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Six things parents should say

A lot of soccer parents with good intentions give a 30 minute lecture, covering all the players supposed deficiencies and giving playing advice, in the car on the way to each match. The kids arrive far off their optimal mental state, and dreading the critique they are likely to hear, whether they want it or not, on the way home. Kids who are massaged in this way tend not to play badly, they just tend to not play, possibly to avoid making mistakes.

The easiest way to detect this problem is just to ask the player if it is a problem. Kids are more than willing to share this grief. The easiest way to correct this problem is to speak to the parents, as a group, about your expectations, and to cover this as a routine problem. Many of the parents will recognize themselves if you can present this problem with humour and illustrate the importance of the kids having fun and arriving in a good state of mind.

For best results, parents should memorize and use the following:

Before the match

I love you
Good luck
Have fun

After the match

I love you
It was great to see you play
What would you like to eat?

Positions and team formations in youth soccer

When children start playing soccer at younger ages (U-6 and U-8), the emphasis should be on small-sided soccer. At these ages, teams should use a 3 v 3 or 4 v 4 without goalkeepers. They will eventually move to a 5 v 5 with a goalkeeper when they get to U-7 or U-8. The small-sided game maximizes the number of touches each player gets, and also gives them an opportunity to understand the basic concepts of the game. For a discussion of how to use small-sided soccer in your coaching sessions, visit this link.

At these beginning levels, the players are just beginning to learn how and when to pass the ball, and you may have begun to introduce the concept of positions (for example, in 5 v 5 you may designate one or two players at a time to be “defenders,” or, to be certain that they get back on defense every time).

At some point, the number of players on the field expands, and the size of the field expands. Now, there is a need to assign positions to the players and to be certain that there are players who defend and players who advance in an effort to score. You may play 7 v 7 or 8 v 8 (including a goalkeeper) and it is often difficult to decide on a proper formation. For example, in 7 v 7 you may play a 3-3 or a 2-2-2 or a 1-2-1-2 or a 1-2-2-1. A 3-3 means 3 defenders and 3 forwards. A 2-2-2 involves two defenders, two midfielders, and two forwards. A 1-2-1-2 generally means a sweeper back defender, two wing defenders in front of the sweeper, a centre midfielder, and two forwards. A 1-2-2-1 generally means a sweeper back defender, two wing defenders in front of the sweeper, two midfielders in front of the defenders, and a centre forward.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all of these formations. For example, a 3-3 may give you a solid defence and a solid offence, but there is the risk of large gaps between the forwards and the defenders. This makes it difficult for the defenders to get the ball to the forwards, and leads to a situation in which three of your players are playing and the other three are watching and waiting. For example, either the forwards are working together in your offensive end to try and score while the defenders are standing and watching at midfield; or, the defenders are fighting an attack while the three forwards stand near midfield, waiting for the defenders to get the ball out to them. With a 2-2 the midfielders have to run a great deal. They will either stay close to each other and cover the entire width of the field, or stay just in front of the defenders, or stay just behind the forwards, often getting involved in the offensive third of the field.

Triangles tend to be an important shape in soccer. The players can form triangles in the 2-2-2 by staggering the lines as play occurs, but the formation can still lead to the players remaining in two straight lines. The 1-2-2-1 and 1-2-1-2 create the triangle relationships from the get-go, but can leave gaps in the field or can result in a single player covering the entire width of the field at his or her position. The 2-2-2, 1-2-2-1, and 1-2-1-2 formations will all present challenges for the coach seeking to have his or her players use the full width of the field.

Whatever formation you decide upon, as a coach you will then need to communicate the concepts behind the positions to your players. Some players learn on the field. Others learn by looking at a diagram. Others learn well from reading and re-reading a textual description of their responsibilities.

