f4k home page | soccer drills | lesson plans | coaching basics

False expectations

By Dave Simeone, NTSSA Director of Coaching, National Staff Coach - U.S. Soccer

Inexperienced youth soccer coaches begin with personal expectations of what goes on during games or practices. These expectations are sometimes inaccurate - they forget that soccer is a child's game. It is "play". These coaches encounter reality in their first session with youngsters. They find out very quickly that working with youngsters does not meet their expectations of "coaching". This, in turn, causes feelings of fear and anxiety. These inexperienced coaches may, at times, react abruptly and may not successfully handle these situations.

New and inexperienced youth soccer coaches also become concerned with "controlling" situations and can be  over–occupied with being well-liked. Many coaches see these two interests working in opposite directions: "If youngsters like me...I can't control them," or "l can control them, but they won't like me." Coaches either become over- ambitious to please players, or harsh.

More….

Failure to plan ahead  

The following article is by Jeff Pill, NH Director of Coaching and national USA ladies U19 team coach.

The single most important thing that can help [maintain discipline] is the coach's organisation. Here, if it is obvious to the players that practices are conducted in an orderly manner, with clear goals and objectives, they are more likely to treat both the coach and the training time seriously. If practices flow easily from one activity to the other with minimal "down time", the players are able to stay focused on the task at hand. By making training meaningful and educational, the players will be motivated to pay attention and keep focused. More….

Management & Discipline

my thanks to Soccer-coach-L for this article

There are a number of problems which may occur over the course of a season due to the behaviour of parents or players. These include attendance problems; disruptions/misconduct during practice or games; "overly-helpful" parents; and parents who are chronic gripers. Difficulties in handling these four problems are why most coaches to decide to give up coaching, so it is very important to learn how to deal with them.

Dealing with discipline problems

The first trick in learning to handle players is to establish your authority early. If players do not get the idea that you are the "boss", and that you will insist that they follow your rules, it will be very difficult to control them. Here are some time-honoured ways to get this message across early. More

Not separating the behaviour from the child

my thanks to Kids First Soccer for allowing me to reproduce this article

All children, including those we feed, dress, and tuck to bed every night, have their "moments." The child we love dearly is the same kid that at times drives us to the very limit of our patience and sanity. By always addressing the child's inappropriate conduct, and not the child's persona, e.g., "I do not like it when you behave this way..." or "It makes me sad (disappointed, angry...) when you behave irresponsibly...," as opposed to "You are irresponsible ..." or "There are some bad kids on the other team..." the coach empowers the child to select and execute her/his next move.

More….

Relevant links

Management and discipline

FA online psychology course

Planning ‘age-appropriate’ coaching sessions

How to coach pre-school children

Why children play soccer

The ‘keys’ to successful soccer coaching

Discipline and young children