How to coach youth soccer

Warm up or lose out

Pre-match warm-up routines are very important. They get your players ready to play, both physically and mentally, and they need to be planned as carefully as a training session.

If you don’t plan an effective pre-match warm-up, you will be putting your players’ health and safety at risk. Recent studies have shown that warming up properly reduces the incidence of injuries in young football players by 30% [1].

Failure to have an effective warm-up before matches will also result in your players starting the game slowly because they are not in the right frame of mind to play.

So if you allow your players to “warm up” by blasting a few shots at your goalkeeper or your pre-match routine consists of making your team run a few laps five minutes before kick off, don’t be surprised if your team is 1-0 down after two minutes and one player down after 10!

Give yourself enough time

Pre-teen players need between 20 and 30 minutes to warm up properly.

If you allocate less time than that, you won’t be able to get in all the essential elements (see below) and if you make young players warm up for too long, they will get bored.

But it’s not sufficient to just tell your parents to get their children to the ground by 9.30am if the game kicks off at 10am. You need to explain why they have to be on time, give them directions to away grounds (or arrange to leave together from one central location) and discourage lateness by making it a rule that if a player doesn’t turn up on time, she won’t be in the starting line-up.

Repetition is good

Don’t introduce new activities into your pre-match routine every week.

Before the match, your players will be (or should be) focused on the game to come so don’t distract them by asking to learn new drills and activities in the 30 minutes or so before kick off.

Try out your warm-up ideas at training sessions – not matches – and when you’ve found a routine that works, stick to it.

Your players will then come to know exactly what they have to do as soon as they arrive at the ground and they should be able to get on with the first activity without any input from you.

Tip: Give your captain the job of getting players ready for the first stage of the warm-up while you shake hands with the match officials and complete all the other little pre-match jobs you have to do.

To stretch or not to stretch?

Very young football players – up to the age of about 10 – do not need to stretch before a game.

From the age of 10, however, a child’s body begins to lose it’s natural elasticity and it’s important that they stretch their muscles in a controlled and progressive way prior to playing football.

What type of stretching is best?

The most recent research has shown that traditional static stretching in a pre-match warm-up can actually decrease a young athlete’s performance and it doesn’t help them avoid injury. [2]

Dynamic stretching – gentle, repeated and controlled stretching of muscles during whole body movement – is recommended instead as it increases body and muscle temperature, improves elasticity and has been shown to greatly reduce the risk of injury. [3]

Making circles with the arms while jogging, for example, loosens the shoulder muscles and pulling one leg up behind you while walking effectively stretches the quadriceps (thigh) muscle.

More about dynamic stretching

Warning: Dynamic stretching should not be confused with ballistic stretching. That’s where parts of the body are made to stretch beyond their normal range of motion, i.e. repeatedly touching your toes from a standing position. This type of stretching can be beneficial when used properly but the dangers far outweigh the possible benefits. So don’t use ballistic stretching with young football players.

Essential elements of a pre-match routine

Pre-match warm-up routines should start slowly and gradually increase to match tempo. For example:

Five minutes jogging, preferably with a ball.

Ten minutes dynamic stretching exercises with or without a ball.

Ten minutes playing a keepaway style game in a small grid.

Don’t forget the warm-down

Many (in fact, most) youth football coaches don’t warm their players down after matches.

But the warm-down is very important. Done properly, it will help your players’ heart rate and body temperature to return to normal and also dissipate the by-products of exercise from the muscles thus helping avoid muscle soreness after the game.

It’s also a good opportunity to chat with your players about the game, check if objectives were achieved and think about how you can play even better in the next match.

And it only takes 10 minutes. My warm-down consists of five minutes slow jogging/walking followed by five minutes of gentle static stretching.

References

[1] Kirkendall DT, D. J. (2010), Effective injury prevention in soccer, Phys Sportsmed. , Apr;38(1):147-57.

[2] Rod Pope, Skip the warm-up, New Scientist, 164 (2214), p. 23

[3] Rick Meana, New Jersey Youth Soccer Director of Coaching, Soccer Specific Warm Up

The role of the referee in youth soccer

Officiating at youth football matches involves a lot more than simply applying the Laws of the Game.

Refereeing a match involving children requires tact, a sense of humour, an ability to temper the Laws with common sense, a desire to make the occasion as enjoyable as possible and a strong focus on the health and safety of the players.

Keep it safe

1. The pitch

Whether you’re a qualified, neutral referee or a parent who has been “persuaded” to officiate, you need to arrive at the ground in plenty of time to inspect the pitch properly.

If it’s cold and frosty, look at every part of the pitch very carefully. Wear boots/cleats during your inspection and pay particular attention to the goalmouths and centre circle. But even if these areas are playable you should call the game off if any other part of the pitch, no matter how small, is too hard to “take a stud”.