To help you, we have prepared a basic summary of the general responsibilities of defenders, midfielders, and forwards. These descriptions track the concept of a 2-2-2 formation in a 7 v 7 game. Before you use them, you need to tailor them to your particular coaching approach, philosophy, and formation. For example, if you decide on three midfielders instead of two, the responsibilities of the centre midfielder may differ from the responsibilities for the outside midfielders. You may want your centre midfielder to be aggressive on offence or you may prefer him or her to drop back on defence or to mark the other team’s best forward or midfielder on defence. You probably want the wing midfielders, not the centre midfielder, to take throw-ins. You may want your wing defenders to take all throw-ins. You may want your centre midfielder or a wing midfielder closest to the corner to take corner kicks. There are many variations.

Still, we thought it might be helpful to set out the position responsibilities in writing, to allow the players to read and reread their responsibilities, to allow their parents to read something that explains whet their child should be doing on the field, and to focus your thinking about what you want your players to be doing.

Feel free to use these pages as you see fit, and to edit them and change them to make them consistent with your approach. You may want to prepare a separate description for the left midfielder and the right midfielder. The same may be true for the right and left forward or right and left defender. Your goalkeeper may take all goal kicks, and so on.

A players’ code of conduct

the U9 version – by Chris White

Players should:

Play according to the rules and never argue with the referee or your coach. They are there to help and they can make mistakes, just like you.
Always train and play to the best of your ability, and encourage others to do the same.
Don’t lose your temper or get upset. Rudeness, bad temper and sulking spoils everyone’s fun. If you have a problem, tell your coach.
Respect the opposition. Treat other teams as new friends, you’ll be playing them again one day!
Look and act like a footballer. That means turning up for training and games on time, looking smart and in the right gear.
Don’t forget your water bottle!
Wear the right sort of shoes – trainers on hard surfaces, studded boots on grass.
Always wear your shinguards.
Clean your own boots and trainers!
Enjoy every game whether you win or lose!

Planning age appropriate soccer practices

Youth soccer coaches need to bear in mind the physical and mental age of their players when planning their training sessions.

This might seem like stating the obvious but many coaches experience discipline problems simply because their plans are too ambitious or too easy for their players.

Also, some coaches expect their players to master skills or techniques that they are simply not capable of at their age. For example, children up to the age of about ten may lack the physical ability to lock their ankle; a skill that is necessary to accurately strike a ball. There’s not much point, then, to get frustrated with an eight year old who can’t hoof the ball from one end of the pitch to the other!

Coaches whose players are aged up to six or seven years old should also bear in mind that young children are very egocentric; they see the world only from their perspective. As a result, they are not going to want to pass the ball to their team-mates. They’re worried they might never get it back! So don’t be surprised that it’s difficult to get six year olds to stop swarming round the ball. Also, young children lack the ability to “look ahead” and see what is about to happen. This is a limiting factor that coaches need to bear in mind when teaching how to attack the ball at corner kicks, for example.

So….when designing practices coaches need to take into consideration the age characteristics of their players. Activities should be picked that fit the developmental needs of the children, rather than trying to make the children participate in activities that are developmentally inappropriate for them.

What are developmentally appropriate exercises?

When picking activities always remember what the game of soccer is like – players are moving around constantly. Because everyone is moving the environment is constantly changing which requires players to be constantly making decisions. It is because of this that practice games are more effective than ‘drills’ at teaching kids how to play soccer, even when dealing with techniques like how to pass the ball.

Many coaches choose to do drills that involve players standing in lines waiting to have a turn. This type of drill is not ‘soccer-like’. No child should be encouraged to stand in a line and wait a turn. There are plenty of ‘soccer-like’ practice games that can be used to teach any technique or tactical concept.

Finally….

Enjoyment is the unifying motive. Some children don’t want to learn. Some don’t care about winning. A few have no interest in hard work and one or two can’t remember which goal they’re attacking. In spite of all of their different agendas they all want to have fun and play a game, that is what brings them there.

