How to coach youth soccer

Coaching youth soccer indoors

Everyone agrees that perfect technique is essential for an attractive and successful game, and age-appropriate basic training is essential for learning technical skills. To learn basic techniques, players need to practice them again and again over a long period of time, ultimately using them in exercises with opposition pressure.

In winter, the gym can be an ideal place to practice technique. The limited space, even floor surface and opportunity to use the walls all speed up the game and make it more technically demanding. And you don’t have to worry about inclement weather conditions (wind, cold, soft and mushy ground), which makes technique training even easier.

These sample exercises are intended primarily as suggestions: As a coach, you have to evaluate your players’ abilities and decide which exercises are appropriate for them. Of course, by making small changes to the rules, adding extra rules or changing the setup, you can make any exercise harder or easier. We’ve also included some tips to help you organize these exercises and use them in your own training program.

Indoor training can be an excellent opportunity for players, especially the very young, to work on coordination and effectively improve their technical skills. Indoor training equipment can open up a whole new world of possibilities for the inventive youth coach!

Dribbling & Faking

Take your eyes off the football and look at the ground about three yards ahead of it.
Keep the ball close! Touch it with the active foot often, preferably with every step you take.
Keep your body between the football and your opponent, so you can protect it. Always dribble with the foot farther away from your opponent.
Use fakes intelligently.

Indoor Training

Use lines on the gym floor as dribbling paths, with different colours for different dribbling styles (e.g. step-overs on the blue lines and shooting fakes on red).
Use boxes, medicine balls, etc. as dribbling obstacles.
Set up interesting dribbling par courses using various items.

Passing & Shooting

Make sure your foot makes solid contact with the ball.
Depending on the type of kick, either stretch your foot (point toes at the ground) or flex it (pull them up toward your shin).
After your foot strikes the football, follow through with the whole leg.
On shots, take careful aim at an open corner of the goal.
Always move to meet a pass.

Indoor Training

Use walls and long benches as “passing stations.”
Use soft mats, boxes, and long benches as “goals” for shooting practice.
Use soft mats to teach players spectacular shooting techniques (bicycle kick, hip-turn side volley, etc.).
Use boxes as targets for shooting competitions.

Ball Control

Move to meet the ball and let your foot “give” a little as it makes contact.
For passes on the ground, raise your foot slightly so the ball can’t roll over it.
Always control the ball in a free space away from opponents.
On passes in the air, don’t let the ball bounce: It wastes time and increases your risk of losing the ball.

Indoor Training

Use long benches as passing stations and “walls” for wall passes to help players learn to control balls on the ground.
Incorporate the wall as a passing station and allow players to throw or kick high balls against the wall, to help them learn to control balls in the air as well.

Heading

Pull your chin in to your chest and tense your neck muscles.
Keep your eyes open as long as possible and watch the incoming ball (follow it with your eyes).
Bend back from the waist; this provides the “wind-up” you need to hit the ball.
Meet the ball at the top of your jump.
Take a long running start.

Indoor Training

Have players practice heading on the hard and soft mats (improves motivation).
Use mats etc. as targets for heading competitions. To make this exercise even more effective, divide players into smaller groups.
Set up a “basket shooting” (heading) competition on the basketball courts.
Use the gym equipment to build a heading course with various stations.

What makes a GOOD soccer coach?

Introduction

It’s a subject that we think we know a lot about – how to coach youth soccer.

But what do parents look for in their son or daughter’s team coach?

Perseverance? The ability to keep order? A sense of humour?

The article below (reproduced with the permission of the coachingcorner.com) was written by an American ‘soccer mom’ who knows why she has kept with the same soccer coach for the last four years.

GOOD COACHING
By Lori Reynolds

“What is a good coach?”
“Why is HE a good coach?”
“What makes him different from other coaches?”

I’ve been asked these questions—or ones similar—many times over my years of being a soccer mom. My son has had the same coach for almost four years, and no matter what organization the team plays with, I make sure we stay with the same coach. Why? That’s easy. He possesses qualities that I feel are essential and necessary for being a positive influence and good coach, such as:

PATIENCE—This is probably the most important characteristic. Let’s face it—12 active boys together require a lot of attention. A good coach is one who doesn’t expect angels on the soccer field.

TOLERANCE—This quality goes hand-in-hand with patience. Kids are going to be rowdy, or moody or lazy. Tolerance takes the different mind-sets and turns the focus to the tasks “afoot”.

ACCEPTANCE—Our children are so very different. Each one has varied potential and skill levels. A good coach is one who recognizes each child as an individual and he/she encourages that child to perform at his/her very best level. Perfection is not required!

MOTIVATION—Soccer can be viewed as kids kicking a ball across the field, or it can be viewed as an opportunity for growth. The true test lies in sparking a child’s interest to learn and grow and keeping that spark alive each season.

RESPECT—I’ve seen many games in which the coaches, and sometimes parents, of the other teams berate and belittle their children for making “mistakes”. Sometimes they even go as far as criticizing opposing team members. Good grief! We’re playing U-10 soccer! This isn’t the World Cup. ‘Coach’ has never singled out a child for making a mistake and he does not allow parents or the other team members to do so either. At the beginning of every season ‘Coach’ reminds us parents that we’re all in this sport to learn and have a good time.

