Coaches - Part Duex

My son's coach last year would come over to the parents after each game. Break the game down a little. What we did right, what we did wrong, etc. This year's coach doesn't say shit. Just walks off, win, lose, whatever. But they are way different in practice. This year's coach is more player focused. Pulls them aside and coaches them up individually. Last year the coach was more team oriented. I don't know which is right. I just try to gauge how my son is responding and learning.

 

Depends on how old your child is. What we are looking for in a coach now is totally different to what we were looking for when she was U12.

 

What Volk says above about coaches who can talk to you/help your child with something that's specific to them does seem rare, even among the coaches I've really liked (including one who ran summer sessions for just three or four players at a time, and did that really well, but seemed lost on the "so what does mine need to work on?" sort of question). And I've found something to like about virtually all of the coaches my now-U13 son has had -- even me fumbling around coaching his rec teams at U6, 7, 8 and 9.

Qualities I've appreciated:
-- Remaining upbeat with a group that's struggling as a team, particularly at younger ages. It's OK to demand a bit of focus and the like, but if they're not having fun, most won't stick around.
-- Coming at this as the parent of only what I've seen in the years up to u13, focus on ball skills, comfort on the ball, movement off the ball, and keeping kids moving in practice with lots of small-sided games, ... I don't see this much in club soccer, but kids standing in lines waiting their turn or listening to six or seven minutes of explanation just equals boredom.
-- Willingness to engage parents, explain what's behind the things being worked on in practice and games, and answer parents' questions. My son's first club coach, who was very experienced and generally considered good with younger kids, was horrified if any parent other than the parent rep tried to talk to him, and was very good at cutting those attempted conversations short and running away. Perhaps he'd had too many parents chewing on him about playing time or why their kids weren't the offensive star of the team or whatever. Communication to parents as a group was also minimal. But that team really struggled, most of the kids and families were new to the club, and a little explaining -- on the front end and as time passed -- that the team wasn't going out with the goal of winning in mind (as opposed to development) would have helped.
-- At U11 and 12, my son's team had a coach who brought enthusiasm, coaching ability, his own strong playing background and a unique ability to sort of be their buddy -- kind of like a fun older brother -- while still getting them to focus, play hard, ... At that age, it worked really well. Those kids really grew as players and as a team (this was an A team of mostly pretty competitive, soccer-focused kids -- I don't think his approach would have worked as well with the less-focused, less sports-minded B or C teams at the same age group).
-- Now, at u13, they have a coach who is anything but their buddy. He's demanding, expects them to work and get better, isn't shy about barking at them if they aren't living up those standards, and has pretty serious coaching chops himself. For this group, this transition from the one coach to a very different coach has been ideal. And my son has gone in a couple of months from "Soccer may not be not fun any more" to "I really like this guy -- he's serious about this."
-- The ability to see some of what my son in particular needs and act on it and, when it fits, talk to him and/or me about it. That, as I said at the start, has been rare. But the coaches who at least are willing to field the occasional question along these lines are appreciated.
-- Love of the game. Most of my son's coaches have had it, and it shows. But I do see a few coaches for whom coaching is clearly just a few extra bucks in their pocket. Sure, they played and they can knock a ball around. But they don't have any particular feeling for soccer, meaning there's no transfer of passion for this sport or reinforcement of what the kids feel on their own.
-- Appreciation for some of the larger lessons you can teach kids in the way to act and decisions you make. I think I mentioned it elsewhere on BigSoccer at some point, but my son's Super Y team was playing one of the bigger-name Chicago clubs last summer and was called for a foul that probably wasn't a foul (I didn't see it well enough to say for sure, but other parents said it wasn't) in the box. The other club's coach had his player tap the PK to my son's team's keeper, agreeing that it was a bad call. I thanked him after the game, and like to think it made some kind of impression on my son and other kids on the field.