They also want to be children. Too often the coach sees them as an extension of his vision and they become puppets to it. The time spent at practice and at the games is a part of their childhood. It should not reflect the adult world. Some adults forget this and their expectations take the fun out of the experience. Take time to consider your coaching style and understand that your expectations and hopes may not be shared by the children you’re coaching.

Management and discipline

There are a number of problems which may occur over the course of a season due to the behaviour of parents or players. These include attendance problems; disruptions/misconduct during practice or games; “overly-helpful” parents; and parents who are chronic gripers. Difficulties in handling these four problems are why most coaches to decide to give up coaching, so it is very important to learn how to deal with them.

Dealing with discipline problems

The first trick in learning to handle players is to establish your authority early. If players do not get the idea that you are the “boss”, and that you will insist that they follow your rules, it will be very difficult to control them. Here are some time-honoured ways to get this message across early.

Tips on Asserting Your Authority

Using “the Voice” and “the Look”

It’s important for players to be able to recognize by your tone of voice and your manner when you intend a no-nonsense directive, or are drawing a boundary which they try to cross at their peril. Yelling does not work. Use a firm voice and a firm look, and DEMAND attention. Make it clear that this is non-negotiable – and your chances that they will listen increase substantially. Watch for their reaction, however. It is easy to scare little ones with a tone of voice which might induce teenagers to slowly think about complying – so adjust to your audience.
The Art of Refocusing Attention

Sometimes a quick, firm word in passing is enough to get things back on track without stopping an ongoing activity. If this doesn’t work, don’t try to yell or frantically run around to get the attention of the players. STOP the group, DEMAND that they all stop talking and look at you, and WAIT until everyone does so before even trying to start with the substance of your remarks. Using “the Voice”, say something like: “Eyes on me. Now.”

If someone starts clowning or chatting in the background after you start trying to talk substance, STOP! Firmly re-demand silence before continuing. Keep doing this until they shut up, even if you spend 20 minutes on a 30 second announcement. Eventually, the other players will start to tell this player to be quiet, because they will get bored standing around. When the disruptive one starts to get negative attention from his peers, the behaviour tends to cease quickly.
Choose Your Battles Wisely

Remember that all young kids misbehave at times. If the child is not normally disruptive or if the disruption is not serious – and is quickly abandoned with a quiet word from you, there is no reason to make a big deal over it.

If you are too stern, and use the proverbial cannon to deal with a small gnat of an offence, this causes two problems. First, the compliant players will start to fear you – and will become so upset by any correction from you that they will tend to freeze up and become afraid to make mistakes for fear of displeasing you (so they won’t learn very well). Secondly, the more spirited or defiant players will figure out that you have already used up all of your ammunition on a trivial offence – so they won’t see any reason why they shouldn’t commit HUGE offences if the punishment is going to be the same anyway. As a result, it is not uncommon to find utter chaos when the coach is not using good judgement on when/how/why/where to punish offences.

How to discipline effectively

When misbehaviour seriously disrupts the activities of the other players (either because it is persistent minor stuff or because of one egregious act), the coach needs to use “the Voice” and “the Look” to stop the behaviour instantly.

It is a good idea to talk in terms of Rules – because players tend to remember Rules better. So, tell them that “Hitting a team-mate is against our Rules”.

Then, get the offender to tell you WHY this is against the rules. Forcing the offender to verbalize why other players might not like to be hit serves two purposes. It shows the other players that this kid knew better AND it causes the offender to suffer some humiliation in front of everyone by admitting that he knew better.

Once the player admits that he knew better, make him apologize. Sure, the apology is likely to be grudging – and delivered under his breath in the general direction of his belly button. But, by forcing him to apologize (and making him go sit out until he does apologize, if he initially refuses) helps to breed good sportsmanship down the line – and helps him to recognize that other players have rights too.

Sometimes, of course, a player may not understand why something is against the Rules. For instance, the little brother of a HS-level player may have seen lots of slide tackles in games, and truly may not understand why you got upset when he took out the ankles of a team-mate with a reckless tackle. In those cases, it is important to explain why you are upset, and to explain what you want in the future.