SPORTSMANSHIP—Perhaps this should have been on top of the list, but being toward the end does not lessen the importance. My definition of sportsmanship is to teach kids to work together as a team in order to achieve a common goal. It also means teaching kids to respect other players as well as each other. Insults are not tolerated. Mistakes are team mistakes, and they are used as teaching tools for the next game.

ABILITY TO TEACH—Sounds simple, right? It’s not. How many times has a parent signed up a child for a sport, only to have a well-intentioned father decide to coach? He may or may not know the sport. He may or may not relate well to his players. There is a huge difference between the team whose members do what is yelled at them, and the team whose members actually understand what to do and why. A good coach teaches his players basic fundamentals, explains concepts and enables his/her players to think logically when making a play. One of our practice mantras is “You’ve got a man X and a man X. The ball comes to you. What do you do”? The kids are able to use logic and make the best choices based on situations.

LOVE OF KIDS: They have the energy to make every practice and every game a new experience for coaches and parents alike. Without their vision and energy, sports would be dull and unappreciated. They offer a day-to-day challenge for coaches, which is contagious and which is motivation for
everyone involved in athletics at all levels.

LOVE OF THE GAME: Coaches must love their sport, and, more importantly, must show their players enthusiasm for every aspect of the game. This would include techniques and tactics. The love of the game must also show to the players the love for fair-play, respect for the opponents, officials, and spectators, and positive reinforcement for team mates. Only a good coach who loves the game can provide the correct aspects involved in the winning and losing of competition.

One of the reasons we parents encourage our kids to play sports is to hopefully broaden their horizons and to give them additional skills they wouldn’t get otherwise. While having a winning season is great, I consider it a bonus and not the main purpose. Playing sports should be a positive experience, and it should be one that children look forward to each and every season.

What sort of soccer coach are you?

Do you ever wonder how to evaluate yourself and your coaching style?

This test – provided by the National Institute for Child Centred Coaching – should give you some idea if you are a traditional, PE teacher type of coach, a child centred facilitator or somewhere in-between.

Make a note of the response that best reflects your thoughts about each statement. Don’t think about it too long, it’s your first, instinctive response that gives the best indication.

The major reason children should be involved in sports is for fun, not winning.

A. No. Winning is important to young children and older children.

B. Sort of. Winning is important but not necessary.

C. Yes. Enjoyment is the key; winning is only secondary.

It is important for children to learn how to compete at an early age.

A. Yes. They stand a better chance of being successful later in life.

B. Sort of. Competition is important, but it shouldn’t be the basis for playing sports for young children.

C. No. The earlier young children learn to be competitive, the less enjoyment they might have playing.

A good, strong self-image can be developed in young children with a no-nonsense approach to coaching.

A. Yes. They need to be told “who is the boss” and to follow the rules.

B. Sort of. Children need to be managed with a firm yet reasonable approach.

C. No. Children need to be encouraged to try their best.

Praising a child’s ability is OK, but a coach shouldn’t overdo it.

A. Yes. If praised too often, they’ll develop a false sense of their abilities.

B. Sort of. Children need to be told accurately and honestly about their weaknesses.

C. No. If it’s honest praise, there is no such thing as “overdoing it.”

Children who develop too high of a sense of self-esteem grow up being spoiled.

A. Take any one of those high-priced superstars in today’s sports, and you’ll see what a spoiled child is like.

B. A child must be taught humility; a child with high self-esteem often acts conceited.

C. Children with high self-esteem often make the best players.

Most parents want their young children to win — not necessarily to have fun.

A. Agree.

B. Some do, but not all.

C. Parents need to be educated.

Disciplining a child in front of the team sets an example for the others.

A. Other children learn to do the right thing really fast.

B. Peer pressure is the most effective form of team discipline.

C. Disciplining a child is a private issue between the coach and child.

Team rules should be set by the coach and given to the players.

A. A coach needs to show who’s in charge; children need to respect authority.

B. A coach needs to demonstrate leadership; children need to comply.

C. A coach needs to provide guidance; children should be empowered.

The coach sometimes acts like a teacher; sometimes like a parent.

A. A coach should not be confused with a parent or teacher; a coach is a coach.

B. A coach might sometimes take on the role of a teacher or a parent but should remain first a coach.

C. A coach is at times a parent and a teacher.

A parent’s role in children’s sports should be:

A. To be mildly involved.

B. To be moderately involved.

C. To be involved to the maximum level.

To score your responses, give each “A” response 1 point; each “B” response 2 points; each “C” response 3 points. If you totalled:

10-16 points. Attitudes of traditional coaching: Believes winning is the primary reason for playing sports; takes a hard line in discipline; uses an autocratic approach to coaching; finds little value for parental involvement. Need a lot more instruction in child-centred coaching philosophy and techniques.

17-23 points. Tendency toward leadership, not autocratic rule; problem solving, not ruling; motivating, not commanding. Needs continued study and practice in child-centred coaching philosophy.

24-30 points. Believes in making the game fun; is willing to be both a parent figure and teacher; offers guidance, encouragement and support and maximizes parental involvement. Needs to continue practicing skills.

The craft of coaching

Adapted from an article published by The National Soccer Coaches Association of America

Bill Beswick, renowned sports psychologist formerly of Manchester United and now with Middlesborough FC, said: “A good football (soccer) coach is able to take a player where they have never been before and will not get to on their own.”

