Ten Tips for Coaching Youth Soccer Successfully

I have been in the coaching business for 13 years. I have found the following format a time tested method of not only coaching youth soccer but also youth sports in general. This is not a "set in stone" method, but I will guarantee that it is a very well rounded approach to teaching the game to kids. The main objectives are teaching the fundamentals, making it fun and motivating the kids to stay in the sport.

1) If you want kids to enjoy the game of soccer, you must teach them the fundamentals of the game so that they will gain confidence and have fun. Teach them how to dribble with their feet, how to pass and how to kick (shoot) for a goal. Every single practice should have those fundamentals in it. If not, you will produce kids that probably won't have much success, won't have much confidence and won't be motivated to stay in this great sport. There are tons of great drills that are great for fundamentals. Find some you like and get to work.

2) You must make practices and games fun when kids are young. If it isn't fun, then they will not be motivated to come to practice and at some point might quit. It is important to have some type of fun activity at every practice. It might just be tag. It might be dribble keep-a-way. Whatever it is, have a short (5 minutes) game you have at every practice that the kids can look forward too. For some kids you won't have to do this, they love it no matter what, but for a lot it will matter. This is a good way to build a strong program and keep kids interested.

Oh yeah, don't forget some snacks. Have your parents be responsible for bringing snacks. Each family should be responsible for one practice. Kids love it.

3) Have a practice plan. After every practice you will understand your team better. It is important to always have a plan before you begin. Write down what you need to work on and the time you want to spend on each activity. This will keep you organized and on task. Keep your plans in a folder. This will allow you to look at what you have done and what you need to work on. This way you won't repeat things that don't need repeated. You can focus your energy a lot better.

4) Soccer is about running. The better in shape your kids are, the more fun they will have. I believe even in youth soccer there has to be conditioning. However, it doesn't have to be just running. Make it fun. Do it in drills or with tag games or with some other type of fun activity. The best conditioning is conditioning that is fun and the type that the kid isn't even aware of. For example, kids do relay races and have fun and don't even realize how much running they are doing.

5) Make sure you have scrimmages in practice. The kids sign up to play the game, not just to hear a speech or do just fundamentals. It doesn't matter if you have 4 or 10 at your practice. Play 2 on 2, or 5 on 5. But make sure you play. I would be sure to do fundamentals first then as the practice goes on, you can get to the scrimmage.

6) Keep things short and simple. Remember, the younger the kid, the shorter his or her attention span. Keep speeches short and keep drills on the short side. I know there are times to go a little longer, but trust me you must keep it as short as you can. Drills are very important but it is better to have some variety (not too much) and go shorter periods of time.

7) Find a few great, fun drills that work all the fundamentals and then use just them. It is better to have a few great drills that the kids can easily memorize than to have a bunch of drills that take time to re-train the kids. Time management is crucial. This way you are able to get the fundamentals into the practices but also get to the fun stuff.

8) A typical practice plan:

I. 2 minutes for an introduction- talk about what you did last practice and what you are going to work on this practice.

II. 8-10 minutes of individual offense- This might be some type of passing/dribbling/scoring drill that you incorporate that works individual offense.

III. 8-10 minutes of individual defense- This might be some fun type of drill that works individual defense. This might include working on back peddling or cutting off the dribbler. Goalies might be taken off to work on individual goalie practice.

IV. 4-6 minutes of a simple game- This is where you break up the action and do something fun. Just play a fun game. Personally, I would play a soccer related game, but you don't have too. I have played simple tag or had relay races at this time. But if you think about it, tag and relays involve running so it can be used.

V. 10 minutes of team offense- At this time you can work on some team offensive fundamentals such as some formations you want to use when attacking the defense or how you want to line up when throwing the ball in.

VI. 10 minutes of team defense- At this time you can work on defensive formations and how you will run back to defend the goal. Another coach might take the goalie (s) off to the side and do some instruction with them.

VII. 20-30 minutes of team scrimmage- Hopefully you have 8 or 10 players at practice and can have a good scrimmage. Personally, I would heavily reinforce the fundamentals that were learned earlier at this time. If possible, ask another team that is practicing to join you for a scrimmage.

VIII. Conclusion- You must finish with some closure. Talk about what you did and what you will be doing. Talk about your upcoming schedule. Ask the parents that are there if they have any questions. Give your team a teaser for next practice, such as something fun you will be doing in the next practice.

9) KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)- The simpler it is at young ages, and a lot of times at older ages, the better it goes. If you confuse kids they will not perform as well, lose confidence and ultimately might quit this great sport. When it comes down to it a good solid defense enhanced by a little more complicated offense (not too complicated) usually will help a team win games. Combine that with some good individual practice as mentioned above and I feel you have done the best you can that is professionally backed by some of the greatest coaches of all time. You can have a lot of practices, but just don't do them too long.

10) Remember it is just a game- Kids in 6^th grade and below, and really every player, should understand that what they are playing is just a game and it is meant to be fun. The goal is to outscore the other team but it is supposed to be fun. It isn't about life and death. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are about that. Not soccer. If you approach youth soccer without this time tested philosophy, then you are getting into it for the wrong reason and you will encounter more frustration than success.

There you have it. This is a time tested way to coach youth soccer and really can be used in just about any sport. This information doesn't guarantee championships but it does guarantee a solid well-rounded team, or as solid as you can get them. Some teams will have more talent and can beat you with that alone, but if you keep working, hard work can overcome talent. The bottom line is that this format of teaching combines fun and the fundamentals to hopefully produce kids that enjoy playing the game of soccer.