 

This. And I'd even go on to say that what makes a good coach for one child/team is different than what makes a good coach for another child/team.

Overall, I'd say a good coach is invested in the kids he (or she) trains. One that has the kids' best soccer interests at heart and is really working to ensure each player leaves the year a better soccer player than they arrived.

Communication with parents is great. I think it alleviates a lot of problems. In my opinion, it should come at an inverse ratio with the child's age, so the younger the player, the more communication with the parents. Once they start playing 11 v 11, I think the communication can be primarily with the kids.

 

From U6-U12 find a separate good development academy or small group private training that focuses on skills (first touch, passing, dribbling, shooting, 1v1s). The actual team that your child plays on (and coach) doesn't really matter as long as it's fun and everyone is committed.

U13-U15 are such important development years don't waste time in a bad situation. Do your homework and find a professional, committed, passionate, knowledgeable coach and a good team that plays at a very good level - even if it means travelling. Get it right when they are young because I can tell you that if your child is fully committed they will absolutely love playing from U16 at a high level with other quality players and you will enjoy watching them play!

 

I should also add - be realistic about your child's ability and soccer goals. I have one child who is very, very technical, lives and breathes soccer, but is a bit lazy, can't handle pressure and didn't want to play at a high level. Therefore, the team was more important to us as he got older because he wanted to play in a welcoming team with smart players who understood the game. He's now 18 and plays in a social adult league with some ex pros and semi-pros and he loves it.

 

You're probably right. However, my daughter started playing rec soccer at U7 on a boys team and half of them were already very skilled and disciplined. They must have gone to some academy for extra training at U6.

 

Telling 12 year-olds they're no good doesn't sound like "tough love" to me. Sounds like being a d!ck.

 

Your right telling a player they are bad is terrible coaching.

You see they can’t do something take notes on what they can’t do. Say nothing then in future practices work on it. I take notes because my memory is not that good and I can forget.

See something you like praise them, and mean it. They will know if your faking it.

 

Okay, conscious that I have my own biases and will, more than likely, paint the picture of someone who coaches like I do ...

I actually think the set up is just as important as the individual coach (if not more so). I would also expect a coach to be willing and able to answer certain questions from me.

If I had my time again, was not going to coach and was looking for a team for my 6 year old son; I would look for:

1. A club that keeps a coach with a group of players for at least 2-3 years (open) 1. A club that keeps a coach with a group of players for at least 2-3 years (close)

Here it is common that a coach will see a team through every age group. I have taken my team from u7 to u17 and will stay with them until after u19 when they leave youth football.

This is not to say though that the same coach is always a good idea. I would rather have someone who said "I am better with young kids, Joe is better for them after age 12 and he will take them then". The club should know what the plan is and be willing to change the coach if it does not work out.

This is important as it takes at least a season to understand the kids as players and people.

My club is looking to form an Academy which trains 4-7 year olds in one set up before passing them on to an age group coach who will take them from u8 onwards.

2. A team with more than one coach and a suitable 'span of control'. (open) 2. A team with more than one coach and a suitable 'span of control'. (close)

For me the ideal is 3. A head coach, an assistant coach and a Manager/Admin/Welfare rep.

My assistant is a better player and more technical coach than me. I am the man management guy. My daughter takes the Mick out of my inspirational speeches at home and one half time talk made it onto social media for a bit. I defer to him for some things and we act as a foil to each other and parents know they can talk to either of us.

I believe a coach should have no more than 6-8 young players in a session so under the age of about 14 or 15 when team wide tactics become more important would be wary of any club which believes it can run a session without a 6:1 ratio of players to coaches.

3. A coach who is clear on what they are trying to achieve. (open) 3. A coach who is clear on what they are trying to achieve. (close)

A coach should have a meeting with players and parents at the start of the season and set out, as a minimum:

1. What the selection policy will be - equal playing time? Fair playing time? Competitive selection? If competitive selection, what are the criteria?

