Andre Botelho’s Soccer Coaching Blog

If you are like me, you probably understand that to coach youth soccer is not an easy task. It requires a great deal of energy, creative thinking, and a sense to do things differently. When you are teaching kids soccer techniques, there are a whole lot of drills and exercises that you can use.

There are different schools of thought on this. One says that drills are the best way to teach soccer whereas others believe that the game itself is the best coach. The perceptions vary across coaches as well. However, it is certain that unless you mix all the activities well, a monotony will set in. The kids will get bored and soon get disengaged from soccer.

So, if there is a good blend of activities, there is a certainty that players will learn new things from drills and apply them during practice. To teach youth soccer, try the following suggestions and you will know what works best for your kids.

The problem with Drills-only sessions: To coach youth soccer, coaches focus a lot on drills. Not that it is a bad thing. Drills are an essential part of a good practice session. However, if you include only drills in your plan, there is great chance that the kids will stop enjoying the sessions. Worse still, this may drive them away from the practice sessions altogether. Make it a mix of games, chat sessions, and drills. Introduce as much variety as you can. When the kids get to do something new at regular intervals, it thrills them.

For example, having a player hit the ball several times using the same feet is pointless. Moreover, he will not be able to relate the exercise with the actual scenario on the soccer field.

Teach the right technique: While teaching soccer, always focus on the right techniques to do things. they can then practice these during their sessions. Supplement these with properly organized scrimmages, small games, and a few outdoor excursions such as trekking, biking and so on. After that, you can make them move on to playing a regular soccer game.

It is important to focus on the techniques because they are the stepping stones to good performances. If the players start practicing wrong techniques, they will never really be able to correct themselves later. It is also a good idea to split the group into teams and even the games into different phases.

Make sure that you impart instructions correctly and carefully. This is possible when you have done your homework. Always get to the field prepared with what you want the kids to do.

Remember always, kids will play soccer only when they enjoy it. If their interest is not developed, they will soon move to something else.

So there you have it. Know what it takes to coach youth soccer, create a fun-filled and engaging practice session and implement it. You can get access to thousand of such tricks and knowledge resources on youth soccer by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community. Enroll today.

Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of Coach youth soccer. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free Coaching Youth Soccer guide at: Coach youth soccer.

Let me ask you a simple question. To coach youth soccer, what are the 3 things that a coach can do? Before you answer this question, it is important to know that youth soccer is all about letting the kids have fun. The focus should be on making drills and sessions so exciting that they are always full of of enthusiasm.

So, to teach youth soccer, keep in mind the following three tips. They will help you guide the young kids to becoming professional players.

Let the kids have fun: As I said, youth soccer is all about having fun with the game. As a coach, you must plan each session well in advance. For example, make them start with warm-up drills that prepare them for the sessions. Then move to advanced drills such as passing, dribbling, trapping the ball etc and so on.

Also, allow the kids to be creative in their approach. Encourage them to try new things and even of they are doing something wrongly, do not interrupt them. Talk to them about it after the session. The support of the parents is also extremely crucial in achieving the fun objective.

To coach youth soccer, it is important since the kids will spend a considerable time with their parents off the field. Ask the parents to inspire the kids, keep a track of their diet, and be regular in their training sessions.

Adapt to the age level: Teaching soccer to the youth is generally for kids between 7-14 years of age. At this age, it is a challenge to define the drills that actually catch their attention. So, research a lot over what games you would like them to play. Also, communicate carefully with them as they may not understand your intent behind the exercises if you are too formal in your approach.

It is a good idea to make two or more teams and giving them names. This inculcates a sense of team spirit. Also, do not experiment a lot. A good session is one that has a mix of new and old time-tested techniques.

Document the Drills: You must always write down the sessions, drills, and the goals associated with them. It aids in providing a direction to the team effort. The documentation also helps you in evaluating the progress of the players. If something needs a change, written plan will assist you in assessing it.

Also, with everything documented, it is easy to track your goals. It is obvious that some things will not work out as you expected and you can always get back.

It is safe to say that youth soccer is a dynamic, fun-filled, and yet a responsible job. However, with proper planning and these essential tips handy, you will succeed at it without a doubt.

Put this to test right away! These tips on coach youth soccer are guaranteed to bring you marvelous results. For more such tips on youth soccer, join our youth soccer coaching community where you will find many resources and like-minded individuals from the soccer community.

Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of Coach youth soccer. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free Coaching Youth Soccer guide at: Coach youth soccer.

Tell me, does this describe you? When it comes to coach youth soccer, there are certain essential elements that kids look forward to in their coach. If you have all of the following traits, there are chances that your kids rate you very high as a coach.