Many would argue that the ultimate acid test of a player is “What impact did you have on the game?” Surely the ultimate acid test of a coach is “What impact did you have on your players?”

It would be disingenuous to assert that a player’s sole means of improvement is through good coaching. Coaches take too much credit for producing good players and too much criticism for producing poor ones. Playing with and against better players ultimately is what improves a player. Players also improve from modelling – watching and imitating good players.

Player improvement also occurs, undeniably, from participating in focused, dynamic and well-structured practice sessions.

THE COACH AS A “CRAFTSMAN”
The craft of coaching players comes down to four basic tasks. The end results are carefully designed and focused practice sessions in an environment which closely resembles the competitive pressure of a game, and in which players improve. The four basic tasks are 1) observation, 2) organisation, 3) instruction and 4) motivation.

Observation – Match Analysis
To discover what the players need to practice, the coach must observe them play in a game. The game tells us what the players need. The observations the coach makes during a game will give the practice session a focus. Consequently, the soccer coaching model on game day is quite different from football, basketball or lacrosse, which encourages a high degree of interaction between players and coaches. Possibly baseball or ice hockey are better models for soccer, wherein the coach quietly observes the game, writes notes and occasionally exhorts players to perform.

Match observation and analysis
This is a very difficult skill. Some useful tips to develop this skill include:
• Watching a lot of soccer games.
• Sitting quietly with a pad and pen to note observations. Some coaches have an assistant do the writing while they observe.
• Developing the ability to look away from the ball. This is difficult, because the ball is a magnet for attention. Here are three classic scenarios where looking away from the ball might be important:

If midfielders get caught in possession, you may accuse them of indecision. Had you looked away from the ball at the forwards, however, you would have seen that they had not checked, made runs, etc.
Your forwards have the ball outside opponent’s penalty box. Are your backs pushed up to the half line to compact the team defensively?
Your team plays a 4-4-2. When the right flank has the ball, does left flank come inside to become a third centre forward, or does he/she stay wide? This has implications for getting into penalty area if a cross is delivered or leaving space for overlapping left back.

Compartmentalizing observation into categories:

Individual

Evaluation of your players’ technical, tactical, physical and psychological performance.

Small group

Observation of backs, midfielders, forwards, etc.
Observation of vertical thirds, left flank, central, right flank
Observation of players within 12 yards of the ball
Observation of first and second attackers
Observation of first and second defenders

Team

Does team exhibit ability to apply principles of game?

Attack
- Penetration
- Support
- Mobility
- Width
- Creativity
Defence
- Pressure
- Cover
- Balance
- Compactness
- Predictability

Organisation – developing practice sessions
Soccer players learn to play better soccer by practicing soccer-like exercises. Contrived drills, excessive standing in lines, small sided games with no focus and running laps have very little benefit to players.

Facilitating Learning
“The game is the teacher” is a phrase which we constantly hear. In practical terms, this maxim means that the soccer coach organizes conditioned games to improve players. The kind of conditions the coach puts on the games will help teach the players. This process is called facilitating learning. Part of the skill of an advanced coach is to design exercises that specifically address problem areas. The conditions the coach puts on games basically fall into the following categories:

• Numbers of players (e.g. 4 v. 2, 8 v. 8, 6 v. 6 + 1, etc.)

• Size and shape of field (narrow and long for vertical passes, short and wide for shooting or crossing.)

• Goals or methods of scoring (shooting into a full goal, dribbling across a line, 6 passes equals a goal, etc.) • Numbers of touches (1 touch to encourage passing and support play, 2 touches to encourage receiving) • Zonal games (field marked off by cones with restrictions as to who can go into certain zones)

The methods a coach uses to improve players depend on such factors as age, ability and ultimate purpose of a practice. The methods of a coach of seven-year-olds uses are completely different than those of a college coach. A coach preparing to play an opponent may be more concerned about the future game than the one which is past.

Basic guidelines of teaching

Focus: Improvements will more likely occur when concentration is on two or three concepts.
Progression: Sequencing of exercises follows logical progression. The coach may work with the back four versus two center forwards before putting them into an 11 v. 11 game. Having a 9-year-old practice dribbling in 1 v. 1 may precede playing in a 5 v. 5 game.
Duration: Practices should be about the same length as a game. Very little quality learning happens in the final half hour of a two-and-a-half hour practice.
All coaches are encouraged to write down a practice plan regardless of age group of the players. Practice plans should delineate practice sequencing and duration of exercises.

Practice components
Practices consist of four main components:

Warm-up – 20 percent of time. Should be related to theme and focus of practice (e.g. passing in pairs, circle routines)
Teaching exercises – 50 percent of time. Two or three exercises that focus on observations the coach makes from games. Coach may split team up (e.g. goalkeepers and defenders in one end, midfielders and forwards in other)
Final game – 20 percent of time. 11 v. 11 or even-numbered game. Coach emphasizes points from the practice.
Warm-down – 10 percent of time. Players jog, stretch together; led by captain, assistant coach.

Some coaches will do fitness between final game and warm-down. The coach may meet with players prior to session to explain what they will be doing in practice. Some coaches will show video clippings of the previous games to highlight their observations. This is also helpful in changing the players frame of mind and preparing them, psychologically, for practice.