2. How positions will work - at young ages (younger than 13) I would expect positions to be rotated all the time. Specialisation below this age would be a warning sign to me although it may not be to others.

3. How will they measure improvement - which areas does he talk about? If skill moves, juggling and scissors are mentioned once I would walk. If pressed, does he think 1v1 is about skill moves? If so, I'd walk. Not to say they don't have a place on the curriculum or in sessions but they are not good indicators of progress as a footballer in my opinion.

4. Is there a playing record target? i.e. is it wins or development which matter? Answering 'both' is a cop out in many ways for the youngest age groups. I would then ask "Play good football and lose or play poor/average football and win?"

5. Then the killer question "What is good football?" The answer to that is very age dependant and it would tell me if he is suitable for coaching the age group in question.

4. A coach who is organised. (open) 4. A coach who is organised. (close)

Is training clearly divided into Warm up - Session - Warm down? Can you see which is which i.e. can you judge when to start packing up based on seeing the warm down start?

Does training finish on time more often than not? One that runs over all the time is a sign of one of two things 1. a session which the kids love so much they won't move on 2. A poorly planned session (I know which is more likely)

For the session part, do the drills, small sided games etc all stitch together? Can you see what area(s) the coach was trying to work on and how that ties in with previous sessions and recent game performances? Does what they say in the wrap up tie in with what you saw? i.e. did they confirm what they were working on and how it all fitted together to the players? Does it tie in with what they said they were going to work on?

This should be especially clear in a trial environment, you should be able to see what they are assessing and when in the trial sessions. If they're not assessing the full range of receiving the ball, controlling the ball, moving with the ball, passing and shooting I would walk.

5. A coach who changes the session to adapt. (open) 5. A coach who changes the session to adapt. (close)

We have all put together killer session plans for it all to go to rats**t because of the weather, the kids don't get it, it's too hard, it's too easy.

Can the coach spot this and adapt the small sided game/drill in response or do they keep flogging a dead horse, getting more and more exasperated with those who struggle or unable to add progression/difficulty for those who find it easy without changing it completely?

6. A coach who says very little from the sideline during a game. (open) 6. A coach who says very little from the sideline during a game. (close)

Even at the younger ages a good coach will realise his opportunity to influence the game really ended when the players crossed the white line.

Congratulations and encouragement limited to the likes of "good pass Fred", "Unlucky Joe, maybe next time" should be regular. A very good sign is someone who will congratulate a member of the opposition on a good pass, goal or goalkeeper save - hard to do sometimes but a sign you are there to appreciate any good football and does not need to be at the expense of your own team.

Discreetly attracting the attention of a player to get a single constructive message across like "you need to stay closer to their striker" or "pull out wide" is okay.

Yelling and screaming while someone is on the ball, threatening that people will come off if they don't pull their finger out etc etc is the sign of someone who has either not prepared their team properly or thinks he's coaching the EPL and not 9 year olds

The last one is really only for the older age groups 13/14 and over

7. A coach who has a style of play. (open) 7. A coach who has a style of play. (close)

Do they want players to attack down the wings or go route one? Do the players know what to do at a throw in? Do they look to you, as someone who watches all the time, look like they are doing the same thing most of the time? Do you know what they should be doing in the coach's opinion?

At u15 and above there should be clear team tactics, formations, movement patterns, set plays, use of the thirds of the pitch etc etc The team should use a mix of them in different games depending on the opposition. the coach should not have to yell detailed instructions and will probably give them to the player nearest to them to pass on

I am sure there will be others I can think of but notice I have not mentioned whether they are paid or a parent volunteer. I don't think that matters, well, I don't think paying someone makes them a better coach.

Have also not mentioned qualifications and licences. I would want to see at least a Level 1 in the UK of course but a UEFA licence means nothing for the vast majority of youth coaches. The professional (EPL etc) Academies will need them but the majority of coaches connected to youth teams do not need them.