Check for holes in the pitch and ask that they be repaired before play begins and also ask for any debris, especially animal faeces, to be removed.

2. Goal post safety

A child being seriously injured or worse, losing their life, is the worst possible thing that could happen during a youth football match.

Yet hundreds of children have suffered major injuries and, sadly, many have died as a direct result of insecure or damaged football goals falling on top of them.

We don’t want any more headlines like these:

“Goalie had football goal blown on top of her by a gust of wind. She suffered fractures to both legs.”

“Ten-year-old Hayden Barnes Ellias died while playing goalkeeper for the Winchester United U11s team when the goal fell on top of him.”[1]

So please make sure you inspect the goals and refuse to let the match take place unless they are firmly anchored to the ground and free of defects.

And if a goal is damaged during the game, the match must be abandoned. Do not allow temporary repairs to be made.

Make it fun

The role of a referee in youth football is very much that of a “game leader” rather than on official.

Flexibility and friendliness should be combined with instruction at appropriate moments.

Incorrect throw-ins, for example, need not be penalised immediately. If a seven-year-old lifts her foot off the ground an inch or two or steps onto the pitch while taking a throw-in, it is sensible to explain the correct method and give her another chance.

It’s best not to try to coach while officiating but offering advice and saying “well done” to players who show good sportsmanship or good skills helps create a friendly, supportive atmosphere.

And having a quiet word with players who get overexcited, even if no foul has been committed, can help avoid fouls and injuries later in the game.

Keep it fair

It goes without saying that the Laws should be applied consistently but it’s also important that you aren’t seen to be too friendly with one team or coach.

If you are a parent referee, avoid using first names if you have to speak to your child’s team mates and discourage your son or daughter from asking “dad” to tie up boot laces when you’ve got the whistle in your hand!

Look the part

If you have a referee’s outfit, wear it. If you don’t, wear a smart tracksuit or plain football kit.

Appropriate footwear is a must – nothing amuses players more than seeing the ref sliding around on a muddy pitch in trainers!

Be a role model

Always be polite when speaking to players, coaches and spectators. Speak to others as you would wish to be spoken to.

If you are being criticised, stay calm. Explain your actions if you feel it’s necessary but don’t allow yourself to be abused. If a parent or coach oversteps the mark, you are quite entitled to stop the match and insist they are quiet and if they won’t, ask them to leave the area.

You can show young players that referees are human by acknowledging any mistakes you make (and you WILL make some!) but try to learn from your mistakes too. Don’t keep making the same error over and over again.

Finally, remember that youth football is only a game. It’s supposed to be fun, not serious.

So don’t forget to smile!

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Take the pressure off

Being a youth soccer coach involves a lot more than taking a bag of balls and cones to your soccer coaching sessions and teaching children how to pass, shoot and tackle.

You are also a counsellor, psychologist, first-aider, secretary and diplomat. You also need to have eyes in the back of your head, be a superb organiser and be an expert at tying laces that are only two inches long and coated with mud. Additionally you have to be able to read minds.

It’s not sufficient to prepare your players technically and tactically to play in matches. You need to understand that their performance on the field is determined, to a surprisingly large extent, by what is going on inside their heads.

Are they feeling confident? Do they really believe they can perform well? Do they feel that they have to win? That losing would let down their significant others – you and their parents?

No matter how skilled a player is, if he is thinking about how other people are reacting to how he plays, he won’t be able to perform to his potential. It’s similar to stage fright and it affects thousands of youngsters every week.

A clear sign that this is a problem for your players is the difference between how they play in coaching sessions and how they play in matches. If you have players who shoot on sight and tackle without fear during training yet when match day comes, they are quiet and won’t take the slightest risk, they are being adversely affected by pressure. And you have to do something about it.

Pressure on young football players comes from two directions – parents and coaches – but most of it comes from parents.

Pressure from parents

Parents are, on the whole, well meaning. Unfortunately they often don’t realise what effect the little chats in the car on the way to matches that they have with their children have on their performance.

Comments like: “Score five goals for me today, John” (to a striker). “Let’s keep a clean sheet” (to a goalie). “No mistakes today!” (to a defender) and “it’s an important game today… let’s make sure we win” (to any player), won’t motivate their children to do well.

Instead, the parents’ words will be rattling around in your players’ heads while they’re playing and if they don’t look like meeting expectations, they will become frustrated and scared to take risks.

What can you do about it? Well, you can’t be in the car with them on the way to the match. But you can take the time to meet with your parents and explain how they can best prepare their children for match days.

Instead of putting pressure on their child to do well (the “or else” is unspoken) it would be better to talk about school, what they’re doing on Sunday, where they’re going for lunch after the game… anything except what they want their child to do on the pitch.

