coaching tips

[lilone9]

I am a 17 year old and have just started coaching a U11 girls recreational team. My high school coach needed someone to coach this team so I volunteered right away. I thought that I would get some help but it turns out that I am the head coach of 14 girls that i don't even know well enough yet. I don't know what to do during practice and what to say during the games.
I could use some help and pointers of what to do in the hour of practice that we have (only once a week) and perhaps some warm up drills before games.
Please give any suggestions that you have. Thank you!

[DUTCHVIZ]

Hello lilone9,
If you go to www.bettersoccermorefun.com you'll find some quick games that you can build on during the season. Just relax, don't expect too much from yourself or the girls and remember, you're learning too. Check the links page for more info.

If you're interested in more coaching opportunities go to www.cnsfund.org.

Good luck

[hamrwolf]

Hey,
Don't worry to much it just takes time. I just started coachin in a youth league this year to. I try to go by what I did when I played soccer, and now I am here to try to find more stuff. If nothing else just teach them the basics of soccer. That can be the most important thing u can do. Good luck.

[gwebster]

Try to make it fun! Here's one suggestion--kids at this age really need to develop their footskills--why not start every practice using "thousand touches" type drills as a warm up. Let the kids do them to music. Bring a boom box, and let a different kid bring the music each week.

Here's one link for foot skill drills; with a little googling you'll find lots more:

http://www.strongsoccer.com/Kingdrills/15minipractice.htm#inbtwns

Have fun!

[acmilan_barcelona]

[img']http://www.edmontonrovers.co.uk/images/Apicella.jpg[/img'].

[acmilan_barcelona]

[img]www.world-cup-info.com/ photos/94_2.jpg[/img']

[acmilan_barcelona]

[img']www.world-cup-info.com/ photos/94_2.jpg[/img']

[usscouse]

www.world-cup-info.com/ photos/94_2.jpg
............ :confused:

[usscouse]

http://www.edmontonrovers.co.uk/images/Apicella.jpg.how's this?

[Ray Luca]

I would like to know the reason why you volunteered to coach them?

Evidently you are a player. Since you have no past as a coach what you know about coaching has come from watching your coaches.

If you are a player you know in the game you have to think a head before you touch the ball. Use that in your life I did and it has helped me through my whole life I am in my late 50's now.

So let's start with that, thinking a head. You need an older women to assist you when coaching these young girls. Don't put yourself in a position where you can have any kind of problem like being accused of bad behavior when you are alone with them. So never be alone with a player. Think about it, and fix that because it could be a problem some day my young friend.

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Now since your coaches is your experience as far as coaching goes. Think ahead work on basic skills. If what your coaches did well and you liked use that. What you think your coaches did wrong discard that.

I assume you love the game I hope so. First and always show and express your love of game out loud to your players. Teach them to love the game more then having to win the game. So pass on youir love of game to your players. Besides skills and simple tactics give them a love of the game so they don't quit the game later on.

Give their parents that love of game that they see you have. So they will bring their kids to practice instead of going to grandma when a conflict of interest happens.

Teach the parents what good soccer is by positive comments to your players when they do things well. If they make a mistake take notes and don't say the mistakes out loud. Think of saying the positive thing they do out loud. If they play bad soccer try to hold it in for a while.

Then later work on those mistakes with them in practice, and tell them why it could have been better. Parent there, let them hear what good soccer is about as well. Clearing a ball out on defense is not good soccer but parents think it is. Good soccer on defense is winning the ball and passing to a team mate. So your team can start an attack. So you don't cheer a clearance but don't say it was bad soccer either in a game. Say nothing and take notes.

No yelling to get your point across when doing games. To late to do a lot of coaching in games. Coach on the practice field and be careful what you say when doing it. At that age 1 practice a week for an hour isn't enough. It is enough with a 6 yr old who have a short attention span. BUT, those are the cards you were delt so you have to accept it.

Get on a coaching site put your questions on it. That hopefully people with answer. You can use what makes sense to you and you can discard things that do not make sense to you.

Find a youth club team within your age and gender you are coaching and watch their coach in games and their team. Talk to the coach after the game if you like what you saw. Then ask the coach if you can watch them train their team at their practice so you can learn from watching them.

Then again if what they coach makes sense use it and if it does not discard it.

The first touch the player makes is the big touch. To make it they have to see the field first before they make that touch. They will lose the ball a lot less if they do. Because they will put that first touch into free space and they can go from that touch. Wait to see the field as they touch your facing presure now and can lose the ball.

The more touches your team gets in practice the better. So every player should have a ball at practice. If they forget to bring a ball use 2 on a ball.

I hope this helped you. Your not there to upset your players. You there to help them learn and have fun. You should have fun doing it and make it a good experience for the players and the parents.

Good luck