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Know
Your Players: Who are they, what are their
expectations, and why are they on your team? Are your
players in it for similar reasons? Do the players fit in
with your system or does your system need to adjust to fit
your players? Be prepared to be flexible! Read
More!
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Set
Goals: Set short term and long term goals for
yourself, your players and the team. Every goal should
be realistic and within reach! Read
More!
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Empower
Your Players: Teach your players to communicate on
the field, don't constantly yell instructions from the
sidelines. Allow the players to do their own thinking,
you may be pleasantly surprised! Read
More!
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Sideline
Guidelines: Do not allow parents to coach from the
sidelines during games. Players should be allowed to
think on their own and not worry about disappointing their
parents or being embarrassed by a parent! Read
More!
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Be
Professional: Everyone associated with your team
should always conduct themselves in a professional
manner. Do not allow anyone to question the referee,
referees have enough to concentrate on. Instruct parents
and spectators to be fans of the team and of the sport, not
bickering whiners who have to point out every questionable
call or missed call by the referees. Character, respect
and integrity are more important than a goal, a missed call,
or a win! Read More!
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Don't
Over Coach: Keep it simple during games, emphasize
just one or two goals for the players to focus on. Give
clear and concise instructions before the game and during
halftime. Save the coaching for practice! Read
More!
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Name
Your Drills: Naming your drills saves transition
time in practice. The players will automatically know
how to set up the drill and what is expected from them! Read More!
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Develop
A Vocabulary: Develop and use vocabulary "buzz
words" while coaching to communicate quickly and
efficiently. Save time in practice and send a quick and
meaningful message during games. One "buzz
word" can send an entire message filled with
meaning! Read More!
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Integrity
First: Never encourage your players to cheat or
break rules. Discuss this matter with your players in
advance, before any problem arises. Don't allow your
players to take dives in an effort to get the referee to make
a call. Don't encourage your players to chase a ball out
of bounds in an effort to get the referee to award your team
the ball, unless possession truly is yours. Players',
coaches', and teams' behaviors and actions either builds
character, trust and integrity throughout the community or it
ruins character, trust, and integrity throughout the
community. Cheating ruins the integrity of our
sport. Integrity of the sport is more important than any
call or game result! Read More!
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Incorporate
Competitions: Incorporate competitions into your
practices to keep the players sharp under pressure. Challenges
involving dribbling, passing, possession, and shooting can
easily be done as team or individual competitions, keeping the
players sharp, challenged, and fit. Everything can be
made a competition! Read
More!
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Don't
Be A Master Of The Obvious: Too many times I've seen
coaches shouting across the field immediately after a player
has made an obvious mistake. We've all heard parents and
coaches yelling immediately after the mistake "don't dive
in," "don't play the ball in front of your own
goal," or "what are you doing?" Instead,
offer a positive suggestion or solution to help them get back
on track or save the comments for halftime or practice.
Nobody appreciates a master of the obvious! Read
More!
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Don't
Confuse Fitness With Running: Teams can get fit
through challenging drills in practice where players increase
their fitness level while competing in game related
drills. Incorporate fitness in drills involving a
variety of skills in high pressure situations to increase
physical and mental fitness! Read More!
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Improvise:
A great coach is prepared for anything. Game and
practice situations can change quickly due to a variety of
reasons, so it's important for coaches to be able to adjust to
any condition with poise, purpose, and confidence.
Failing to plan is planning to fail! Read
More!
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Prepare
For Emergencies: Maintain an emergency kit with basic
first aid supplies. Keep emergency phone numbers,
contact phone numbers, and a working cell phone with you while
coaching. Know if the cell phone has coverage in the
area and if not, know where the nearest telephone is.
Every second counts!
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Teach
Tactics That Work: One tactic that works is
"Baiting" the opponent. Many coaches
prematurely encourage their players to play the ball out of
the back, long before they're ready to take on such a
technical style of play. In situations such as this,
your players should be prepared to bait their opponent into
passing into trouble. Baiting the opponent to passing
into trouble is quite effective and easy to do. For
example, during an opponent's goal kick, your forwards can
move into an area of the field (toward the middle) making the
opponents think it would be safe to play a short pass out of
the back to an outside defender. A moment before the
goal kick is played, your forward should begin a full sprint
into the path of the pass, either to intercept the pass or
pressure the defender into giving up possession. Mark
them tight where you don't want them to pass the ball, and
bait them where you do want them to pass the ball!
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Private
Lesson Tips: Private Lessons Tips
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Advertise:
Add your coaching profile to PrivateCoaches.com's
online referral service. Give private lessons to
athletes who could benefit from your coaching!
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Research:
Check out these useful
websites for soccer coaches!
