How to coach youth soccer

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.

Give your players confidence!

How a coach can build respect and long lasting relationships in women’s soccer

Giving players your confidence builds theirs. Being the first to consistently show confidence in and respect for a player creates an honest, strong, and durable relationship between coach and player. Sharing and showing confidence is the single most important factor in player motivation in women’s soccer.

To be successful in confidence building, you must sincerely love and respect the players and show that you are clearly willing to invest in and work hard for their long term success. This means never criticizing over today’s temporary limitations, always looking forward to the player’s potential ability, holding to high expectations shared with the player, looking for signs of progress, encouraging and praising small successes, and treating the player today as if she had already achieved her greatness and as if she were already a most valuable player.

If you can sustain and encourage a developing player over an initial 6 to 12 month period with love, praise, and encouragement, you will be rewarded with a greatly improved player willing to work hard to succeed for many years to come. You will then find it easy to continue to support and encourage the player, and you will enjoy the respect, appreciation, and support from the player and the player’s family.

Showing confidence when it counts is crucial. You will find that sincerely friendly laughter over mistakes cures much. Humour cuts through all the stress in even the most crucial matches. On game day, the coach who first starts criticizing players or who moans over mistakes during the match is far more likely to lose than the coach who is first to compliment and encourage good play or who laughs with his players over a mistake. Criticism is never beneficial, and is especially harmful (and never forgiven) in a group setting like the match. Players know when they’ve made a mistake. If they don’t, it’s your training oversight and you need to teach them more. Make a note, cover it later when everyone’s receptive.

Once you’ve built confidence in players and your team, don’t destroy it at half-time. Players look to your posture and facial expression as a reflection of their performance and match prospects. Limit your instructions to one main point and at most a couple of small ideas, say it all in 60 seconds or less. Players can only focus on a few ideas, and they interpret lengthy instructions as a sign of your sagging confidence in them. Their play in the second half will reflect the amount of confidence you share with them at half-time. To give confidence at half-time, gather the team and compliment several of the players for good things you saw in the first half. Laugh about the mistakes, including your coaching mistakes, promise to try to coach your best, and encourage all the players to play their best. The kids will know that you were paying attention, the individuals encouraged will feel great and continue to play with confidence, and the rest of the players will appreciate your fair treatment of their friends and will work harder to earn your recognition. When they play well, you will be pleased to give them the respect they seek in front of the team.

These are some of my personal observations, and perhaps they will work for you in women’s soccer. I offer these ideas but will not argue them with anyone, and I won’t pretend to know if these concepts work in boys soccer. After 10 years with different ideas and mixed results, I’ve enjoyed the last 8 happy years of fortunate results with these ideas. I treasure most the little successes in building players, and love and respect the players who have taught me so much about the game and about it’s players.

Five ways to streamline your practice

Many of today’s youth soccer clubs are limited to between one and three practices per week. Although there are a few clubs that are fortunate enough to train more than this, a common soccer coaching complaint is that it is difficult to try and cover all aspects of technical, tactical, and physical work in the time available.

For coaches who are holding extra practices to get work in, or are limited by weather conditions, here are five ways you can make your practices more efficient and effective when given time constraints.

1. Be Prepared…Have a Plan
Many coaches come to practice knowing what they want to do but yet don’t write it down. Instead it is all kept in their head! Keeping a record of each training session will allow you to develop a solid training plan that is both progressive and sequential in nature. Without a written plan it is difficult to peak your team at the right time. Remember the old phrase ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’.

2. Don’t separate conditioning & playing the game
It is not always necessary to include additional fitness exercises at the end of a practice. Be mindful that playing the game is conditioning. Incorporating training variables such as the number of players, the number of balls available, the size of the field, and touch restrictions are all ways to create various conditioning effects.

3. Include speed work in your warm-up
Speed wins soccer games. A great time to incorporate this type of training is at the tail end of the warm-up. The players are fresh and the training volume required for speed development is not very high. A quality speed session that focuses on technique may only take 5-8 minutes. This time invested will prove huge results on the field.

4. Incorporate circuit training
Circuit training is a beneficial method to use when training large groups of athletes. It is also used to raise work levels and can be designed specifically for a strength, a conditioning, or even a flexibility emphasis. For example, set-up 8-10 exercise stations on the field and in groups of 2-3 players per station. Begin with 30 sec. of exercise at each station and 15 sec. rest (time to switch to the next station) and complete the circuit twice.

5. Organize practice so only minimal setup is required
Taking time to set-up drills can eat up the clock. Therefore where appropriate, make use of one space to accomplish multiple goals. For example, begin by having a team play a 7 v 7 non-directional possession game in a medium size grid, then progress to adding direction to the possession game, and then finally play to goals. A session of this nature can easily last 45 minutes to an hour with minimal setup required. You can even do all of your warm-up and speed work in this same area!