We often discuss as to how kids and their parents should be informed about the training drills. However, it is almost always neglected as to what kids expect from their coach. To teach youth soccer, it is imperative to have the following skills which will decide how well and soon can you create a winning team.

Sensitivity: Listen to kids and understand their needs and aspirations. Respect their thoughts, ideas, and goals. Be tolerant and ever-ready to lend them your ears. Also, it is important to note that the best way to handle kids is being humorous with them.

Knowledge and Experience: While teaching soccer, it goes without saying that the kids look up to you for information and tips. So you should be someone who has played soccer extensively,  knows its intricate details, and has a huge experience to share.

Praise and Feedback: When a kid does well, ensure that you appreciate him. Along the same lines, when someone makes a mistake, provide feedback. However in both the situations, do not go overboard. Also, it is important not to  pull someone up in front of his teammates. Cheer the team up from outside the field. This is important to coach youth soccer.

Trustworthiness: Young kids often get caught up in situations where they cannot take a decision. In times such as these, they look up to you to guide them. Talk to them, share your ideas, listen to their problems and this will develop a bond. They will trust you for taking their decisions.

Managing: Kids like their soccer coaching sessions well organized and planned. So it is mandatory that you have great managerial skills as well. Whether you are organizing on the field drills, outdoor excursions, or even a small chit-chat session, ensure that the time is well spent.

A competent teacher: A coach and a teacher are not very different. Try to impart correct and accurate instructions, be compassionate to their problems, be appreciative and never ever reprimand, unless absolutely necessary.

Be a Friend: More than a coach, be a friend. The kids will need to share a lot of things with you and they will do so only when they trust you. Generally, kids get intimate only when they believe that their coach is friendly and open with them.

Remember, youth soccer is all about fun and learning together. If any one element is missing, the kids will loose interest in the support. You, as a coach can make a difference by imbibing all these qualities in yourself.

So go ahead and coach youth soccer by making these changes to your daily coaching routine. If you think, any of the above traits is lacking, work towards developing them. Our youth soccer coaching community has tons of useful resources, tips, articles, and newsletters to help you rise in your coaching profession.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free Coach youth soccer ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free Coaching Youth Soccer ebook at: Soccer Coaching Drills.

Let’s face it. When it comes to coach youth soccer, every coach runs short of ideas on how to make practice drills interesting and enjoyable for the kids. The biggest challenge in teaching soccer is being creative enough to come up with great ideas so that the interest of the kids is sustained in the game.

Following are some drills that you can teach youth soccer players. These help them not just focus on the game, become proficient in soccer, but also enjoy the game.

Get the kids going with dribbling and shooting: This is a simple drill that involves all the players at the same time. Have the kids line up on the single goal line. Now, scatter a lot of balls all over the field. Then, ask the kids to go after the balls  and move as if they are attacking the opponent goal post. They must also shoot the ball when they get a chance.

This drill helps them build stamina, confidence, and also improves their dribbling skills. Since the kids do not have any opposition while they dribble, it also brings out their individual style.

Passing the Ball: In this game, make the kids stand in a queue at a distant corner of the field. Count till 3 and as soon as you finish, instruct them to run towards you as fast as they can. While they are running towards you, they also need to steal the ball from the other player who is kicking the ball. When you say Stop, the player who was kicking the ball must pass to one of the teammates.

When you coach youth soccer, these drills bring out the best in kids when it comes to passing and dribbling. They also learn the art of stealing the ball from other players which is very important.

Touch and Go: This is a very enjoyable game which the kids love. Make the young players stand in two queues not more than 40 feet from the goal post. Also, the goalie should defend the goalpost. Place yourself somewhere between the two queues.

Now pass the ball to one of the queues and instruct them to shoot or pass the ball using only one touch. The objective should be to attack the goal. The goalkeeper must then return the ball and the practice continues.

If you have more than one goalkeeper in the team, keep them alternating between different sessions. This game involves team effort and also improves the shooting skills. Also, the goalkeepers learn to save the ball from hitting the goal post.

Retaining the possession of the ball: This drill helps the players learn to move forward with the ball saving it from opponents. Take two players, one acts as the defender and the other attacker.  Instruct them to start moving the ball as per their roles and when a player dominates the other, reward him with a point.

These are the easiest ways to coach youth soccer. Make your kids practice them and you will help them learn and have fun at the same time. If you would like more such tips and know about drills, join our youth soccer coaching community.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free Coach youth soccer ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free Coaching Youth Soccer ebook at: Soccer Coaching Drills.

