Soccer Coaching Rules
- Coaches should attend seminars and study coaching materials published by U.S. Soccer. Whether you're a parent trying to help by volunteering or an experienced player who wants to impart knowledge to younger players, you need to learn to coach. Simply knowing the rules, running drills or emulating your former soccer coaches won't do.
- Children learn by doing, so let them play. Traditional drills result in lots of boredom, lots of waiting for their turn and impractical skill development; never in a match will a soccer player be required to dribble a ball around a series of cones. Drills can help develop skills but by no means should they be the focus of a youth soccer practice.
- Children as young as 6 can play club soccer, but the focus should be on activity, development of physical ability and fun. The coach is merely there to supervise and encourage. Set up a few basic activities, allow the children to play freely and on their own, and do not worry about the parameters of the proper game; at 6, soccer is just fun with a ball. If at the end of the season they want to play more and are more comfortable handling a ball at their feet, you've succeeded admirably.
- Even after a year or two of soccer, players are not ready for organized matches. Continue informal play (and skill development). A major goal at age 7 or 8, for example, is to teach players not to fear the ball. Get them all running around on a nice open field and shooting at multiple goals. They'll have fun and their skills will improve.
- Even at ages 9 or 10, when children are learning how sports work and have reasonably good control over their physical skills, matches must resemble but not exactly replicate official soccer. Also, they must be viewed in the proper context; they're not a measure of ability, they're just a chance to work on real-life game situations. Teams that win or appear to win aren't necessarily teams that are building skill. They're just teams that have figured out how to score.
At this age level, soccer should still be free-flowing, a game where all players defend goals and advance the ball. It is OK to teach positions, as long as players rotate and play each spot regularly throughout the game.
Another good idea at these levels is to incorporate older and more experienced players to demonstrate good ball-handling skills, and even to participate in scrimmage matches as a neutral player (one who plays for both teams, always on offense, and never is allowed to score). Children will learn from observing what that player does.
Players will start showing differences in skill levels ("soccer age") and those who are lacking will be reluctant to play or handle the ball. A good trick is to set up games with several balls in play at one time. This turns the focus back on good ball control and off the player feeling pressured to succeed because everyone is watching. - Eleven-on-11 matches should start around age 12; this is particularly challenging because it's also when players' growth spurts make them lose a certain degree of control over the physical skills they've been developing for the past few years. Concepts such as team play and team possession should begin to factor in, and coaches should frequently evaluate their players' abilities to determine their true soccer age. Those players' activities should be adjusted accordingly.
- It's important for a coach to have a good and healthy relationship with the parents of players. Keep them informed on the club's activities, let them know how their children are doing and welcome them to take part in the practices (as long as they're in step with your coaching methods).
