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.
Communicating with Parents regularly: Parental influence is the key factor for soccer training which is essential in the mental and physical growth of your players, particularly on the day of the match. 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. Try and see if you can make one of your kid’s parents to become a soccer coach? They are the ideal candidates, not necessarily to start immediately, but may be in the future.
Selection: The drop out of players with great soccer skills is mostly because of non-selection. Studies show that players would rather get selected for a bad team out of the fear of getting rejected for a good team. Therefore, with the help of a rational selection system all the player could be given equal game time.
Time: The session should be started on time and the parents should also be told to be on time. When the start times and finish times are clearly defined, you can execute the session very well.
Excitement: Is it imperative that every soccer coaching session has to be enjoyable? Yes, try to make every session enjoyable for the kids but also understand that it may not be possible every time. As such, adopt excitement as an alternate.
While training the kids, it is natural for every coach to run out of ideas on how to make practice drills exciting and enjoyable. So, the biggest challenge in teaching soccer is to be creative enough and keep introducing new and innovative ideas so that the kid’s remain interested in the game.
In soccer drills, it is a good idea to keep increasing the level of difficulty every time. 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 an effort to create a success window for the season as an important part of your training. This necessitates for 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 instance, time frame of minimum four and maximum eight weeks. This can be achieved for both the team members and the individual members.
In your interest, embrace 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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