|
SOME GUIDE
LINES FOR COACHING YOUTH PLAYERS
Our
starting point for each practice:
“All
soccer players require a certain amount of uninterrupted
play”
Soccer
players learn a great deal about soccer by experiencing
soccer first-hand. LET THEM PLAY!
1) Are
your players moving? (minimize the times that they are
just standing around during an exercise)
2) Are
they having fun, and is there variety to the
games/activities being played?
3) Are
your players experimenting and are they expressing
themselves with the ball?
4) Are
all of your players “involved” in the game or exercise?
(a) Are all the players participating in your exercise,
or involved in some much-needed rest?
(b) When involved, are they actively a part of what’s
happening on the field? This looks different for
different ages!
-do they have a ball at their feet
-are they trying to score goals?
-are they trying to win the ball back?
-are they trying to help their team?
-are they challenged are they concentrating and are they
enjoying themselves?
Some examples of ways to
accomplish these goals:
Set up
“games” that have an objective to accomplish that the
kids want to do – WHILE ALSO ADDRESSING SOCCER NEEDS.
-
dribbling in a crowd with rules
(ball can’t go out of
bounds/can’t touch other
players, etc)
-
scoring on goals (big, small,
multiple; passing goals,
dribbling goals, on boundary
lines, inside field)
U-6
Your goal as
coach is to make soccer so fun that kids – when they are
at home and have choices – choose the soccer ball as one
of their favorite toys.
Ideas to
consider when setting up practices for these ages:
Any game that
you create that allows your players to touch the ball a
lot. There should not be extended periods of time when
your players DO NOT have a ball at their feet.
Objectives:
-
An
introduction to the ball
-
Moving (balance, changing
direction, jumping) while also
dealing with a ball
-
Scoring goals
-
Short games and many water
breaks
Examples of
some games:
Red Rover
Circle Game
Games with
multiple goals and balls 1:1 and adults as gks
Can you do
this?
Timed game
(up and back race – how far can you get ?)
Free time
with ball (inside a boundary)
Any games
with goals to score on.
LOTS OF
BREAKS!
U-8
Introduce
different parts of foot that can help to control ball
(stop, move, change direction) TO KEEP THE BALL FROM
GOING OUT OF BOUNDS OR TO THE OTHER TEAM!
Objectives:
-
Building on skills from U-6
-
Dealing with bouncing balls
-
Turning and changing direction
-
A
lot of “gate” goals for
dribbling, passing and scoring
-
1v1
and 2v2 games to small goals
-
Lots
of opportunities to score goals
-
Short games and many water
breaks
U-10
Same concepts
as U-8 but expanded
Unlocking the
secrets of the game
-
Introduce and practice of sets
of “moves” to get away from or
by opponent
-
Introduce “pick ups”
-
Basic individual attacking and
defending
-
More
bouncing balls
-
“Nets”
-
“Crossbar” game
-
Juggling with a bounce
-
Moving and shooting on goals
-
Some
passing
-
Games to goals
Still 1v1 and
2v2 but also 3v3 and 4v4 with or without gks
Games with
one or multiple balls and two or more goals
U-12
Same concepts
as U-10 but expanded
Individual
defending and attacking
Attacking and
defending in 2’s
Connecting
with other players
(Getting
players to think about how other players can help us –
in attack and defense)
Passing and
receiving
Ownership and
accountability (Winning and losing)
Games with
“bumper” players (1v1, 2v2,3v3,4v4,5v5 keep-away and
with or without gks)
Competitions
of 3 or more “teams”
|
|
