Let me present a real simple way to keep in mind some of the important soccer coaching factors that are needed in building the team philosophy and getting along with it. We can apply this philosophy to our youth team very easily as it is easier than we can imagine.
The elements which are essential for an effective youth coaching philosophy are 6; parents, coaches, excitement, selection, time, and success windows.
Regular communication with Parents: When it comes to soccer training, parental influence is the key influence in the mental and physical well being of your players, especially on the day of the match. The pamphlet of “parental responsibilities” provided at the beginning of the term is not adequate. An effective strategy would be is to have regular meetings with them to remind them the essential points and share problems.
New soccer coaches: An important part of the philosophy is that you should not only concentrate on development of the players, but also the coaches. The kid’s parents can also be considered for soccer coaching. They would be the best candidates, not required in the beginning, but might be an option for the future.
Selection: The greatest reason for players with great soccer skills to lose interest is non-selection. Studies show that players would rather get selected for a bad team out of the fear of getting rejected for a good team. Therefore, with the help of a rational selection system all the player could be given equal game time.
Time: Observe punctuality and tell the parents to be punctual as well. The start and finish times that are clearly defined make for an effective session.
Excitement: Is it a must that each soccer coaching session is interesting? Yes, try to make every session enjoyable for the kids but also understand that it may not be possible every time. So adopt “excitement” as a substitute for this.
When training the kids, it is certain that the coach will have problems with ideas on how to make practice drills interesting. Hence, the biggest challenge is to be so good with your thinking that you can come up with several great ideas to make drills fun for kids.
With soccer drills, it is necessary that you increase the challenges for the kids so that they grow. A method of doing this is to start a game, introduce a problem, and then find a solution of it in a drill.
Success windows: Try and include a success window for the season as a vital part of your training sessions. This actually requires you to determine a lower limit and an upper limit of time with a view to measure the level of success that needs to be achieved.
For example; time frame of minimum four and maximum eight weeks. This can be achieved for both the team members and the individual members.
Do yourself a favor and have a soccer coaching philosophy like this become a part of the development phase of your kid’s training once the basics have been covered. If you would like more such knowledge and resources, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community.
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 Drills.