Characteristics of ten and eleven year old soccer players

They begin to develop the abilities to sustain complex, coordinated skill sequences.
Some of the players have reached puberty. Girls, in general, arrive earlier than boys.
Most players are able to think abstractly and are thus able to understand some team concepts that are foundational to the game.
They are beginning to be able to address hypothetical situations, and to solve problems systematically.
They are spending more time with friends and less time with their parents. They are susceptible to conformity to peer pressure.
They are developing a conscience, morality and scale of values.
Players tend to be highly self-critical. Instruction needs to be enabling. Show them what can be done instead of telling them what not to do.
Although they are more serious with their play, they are still mainly involved because it is fun.
They are openly competitive. A few may foul on purpose.
They are looking towards their role models and heroes in order to know how to act.
They have a more complex and developed sense of humour.

INVOLVING THE PARENTS

It is imperative that coaches get the parents involved. Not only are they are a major resource for your team, but the U-12 player still relies on their parents for support and encouragement. A pre-season meeting should be held with the parents so that objectives and team policies can be addressed. Some topics that you may want to address at this meeting are:

A means of contacting everyone without one person doing all of the calling. (phone chains)
Choosing a team administrator, someone to handle all of the details.
Complete all paperwork required by your league or club. ¨ Discuss the laws of the game.
Carpool needs.
Training and game schedules. How you feel about starting and ending on time, what your attendance expectations are, what you think is a good excuse to miss training.
What each player should bring to training: inflated ball, filled water bottle, soccer attire, shin guards cleats or sneakers.

Most importantly, your philosophy about coaching U-12 players. Let them know that everyone plays; that the game does not look like the older player’s games; that you are there to ensure that their player is safe and has a good time, as well as learn about soccer.

What your expectations for them is during game time. How do you want them to cheer? Do they know that they should not coach from the sidelines?

Above all, try to enjoy yourself. If you do, they probably will too.

THINGS YOU CAN EXPECT

Some coaches say that the 10 and 12 year-old players have “turned the corner” and are looking like real soccer players. However, games are still frantically paced and a bit unpredictable for the most part. These players know how much fun it is to play the game skilfully. As a result, we begin to see some the players drop out who recognize the importance of skill and become discouraged with their lack of it. Some other things that we can expect when working with this aged player are:

They will yell at their teammates when they make a mistake.
They will openly question the referee’s decisions.
Players will encourage each other.
They will pass the ball even when they know that they will not get it back.
Team cooperation is emerging. They will run to a spot, away from the play, even when they know that they might not get the ball.
They will point out inconsistencies between what you say and what you do. They are “moral watchdogs”.
The difference in skill levels between the players is very pronounced.
Some players might be as big as you are, some might be half your size.
Not only will some of the players come to training with expensive cleats, but some will also come with matching uniforms, sweatshirts, and bag.
Parents, during games, can be brutal. Some will yell at the referee at almost every call.
They will get together with their friends and be able to set up and play their own game.

COACHING RATIONAL

Coaching at this age level is a challenge because many of the players view themselves as real soccer players, while others are at the point where it is not as much fun as it used to be because they feel that their lack of skill development does not enable them to have an impact on the game. They see their skilful friends able to do magical things with the ball and since they can not do this themselves, they start to drop out. Our challenge then, if the players are willing, is to keep all of the players engaged, involved, and make them feel important. (as though they are improving.) Skills still need to be the primary focus of training and players need to be put into environments where they are under pressure so that they learn how to use their skills in a variety of contexts. Here are a few other considerations as we think about working with this aged youngster:

Our goal is to develop players in a fun, engaging environment. Winning has its place but must be balanced with the other goals of teaching them to play properly. Some decisions will need to be made that might not necessarily lead to wins (ie: having players play different positions, or asking players to try to play the ball “out of the back”.)

Smaller, skilled players can not be ignored. Although it may be tempting to “win” by playing only the bigger players in key positions, the smaller, skilled players must be put into areas of responsibility.
Small sided games are still the preferred method of teaching the game. This makes learning fun and more efficient.
Flexibility training is essential. Have them stretch after they have broken a sweat, and, perhaps most importantly, at the end of the workout at a “warm-down”.
Overuse injuries, burnout and high attrition rates are associated with programs that do not emphasize skill development and learning enjoyment.
Playing 11-a-side games is now appropriate.
Single sexed teams are appropriate.
Train for one and one-half hours, two to three times a week. Training pace needs to replicate the demands of the game itself.
They are ready to have a preferred position, but, it is essential for their development for them to occasionally play out of their preferred spot, in training, as well as during games.