If parents feel they must talk about the game, they need to remind their child the result is not as important as playing their best for the team. That everyone makes mistakes and they will be their most loyal supporter no matter what happens. Exhortations to score goals, avoid mistakes or win the match almost always backfire and must be avoided.

All this might seem pretty obvious to you and me. But, sadly, it isn’t to most parents. So you need to tell them how to talk to their child before matches.

Pressure from coaches

Criticism is an essential part of coaching but it needs to be done in the right way. If you constantly nag at a player: “Joe, I’ve told you loads of times, aim at the corners of the goal when you shoot” or are harsh with them: “Lucy, that’s a terrible pass”, they will carry your words like a millstone around their neck on match days.

Joe will be too scared to shoot at all and Lucy will be tempted to kick the ball anywhere rather than attempt – and fail again – to make a decent pass.

You should always:

a) Focus on what a player does well rather than what they are not so good at. b) Help them to get better by teaching, not criticising. In Joe’s case, that would mean watching him shoot straight at the goalkeeper for the umpteenth time then taking him aside, praising him for getting into a shooting position then showing him how to strike the ball accurately.

Lucy needs to be praised for spotting passing opportunities then shown how to strike the ball more effectively. But even if you consciously avoid unhelpful criticism of your players, there are other ways you can put them under pressure.

If your players feel that you want them to win matches rather than try to win them, they will feel as though they are letting you down if the other team scores more goals than they do.

If your pre-match talk consists of dire warnings not to make mistakes, that they MUST WIN TODAY or includes the words: “Don’t let me down boys… “.

If you prowl the touchline during matches, kicking the ground in disgust every time a player makes the “wrong” choice.

If you substitute a player immediately after they make a mistake.

If you do any of these things your players will be too scared to shoot on sight, go for a tackle or try a long pass.

So make sure your players know that you value effort more than achievement, that the way they play is more important than the final score and you like players who take calculated risks. Impress on your players that the worst shot is the one that isn’t taken and they won’t get better unless they make some mistakes.

Take the pressure off and you’ll free your players to be the best they can be. And that’s what youth football coaching is all about.

Supercharge your team and win more matches

A lot of youth soccer coaches complain that their young players start slowly in matches and take at least five or ten minutes before they start to play, so these soccer coaching tips are designed to help combat this problem.

To deal with this, I suggest changing the pre-match routine and using a simple tactic that will supercharge the way your players start their game.

Having used these soccer coaching tactics with my team, I know they work. The girls don’t always finish up winning the match but at least I can relax a bit more when the whistle blows to start the game!

1. Warm up effectively

The pre-match warm-up is key. Your team is not going to be in the right frame of mind when the match starts if you allow your players to turn up five minutes before kick off and your warm-up consists of a few lazy kicks into the goal.

Make it clear to your parents that you need their sons or daughters at the pitch no later than 30 minutes before kick off.

When your players arrive, keep the balls in the bag. If you allow them to kick a ball about before you’ve had a chance to warm them up, don’t be surprised if they come back to you complaining of aches and pulled muscles.

A simple warm-up routine

Set up two parallel lines of 10 cones about five yards apart. Line your players up in pairs in between the lines of cones.

All these exercises are done in pairs.

Slow jog to end cones and return (a bit quicker) down the outside. Three repetitions.
Jog with knees up high and return. Two repetitions.
Jog with heels up and return. Two repetitions.
Jog forwards to third cone, jog backwards to second cone then forwards to the end cone and return. Two repetitions.
Jog to first cone. Jump shoulder to shoulder with your partner. Repeat at second cone and continue to the end of the line. Return.

You can add a number of other exercises and stretches (such as hip rotations) to these but as useful as this sort of warm-up is, don’t spend too long on it. Your players need to get some touches on the ball as soon as possible.

But I always play keepaway for at least 10 minutes. Play 4v1, 6v2 or 7v3, depending on how many players you have. Put the defenders in bibs and challenge the rest of the players to string at least 10, 15, 20 passes together before they lose possession.

Make sure they pass and move immediately. I tell my players to move to a new patch of grass each time they pass the ball.

Start in a large space (the width of the pitch) then increase the pressure by moving your players into a smaller space marked out with cones.

Set up a couple of cone goals and finish the warm-up with a short match between your outfield players. If they are old enough, limit them to two or three touches and play without anyone in goal.

If you see a good touch or pass during the warm-up, compliment your players. Always tell them how well they are doing. Have a quiet word with individuals while they are playing. Listen to them. Join in the warm-up yourself. Have fun, smile and look confident.

Timing is very important. You should aim to finish the warm-up a minute or so before your players are due on the pitch. You only need enough time for them to have a quick drink and listen to your final few words of encouragement.

If you finish too soon, all the energy you’ve generated in your players will dissipate and you’ll be back to square one.