Instruction – “The Teachable Moment”
Possibly the biggest difference between skilled coaches and novice coaches is in the quality and quantity of their instruction. There are certain “teachable moments” which occur in a practice session when the skilled coach speaks and addresses a player or group of players. The number of instructional stoppages and their timing very much will be a matter of choice for the coach. It will also depend on the age group; 14-year-olds will need more instruction than professionals. The “teachable moments” happen at fairly predictable times:

When something is done incorrectly
When something is done correctly
Between exercises, during water breaks
When the players are clearly fatigued and will welcome a rest and instructional moment
Ball out of play

Instructional points can be made to an individual, group or a team. They can be made while play continues or play can be stopped. Most importantly, they must focus on the actual teaching theme or goal.

Different Instructional Examples to Improve Players
Tony DiCicco, 1998 U.S. Women’s National Team
Conducting a practice session for the Women’s National Team, DiCicco’s stoppages almost universally came at the moment a player did something right. He brought the players’ attention to what it looked like when done correctly, praised them and moved on. He never made any corrections to address mistakes the players made.

Bob Gansler, 2002 Kansas City Wizards
He conducted a practice session which contained three dynamic exercises each lasting 20 minutes. He never stopped any of the sessions once. He made all of his coaching points during water breaks and between changeovers in exercises. A true proponent of “the game is the best teacher.”

Helmut Schoen, 1974 German National Team Manager
Paul Breitner relates how Schoen walked over to the 2 v. 2 exercise where he and Franz Beckenbauer played. Schoen never said a word, but Breitner related how Schoen’s presence burned a hole in the back of his neck. He redoubled his efforts in the exercise. Sometimes silence can be the coach’s greatest ally. Clearly there are no absolutes as to how the coach gets improvement out of players. Coaches must understand what is best for their environment and fits their personality

Avoid:

Too many stoppages which prevent any flow from developing
No instruction at all. The coach merely supervises exercises which have no meaningful focus and in which the players receive no guidance.

Motivation — light a spark in a player
One of the great rewards of coaching is helping to energize a player and stimulate a player so that he or she wants to improve. Players will improve only if they want to improve, but the coach can offer extrinsic motivation which lights a spark in a player. The coach does this in a number of ways.

Methods of motivation

Quality practices. Practices which are organized, focused and facilitate clear improvement.
Specific instruction. Coaching points which specifically relate to the focus of the session.
Mixture of positive and negative reinforcement. Coaches must be demanding at times. The best coaches understand how to mix praise with honest observation in such a way as to challenge the player to improve.
Appearance and participation. The coach should have a modicum of physical fitness and dress like a coach. Players like it when a coach occasionally joins in a practice. (Hint: make yourself the +1 who cannot be tackled.).
Realistic expectations. Prudent coaches set realistic goals and targets for the players. They keep the game within the context of how good the team is compared to who they are playing. The coach is wise to forewarn players, parents and supporters that, in soccer, nothing is ever guaranteed.
Humanity. Personal honesty and integrity are respected by players. Players will clearly respond to a coach who displays an interest in them aside from their soccer ability.

Enjoy your coaching!

Referee junior soccer? No thanks!

Why can’t we have a qualified referee for all of our youth games?

by Julian Carosi

OK, let me set the scene, I (the Referee) am 10 minutes into the first half of the Under 10’s Minor Youth Cup competition, and so far I have had very little Refereeing to do. Suddenly, for no discernible reason at all, little ‘Bradley’s dad has decided to continually walk up and down, two metres inside the field of play, and right in front of all the other parents standing on the touch line who are trying to watch and enjoy the game.

“I say walk, but what I really mean is – have you ever seen those athletes on television who participate in ‘walking’ races? Not so much a walk, but a sort of funny shuffling pace.

Bradley’s dad is oblivious to everything but his little boy, and the blue mist that has descended in front of his eyes. Anyway, I am totally distracted from the game action itself. Little Bradley casts some furtive and frightened looks towards his dad. His eyes are beginning to glaze over, his head drops. Bradley’s dad continues with his funny walk and tirade of meaningless instructions to his son, interspersed with the usual pleasant expletives for me, the Referee, every time a decision is made against his son’s team.

Bradley mumbles “Oh shut up dad”. I’m glad that Bradley’s dad cannot hear him – I dread to think of the consequences for Bradley. But Bradley is right “SHUT UP DAD” !!!!!!!!!

Are you beginning to get the picture?

Officiating at ‘Youth’ games where young children are involved can sometimes be likened to being attacked with a double-edged sword. Not only does the Referee have the dissenting players to contend with, they are very often given the extra bonus of parent abuse! And all for no extra cost.

“So…….is it is all doom and gloom?”

After a very long-playing career at local level, I had Refereed in the English County of Wiltshire for a number of years. Why did I decide to become a Referee? Probably for the same simple reasons as everyone else who is involved with football – because we all love this beautiful game. It’s in our blood. It is addictive to both players, and to Referees.

This article attempts to give just a very small insight into some of the real problems that Referees have to face. There are a number of Referees who are totally committed to Youth football, and I admire them for their fortitude. A close Referee colleague of mine, is the local County Youth Referees’ Appointment Secretary, and he is one of the best Referees in the County. He is totally dedicated to Refereeing both in Youth and in Senior levels of football. There is also a very dedicated band of Youth Team Club officials and parents in my County, whom are dedicated to improving the relationships within youth football – so it is not all doom and gloom.

But officiating as a Referee in youth matches is not my ‘cup of tea’. – And I’ll explain why.

