your own always have at least one assistant even if all they do is tie laces and fetch balls there is also an important health and safety consideration here who will look after your players if you have to take one of them to hospital do treat your players with respect they like you to listen and take notice of their feelings and opinions find out what they want from you and agree some clear ground rules the way a team plays as a whole determines its success you may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world but if they don t play together the club won t be worth a dime babe ruth major league baseball player

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 3 teach the basics first shielding the ball shielding the ball how to coach it in your coaching sessions start with two equal-sized players with a single ball in a grid about three-yards square and have them work on holding the ball by using simple rolls pullbacks and other touches to shield the ball before they gain this confidence you can expect terrible passing simply because they will get flustered at the first hint of pressure and might even feel panicked at pressure which is ten yards away until your players can hold a ball 1 v 1 in a grid for a count of around 7-8 seconds they are not going to have enough confidence to do very well on the field so how is it done the first step is to bring the ball under control quickly then you get your player to use his/her body and legs to get between the opponent and the ball to protect it they can either step over the ball to shield it or roll or pull the ball back behind them or to their side to protect it the rolling and pulling of the ball requires some work as the player needs to learn to use both feet ­ and to switch feet however one of the key factors is for them to learn to bend the knees get the arms out and use body weight to push back into the opponent get them to keep their bottoms down bend the knees and push hard back into the opponent keep body weight on their support leg to be able to free their far foot and use it to roll the ball around some skills are absolute must-haves for all players ­ and are so important that you should teach them first what s the most important not everyone will agree but for me the number one skill for a soccer player to possess is ball-holding if you teach your players anything teach them the skills to keep possession once they realise that they have the skills to keep an opponent from stealing the ball they will gain the confidence to lift their heads up and find another player to pass to if certain players do not carry out their tasks properly on the pitch then their colleagues will suffer louis van gaal ­ former manager of ajax barcelona and the netherlands

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 4 use small sided games in training it should be a fifa policy that soccer coaches use small-sided games for training before players reach the age of 13 the 4 v 4 system speeds up development of technical ability and game intelligence 4 v 4 is the smallest sided game you can have that has all the elements of a real soccer match without any of the confusions that surround learning soccer in a real soccer match children have the option of passing the ball forwards square or backwards three children cannot do this because one of the directions will be missing with five the extra one duplicates one of the elements which clutters the picture 4 v 4 also provides the minimum numbers needed for all of the parts that make up a soccer game one player is up front for penetration two are needed for width and one holds back to supply depth in 4 v 4 the responsibilities are very clear all tasks are covered and none are shared which keeps things simple the benefits l technique is improved because players have a far greater number of ball contacts l the emphasis on control passing and shooting provides the fundamental building blocks of soccer rapid break from defence to attack 8 4 3 9 5 6 2 7 11m 55m l it is fun for all the players they are all involved they attack and defend l the number of passes is increased and therefore the one touch control one touch pass sequence is used all the time l it is also a good indicator of players fitness because players are constantly running and playing the game 4 v 4 is soccer learning at its best it is fun creates match situations and promotes an extremely effective learning environment small pictures are clearer for children and space and options are more compatible with their abilities failure happens to me all the time it happens every day in practise what makes you better is how you react to it mia hamm former soccer player us women s team

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 5 invest time in all your players a successful team is often a stable team you may have a very clear idea of the particular soccer skills and qualities that your players possess but what do you know of them beyond that by gaining a greater understanding of your players as individuals you can help improve your ability to understand and motivate them players care about what you have to say when they know that you care about them encourage the players to be as honest as they can emphasise that it helps build effective teams and encourages clear communication most importantly once you have collected this information ­ use it making the effort to get to know the player and not just their soccer abilities can pay dividends when trying to understand their wider motivations the process of asking is a classic motivational tool for the player ­ it shows you care which coach are you soccer is not about justice it s a drama ­ and criminally wrong decisions against you are part and parcel of that pete davies soccer writer