2. A little psychology

One of the reasons youth soccer teams start their matches slowly is often the pressure players feel from their parents. Parents often don’t realise the effect they can have if young players hear them saying such things as “another win today and we’ll be second in the league” or “you’re much better than the other team – get out there and score me five goals!”.

Explain to your players’ parents that their children will play better on match days – and have a bigger smile on their faces – if they just let them play without the “encouragement”. When parental comments are confined to “where shall we go for lunch today?” instead of “you need to get stuck in more, you’re not playing tough enough”, you’ll see a big difference in your players’ approach to the game.

3. Tactics

If you want your team to score an early goal you have to put your opponents under pressure straight from the kick off.

A simple way to do this is for one of your wide midfielders to run down the line as soon as the whistle blows. The players taking the kick off should then kick the ball hard in the direction of the running player and immediately run towards the goal.

If the midfielder manages to control the ball, great, she is in a good position to cross the ball towards the two players who are now arriving in the box.

If she fails to control the ball and it goes out for a throw in, that’s a good result too. Your opponents will have a throw near to their goal line and they may well find it difficult to get the ball away.

It’s a tactic that has worked for me on more than one occasion. Give it a try!

Conclusion

Plan your pre-match warm-up routine carefully, explain to your parents how their well-meaning comments can stop their child from playing to their potential and practise putting the opposition on the back foot as soon as the ref blows the whistle.

Your supercharged team will soon be racing around the field!

How to help new or weaker players

One problem that often causes problems for youth soccer coaches is pitching the session at the right level, so that it has something for everyone – the new or weaker players, the “average” players and the most skilful players.

If your coaching sessions follow the traditional pattern of technical instruction/demonstration, followed by unopposed or 1v1 practice, then a small-sided game (SSG) and finally a scrimmage (match), there are some things you can do to keep all your players – no matter what their level of skill – fully engaged.

The technical instruction phase should be as short as possible. All children will soon get bored with being told what to do (they get enough of that at school all day!) and the more skilled players will get bored and switch off very quickly indeed.

When you practise a skill, pair your players up according to their ability, for example, weaker v weaker, stronger v stronger. This will enable all the players to achieve some success and it won’t allow the better players to relax. You could also play 2v1 instead of 1v1 with two average players pitted against one stronger player.

Small-sided games are the best way to provide something for everyone. If you have some players that are naturally more gifted, these children will come to life when presented with a football-like game to use their skills in, while all the players will enjoy the game itself.

You just need to be careful how you pick the teams when you are concentrating on keeping children of varying abilities equally happy. Don’t allow all the better players to play together and if your team selection for the small-sided games causes arguments, add the condition that whoever scores a goal, immediately changes sides.

Build a team for the future, not the next match!

Do you manage a team of U7s and use a policy of rotating players through every position on match days but find that some of the players will always automatically revert to their favoured position of attacker or defender, regardless of where they are asked to play?

This is a typical coaching problem with this age group and parents often like to add an extra complication by requesting that their child should play in their favoured position.

However, the policy of rotating players through all positions is good practice and definitely appropriate for six and seven-year-old players.

It is also a good policy to include the goalkeeper in this rotation. Many coaches keep the same “volunteer” in goal all season and at U7 level it’s really a job that should be shared out equally among the team.

If you have a couple of players who seem to like playing in a particular position, by all means let them play most games in that position. But at such a young age it’s impossible to know which players are going to be your strikers, goalkeepers, midfielders or defenders of the future. So it’s wrong to put a label on them just yet.

It’s also not a good idea to bow to parental pressure when you’re drawing up the team. You are the coach, not the parents.

You understand that all your players need to be exposed to all positions (how else can they know what it’s like to score goals or make great goal-saving tackles?) and that it doesn’t matter a jot if you lose a few matches at U7 level.

Explain to your parents that you’re building a team for the future, not the next match!

Analysing performance

I was asked recently by a fellow soccer coach whether it is worthwhile getting your young soccer players to go away after a match and analyse their performance in the match. The idea is that they would then deliver their analysis at the following training session. It’s common practice for academy players to write a short critique of the way they played in matches.

Their coaches also make notes and together they decide what to do about any areas of their game that need working on. It’s also a good opportunity for coaches to congratulate players for what they do well.

If you have the time to do it properly (it takes about 10 minutes per player at the training session following the match), it’s good practice to ask your players to do this two or three times a season. If you do it any more, it can become repetitive and a bit of a chore, and rushing the process makes it meaningless.

If you decide to give it a go, just make sure you keep the focus on what players do well rather than what they don’t do so well. Feedback should be given as a sandwich – criticism should be a thin filling, surrounded by plenty of praise.

Be honest (don’t give too much praise) and if there’s something that the player can do better, make sure you tell them exactly what they need to do to improve.

Managing parents

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