Refereeing is mostly a very thankless task. When a Referee travels to a game, their destination is akin to visiting the Coliseum in Rome. The Referee standing in the centre circle at the beginning of each game – is much like being thrown into the lions’ den. Surrounding the Referee, and waiting for the first sign of weakness or excuse, are 22 passionate players; 6 or more substitutes, managers, coaches, spectators and of course let’s not forget ‘The Parents’. The Referees role and responsibilities at the lower Park levels can be very daunting. This job is certainly not for the faint hearted. Conversely – the buzz that a Referee can get from officiating can only be explained by experiencing it yourself.

Contrary to popular belief, Referees are human. When first arriving at the ground, Referees like to be sociable, yet at the same time, they must not be seen to favour a particular team. This means that Referees can sometimes seem aloof. This is one way that Referees can use to distance themselves from becoming over-friendly. Experience has taught Referees that no matter how friendly they are, it only takes one incident in the game to turn pleasant everyday people (and more so ‘The Parents’) into what can best be described as ‘monsters out of control’.. And that is why………

“It’s not really my cup of tea”

These incidents are known as ‘flash points’. Referees are well aware of ‘flash-points’ and you can almost guarantee at least one of them appearing in every game. To become a Referee, you have to pass exams on your knowledge of the Laws of Associated Football (commonly referred to as the LOAF). Passing the exam is the easy bit. The hard bit comes during the Referee’s ‘baptism of fire’, when he suddenly realises that Refereeing is not so much about learning and applying the Laws, but more about single-handed man-management of the most difficult situations a person can ever be confronted with.

When I trained new Referees with my local Melksham Referees’ Society. We organised three of four Referee training weekends throughout each year. This voluntary training takes up the whole of a Saturday and a Sunday (0900-1830) each day. The training was provided free of charge, and the instructors are NOT paid. Of the approximately 15 candidates per session, about half will have come from a Youth Football Club background, some of them parents, some players, some managers, some Club Linesmen etc…..

In a normal year, the Melksham Referees’ Society trains approximately 40 or 50 new Referee candidates. At a very rough guess – about half of them (say 25) actually go on to start Refereeing, the remainder being content with just learning the Laws. After a year or so, we would be very lucky to have 10 out of the remaining 25, who are still Refereeing. The others will have already decided that the abuse is just not worth it. Counteract this, with the ever-increasing departure of our experienced Referees, and you will begin to understand why there are ‘just not enough Referees to go around’.

A number of our Referee recruits are teenagers, who go on to officiate in the local youth games. These new recruits are the seeds of the next English Premiership Referees. They need all the encouragement and protection that can be provided. Some of these 14 or 15 year old Referees are initially very efficient and confident. I would never have dreamed, or dared, or been brave enough in my youth, to be a Football Referee at their young age.

To give you a flavour of what these young Referees have to contend with, at a recent Youth 6-a-side tournament, an Under 10’s game had to be decided on the taking of penalty kicks. The Referee was a very capable 14-year-old, whose dad was a very experienced Referee. During one of the last penalty kicks, the young Referee correctly spotted an infringement, and correctly made the penalty taker re-take the penalty kick. This resulted in the penalty kick being missed, and the team losing the game. The young players of the losing team took it in good grace. But wait!

One of the losing teams’ parents (a very angry man of about 35) confronted the young 14-year-old Referee. Luckily, his disgusting outburst was dealt with by the Referee’s parent, and a number of other senior Referees (including myself) who where nearby. In everyday life, such an outburst against a young child (for let us not forget that the 14 year old Referee is as much a child as any other 14 year old) could easily have been seen as a criminal offence by an adult against a minor. But no. Because the child had a Referee’s shirt on, a certain section of the population see this as immunity against the Laws of our Country. It is not. This is what each Referee (no matter what age) has to contend with.

Our young Referees, and those older ones, who regularly officiate on youth football, can only be admired for the way in which they handle themselves.

Regardless of all the recent Law changes, Football is still a very emotive physical contact sport. It thrives on high passion and emotions that lead to heightened excitement – long may it stay that way. I am a great believer, that the mistakes made by Referees (and more so players) are an actual integral part of the game itself. Take away the mistakes and you might as well stay home and watch paint dry. Nevertheless, Referees are a very genuine people, striving to make little or no mistakes in each game. But it is impossible to be perfect, and to be honest, anyone who tries to be is a fool. Referees will always aim to be relaxed and fully concentrating – and most of all FAIR.

Like the majority of Referees, I’ll sometimes hold my hands up – we do make mistakes, but we also try very very hard, on the field and off the field, to do our very best for the game we love. Why else would we suffer such abuse. There is a whole Referees’ World away from the game itself. They hold Referees’ Society meetings, seminars, and conferences. They get involved with training, officiating at friendly matches, attending disciplinary hearings, sorting their masses of correspondence, providing information via the Internet etc. etc…… The 90 or minutes that a Referee officiates, is just the sharp narrow end of the wedge as far as a Referee’s responsibilities and freely volunteered time is concerned. And sometimes, they even get time to spend with their family at the weekend!

“There are ‘just not enough Referees to go around”.

There is no easy solution for improving the relationship between Referees, players, spectators, parents and Team officials. The malaise is symptomatic of the lowering standards of society in general. Manners have long been forgotten or not taught. Respect – well, that no longer exists these days. That is not to say that we as Referees can all do our own little bit to improve both our own lifestyle and ‘football’.

