coaching junior football teams

	The article below is an extract from chapter 2 of Coaching Junior Football Teams for Dummies, a new soccer coaching handbook available at a discounted price from Amazon.co.uk
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Getting Organised

Coaching a squad of young football players involves more than showing up with a whistle, a team sheet, and a car boot full of footballs.

Being a coach kids admire and look forward to seeing all season requires a lot of preparation on your part prior to the first training session.

First, think about why you got involved this season, what you hope to accomplish and what your approach is going to be to help your team get there. Have you assumed the coaching role because you genuinely want to help kids pick up and develop skills in a fun and safe environment, or because you want to make a bid for the league title? What’s your take on playing time, motivating players, and creating a positive atmosphere?

This chapter considers those aspects, and many others, which form the basis of your coaching philosophy. Having a philosophy in place and sticking to it as best you can sets the tone for a good season. A portion of your philosophy should also be dictated by the league you are coaching in. That’s why it’s always important to find out as much information as you can about the league’s policies before you step on the pitch. Being involved in a league that promotes the values that you are aiming to impart to your team is critical for
everyone’s enjoyment.

Developing a Coaching Philosophy

Creating a coaching philosophy is fairly simple. Living up to it all season long is the tricky part. What is a coaching philosophy? Basically, it reflects the standards you have set for yourself and your team, and is the foundation of your coaching values and beliefs.

Entering the season without a coaching philosophy is like driving across the country without a road map. Yes, you’d eventually arrive at your destination, but not without wasting a lot of time and energy with wrong turns and dealing with unnecessary problems and aggravation along the way. A well-thought-out coaching philosophy should reflect a number of considerations, such as:

• Focusing on the best interests and well-being of every player

• Promoting the respect of players and coaches on both teams, as well as officials

• Upholding the virtues of fair play, good sportsmanship, honesty, and integrity

• Placing safety, skill development, and fun ahead of any personal desires to win.

Even with a carefully planned philosophy firmly in place, you will find it pretty challenging adhering to it at all times. This can be particularly true when Billy’s mum confronts you halfway through the season about why the team isn’t winning more games; or Jennifer’s dad questions why the kids with less ability are receiving as much playing time as the team’s best players.

(For explaining your coaching philosophy to the parents before the season gets under way, see Chapter 4, which can help you steer clear of many of these potential headaches.)

Your philosophy is going to speak volumes about you as not just a coach, but as a person. So take the time to put real thought into it. You’ll be glad you did. Lead your players in the direction you know is right. Strive to instil in them the values that you want your own kids to exhibit throughout their life.

Tailoring your coaching to your age group

Children are continually changing, and one of your responsibilities as a coach is to know what to expect both physically and emotionally from youngsters at various age levels. Being fully aware of these differences enhances your coaching skills and your ability to relate to your team. It also ensures that you don’t favour those players on your squad who are more mature and skilled at the expense of those who are less skilled and developed.

No matter what the age or skill level of your players, always be supportive and enthusiastic. Pile on the praise and never stop encouraging them. This approach builds their confidence and self-esteem, regardless of age, and it’s a gift that will last for years to come.

While each child has his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses, all youngsters possess general characteristics that are dictated by their age.

Good coaches are aware of these traits. The following are general characteristics that are applicable for certain age ranges.

Age 6 and under: Children in this age bracket may never have played football, and this season may very well be their first experience in an organised team setting. Your job is simply to introduce them to football’s most basic elements and whet their appetite for future participation. (See Chapter 5, which covers the fundamentals that you can focus on with this age group.) Children at this age generally aren’t concerned about how well they are performing football skills compared to the others on their team. They are primarily interested in being with friends and having fun discovering and playing the sport. Competition is usually the furthest thing from their minds, which is why scorelines and league rankings are often not that important at this level.

Age 7–9: Youngsters at this age tend to start focusing on mastering the basics of the sport. They also crave feedback from coaches and parents on how they are performing certain skills and how they are progressing in a new skill. They begin noticing how their teammates are faring while practising these skills. As coaches praise their peers for properly executing a skill, the child will want to earn that same feedback as well. The desire to compete carries much more prominence for some youngsters in this age range than others, particularly if they have older siblings who they have watched compete in football or other sports and now feel it’s finally their turn to display their skills.

Age 10–12: More than likely, these children have had experience playing football in the past and are continuing with it because it has piqued their interest. Keep the positive momentum going by adding to their foundation of skills and fuel their desire to continue playing by conducting training sessions that are both challenging and fun. Quite often, sports take on added importance at this juncture in their life and they really want to do well. (For more on skills and drills with this age group, see Chapters 10 to 12.) As children reach this age range, many become more competitive and seek to perform better than others of their age. When their ability matches up with their peers, or surpasses it, they feel a real sense of achievement.