What if one team-mate started it, and the other finished it? Easy. Make them both apologize, then make the retaliator explain to you how he plans to handle things next time (e.g., come to you; use his words instead of his fists; etc.). However, the instigator should not get off scot-free. Consider giving him an extra “punishment” for starting things. Often, especially with arch-rivals, making the instigator say 5 good things about his adversary is quite effective in healing the wounds all around.
Some Tips on Using “Punishments”

Be careful in using physical activity as punishment. Especially with younger players, learning to associate running or exercise with punishment can cause them to resent that activity when you need them to do this work. Nonetheless, there are times when a quick set of jumping jacks or push-ups may help to refocus the player. As long as these are not onerous (no more than 5-10), the players usually accept the penalty with good humour and no lasting effects. However, if the player is looking for attention and wanting to clown around (or wanting to challenge the coach in some fashion), he will use the penance as an opportunity to have fun at the expense of the coach. As a result, if the coach already knows that he is dealing with a defiant player, the best bet may be to tell the player to go sit out until he can behave.

ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE sanctions is forcing the misbehaving player to sit out during an activity. Giving a time-out can often be very effective. Most players want to be with everyone else – even if they are being disruptive.

Usually, the coach will give the player the option of returning when the player decides to behave. However, if the player is refusing to participate in an activity which he doesn’t like, then the better course is to sit the player out for the remainder of the practice. Otherwise, the coach will send the message to the team that, if you don’t want to do an exercise, just go sit down – and you won’t suffer any penalty. Once the players discover that you don’t get to pick and choose what you do, and you don’t get to scrimmage if you don’t work, the incentives will be reduced to seek a time-out simply to avoid doing work.

Okay, so where should the player be sent to sit out? The ideal spot for a player to sit out is where you (or some responsible adult) can keep them in view, but where they are far enough removed they cannot easily create further distraction for the rest of the group. Where and how far will depend on the player, the setting, and the available supervision. (Don’t let a buddy join them for company; if two players must be sent out, send them to opposite ends of the field).
Sometimes carrots work better!

It’s important to not forget to use carrots as well as sticks. Just as in making corrections, good behaviour should be praised and rewarded to reinforce behaviours you want at practices and games. One of the most effective ways to shape up a whole team that’s half-hearted and distracted about whatever subject is the focus of the day’s activities is to make most players’ favourite part of the practice, THE SCRIMMAGE, contingent on the extent they get with the program. “The sooner we learn to do this, the longer we can scrimmage”.

“Full Moon” Days

Sometimes, your players’ energy and mood simply isn’t a good match for the well- intended practice plan you designed. They’re hopelessly restless, with unbounded energy. If the normally cooperative players are exceptionally wild, and none of the adjustments which you make seem to work, consider simply abandoning the plan for the day – and playing nothing but games (the winners of the last game get to pick the next one). As long as the games are soccer-related, the practice session is probably doing more good than you realize. The kids are getting lots of touches on the ball; team morale is soaring because coach is a good guy (and we got a free day); and coach is able to relax and enjoy watching the players act like a bunch of puppies. Consider it a vacation to recharge the batteries, and just have fun.

In praise of 4v4

How can we improve the game?

Some would have you believe that “Football is a simple game”, Breaking it down to its component parts, it’s an extremely complicated game e.g. in an 11-a-side game one player has the ball, he now has the option to pass it to one of the remaining 10 players or dribble with it himself, if he chooses to pass, what kind of pass? What height? How weight on the pass? To the player, in front, slightly behind or straight on?

Therefore we have to make a single decision from all of the above choices, its complicated even before we factor in the opposition, the space available and position on the pitch. Yet we expect children as young as 6 to make similar choices. Some expect these choices to be correct every single time.