Let me ask you a simple question? When it comes to coach youth soccer team, what is the most important skill? There can be many varying answers to it but the truth is that controlling and tackling the ball is the most crucial. The success of a team depends on how well an individual player handles the ball and how well the team supports him on the field.

To teach youth soccer, start with teaching the players various positions on the field. This coupled with the rules of the game as well as how how they should move around in the field making the optimum utilization of the space are important first lessons. With time, they must also get to understand each others strengths and weaknesses.

It must also be understood that the player who has the ball is dependent on the support of his teammates in converting it to a goal. There is a great deal of coordination required to achieve this and as a coach, you must instill this in them.

When you coach youth soccer, it is important to observe how long players can keep the possession of the ball. The longer they can do that, the better it is. Also, teach them to pass the ball cleverly and efficiently by considering the different positions of the ball. As discussed earlier, the role of the supporting players in critical here.

When passing the ball, instruct them not to get in the route of the ball. Also, ensure that when the pass is about to be made, the players should have 3 different choices to pass the ball to. Before receiving the pass, the players must rearrange their spaces so that they are in a good position to handle the ball.

While teaching soccer, imagine a situation where the player does not have the required space to play the ball once he has it. Also, if possible, it is ideal to have at least 2 more players supporting the pass so that after the pass is made, it can be moved about in an attacking position.

Another great trait of a winning team is how they prepare themselves to tackle the ball in unexpected situations. Such situations do occur and the team that makes the best of them wins. On the contrary, when you ignore this ability, even the best teams can end up on the loosing side.

Lastly, any practice session will surely fail if it is devoid of any fun element. No matter what the level of players be, beginner or advanced, you must include a lot of drills and fun games that take away the monotony of rigorous daily sessions. There are many such drills that help the players learn the art of controlling the ball. The best part is that they learn while having fun.

So go ahead and make the best of these tips and techniques to coach youth soccer team. These will surely put them on the winning path. Our youth soccer coaching community has tons of resources, articles, videos, newsletters and so on that will teach you elements of youth soccer coaching. Join it today.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in Coach youth soccer. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free Coaching Youth Soccer guide visit: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com.

Ever wondered how difficult it may seem to coach youth soccer team? Actually it is not, if you have the right attitude, flair to deal with the kids, and some handy tips.

It is always logical and best to start with the basics. At this stage, all they need to do is enjoy the game and eventually, they will begin to get professional in their approach. Also, getting familiar with the fundamentals of soccer will make them confident and get accustomed to the essentials of the sport.

To teach youth soccer, the first things to do is to do nothing. Yes, be very very observant but let the kids be on their own. Do not try to organize things a lot or instruct a lot. This way, the kids will just enjoy the game and that is most important.

Provide short and accurate feedbacks on which the kids can act instantly. Give these feedbacks only at the end of the session, not during them. Remember that they are just kids and so it is important to communicate with them in their language.

Parents of kids take a lot of interest in their progress. So it is a great idea to involve them early. This will also help you in making sure that kids sustain their interest in the game even when they are at home.  Make sure that you understand their queries and answer them appropriately.

Keep all the communication channels open. Personal meetings, telephones, email are all acceptable and effective modes of dialog. However, a word of caution! Do not instruct the kids or allow parents to do the same on the field. Also, the feedback, especially negative, should never be discussed in front of the the young player.

To effectively coach youth soccer, interacting with your fellow coaches is also essential. Every one has unique experiences of their own and sharing them with each other opens new doors to communication and ideas.

Prepare your plans and drills in advance. This essentially means that you do your homework well in advance. Sometimes coaches take an easy approach thinking they are dealing with kids. That is not right. Professionalism and courtesy is as much relevant in youth soccer as it is in professional soccer.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in Coach youth soccer. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free Coaching Youth Soccer guide visit: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com.

Let’s face it, without expert soccer coaching tips, it is difficult for your players to master the soccer skills. If the team gets to the field without knowing even the basic moves, they are very likely to have a tough time dominating the other side. Here are 3 fundamental yet powerful maneuvers that will keep your team in total control of the game.

Dribbling: In a soccer practice drill, it is the first and foremost move a coach must teach his players. Dribbling is the art of moving the ball throughout the field in a way that the opponent cannot take it over. To do so, the player must control the ball in a fashion that it remains with him for the most part.  Teach the kids various techniques such as shoving, pushing and using the sole of the foot which aid in the process of manipulating the ball to the player’s advantage. Also, instruct them that they should not dribble much if there is an unmarked teammate near them. It always helps to sometimes use a smaller ball than the regular soccer ball to master the dribbling skills because the players will then get used to making adjustments better. When you implement these soccer coaching tips, your players will excel at dribbling.