Emphasising teamwork

While football is a sport that allows individuals plenty of opportunities to be creative and to run with the ball on their own, you and your team are much better off if you can get everyone to work together as a cohesive unit. Of course, this is easier said then done.

Imagine having 10 kids in front of you. You have one really good toy that they are all eyeing. You give the toy to one child and ask that they share it with everyone. Tough to achieve, eh? The same goes for football. There’s one ball that they are all going to have to share in order for the team to be successful.

So how do you get the team to that point?

Sure-fire routes to fostering the essence of teamwork among your players don’t exist, but the following are some pointers to assist you in your efforts and get the players to begin to see the enormous benefits that accompany working as a team rather than a bunch of individuals.

• Give touchline support. Encourage players not in the game to stay involved by cheering and supporting their teammates. This keeps them
  involved in the action instead of glancing over to see what their parents are doing or what kind of food their friends are eating.

• Allow individual freedom – at times. While you should allow players individual freedom to run with the ball, it must be done within the con-
  fines of the team setting. There will certainly be points during the game where a player’s close control skills and ability to dribble the ball down the pitch may be called for, and that’s part of the game. But when that player then ignores teammates and isn’t willing to pass the ball, the team chemistry is threatened. Remind players that they have teammates for a reason and must be sure to look out for them. (The problem of dealing with a player who isn’t willing to pass the ball is covered inChapter 19.)

• Avoid the captain syndrome. Continually relying on two or three players to serve as team captains throughout the season puts them on a platform above the rest of the squad. By giving every player the opportunity to lead warm-ups in training or be first in a drill infuses the team with that sense that everyone is equal.

• Praise team efforts. During training sessions, make it a point to recognise the efforts of the team whenever possible. For example, if you’re conducting a 3-on-1 drill and the attacking players score a goal, you may feel a natural tendency to applaud the end result and acknowledge the youngster who scored at the expense of the others involved in the drill. Be sure to acknowledge the perfectly executed pass that began the move, or the pass that found the unmarked scorer. If your admiration is spread among all the players who played a role in the goal, players begin to understand that setting up a goal is just as important as scoring in the team framework.

• Get the kids praising one another. Encourage the kids who score goals to acknowledge the pass from their teammate that led to it. If you get kids into the habit of giving one another high-fives, or telling one another ‘great pass’, this forges a bond and strengthens the idea of
  everyone working together for the benefit of the team. Recognise the non-scoring contributions after the game. The kids who
  scored the goals don’t need additional praise after the game because their shot generated cheers and applause from the spectators. How about giving out post-game prizes to the player who began the move with a great pass out of defence? After all, there never would have been a goal without the effort of that child, and it’s well worth mentioning that whether the team wins, draws or loses, the whole team deserves the credit and not just any one player.

Motivating players

Regardless of the age or experience level of your players, they arrive at the pitch with vastly different motivations for playing the game. While some will be strongly motivated individuals who will be real gems to work with, others may benefit from your inspiring words.

Some players should respond positively to the challenges you issue, such as seeing whether they can deliver 10 accurate passes in a row. With others, that approach may actually detract from their motivation to participate. Each youngster you come into contact with is different. Discover for yourself what works for each child to help get the best out of them.

Here are a few general tips that you can employ to help spur your players on to become the best they can be.

• Share your love of the sport. If you have a sincere passion for football and for passing this on to children, your excitement and enthusiasm should rub off on the team.

• Set attainable goals for youngsters. By having reasonable expectations for the kids you are coaching, and setting goals that are within their reach, you will stimulate and encourage them to keep working because the goals are within sight. If a child senses that your expectations are impossibly far-fetched, they are going to wonder what’s the point of trying and their play on the pitch could suffer tremendously.

• Recognise the good things happening on the pitch. Stop training to point out when a player has done something really well, not when he’s made a mistake. Praise is simply one of the best motivational tools around. Think about it. If your boss tells you that you have done a great job on a presentation in front of your colleagues, you are going to give even more effort on your next presentation. The same goes for kids performing skills on a football pitch.

• Do not motivate through fear or threats. Making a child run a lap for failing to perform at an expected level has no place in youth
  football. These types of approaches typically handcuff a youngster’s ability to perform because they’re now afraid of making a mistake that is going to translate into punishment. Children have to feel free to make mistakes in order to improve. Plus, this motivation-through-fear tactic has a strong probability of putting them off of the sport in the years to come.

copyright © footy4kids 2012