Here’s a really simple way to remember some of the key soccer coaching factors that are required in determining your team philosophy and run with it. Applying this philosophy to your youth team can be very easy, easier than you can think.
There are 6 factors; parents, coaches, excitement, selection, time and success windows which are required for an effective youth coaching philosophy.
Consistent Parental Support: When we talk about soccer training the influence of parents is vital in the mental and physical development of your players, most importantly on the day the match is taking place. A brochure of the “parental responsibilities” at the beginning of the season is not enough. Arrange for regular meetings with them so that the key points can be repeated and concerns shared.
Future soccer coaches: A vital part of your philosophy should not just focus on developing the players, but also the coaches. Assess and see if you can turn one of your kid’s parents into a soccer coach? They are the perfect choice for this job, and could be tried in the future.
Selection: Players with great soccer skills drop out mainly due to non-selection. Studies reveal, that the players think that they would not get selected for a good team so they opt for a bad team. Thus a logical system which provides the players equal game time should be used.
Time: Observe punctuality and tell the parents to be punctual as well. When the start times and finish times are clearly defined, you can execute the session very well.
Excitement: Is it a must that each soccer coaching session is interesting? You must definitely try to make each session a delight for the kids but then, its not possible all the time. So adopt “excitement” as a substitute for this.
At the time of training the kids, it is valid that coaches face problems with ideas on how to make training interesting. As such, the biggest hurdle that the coaches face is with regard to the creativity aspect of coming up with fun drills every now and then.
In soccer drills, it makes sense to keep escalating the difficulty aspect so that kids get skilled. A method of doing this is to start a game, introduce a problem, and then find a solution of it in a drill.
Success windows: Make success windows a part of a season for every training session. This needs you to determine a lower limit and an upper limit of time with a view to measure the level of success that needs to be achieved.
For example; time frame of minimum four and maximum eight weeks. This can be worked out for both the team and individual members.
Do good and adopt a soccer coaching philosophy like this become a part of the development phase of your kid’s training once the basics have been covered. To get the most out of your soccer coaching skills, join our youth soccer coaching community where you will find the best resources, tips, and tricks on youth soccer.
Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Coaching Drills.
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