Need some advice for coaching a U7 team

[yimmy]

There was a shortage of coaches so I volunteered to help coach my kid's AYSO U7 team this season.

I noticed we were conceding quite a few goals because some of the kids would just stand by and watch the ball go into the goal, instead of trying to run up and kick it away.

In the beginning I thought that the kids are too young to understand what I was asking them to do but I recently realized that they DO understand what I'm asking but are simply too timid or afraid to challenge for the ball for fear of getting hurt.

How can I build up their confidence and make them less afraid? Any ideas?

[DwayneBarry]

How can I build up their confidence and make them less afraid? Any ideas?

Play 1v1 or 2v2 games at practice where you group the least aggressive kids together, that way they are "forced" to play and will not be intimidated by the bigger and/or more aggressive kids.

[superdave]

I play a game called "pirate." You set up a square (we use 8 yards by 8 yards), give one kid the ball, and another kid has to take it away. They have to stay in the square. The ball is the treasure, the defender is the pirate trying to take the treasure. It's a good game because you can have several of them going on at the same time, limiting "line time."

Since they're U7, their favorite food is probably either pizza or mac'n'cheese. So I'm always saying stuff like, that's the last piece of pizza, who wants it! I don't know if that helps, but it makes everyone giggle.

And it's a good idea to mostly pair your weaker athletes/less aggressive kids with one another. They aren't going to improve if they're over their head, if there's a big mismatch.

Another game I play goes like this. Half the kids have pinnies, half don't. A player from the yellow team gets the ball ~20 yards from goal, a player from the white team is defending ~6 yards from goal. I count "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi" up to 5. Then I send another yellow player into the offense (if no goal has been scored.) Then 5 seconds later, send a 2nd defender. Etc.

The girls like the drill. And it forces the defender to cover alot of space, to aggressively go after the ball. Concomitantly, the 2nd attacker is learning not to run at the ball, but to run to the open space. And the 2nd defender is learning also that the best way to help a teammate defend is to spread out.

[topspot]

I've split the team into two lines--on goal line just outside the goal facing field. I'm in goal with a bunch of balls and roll a 50-50 ball a few yards in front of me. As soon as I release it, first two players in line go after the ball. Whoever wins it is the attacker and the other is the defender. Attacker has a short time to score. I really try to cycle through them fast. Like others have said, I try to pair most aggressive kids with other agressive kids and least aggresive kids with other less aggressive kids.

[striker2019]

I think the other posters have all made good points. The idea of calling the ball 'treasure' or 'pizza' and the like is really appealing to kids of this age. Try to make everything into a sort of imaginary situation. So they aren't shooting at a goal, they're shooting a cannonball at a pirate ship or the like. They'll be really engaged. At this age comfort with the ball and athletic development are key. So telling the kids that they're race cars and they have to race through a cone maze while dribbling the ball will work. Any type of athletic movements like hopping, jumping, tumbling, etc. is useful to make them more aware of their body. Again you can make them pretend they're an animal and they have to act that animal out, like hop like a kangaroo while keeping away from someone trying to tag them.

A good game I've used before at this age is to break the kids into 2 teams about 20-30 yards apart from each other with a bunch of cones scattered randomly in the middle of where the two teams are facing. They have to go and dribble around a cone, then pick up the cone and take it back to their starting point. The team that collects the most cones is the winner. Gets kids more comfortable with the ball while there is some traffic around and they have to coordinate their body turning around the cone while keeping the ball close to them. These ideas may not specificallly help your players become more confident 1v1, but combine with the other poster's ideas and you start to develop players more comfortable with the ball in possession and better athletes. In turn they'll become better, more confident players.

[ranova]

...I noticed we were conceding quite a few goals because some of the kids would just stand by and watch the ball go into the goal, instead of trying to run up and kick it away. In the beginning I thought that the kids are too young to understand what I was asking them to do but I recently realized that they DO understand what I'm asking but are simply too timid or afraid to challenge for the ball for fear of getting hurt....

Couple of suggestions. I am not so sure that the kids understood what you meant, but I don't doubt that some of the kids are relatively timid. That is normal in any group. Don't try to tell the kids what to do in specific tactical situations. Demonstrate options in practice yes, but let the kids make their own decisions. Mistakes are part of the learning process. It is much easier for them to learn by doing and by watching others. Remember at this age you are primarily trying to develop ball skills, while having fun at the same time. Its motor skills. What tactics they need, they can learn through trial and error. Use positive reinforcement, not negative criticism. Especially do not criticize poor execution. You want to create a climate where there is no fear of failure. You get much more mileage out of positive comments about good play, then a verbal explanation of what is good play. Sometimes you have to wait awhile to make a comment, but don't miss an opportunity to praise. Make it a point to find something to praise each kid for. Design your practice activities so that its easy to succeed. Then gradually add challenges tailored for the player. Design your practices so that the kids progress from using a skill individually, to using it in small groups, to using it in game-like conditions. The last step is important for the kids to understand how to apply what they learn in practice to Saturday's match.

[superdave]

Use positive reinforcement, not negative criticism. Especially do not criticize poor execution. You want to create a climate where there is no fear of failure.
If Player X does something the wrong way, praise Player Y when he does it the right way. Also, try to spread around the praise. If one of your weaker player does something the right way, use him as your positive example, rather than praising your best player for the 10th time.