We don’t ask children to write sentences on the first day at school or to read novels when they are just starting, they start at the beginning by writing/reading single letters before moving onto words. Why do we do the exact opposite with kids and football? 5 + 6 year olds playing 7-a-side, 9 year olds playing 11-a-side, it’s too complicated for their young minds to comprehend and hinders their true potential.

Make it simple

By reducing the number of players we also decrease the number of choices an individual player has to make. The options (do I pass? what height? etc) remain the same but there are less of them. Playing 7-a-side decreases the options by 40%, playing 4-a-side decreases the available options by a massive 70% compared to the full adult sized 11 a-side games.

7v7 or 4v4?

4v4 is the simplest form so it follows that if we are to coach the simple things first 4v4 is the way to go from a young age.

In 4–a-side all three principles of play (length, width and depth) are present; any less then elements are missing.

The players are ‘total’ players. They do everything attacking and defending, everything that needs done is done with the four on the pitch. There aren’t strikers or defenders and midfielders simply players. Because the players are playing all positions they become better all-round players and know each position well. They become footballers.

Due to the players playing all the positions they are more involved. They get more touches on the ball and more touches equals better technique. Better technique equals more time on the ball. More time on the ball equals more time to look. They begin to work things out for themselves looking for the answers themselves rather than the coach at the sideline telling them what to do. Kids learn the where, why and when of football.

More kids can be involved, on a full sized pitch 22 take part in 11-a-side and 28 for 7-a-side, depending on age between 32 – 48 kids on one full sized pitch.

Still need convincing?

Separate studies by Manchester and Abertay universities produced some quite similar results there wee more touches, more scoring, more opportunities, more goals and more fun, that’s why we all coach isn’t it?

The Games

4v4 games are easy and fun, just use your imagination. If you want to he team to use width more play the ‘four goal game’ want more dribbling – play the ‘line game’.

How to plan, organise and run a youth soccer coaching session

The training area

Indoor facilities can be useful in the depths of winter when outdoor training is impossible and Astroturf pitches are actually very good for teaching the basics to younger children as the smooth surface encourages them to play with a soft touch knowing that the ball will run true.

Nearly all experienced soccer coaches, however, prefer to hold training sessions outdoors on grass simply because children need to be able to dribble, run and play on a realistic (i.e. bumpy and often muddy) surface.

Preparation

Before the children arrive you should get into the habit of checking the field for hazards. Make sure there is no broken glass around, (especially in public parks) and if you are using goalposts ensure they are securely anchored and not damaged. You should also try to avoid rutted or bumpy areas.

Equipment

A sufficient number of small cones to mark out playing areas;
Some coloured bibs so that you can identify teams;
A ball for every player – if you don’t have enough ask the children to bring their own!
A whistle – essential for gaining attention and to stop/start activities.
A stopwatch – very useful for timing games and tests.
A first aid kit (more on first aid later).
Some spare water – there’s always one child who forgets to bring their own. A big bag to put everything in!!

Last but not least, you must have assistants – never try to run a training session on your own.

Help is essential if your transitions from one activity to the next are to go smoothly but – and more importantly – what will you do if a child is injured when you’re on your own? Who will supervise the others while you administer first aid? And what if the child has to go to hospital – you can’t leave the others on their own!

It is sensible to have an assistant of the opposite sex if you are training mixed sex teams.

Make sure your children know that they must:

Wear suitable clothing and footwear – waterproofs if it’s raining and a warm tracksuit in winter are important if you’re not to end up with twenty or so soaking wet and shivering kids who just want to go home. Trainers can be worn in summer on dry ground but proper football boots are essential in wet or slippery conditions.
Bring a drink.
Wear shinpads.

Be on time! – nothing is more frustrating than to have children turning up five or ten minutes after you’ve started explaining a new activity to the group. Don’t allow it – children who keep turning up late without good reason should be taken to one side and told why their timekeeping must improve and parents should be told that they must try to get their children to the training on time.

Remember….