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 6 reward your players small rewards make an enormous amount difference to players of all ages and the beauty of sweets is that a small bar of chocolate or candy can be used to encourage even the weakest player who has perhaps tried the hardest have only one or two rewards for each week share the rewards around over the season and try to keep a record make the rewards for different things each week for example best tackler hardest worker in drills best piece of skill ­ in this way you can pass the rewards around without prejudice how about a small trophy for player of the week man of the match or a best effort award for the player not necessarily the most talented who has put in the greatest amount of work during a match or training session teamwork is the first step to winning in a winning culture everyone works for each other everyone enjoys it everyone knows their role within it recognising the achievements of one your weaker players in this way will prove to be a great incentive for the other less talented players remember small rewards are not replacements for continued positive feedback from a coach if you continue to encourage and inspire your players you will be surprised at how far your words can go the big secret in life is that there is no big secret whatever your goal you can get there if you re willing to work oprah winfrey

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 7 make a difference on match days you can make a difference on match day whilst every coach has a different style they all share a common goal ­ to get the best out of their team when it really counts follow these simple do s and dont s and you will make a difference once the game is underway don t micro-manage the game it is easy to talk particular players through every move but this is potentially destructive because it stifles their instinct for the game positive encouragement gives players confidence psychologists tell us that it is better to say hit the target than don t miss do find the right moment information needs to be given when players are most receptive i.e when they can concentrate on what you are saying ­ not in the middle of a play don t get distracted talk to spectators and the other coaches afterwards your players need your full attention create a bubble for you and your team make sure at half time the bubble continues youth teams suffer the most from a babble of comment from parents confusing the main message you want to deliver your team needs to avoid conflicting messages do watch first worry later keep your emotions under control ­ keep panic anger frustration and fear out of the equation players depend on the coach to be the coolest head on the pitch do watch from as many different angles as possible this will enhance your perspective on the game for example the shape of a team is more discernible from a distance speed easier to gauge from the side and physical fitness more apparent when standing close up don t argue with the referee it distracts the players it is also unlikely to have a positive influence on the outcome of the game and is not in the spirit of the game anyway referees will rarely change a decision once it s been made and your intervention may turn them against you when the whistle blows for the start of the match it should start a concentrated period of thought action and reaction for the coach having spent significant time preparing a team for this moment the coach also needs to be prepared mentally and emotionally whether you can find glory in defeat humility in victory can you say you made a difference on the day the secret of winning football games is working more as a team less as individuals i play not my 11 best but my best 11 knute rockne ­ soccer coach

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 8 make every second count at half time strategy tactics and organisation have to be reinforced or in some cases changed in just five minutes however there are only three broad objectives l to motivate your players l to give them the best chance to absorb information l to let them recover whilst taking on water get ready for half time to ensure a well-planned consistent half time structure you need to l keep your substitutes close and warm just in case of injuries l decide on the next step for the team and be confident and focused on what you are about to say l be in the best possible position to deliver a clear and logical viewpoint as soon as the first half is over move to your players don t make them move to you make sure you stay a good distance from the opposition l know that you have everyone s attention l provide two or three major points l be clear positive and constructive l don t talk until everyone is listening l don t concentrate on negatives players motivate remember your body language re-hydrate water not fizzy drinks re-organise remind them of positions tactics substitutions is it time to make a change strategy defence or attack need strengthening planning plan ahead so you are ready with two or three main points coach when outlining a poor aspect of the team s performance deliver it in a productive manner if the defence has gaps try not to blame players or dwell on it instead warn players not to get sucked in and to concentrate players are not motivated by being told what they did wrong but more by how they can improve and resolve problems l don t allow too much player input all at once remember players of all ages will lose interest if they are on the receiving end of a lecture at half-time keep your comments concise and try to allow players the opportunity to express what they feel has gone well or poorly the fewer rules a coach has the fewer rules there are for players to break john madden american soccer coach and commentator

