Wednesday, February 26, 2014

3 Most common mistakes first time soccer coaches make and how to avoid them

If you are new to world of soccer coaching and the challenge feels daunting then here’s some great advice on some of the most common mistakes and the steps required to avoid them.


1. Planning
Choose drills that are fun. All kids need to have fun otherwise you will loose their attention quickly. If you choose drills that are fun then the players will focus allowing you the coach to concentrate on teaching.  One of the greatest skills that a coach of young soccer players can develop is how to create fun, engaging activities that allow the players to learn and develop at the same time.

2. Over-coaching
Over-coaching means talking too much or in the wrong place. Trying to do too many drills or moving on too quickly. Don’t try to put too much into each session. You will often find that drills go on longer than intended. A good idea would be to have a buffer in place. For example an extension of a drill that can be skipped or included depending on whether or not the session is running to schedule.

One observation that I often see with coaches of very young players is that they talk too long.  Training sessions should be about the players playing and developing skills, not sitting in a circle on the ground with long conversations by the coach.  Additionally, spending only a few minutes speaking with the players before the game at at halftime and keep focus to 3 points.  Too much talking and addressing too many ideas can be overload to young players.  You will keep their focus and attention with brief, concise conversations better than long talks.

3. Focus
Finally focus. Remember that you are a development/youth level coach. It is therefore key that the players are developing each session. Even if the team isn't winning its important that the players can identify progress in their game and overall ability. Structure training sessions and the activities in each session to progress through a particular theme.  This keeps the players focus on one topic and allows you as the coach to focus on key coaching points over a 90 minute period of time.  

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