Utilise the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Short and Simple) when introducing new skills;
Give short, effective demonstrations while briefly explaining the new skill or concept;
Keep coaching sessions short, clear and well-planned;
Be positive – focus on what the player does correctly (“catch them being good”);
Make the sessions meaningful, fun, challenging and exciting,
No static line drills! Play fun, soccer-like games instead.
Don’t play “elimination games” – the players most in need of improvement and repetitions are usually the first to be eliminated;
Don’t play large sided games for more than 10 minutes per hour. In 8 v 8 or 10 v 10 etc, players don’t get enough touches on the ball, the weaker players tend to get the fewest touches and bad habits can be reinforced because players tend to do the same things they have always done. If you do play large sided games, do so without a goalkeeper.
Be organised and above all – have a training plan.

This last point is perhaps the most important of all.

Nothing is more likely to create discipline problems then a coach who fumbles their way through a session with no clear idea of what they’re going to do next.

Spend ten minutes or so before every training session considering exactly what it is you will be trying to achieve.

Have one clear objective (to improve passing technique, training shielding the ball etc.) and think about how you will organise each activity.

Then:

1. Write your objective down on a small piece of paper or a notebook that you can refer to during the training session then

2. Make a note of how you’re going to teach the skill or technique to the children and finally

3. Write down how you are going to warm them up and what equipment you will need.

The teaching part of the training (number 2 in the list above) should normally have three distinct phases:

Individual/Fundamental: Players working individually or in pairs on desired technical or tactical topics. (Your chosen objective may be impossible to instruct in this phase. If this is the case, use this phase to reinforce fundamental technical skills and start coaching your topic when you move to the small and large group phases.) Progress your activities from low to high pressure. Start slowly and gradually increase the speed at which the skills are performed. 1v1 and 2v2 games are ideal in this phase.

Small Group/Match Related: This is the phase of training where coaches need to show the greatest amount of creativity. Here we create competitive games (usually 2v2 to 4v4) that have imposed conditions/restrictions that allow the team to easily learn and experiment with the chosen topic. Players are under increasing pressure when compared to the individual phase. Four vs. four games are the preferred method of teaching in this phase.

Large Group/Match Conditions: Bearing in mind what was said earlier about large sided games, we now let the game be the teacher. You should be aiming to create fun, competitive games, 5v5 up to 11v11. Remember, the smaller the number of players in a game, the more each player gets to touch the ball and practice what they have learned earlier in the session. This is also an opportunity for coaches to watch and evaluate their team’s performance under match like conditions.

Coaches should also be asking themselves, “Are my players using the skills they’ve just been taught?”

Coaching the practice (from BruceBrownlee.com)

When introducing practice, make sure you’ve scaled it to your group. Make sure it is appropriate for the age. U10 boys can not drive balls 40 yards in the air, so crossing attack at U10 should finish on the ground, there will not be any lofted balls to the far post from the opposite touch-line.

Get to action within about 20 seconds. Introduce and start.
Gather team in semi-circle, step back a step, state your topic. Go.
At all costs, avoid taking 10 minutes to set up cones and don bibs.
Don’t share common grid boundaries
Don’t talk every minute of the practice. Let them play.
Look for your coaching points in play, freeze action, make one point.
Keep corrections short. Encourage, correct, encourage, restart.
Keep moving to good positions to observe.
Coach the group doing your topic, not their opponents. For example, in teaching shooting, coach the shooters, not the defenders.
Coach in sequence, first things first. Teach in a progression.
Keep it moving – move on to the next stage when you get success.
Adjust the space or conditions if you are not getting success.
Compliment good play.
Incorporate all the elements in your practice for efficiency.
Show is better than Talk, and Do is better than Show.
Get right into your topic. If it’s 4v4 defending, don’t start 1v1.
Use neutral players when you need to give one side numbers up.

Recognize when to rest. It is better to work for 5 minutes at full intensity than it is to drag on for 25 minutes at low intensity. Matches can’t be played at low intensity, so work towards longer periods of high intensity play.