Push Passing: It, along with Long passing is considered an inherent ability of the players. Whereas in dribbling, the player keeps the ball to himself, passing helps the players attack the opponent team through passing of the ball from one player to another towards the goal post. Push pass is the most used and popular form of passing the ball and it is also the most accurate. This is why almost every player uses it. Teach the players to keep an eye on the ball as you pass it, use the inside of the foot, and strike the ball in the middle. Also, passing the ball to your nearest teammate is always appropriate. Make it a regular feature of football coaching drills.

Long Passing: There are situations when the players may be scattered all over the field. In such a case, the player with the ball will need to execute a long pass to pass the ball to his teammate. In order to do this effectively, instruct the players to keep the ball at a specific angle, keep the non-kicking foot a little behind the ball and hit the ball trying to keep it low, along with a full swing. Always remember that while passing the ball, the foot should follow through in the same direction in which you wish to pass the ball. This along with push passing alone should make the bulk of your kids soccer practice sessions.

So there you have it! These soccer coaching tips are basic and yet pillars of an effective game plan on the field. Without mastering these, it is almost impossible for your players to execute a game-winning performance. For more on such moves and strategies as well as sharpening your coaching skills, join our youth soccer coaching community where we provide several articles, tips, and techniques and you also get a chance to interact with fellow coaches.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free soccer coaching tips ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free soccer coaching ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com - Youth Soccer Training Drills.

Have you ever imagined how a handful of secret youth soccer coaching tips can help you build a great soccer team. The possibility is no because it is a general belief that you need to invest years in the game to be even eligible to coach a young soccer team. This article shares some key kids soccer drills along with general approaches that will create a winning team.

Soccer is about being fit, skilled, thorough, and planned. As a coach, it is important to make the kids understand that. Start with the basics. What are the different aspects of soccer, strategies, practice drills, fitness, diet, and basically everything that makes the game and its players. It is also important to understand that you should not do all the talking all the time. Encourage the kids to be more communicative also. When you are friendly to them, the kids will enjoy learning and playing soccer.

Carefully draft youth soccer coaching drills. Before each practice session, give the kids instructions. However, ensure that these do not take a lot of time. If the session is going to be for 30 minutes, keep this initial meeting not more than 5 to 10 minutes. Once the drills start, get out of their way and let them enjoy the game. Take note of the mistakes being made and address them afterwards or during the breaks. Interrupting the kids in between the session will kill the enjoyment, the only exception being the players making a blunder. These soccer coaching tips are time-tested and proven to be effective.

Feedback is essential but should be carefully drafted. The kids are young and sensitive. Talk to them keeping in mind their age and intellectual capabilities. Never ever be harsh or use abusive language. Your understanding of what kids can do or achieve at specific age groups is crucial in this communication. Be a good listener also. Sometimes, even kids have raw ideas that have great potential.

Parents naturally have a great interest in how their kids are progressing. Try to involve them as much as you can. After all, you will not be spending the whole day with the kids. The support of the parents goes a long way in ensuring that kids are focused on their goals. It is a great idea to meet them often and share your views as well as seek theirs. But keep these meetings either before or after the drills, never during the sessions. Also, during the meetings, do not involve the kids. Update the parents about your vision and strategy and seek their cooperation.

Finally, be very vocal about the achievements of the kids and congratulate them as they reach their goals. This will instill confidence in them as also inspire them to do more. Once the kids reach a certain level of complexity, go ahead and increase it. In soccer conditioning, there is no harm in testing the capabilities of the young ones and also present a few challenges but do not go overboard with them.

Make no mistake about it! Youth soccer is a challenging sport and requires a good deal of knowledge, direction, and execution. These soccer coaching tips will help you move forward in creating a winning team. Now, take a bigger leap and sharpen your coaching skills by joining our youth soccer coaching community where you will learn and reach even higher in your coaching career.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free soccer coaching tips ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free soccer coaching ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com - Youth Soccer Training Drills.

Are you looking for effective and time-tested soccer coaching tips to take your team to the next level? Does it bother you that your team is not taking the drills seriously, or that your plans are not working?

Here are 5 unbeatable tips that can never go wrong and are guaranteed to enhance your team’s performance.

1. Plan Comprehensively: It is easier said than done but careful and meticulous planning is essential to achieving success. Before you set out to draft one, sit and have discussions with your players, set your goals and objectives as well as timelines. Results not achieved within the designated timelines can derail your progress. Once finalized, stick to it but leave some flexibility for minor alterations as needed. Even the best plans stand the test of possible failure due to unforeseen circumstances. Flexible plans are the best plans.

