So You Decided to Coach Club Soccer: Part II

This is your best opportunity to set the tone for the season. For some, this will be their first club practice and they will soon find out that club ball is different than recreation. Don't be a jerk! I would highly recommend going easy on the kids at their first practice.

They'll be nervous and you will be too, hopefully.

A good way to find out what kind of team you have early on is to allow the children to split up to play a game so you can observe their behavior. (Note: Avoid appointing two players as team captains; they'll just select their friends. It's better to count them off in twos so as to prevent the lesser players from turning on you and possibly crying. That of course would elicit a response from the mother. If you've read any part of this series in detail this is trouble you don't want.)

First practice

For the first game, if you have vests to differentiate between the teams, all the better. If you don't you can go shirts and skins, unless you have girls. In that case you may be in trouble. In that case go dark shirts and light shirts.

Take lots of notes either on paper or through a recorder. You may look strange doing this but you'll thank me later. Two things should become readily apparent to you: One, who likes to play in what area of the field; and two, who does not.

This is going to come in handy when during a game an irate parent comes over to you to ask you why their star Billy isn't playing center forward. That is what you should be focusing most of your time on, and that's pleasing the parents. Not!

In fact, it is a great idea to look at the game without looking at the parents. If you can build a wall between you and the parents I'd highly recommend it. Here in the sanctity of your being you will be able to see some tendencies of your new team.

It's also a good idea to look at the game without looking at the ball, and I'm not joking. If they are young and under age 10 they will form what looks to be a mass of bodies fighting for one ball. This is normal; do not freak out; they have just been playing rec ball, where the object of the game is to have the biggest player blast a ball 50 yards up field, only to have your fastest player run on to it and sprint, hopefully, while he's in possession of the ball, to goal.

But I've seen the swarm follow nothing but air, so any scenario would not be new to me. In club ball, though, resist the temptation to appoint the giant as your central defender.

If the kids are older, it is possible that some of the players may already have played club. This is a good thing and you need to build your team around these players, with the caveat that the star needs to lead gently and inspire his peers to the top. If he starts acting like a punk it's your job to whip him into shape and that does not mean lots of lap running, contrary to what some may think.

After the evaluation

If you have a lazy team that doesn't like to work, break out the small-sided games and forget about line drills, which are useful in teaching techniques but are often boring. Nothing kills a team's spirit faster than line drills.

Imagine, if you will, 5 kids standing in a line waiting to kick a ball. Does this ever happen in a game? Maybe, if you are watching water polo or perhaps synchronized swimming. That is a mantra you should be repeating to yourself as you trudge through your first preseason. If you have a team that has a hard time staying competitive, it's time to keep score on everything, reward those who win and punish those who lose, with a smile.

And if you have a team that is constantly arguing, be the referee yourself during a small-sided game but don't make any calls. When they argue, tell them "It's part of the game," even if Billy thinks he hyper-extended something and continue with what you're doing.

And finally, adapt your practice to your team. Every practice is different; there are always variables that make you stray from your routine, be it an absent player or the weather. Always, always have a backup plan in case your first plan doesn't pan out. And remember, there is always enough time for you to get things done. This is not a complicated game. You don't have to overdo a practice to get your point across. And every practice needs to end with some type of a game, so you can see if the tactics or techniques you've taught have been applied to the game. I mean, in soccer you only have to use your legs and chest and head. That's not hard, is it?

Your next practice

So you have seen your team and you know who likes to put the smack down, who doesn't, who scores goals and who doesn't. Conventional wisdom would tell you to put the goal scorers at forward and the shot stoppers at defense. And I wouldn't normally argue.

But I will this time, because you must make mistakes in this game in order to succeed. But you're in a bind here: your parents want to win games. Unless you want to be in the dog house, your aim is to win as well. So put Speedy up at forward and Bigfoot in your central defense!

But, if your ego can take it, and you've got quick fists to fend off those pesky parents who think they know more than you, I'd like to suggest something else: Teach the kids that the game can be played in spaces of the field instead of playing a set position.

You may not win your first few games, but your kids will learn something more valuable: the game over the long haul. Teaching kids the "Four Corners Drill," the "Shield", the "Chop" the "Elevator Settle" and types of zone defense will go a long way in helping a player make it at the highest level but you probably won't win too many games at the outset. You will later on, though, when results actually matter.

The problem is, you have to convince the parents that you are building for the long haul. (Editor's note: I've tried it the other way and the results have not been outstanding. Most parents like to know if Billy is going to be PO'd in advance, like about 5 years.)

The other caveat is that these drills take a painstakingly long time to learn. The "Elevator Settle," for example, takes about three months to master and zone defense takes a month. There is an old adage in soccer, which is "The game is the best teacher" and it's true. But the parents will try to tell you otherwise. In fact I'm not sure there is another sport like soccer where this adage rings so. Let the players play is my motto.

Another suggestion: When teaching new teams I avoid telling them to play "Left Forward" and so on. Instead I usually tell them very little about an actual position, because every good coach knows that the position of the player changes based on what is happening in the game. I might be that guy. For example, I say "Play in the back, play in the middle, play up front," just to give them an idea of what space they need to play in, but only if they ask.

After that all of the practices will look the same, unless you have suffered a broken nose. For variety see if you can line up some friendly scrimmages against other local club teams. It's a good way to see what you have without subjecting the kids to added pressures like games.

A good resource to use, seriously, as a beginning club coach is your local US Soccer Federation licensing course. For more information, see your local state soccer association. The best Internet coaching tool I've found is the Soccer Coach-L rulebook, a listserv of coaches who have generously offered their knowledge for which there are no copyright infringements or intellectual property violations. You may find this at: http://www.dprsports.com/drills/compilations.htm
And books abound, but The Soccer Coaching Bible is still hard to beat. The key to longevity in coaching is to never stop learning.

And the parents of the players will make certain that you know this.