You might disagree, but hear me out on this. Soccer is no exception when it comes to setting up pre-defined goals for Soccer practice sessions. It is best to keep these goals in check as time progresses. You are best advised to start working on these objectives before the session starts.
Following objectives work for everyone whether you are coaching younger players or older ones.
It must be made sure that everyone enjoys the game including you. There will be no fun in the game if you are unyielding and unsupportive. Always keep this at the back of your mind that fun is the only reason why anyone would play soccer.
In addition, there are also some specific objectives.
- Supporting the players in molding their skills so that they play to win.
- Ensuring that players are in great health.
- Coaching the players about developing a winning outlook.
There is something about triumph that you can educate kids about. Ensure that they understand that as long as they keep playing soccer on the soccer practice field to the best of their abilities, they emerge victorious.
What this will do is make them feel like winners every time they come to practice. They do not need a feeling of a real victory till they have grown up a little to play big matches. This is the age where kids simply have a lot of fun instead of getting into the dynamics of winning and losing.
A principal mistake that coaches make in soccer training is to pass on lots of spoken instructions in it. It doesn’t work well with kids. Kid’s brain is more apt to learn and identify with images in comparison to verbal instructions. So when you intend to make them learn something, show it in various forms and they’ll emulate you for sure. That’s precisely what you wish for.
Now that you’ve made up your mind to show them what you want them to learn, you must practice it adequately. If for any reason, you cannot perform it yourself, it’s advisable to take the help of an assistant coach or an older player.
Plan the drills in a way that players find certain targets to achieve. As a result, the drills become more focused and the player’s participation more meaningful. Moreover, instruct the players to display these one by one to everyone in the group. This will give them a chance to present their leadership skills in addition to the soccer abilities.
Finally, you must keep a check to see that only a limited amount of information is presented. The right way to do is to make them learn and adjust to the first point initially and then take the second point. For example, when you are teaching them to control the ball, the first thing to practice is to bring the body in line with the approaching ball. When the kids have begun to do this consistently, move to the next.
Make use of this in your soccer practice sessions right away. There are several such knowledgeable articles and videos in our youth soccer coaching community. Subscribe today and you can join several like-minded members from the soccer fraternity.
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.