How difficult would it be for team managers to insist that youth players shake the Referee’s hand after every game – especially if the game has not been to their liking. Why can’t the team managers always welcome the Referee cordially, and thank him after the game, irrespective of the result. I have had many an irate manager or player venting their anger at me immediately after games. I’m big enough (6ft and 15 stone) to look after myself, but I do worry about our youth Referees and the increasing departure of our experienced long standing Referees. I too, have considered ‘packing it all in’ on many occasions – all due to abusive behaviour received whilst officiating.

I am not advocating that football should only be played by perfectly behaved players in front of robotic parents – of course vent your emotions, but not in an openly aggressive and abusive manner. Our children will be the ones who suffer in the long run. They are suffering already.

Key objectives for 8-10 year olds

A lot of coaches write to me asking what they should teach their players and in what order.

This article summarises what I consider to be the eight most important skills and techniques to teach 8 to 10 year olds (or any child who has been playing for about two years).

It’s not an exhaustive list and you may well have your own ideas!

Generally, it is not imperative that your players learn these skills in a particular order or that they master one before moving on to the next, only that they follow the principles and have a basic understanding of them through games and exercises.

Don’t spend more than a couple of minutes talking about these objectives. Your players aren’t interested in what YOU want to do! They are there to play football!

They will learn what you want them to learn over time and by playing games, not by listening to lectures.

After you’ve briefly demonstrated the basics, try to use small sided games (or SSGs) to reinforce them. Check out the ideas on this page and don’t be afraid to adapt them for your own purposes.

Objective 1: getting used to a dynamic warm up

Dynamic (or functional stretching) is warming up the muscles specifically for the movements that will be used in the activities of the training session.

Each of the exercises below should be performed over a 15-20 yard area with a walking or jogging recovery.

• Lunge Walk – loosens up the hips. Lunge walk is when you take large steps keeping the chest up, looking straight ahead and moving the arms and legs together.

• High Knees – for hip flexor and ankle strength. Extend up to the toes and lift each thigh to a parallel position with the ground as you move forward.

• Calf Walk – for lower limb strength and Achilles flexibility. Extend the ankle on each step will warm up the calf muscles and Achilles tendons.

• Sideways running – for lower limb strength, agility and flexibility.

• Backwards skipping – same as above and works on strengthening quads and calf muscles.

Objective 2: developing a good first touch

There are two key elements of good ball control:

a) The receiver’s first touch should protect the ball from challenging players and not give them a chance to regain possession,

b) the receiving player should play the ball into available space to allow for the next touch and to gain or keep momentum.

A poor first-touch will risk taking the momentum out of play and increase the possibility of losing possession. Some players at this age make the mistake of killing the ball dead and not concentrating on getting it out of their feet. The first touch should ensure that a time wasting second touch is not needed to get the ball out ready for the next action.

Objective 3: understanding and practicing various kicking, passing and shooting techniques.

See: (in this order)

Objective 4: principles of defending

With young players, the hardest, and in my opinion, the most important single aspect to get across is that the closest person to the opponent with the football DOES NOT have the responsibility to win the ball! Once defenders understand this, about 90% of diving in is eliminated and the attackers job becomes much harder.

It also reinforces the next most important concept: that somebody had BETTER be moving to cover the space behind the closest defender! That is the player who will, most often, wind up winning the ball.

You can demonstrate this quite easily by selecting the best defensive soccer player on the team, placing that player isolated out on the pitch, point to a goal for him or her to defend, and then tell them to “get the ball” from you. Then, simply dribble up to the player, push the ball past, into space, and run onto it. If you can get the defender to step towards you, you can do this quite easily.

Objective 5: learn how to shield the ball

This is, perhaps, the most important skill you can teach your players! You need to demonstrate how to put your body between the opponent and the ball, so that your players can gain time to give the ball to a team-mate or take advantage of a mistake by the defender to get past her.

how to teach shielding the ball

Objective 6: understanding the role of goalkeeper.

Not many children want to play in goal but all children should be taught the basics of goalkeeping so that you can play your regular ‘keeper out of goal now and again.

See: goalkeeper coaching for young soccer players

Objective 7: understand the basics of positional play

Formations and “designated positions” are not appropriate for six or seven year old players but eight or nine year olds may be able to understand the basics of formations and positional play.

Be careful though – it is not necessarily being in a designated “position” or being a part of a formation that helps the players solve the problem/situations in the game, but rather the ability of the player to read visually the cues, that is the movement of the ball, movement of the teammates and opponents, and quickly execute a movement/decision that will be effective.

After all, Soccer is a game where players are constantly changing their movement and activity patterns. The game demands fluidity, interchangeability, unpredictability, quick thought and execution. Adherence to fixed formations will not help your team meet these demands.

All that is required is to get your players to learn to spread out on attacks, pack the middle of the field on defence and to learn to make quick passes to get rid of the ball before they can be swarmed.

Objective 8: defending and attacking goal kicks.

Goal kicks are dangerous for the team in possession if the players do not understand that they must be first to the ball!

Explaining how to take up a position in alongside or behind an opponent and then to step in front of them when the kick is taken is simple yet vital if you are not to give the ball back to the other team every time you get a goal kick.