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 9 run your team on the right fuel nutrition and diet is an area you can improve on and as coaches we are in a strong position to influence players to become healthier in simple terms what we eat and drink provides the fuel for us to train play and recover from training what we need to know is what is the best fuel baked potatoes and sandwiches are good whole meals with fillings which avoid too much fat making an even healthier option so cut down on the butter cheese and mayonnaise and use baked beans lean meats and low fat cheeses carbo education for the benefit of the players carbohydrates are recognised to have the most immediate affect on the players performance so educate your team to eat better to operate better an appreciation of the benefits will help them choose better options keep the balance a diet cannot consist of carbohydrates alone but also requires protein fat and water it is worth asking players what they are eating and drinking if only to help them make their own more informed decisions facts box on average carbohydrates makes up at least half of a player s total energy intake in soccer the intensity of the sport means that carbohydrates are the primary energy source all milk has the same carbohydrate content but differs in fat content therefore soccer players would do better to drink semi skimmed or skimmed milk rather than full fat there is little evidence to suggest any difference in performance on whether a player should eat complex carbohydrates such as pasta or potatoes over simple carbohydrates such as sweets and fruit on matchdays low fat carbs for low fat players despite the horrors outlined by some trendy diets there are many staple foods which provide excellent sources of carbohydrates e.g potatoes and pasta the key though is to avoid high carb foods with high fat content this will mean that high consumption will also lead to weight gain for example crisps and pizza are two hazards to be avoided what s good to eat some good low fat high carb foods are rice popcorn breakfast cereals fruit toast and honey potatoes pasta some treats as well sweets e.g fruit gums chocolate and even coca cola though this drink is not a substitute for water don t let anyone steal our dreams michael jordan

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10 proven tips for a more successful soccer season 10 30 minute warm-up sometimes due to poor directions or traffic or just plain bad timing teams stagger onto the pitch just before the whistle blows and boy does it tell within a few minutes of kick-off because your team wasn t ready to play physically or mentally you re on the back foot the coaches are cross and shouting and you re picking the ball out the back of the net just as the last boot lace is being tied encourage punctuality by preparing a routine and making sure that every player and parent understands its purpose if a player is late he doesn t start the match match day information should include a time for warm-up so parents know what time to arrive make sure directions are correct and include parking arrangements a routine that takes 20 30 minutes should be adequate teams playing at an unfamiliar field should allow extra time for traffic and vague directions 20 minutes get your captain to lead dynamic stretching all at an easy jog pace jog jog backwards shuffle side-toside to the left and then to the right hit outstretched hands with knees kick open hands behind your back with your heels bend down touch the ground with left hand then right hand then both hands 15 minutes everyone get a drink of water introduce calm static stretching sort out the starting line-up don t change it if players show up a few minutes before kick-off even if they are the best ones make a mental note to bring them on during the half give encouragement to your keeper backs midfielders and strikers try to keep your remarks to under two minutes 10 minutes step up a gear get the team into game mode organise shooting practice with the players lined up outside the penalty area serve the ball to the first in the line the player should control then shoot limit the shooting distance and number of touches before the shot according to age and skill encourage low shots on target put away rebounds parents can help collect missed shots or kids have to chase their own high and wide ones keep the line moving 5 minutes captain to the fore captains are called out for the coin toss when they return bring the team together for a very brief pep talk a big cheer and starters take their positions on the field now you re ready to kick-off get out there and have fun the countdown 30 minutes make sure the players are properly dressed ­ shinguards boot laces tied an extra layer or two in cold weather and so on 25 minutes loosen up as players arrive take the time to have a word with each of them is your ankle still sore going to add to your goal tally today did you enjoy the match last week talk to your keeper about how well he is playing take the team to an area where they can pass a ball around in groups of threes get them working on one twos and dribble and turn keep them moving get them to focus on what they are here for to play soccer overcoaching is the worst thing you can do to a player dean smith us basketball coach and coaching hall of fame member

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