Training is now best if it focuses on one, perhaps two topics a session. Activities should be geared to progressing from fundamental activities that have little or no pressure from an opponent to activities that are game like in their intensity and pressure.

TYPICAL TRAINING SESSION

Here are some items that should be included in a U-12 training session:

WARM-UP: A brief warm-up is appropriate in order to get the players thinking about soccer and to prepare them physically for the time ahead. This should involve individual or small group activities that involve the ball. Since there can be one theme to the session, hopefully, the warm-up will lead into the theme of the day. Static stretching is also appropriate at this time, after the players have broken a sweat, again, hopefully done with the ball. The warm-up should get the players ready to play. It should be lively, fun, and engaging as well as instructional. There is nothing like a good, fast-paced activity to grab the player’s attention and make them glad that they came to practice.

INDIVIDUAL OR SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES: Follow the warm-up with some kind of individual activity, not necessarily a real 1v.1 game, but some kind of activity where players act as individuals or cooperate in small groups in a game environment. An example would be a kind of keep-away game, or small sided games that bring out or emphasize a specific skill or topic. Keep players in motion at all times. Avoid having them wait on lines. Play games of “inclusion” instead of games where the “looser sits”. Be creative. These players like “crazy” games with a lot of action.

PLAY THE GAME: Small sided soccer can be used to heighten intensity and create some good competition. Play 4v.4 up to 8v.8. Be creative. Play with 4 goals, or 2 balls. Play with or without boundaries. Perhaps play to emphasize a particular skill (can only dribble the ball over a goal line in order to get a point). Use cones if you don’t have real goals. Keep players involved. Have more than one game going on at a time if necessary. Switch teams often, give everyone a chance to win. Also, it is important that every player has a chance to shoot on goal as often as possible. Finish this stage with a real game with regular rules. Players need to apply their newly learned abilities to the real game.

WARM-DOWN & HOMEWORK: Finish the session with a warm down. Give them some more stretches to do with the ball. You may want to review what you started the session with. Also, give them some homework so that they practice on their own. Challenge them with some ball trick. Can they complete a juggling pattern? Can one player kick a ball to a partner and then back without it hitting the ground? Can they do that with their heads? How many times can they do it back and forth? It is important to finish on time. This is especially essential if the players are really into it. Stop at this point and you will get an enthusiastic return.

U-12 TRAINING IDEA

‘NUMBERS PASSING’

Here is a good warm-up that will get players prepared for a session on passing and receiving skills. It is an example of how players can be challenged in an environment that is dynamic and can demand specific, targeted technique that has direct implications to the demands placed upon players during the real game. Since there is no pressure from an opponent, it is appropriate to use this activity during the warm-up.

THE GAME:

Assign each player a number.
Players pass the football to the player with the # one higher than their own # (eg: 5 passes to 6, 11 to 1.)
All balls travel through the entire team.
After they pass a ball, they must run to a different spot on the field.
Players are first allowed unlimited touches, then only two touches, then one touch if they area able.
Ask the players not to let the ball stop, or to let their pass hit other players or balls.

TRY THESE VARIATIONS:

Left foot only.
Outside of foot only.
No talking allowed.

ASK THE PLAYERS TO:

Make eye contact with the person they are passing to.
Perform good passing technique.
Keep their body and vision open to the field of play.
Keep the person they are passing to in their line of sight.
Be active. Look like a soccer player.

U-12 TRAINING IDEA

‘CORNER GOAL GAME’

Here is a game that can be used in the middle phases of the training session. This game involves passing and receiving skills and is also a good activity for showing players the benefits of ‘spreading out’. It is a dynamic game with a lot of running. It provides a lot of ‘puzzles’ for players to figure out and demands that they cooperate.

THE GAME:

Set up the field as shown on approximately half-field, depending on how many players are on your team. (16 players shown. It is OK if one team has an extra player. If there is an odd # of players on the team, that gives the players a different puzzle to solve.)
10 yd. ‘squares’ are set up in each corner.
Goals are scored when the ball is passed into the square and then out to a teammate.
Each team can attack any one of the four goals.
Whoever has the ball is on offence until they lose possession, or if they kick it out of bounds.
Score can be kept.
Play with two balls at once to make the game exciting. (This will actually make the game two, separate smaller games going on at the same time.)

Ask the players to keep spread out and to try to attack the goal that is ‘open’. Keep possession, make the other team earn the ball. See if the players can recognize where pressure is coming from.

Written by Jeff Pill, NHSA Director of Coaching. Special thanks to Dr. Thomas Fleck and the National Youth Coaching Staff, Bill Buren, Dr. David Carr, Dr. Ronald Quinn, Virgil Stringfield.