Teaching your players that they can (and should) use their bodies to gain an advantage helps build self confidence and assertiveness on the field.

Is winning everything?

Winning is everything… There’s no prize for coming second… If winning isn’t important, why do we keep score?

Heard these clichés? Of course. But, in the context of youth development, how important is winning a game?

Clearly, if you are going to play a game, there is little point in not trying to win it. However, the problem with much of youth football today is that winning has become too important and the development of players has been sacrificed for the result.

In England, as elsewhere, we have many youth leagues. Success is easily and invariably measured by results each week and the league standings. But if the emphasis is predominantly on results what mindset does this put the coach and the players in? Training, tactics and team selection will be based around the next game. Long-term development of players is sacrificed for the ‘quick fix’. Ask yourself these questions in relation to your team:

1. Does everyone get equal time?
2. Does the coach encourage players to express themselves and learn in a game?
3. Does the team selection and tactic revolve around a few more physically able/mature players?
4. Does the coach invariably bench perceived weaker players even when the team is winning?

If your coach were doing these things then I would challenge his/her emphasis. Players need to learn a variety of positions. They need to be encouraged to express themselves and make decisions without fear – fear of being criticised or fear of losing.

Coaches, parents and players must think in the long-term. Training, development programmes and matches must be based around a long-term development programme that works on every aspect of player development and caters for individual needs. Chances are your coach doesn’t have such a plan and just ‘lives’ for the next game. But as in any other educational activity there is (or should be) a syllabus or plan to work to.

Don’t forget that an individual, and a team, can play well and lose. So when your son or daughter comes home from soccer don’t ask ‘Did you win’? You should be asking ‘How did you play?’

The second question also reinforces in your child that her performance is not being measured by the result of the match. The result is just one indicator of performance and, at youth levels, not the most important one.

Children want to make their parents happy. If a parent over-emphasises the result, so will the child. Don’t say winning isn’t important, just don’t make it the most important thing.

Winning – what does it mean?

Maybe we as coaches and parents need to redefine winning.

Winning to me is to have everyone still playing at U12 that started at U6.

Winning is giving the children a passion for the game they can enjoy for life.

Winning is challenging every player to achieve realistic goals based on the child’s individual abilities.

Winning is giving them positive role models.

Think of the difference the child sees in coaches who want their kids to have fun versus those coaches screaming at the players, the ref and each other across the field.

Soccer can be enjoyed at all ages. Let’s not drive the next Mia Hamm or David Beckham from soccer at U7 because of our misguided concept of winning.

Let them have fun and remember it’s their game!

Understanding why children participate in soccer

By: Dr. Colleen Hacker, NSCAA National Academy Staff Coach and Professor of Sports Psychology at Pacific Lutheran University; Tacoma, Wash.

A majority of the reasons children participate in sport are intrinsic reasons. The top priorities are:

To learn and improve their skills
To have fun
To be with friends
To experience the excitement of competition
To demonstrate their competence
To enhance their physical fitness

Notice that the extrinsic goal of winning and beating others is not at the top of the list.

Similarly, when children drop out of soccer, their withdrawal can be traced to the inability of the sport experience to meet their primary motivations for participation. The common reasons are:

Failing to learn or improve their skills
Not having fun
Not being with their friends
Lack of excitement, improvisation and creative opportunities
Lack of exercise, meaningful movement and fitness improvements
Lack of optimal challenges and/or consistent failure

Practical suggestions for coaches:

Encourage players to measure their performance by improvements in their own, personal levels of proficiency and ability rather than by comparing themselves to other players or to other teams based on the game outcome.

Because children have several reasons for participation and not just one, design practices to meet as many different participation motives as possible (i.e. learning, fun, friendship, fitness, challenge, etc.).

How to use substitutes

Nothing causes youth soccer coaches more match day anguish than substitutes.
We’ve all been there – nine year olds plucking your sleeve every 20 seconds saying ‘can I go on now?’ while you try to work out why your team can’t string two passes together. The difficult post-match conversations with parents who want to know why their little star doesn’t get as much playing time as everyone else.

In this article, Larry Paul of the Burke Athletic Club reminds us why FIFA introduced subs in the first place and offers some useful advice about managing substitutes during a match.

How to use substitutes in youth soccer

by Larry Paul of the Burke Athletic Club

FIFA introduced three changes to soccer at the 1970 World Cup Finals in Mexico. For the first time a spotted football was used because goalkeepers and coaches were concerned that the thin air in Mexico City would allow talented players to put additional spin on the ball. The spots allowed players to read the spin on the ball earlier in flight. Yellow and red cards were introduced to bridge the communication problems between referees, players, coaches and fans. This came about because of the 1966 England –Argentina Semi-Final match when the German referee tried to send off the Argentinean captain, Antonio Rattin, and neither man understood a word the other was saying. (Ken Aston, who eventually persuaded Rattin to leave the field, got the idea for a colour-coded system from a set of traffic lights he saw as he was driving home.)

But the biggest change of all was necessitated by the overtime Final between England and West Germany. Up to that point when a manager named the starting eleven he was also naming the ending eleven. The 1966 Final was played by the same twenty-two men for the entire 120 minutes. There was no mechanism or allowance for substitutes. If a player was injured the team would carry on with ten. If it were the goalkeeper a field player would have to take his place. The scene on the field when West Germany equalized in the last minute sending the game into overtime became legend concerning two fatigued teams. It also created a problem with the satellite time that FIFA had bought for broadcasting the game. One they didn’t want to repeat.