[Twenty26Six]

If Player X does something the wrong way, praise Player Y when he does it the right way. Also, try to spread around the praise. If one of your weaker player does something the right way, use him as your positive example, rather than praising your best player for the 10th time.

Repped.

+ Praise Effort. Always, always, always praise effort. :)

[DwayneBarry]

Repped.

+ Praise Effort. Always, always, always praise effort. :)

Not to mention kids simply learn more effectively from positive reinforcement than they do from negative reinforcement.

[Twenty26Six]

Not to mention kids simply learn more effectively from positive reinforcement than they do from negative reinforcement.

"Catch them being good" - DiCicco

[Monkey Boy]

I have noticed a very interesting consistent theme when it comes to my timid players, they rely too heavily on the stronger/more aggressive players.

For awhile I was trying to do my best at keeping the quality of the players on the field even, match weak players with strong ones during games. But that doesn't always work with certain players missing, etc. So you end up with a group of all more timid players sometimes. It always amazing me when one of the players in that group just realizes that he/she has to do something to stop the other team or no one else will. It ends up being a break-through moment for that timid player and they come out of shell.

So now I try to set-up situations that group the more timid players together and see who steps up out of the group. This can be difficult sometimes, as it is right now with my group of U6 players. All of them except for one have come along with being aggressive and trying hard. It's good, but I keep struggling to figure out how to get that one out of his shell. We were making some progress, mostly with the Shark Attack game and him being the shark, but I've had to cancel practice the past couple of weeks due to weather.

Anyway, hang in there. Be patient and stay positive! It can take you weeks or longer to make up for the sting of one negative/sarcastic comment with timid kids at this age. On the flip side, being overly positive about everything they do well really makes a good difference. After every game I bring all of the players together and go around to each of them to let them know some of the good things they did today. It's a great way to build up their confidence, which is what they need.

[DwayneBarry]

For awhile I was trying to do my best at keeping the quality of the players on the field even, match weak players with strong ones during games. But that doesn't always work with certain players missing, etc. So you end up with a group of all more timid players sometimes. It always amazing me when one of the players in that group just realizes that he/she has to do something to stop the other team or no one else will. It ends up being a break-through moment for that timid player and they come out of shell.

Stumbled on this "truth" this season but for a different reason. We've been killing teams, all but one game has been 15+ goals to 0 or 1, because we have 3 mature kids who are aggressive and can dribble and shoot. So I'm often in the boat of trying to minimize the destruction (e.g. always keep 1 of the good ones in the goal). I would generally try to only have 1 of the good ones out on the field but by chance ended up with none of them out there and lo and behold the others got in there and were much more engaged. So now if I can, I group the better players together and keep them on/off the field together.

[superdave]

I have noticed a very interesting consistent theme when it comes to my timid players, they rely too heavily on the stronger/more aggressive players.

For awhile I was trying to do my best at keeping the quality of the players on the field even, match weak players with strong ones during games. But that doesn't always work with certain players missing, etc. So you end up with a group of all more timid players sometimes. It always amazing me when one of the players in that group just realizes that he/she has to do something to stop the other team or no one else will. It ends up being a break-through moment for that timid player and they come out of shell.
I have an odd team. I have 4 pretty good players...none great, just real, real solid. I've got these two twins and another girl who are pretty poor. Only 1 kid who is average.

Anyway, my habit has been to play 2 strong players and 2 weak/1 weak, 1 average player at all times. On Saturday, because my team was just awful, horrible the first half (we were playing a pretty bad team) I went with 1 strong, 1 average, 2 weak players to start the 2nd half. To shake things up. And one weak player, who to that point had been conspicuously clueless, played like her hair was on fire! Scored her first goal (in our 8th game), made an "assist" on another, and just in general was a terror. Her vs. 3 of the opponents was about an equal matchup! And as she "got it" I just saw her light up. It was one of the best moments of the season for me. And I kept feeding that..."Keep going Olivia, I think they're scared of you."

So, yeah, this is good advice. Early in the year, before I was really sure who was good and who wasn't, I got caught with a poor group on the field in one section of the game, and they got overwhelmed. And discouraged. I definitely overreacted to that. Next season, I'll definitely mix it up more. Usually play a balanced group, but sometimes go with more of my strong or weak players together.

[Monkey Boy]

It was one of the best moments of the season for me. And I kept feeding that..."Keep going Olivia, I think they're scared of you."

So, yeah, this is good advice. Early in the year, before I was really sure who was good and who wasn't, I got caught with a poor group on the field in one section of the game, and they got overwhelmed. And discouraged. I definitely overreacted to that. Next season, I'll definitely mix it up more. Usually play a balanced group, but sometimes go with more of my strong or weak players together.

These are the best moments at this age IMHO. When that one player who was just lost out there suddenly gets it! I was talking to my team back in spring and giving them the simple instruction of just go to the ball and then try to dribble toward the goal. One of the kids suddenly looked at me with a light-bulb expression, "Oh, you mean like we do in practice?" Of course I said yes and he was on fire the rest of the season.

Of course as you mentioned, you need to be careful with grouping to not overwhelm the players. We played against an older team earlier this season and one of my kids who was really getting it ended up regressing -- stopped dribbling and started just kicking the ball away or stopping to look who he could pass it to. His confidence in his own abilities were shaken and it's taken 3 more games to really start to get it back. He's getting close though after this last game.