Role of the Coach

As a Facilitator

1. Set up Conditions and environment for learning.
2. Players need to have fun and positive feedback.
3. Coach must be enthusiastic.
4. Practice should be conducted in the spirit of enjoyment and learning.
5. Activities need to be geared toward achieving success.
6. Keep practice simple. Do not make it complex.
7. Must be FUN or you will lose their interest.
8. Do not have players standing around in long lines. Everybody with a ball. All
players must be busy the entire practice.
9. Fitness should be with the ball. Running laps serves no purpose other than
making the playing aerobically fit.
10. Do not over coach. Players learn from playing.

As a positive Role Model

1. Demonstrates respect for team members, opponents, referees, parents,
spectators, and opposing coaches. To have a responsibility to the game itself.

Understand who they are coaching.

1. Children mature at different levels.
2. Treat each person as an individual.
3. Not all participate for the same reason

• U10
  Lengthened attention span
  Still in motion but not to busy
  Psychologically becoming more fun
  Boys and girls begin to develop separately
  Overall and small motor skills becoming more refined
  Prefer team type balls and equipment
  Pace Factor becoming developed (to think ahead)

• U12
  Enjoys competition
  Psychological development has progressed
  Team work has improved
  Technical competency has improved
  Development of speed and strength
  Problem solving with teammates
  Self appearance and peer pressure are a concem
  Varying stages of puberty

• U14
  Differences in mental development
  Sense of belonging
  Varying stages of puberty
  Displays independence and is self critical
  Aware of praise, status and recognition
  A time of self discovery

• U15 and above
  Transition from childhood to adulthood
  Biological, cultural and psychological transition
  Strive for a personal identity and self definition
  Independent
  Conflicting influences between parents and peers
  High expectations of themselves
  Need to belong
  invincible

As a Teacher ("The game is the great teacher")

1. How do players learn?
a. Receive information - process in order of importance.
b. Block out unnecessary cues. Attend to most important.
c. Concentration on execution of decision.
d. Mechanical execution. Repetition.
Practice makes "Permanent".
e. Must be able to "PAINT A PICTURE" of what you expect them to do
during the practice session.
f. Small sided games. 3 v 3 and 4 v 4.
- Skill Development. More touches on the ball.
- Tactics Development. Players leam to make quick decisions.
- Fun & Enjoyment. Scoring increases.
- Player Development. Positional play is greatly increased.
- Intuitive Development. Transitional play increased.
g. Use cones and make sure the grids are the proper size. The grids must
be rectangular in shape and rule of thumb is ten (10) yards
 in length  per pair of players.
Example:

2 v l = 20 x 10
3 v 3 = 30 x 20
4 v 2 = 40 x 30
4 v 4 = 40 x 40
8 v 8 = 80 x 50/60

Adjust the size of grid based on success. It is always better 
to start out big and make the grid smaller.
h. Do not talk while you are demonstrating.

2. What to give the players.

a. Clearly defined goals (objectives, targets, rules,etc.)
1. Overriding- Generalized or total application, ie.
 transition  to positive mentally towards shooting
2. Specific. Play of lst defender. Purpose of 6 v 4. 
If I win the ball can I play it forward?
b. Correct progression
1. Logical sequence. Simple to complex. General to specific
2. lndividual to group to team.
3. Technical.
Fundamental to game related to game conditions.
Technical Functional Training.
Technical Tactical Functional Training.
c. Feedback about performance
1. Immediate and specific feedback.
2. Corrections
3. Do not give sermons. Players want to play soccer. They will lose
interest if all you do is preach. Make your "COACHING POINT"
quickly and get the activity started.

 

3. How to teach.

a. Preview
Keep this real brief. Players leam from playing and not listening to long
"SERMONS" from the coach.
1. What coach is going to do.
2. Why are we going to do it.
3. Whew does it belong in the game.
b. Time factor
1. When in the training session.
2. When in the weekly cycle.
3. When is the seasonal cycle.

c. Explanation and/or Demonstration
1. Paint a clear picture. The younger the player the better the
picture needs to be. Walk through what you expect them to do and
quickly get the activity started.
2. Explain rules of activity
3. Explain why you are doing this. Whew does this fit in the game.

d. Practice
1. Organization- appropriate size, location, equipment, realistic to
full game.

HAVE A LESSON PLAN COMPLETED BEFORE YOU 
GET TO THE FIELD.

Get players started immediately. They will get bored standing around.
The warm up should be a part of the lesson plan. If the practice
session is on passing with the inside of the foot than have them
warm up by passing the inside of the foot. If the practice is on
the lst attacker than have them practice dribbling during the 
warm up.
Have plenty of cones, balls, pennies and flags to set up your grids
before the practice starts. Do not waste the players time setting
 up grids during practice.

2. Activities to elicit optimal arousal
Frustrating = too hard
Boring = too easy

3. Let players play to get feel, develop rhythm, and see if they are
achieving targets

4. Starting and restarting exercise
By Coach = incremental pressure
By players = when they are ready

5. Coaching Points
Be sure you are positioned where you can see all players.
Be specific.
Make point quickly, 15 to 30 seconds. DO NOT PREACH.
Get out of play.
Restart activity.

6. Always have an objective, number of goals , consecutive passes
If two teams are playing and you have established goals
than choose a captain from each team to keep score for
their team. Coaches do not keep score.

e. Corrections (Coaching)

1. Reason to stop
a. Question by player
b. Occurrence in exercise
c. Necessary correction
d. Something good happens

2. Freeze concept
convey quick, clear correct info, take section out of game
Do not embarrass players.

3. Restarting exercise
a. Repeat trials correctly - at slow pace add 
speed and pressure
b. Put back into game
c. Restart where on the field you stopped the play.

4. Assessment and Adjustments
a. Is my Coaching having an effect on the game, activity,
and players
b. Identify the specific problem
1. level of expectation
2. Technical, tactical, physical or psychological

FOUR PILLARS OF SOCCER

5. Put it into Larger Game

6. Make more like a soccer game.

FOUR PILLARS OF SOCCER