Relax, smile, and have fun. Your demeanour should say “this is cool”.

Take it to the game. Get to a game at the end to see your topic played.

Stop the game if the players aren’t doing what you want them to do. But don’t stop the game too much – beware of over-coaching and don’t be afraid of letting your children think for themselves.

The golden rules of discipline

Team discipline is crucial to the overall success of any team endeavour. Not only do disciplined teams perform well on the field, but, if teams are able to maintain good discipline both on and off the field, the overall soccer experience is far more positive for all involved; parents, players, coaches and administrators.

In fact, maintaining team discipline is one of the biggest fears or challenges for beginning coaches. Often, coaches are lost or ineffective because they are unable to maintain order and discipline with their team.

Towards the end, I have included several brief suggestions on what I have found to be successful in maintaining good team discipline. Hopefully, you have developed your own “list” of what works for you. If not, let this serve as inspiration to come up with your own system.

1. Plan ahead.

The single most important thing that can help is the coach’s organisation. Here, if it is obvious to the players that practices are conducted in an orderly manner, with clear goals and objectives, they are more likely to treat both the coach and the training time seriously. If practices flow easily from one activity to the other with minimal “down time”, the players are able to stay focused on the task at hand. By making training meaningful and educational, the players will be motivated to pay attention and keep focused.

2. Choose your activities carefully.

There is nothing worse than putting players through “boring” drills that are inappropriate to their playing ability either by being too difficult or too easy. Activities should be fun, challenging and replicate the demands of the game itself. In this way, the players sense that their time is not being wasted. Having activities be competitive motivates them to play their best. Keep the players moving and engaged. Make sure that there are plenty of balls at hand so that taking unnecessary time out to chase the ball does not interrupt a good activity. Even young players will engage themselves in a great game. Remember, your parents will appreciate the fact that their young player comes home and sleeps through the night because they have tired themselves out in healthy, engaging fun activities.

3. Have a clear picture of what appropriate behaviour looks like.

If you know what the players will look like when they are playing the game, you will be able to recognise when they are not playing the game correctly, or not behaving appropriately. This will enable you to step in immediately when inappropriate behaviour is seen. As soon as you notice it, you must deal with it. Having a clear picture in your mind will allow you to be decisive. Then, you should also have a clear picture in your mind of how you are going to deal with the situation. Having players do push ups or run laps as punishment is inappropriate, especially for younger players. Removing them from an activity is more effective. Their primary desire is to be involved in their peer group. Therefore, removing them from the activity is an effective way to deal with problems that occur. As one coach said, “Don’t be afraid to use the bench!”

4. Involve the parents.

Especially with the younger players, having the parents support and reinforcing your discipline policies are crucial. Your expectations for player behaviour should be clearly stated during the preseason parent meeting. Enlist their support. It has been my experience that they will be glad to do so.

5. Remember, you are the role model.

It is always good to remember that our actions are speaking so loudly that the players can not hear what we are saying. If we ask for respect, but show that we don’t respect others (e.g. the referee) then we are asking for problems. If we expect players to be kind to each other, but we are not kind to ourselves, then expect the worst. Model appropriate behaviour and get it in return.

6. Recognise the difference between open acts of defiance and childhood irresponsibility.

“Kids will be kids” is a great phrase that both excuses a lot of inappropriate behaviour, on one hand, and reminds us all that kids make mistakes on the other. When players openly defy, and act inappropriately, then swift, appropriate action is called for. However, when players momentarily forget themselves, and do not show any malicious intent, then a gentle reminder is perhaps more appropriate. Just remember, youngsters are often quite skilful at disguising the two types of behaviour. We all have to be sharp in recognizing the difference so that we can act appropriately.

7. Finally, be sure to put yourself in their shoes.

If we can remember what it is like to be at a fun practice that is both enjoyable as well as educational, we will be better off. Always ask yourself, “What would I like to do if I were at practice and needed to work on my passing?” this will enable you to avoid a lot of possible challenges.