2. Make Training Sessions Fun-filled: Remember that even the best designed soccer training drills fail to produce results when they are rigid, dull, and devoid of any fun and games. You can introduce these in a variety of ways. For example, once the regular drill is done with, you can divide them into smaller groups and introduce fun games that not only relax their mind but also promote team spirit among them.

3. Discipline and Freedom go hand-in-hand: It cannot be emphasized enough that as a coach, maintaining discipline should be your top priority. However, understand that freedom and some breathing space is as important as the respect for rules. Don’t underestimate the power of these soccer coaching tips. Allow them time in-between drills to do their own stuff, simply relax, or share things among themselves. It is also a good idea to take them out for camping or any other excursion for a day.

4. Be supportive and tolerant: Encourage your team to try new things and when you do so, also be tolerant of the mistakes that they make in the process. Keep a close watch on the activities and if you need to pitch in to correct a potential blunder or a silly mistake, do it without resorting to punishing ways. Remember that punishment inculcates a feeling of rejection while being supportive and encouraging breeds great ideas and performances.

5. The balancing act: Training fields and sessions are the best places to recognize and acknowledge talent. It is natural that in a team, there are some great players, some average, while others simply poor. As a coach, it is your duty to use your best players to motivate and inspire the others. Buddy the best players with the weak ones so that they stay together and share ideas even after soccer drills, ensure that there are no comparisons drawn out amongst players, and motivate in a way that builds self-esteem.

Youth soccer coaching is a dynamic and difficult job. After all, it is not easy to motivate people to deliver under extreme pressure. However, these soccer coaching tips will help you get the best out of your players and the team. The next step? To take what you’ve just learned, implement it, and join our youth soccer coaching community so you can learn more and dramatically improve your coaching skills.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in soccer coaching tips. He’s the creator of the “Ultimate Soccer Drills System” and influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching style. To download your free soccer coaching guide visit: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com - Youth Soccer Coaching Drills.

For a coach, soccer coaching tips are always welcome. The reason is that learning never stops and there is always room for improvement as far as making the drills interesting for kids goes. There are several ways you can make soccer training drills exciting and productive for your players.

• Make a list of weekly drills: Planning is the key to fruitful training sessions. So it is essential to write down all the possible drills that you would like the kids to go through the week. Share this with the players so that they know what to expect and are prepared mentally as well as physically. It is also a good idea to designate time slots to each activity on a daily basis so that you can track them better and also follow up on drills that need to be improved. Also, include details such as strengths and weaknesses of various players so you know which player needs to focus more on the exercises.

• Warming up is essential: It is now well known among the sporting fraternity that warm-up sessions before soccer fitness training is a must. Without these, the players are at a higher risk of injuries and cramps, which in some cases can be extremely serious. These sessions need not be extensive or carefully planned. Just make them do a small run or may be have them dribble the ball that ultimately not just warms them up but also develop or enhance their dribbling skills.

• Introduce variety in your soccer drills: One of the surest ways to make players disengaged from practice sessions is repeating the same drills over and over again. One of the most popular and tested soccer coaching tips is to introduce variety in training sessions so that the players look forward to each and every session with enthusiasm. You can make them do different activities such as jogging sessions, biking, or weight/fitness training in addition to their regular drills. There is no need to conduct these sessions individually; as a matter of fact, you can divide the team into groups and make the players compete with each other.

• Keep the groups small: As a youth soccer coach, when you are training a lot of players at the same time, it is important to divide them into small groups. This has several advantages. You can keep a watch on the activities and progress of each group, all the players get equal attention, and it also allows the players to interact with each other. Also, it makes sense to give each group a different exercise so that they can concentrate within their own group and rotate the exercises between them. This will keep the players engaged as well as bring an element of fun in their sessions.

• Stretching exercises that work: Last but certainly not the least, coaches tend to ignore the importance of stretching exercises after a hard and strenuous training session. Remember that the end is as important as the start and stretching brings many benefits with it. The risk of injuries or numbness during training reduces, the flexibility of the players improves, and the heart rate gets back to normal.

As a coach, making the soccer fitness training interesting is your biggest challenge. With these soccer coaching tips, you can easily make drills fun and exciting and help the players reach their potential.  For more such useful tips and tricks, join our youth soccer coaching community. It is sure to help you enhance your coaching skills as well as make your job way lot easier and interesting.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in soccer coaching tips. He’s the creator of the “Ultimate Soccer Drills System” and influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching style. To download your free soccer coaching guide visit: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com - Youth Soccer Coaching Drills.