FIFA was very concerned about the effect the high altitude would have on players. They envisioned the World Cup Finals as being a war of attrition. Players would become fatigued early on and the games would degenerate into a drab stalemate. To counteract this they introduced the idea of substitutes. At first it was limited to three and this way coaches would be able to introduce new blood into a sagging team, go for the winner in regulation time and get off of the air on schedule. (Luckily for the soccer public it seems to have had exactly the opposite effect. West Germany played both their quarter and semi-final matches in thrilling overtime.)

At the same time, Dettmar Cramer was setting up the basic philosophy for youth soccer in the United States. Part of what he saw was the need to insure that the suburban youth culture was based on participation, and not on competition. At least until this new sport could get off of the ground. His position in the world’s soccer hierarchy was strong enough that the sports founding members here adopted this view. Everybody plays.

This presents today’s coaches with several problems. How do you organize your team so that you can balance the needs of fair competition, balanced playing time and the educational demands of your top talents? How can you keep track of who’s been where and how long have they played? How do you maximize the educational opportunities of the competitive phase, the weekend match? These are some of the practical questions that the following will address.

Don’t wing it, write it down.

Step one is to commit to the habit of writing down what you want to do before you get to the game. (download a form to do this ) This offers you several advantages:

1. It can give you a visual reference of who is where and when. This will save you from some of those coaches “uh-oh’s” when you look out on the field and see a situation that you’d rather not see.

2. It’s easier to change a plan then it is to make one up. As the kids arrive you’ll be able to mentally check off how close you’ve come to you’re plan. You’ll have a starting team/s and the subs. You’ll be able to make your adjustments and get back as close as possible to your starting plan.

3. You’ll have a written record. You’ll be walking into the game with documentation. With a few notations you can make, and record what you actually did. This will pay big dividends half way through the season when you’re trying to remember who played what and for how long.

4. You’ll be able to give your children useful information before a game. When everybody shows up you’ll be able to give everyone a clear idea about what they’ll be doing and when they’ll be doing it. Their role in the game shouldn’t come as a surprise.

5. You avoid a lot of confusion when players are on the field and ask, “Where am I playing?” You have it written down.

6. You are more likely to have the correct number of players on the field.

7. You’ll be much more comfortable in your timing when to put your subs in. You’ll know ahead of time when you want to change, not too early and not too late.

All of this requires some pre-game preparation on your part. At first it will take awhile. But after a few games it becomes routine and very easy to do. You start to repeat certain patterns that become obvious after you’ve been writing them down. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Plan your work, work your plan.

Now that you’re committed to planning ahead let’s look at some ideas for better preparation.

1. Do youth players need to play in every position?

i. They don’t have to play every position in every game. This invites chaos and confusion. Use each game as a way to focus on a smaller portion of the game. Try to keep the children in at least a certain area or role for each game. For example, on the right side, in the centre or on the left. As an attacker or as a defender. (Goalkeepers can share a half.) This way, when you tell a child something it’s relevant to what they’ve done and what they’ll be doing. (What value is feedback about attacking play when they’ll spend the rest of the game in the back line?) Use the game to focus on a topic and learn more about it.

ii. When a child has made up their mind that they want to play somewhere why argue with them? (Unless you have to share the position.) If they want to play exclusively in the back let them. They can become an expert, enjoy their time there and change later on when they’re ready. (Imagine a band teacher who switched musicians around because “you never know when a violinist might need to play the oboe.”)

How to make a substitute plan

1. Label and number the positions on a diagram of the field. This gives you a visual representation of how your team should look. Note the key positions and roles like the number’s 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10

2. Assign the goalkeepers, David in the first half and Allen in the second. Now one key position is taken care of. (Recommend that you play these brave souls 1/4 in the field as well as their time in the goal.)

3.Assign the key players to the key positions. Each player gets 3/4 of the game and make sure that three of them are on the field in each quarter. (Even when the game is played in halves think of quarters.) This insures that you don’t have a period where you lose complete control. (You have to decide who are the key players and positions.)

4. Fill in the rest of the team around the key players. You can look to combine certain players for certain situations.

5. If someone doesn’t show up you know exactly when he or she was scheduled, where they were playing and who can replace them. Plug in the new player/s and move on.

6. Next week you can make sure that the players who only got half of the game, Roger, Pete, Tony and Gabriel get 3/4 playing time. You’ll have these sheets all season as a record.

7. You can easily scan the sheet to make sure that most of the players have consistent job responsibilities for the game.

For side by side games it helps if you can work out the relative strengths of the teams with the opposing coach beforehand, In this example we have a roster of twelve players playing 4v4 on two fields. X is playing and 0 is out.

1. Each sheet/table represents half of the game. In the first half the team hierarchy is that the top six players are on one field while the bottom six are on the other. The opponents should be organized the same way so that the teams are at relatively equal strength.

2. Because of the short nature of the halves think of them being equally divided into thirds. Make the first change 1/3 into the game, the second at 2/3’s. This system will balance out the time evenly.

3.In the second half three players have switched between the two fields. Now the teams and the games will be different while the substitution pattern stays the same.
Having some structure before the game starts will bring you some peace of mind. Going in you’ll know that you have a plan and that you’ll have the information necessary to change when situations demand it.