Congratulations, and your soccer players Thank You.
You are called "Coach." Now What???
Let me address a few things first. Please understand that there are many web sites, books and clinics that can teach you how to be successsful as a volunteer coach. Many are outstanding resources, while some are mere money generators. I don't pretend to be better than any of them, but this web site's main purpose is not to make money, but to help you become a better soccer person for the players.
You have been given the responsibility of coaching a youth soccer team. Hopefully, if this is your first experience as a soccer coach and you don't have much soccer experience, you are starting at the lower divisions, say U6 or U8. Not that it is better for the players to have an inexperienced coach at that level; on the contrary, it is at this level that they need a coach who can teach them the true basics. However, at this level there is less to grasp for you to learn since the rules are less intimidating for the team. Hopefully your club or organization has a qualified person, such as a Director of Coaching Education and Player Development who helps educate and train beginning coaches.
Okay, you went out and bought your whistle, clipboard, coaching clothing, some cones, probably balls (did you remember the pump and needle?) and all the things that will make you feel like a coach. You are clearing your calendar for practice days and times and everyone at work now knows you are coaching. Fantastic, if you fall somewhere in this description, you have succesfully met the most important coaching criteria: ATTITUDE. If you're going to coach a youth team, you need to look like a coach and feel like a coach (but not a dictator).
ATTITUDE The quickest way to turn the "soccer light switch" off for your soccer players is with the wrong attitude. With the right attitude you not only teach the kids proper soccer, but will instill the virtues of team work and sportsmanship.
I teach a local clinic and use a CD presentation I made in conjunction. In it, one of the points I stress relates to attitude; coaches and parental attitudes. I point out that the child who doesn't enjoy the sport because of adult negative attitude, will disappear from the sport and eventually take along the rest of the family including younger siblings. It is of utmost importance that you have the right attitude. Bad day at work? Argued with the spouse? Hated the traffic in trying to get to the fields on time for practice? DON'T let it reflect in your practice. Amazingly the players will sense that you aren't in a good mood and soon practices will degrade. You don't have to be sunshine and roses all the time, but you have to maintain a positive attitude and reflect that at practice (and games).
ALTITUDE Suppose you lived in a land of giants, but you were "normal" size. You would always be looking up to a person who talked to you. You would probably feel somewhat intimidated and insecure. A booming voice would address you from way up there and when you looked straight ahead all you would see was a big knee cap.
A five year old child, as well as a nine year old could preceive you that way if you never got down to their level. It may not be easy on the bones, but when you ask the players to sit on the grass, you will be more effective if you sit down with to talk with them. If you address a player individually, try to bend down and get eye level with them. They'll be more receptive to you that way.
While in graduate school, I wrote a paper on "communication levels.' The paper is long since lost, but the crux of the content stayed with me. It addressed the issue of how people who are at the higher communication skill levels must try to communicate at the level of their receiver. One cannot communicate at a higher level than the receiver's (person listening to you) possibilities, but must move down to be able to reach someone at a lower communication ability level.
This seems like a bunch of noise, but to put it in simpler terms, you as a coach have to get to the level of understanding for your players. Don't use those fancy words like "wing" and "power kick," "communicating" and "lofting," when you coach five year olds. All they will understand is terms like "Go that way, kick it hard, talk to each other, play closer to the edge of the field," etc., and not much more than that. Terms like lofting the ball and communicating have no meaning and aren't necessary at the U6 level.
At the U6 level, children will look up to you as one of the first authority figures other than parents and teachers. If they are four years old, they may not have experienced a teacher's presence. That means you may have to carefully use your influence to guide them out of their privacy shell.
Their parents will always be their "go to" people when they are upset, don't feel good or just plain don't like you. When you first start a season at U6, try to get the parents involved lightly with your practice. Explain to them that you need to be able to coach and they temporarily need to give up a little of their authority. With that, the first few practices allow the parents to help with the practices, then wean them away, or players will end up with too many "coaches." If a child just "must" go talk or cry with mom, let him/her. It's too hard on the child for you to "rip" him/her from that comfort zone.
Ask parents to visit this soccer web site and any others you want to recommend, so they know the rules. They will appreciate it when watching games.
I can't stress enough that starting and ending pratcices on time is very important. How do you chastice a player (actually parents who need to get them there) for showing up late if you can't get there on time? Some coaches get to practice early, but then start late because they are chatting with parents or other coaches. What will happen is that most of the players start showing up later and later for practice since they just stand around or are told to keep dribbling the ball while you chat. It's okay to stay after practice to do some additional work with a few players who are willing to stay. Just be careful that it doesn't become your way to extend the practice. If two or three players stay for more practice, it's one thing. If almost the whole team stays and only a couple don't, those two may start to feel pressure to stay also.
The whistle
Most web sites won't address the use of the coach's whistle. Usually new coaches fall into two catagories when talking about the use of whistles: Those who never use it and those who overuse it.
Use your whistle in moderation, especially at the U6 and U8 levels. It's okay to use it to start and end practices and even some drills, so that the young players get used to hearing it. They need to learn that the referee's whistle means to stop or start. But to blow a whistle every time you want to get their attention is overdoing it. Instead, use your voice to command attention. Some of you will not have the type of voice that carries all the way across a 50 yard field. At the higher levels you may need to use the whistle more at practices. At the lower levels, you are close enough to them for them to hear. It is not the lack of hearing but lack of attention that keeps little players from hearing you.
I tell people in my clinics that if they enjoy using the whistle, they should sign up for referee class and start refereeing. Of course an experienced referee knows not to overuse the whistle during matches (games).
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