"NEW" Developing Players and Winning by Roby Stahl
The student is… The most important person in our program. Without them there would be no need for us. Not a cold enrollment statistic, but a flesh and blood human being with feelings and emotions like our own. Not someone to be tolerated so we can do our thing, They are our thing. Not dependent on us. Rather, we are dependent on them. Not an interruption of our work, but the purpose of it. We are not doing them a favor by serving them. They are doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so. “We must teach children to think for themselves. They are the future of this country” For More

"NEW" What are Coaching Principle? and What are the Principles of Successful Coaching? by Neil Bradford
All successful coaches have their own beliefs and opinions about what coaching is and how coaches can help players. Some might believe that players, especially young players should not be coached but should be allowed to develop themselves; other coaches believe that players should be nurtured carefully from an early age to avoid the development of bad habits and individual weaknesses. For More

"NEW" The Physical Training Needs for the Young Soccer Player by The Football Association of England
As young players develop there is an increased risk of injury, particularly as a result of, excessive and repetitive movements that focus on a particular part of the body.An example of this, is during a 90 minute training session, if the coach runs three ten minute sessions of jumping and heading practice there would be an increased injury to the knees or ankle joints. This is because this would be the area of the body taking the impact of this particular training drill. For More For More

Characteristics and Traits of Players by Colin Schmidt
Children at each age group have certain traits or characteristics that should influence the coach when planning practices. Here are a few generalizations to keep in mind for your team. The more you can balance activities with the needs and desires of children at different stages in their lives, the more successful you will be as a coach. For More

Game Problems and Some Solutions by Graham Ramsay
In many youth, high school and college games, certain skills and tactics are often lacking or players are not aware of the tactical potential. Here are problems observed and some solutions.Problem: Hot and cold passing - In too many cases the message of a pass had no meaning. For More

Good Habits Come First by Bobby Clark
One of the most important things you can do as a coach is to instill good habits in your players. By teaching them to attend to the little things, such as getting to practice on time and coming with their soccer balls properly inflated and their equipment well cared for, they will start taking care of these details at the games - and perhaps in life as well. For More

Lessons for the Game of Life by Linda Frasher Meigs
Sport is a microcosm of society and too often parents, coaches and youth sports associations fail to recognize the important role they can play not only in building strong players, but strong members of society as well.Why do some kids grow up with ease while others struggle? Many factors influence why some young people have success in life and why others have a more difficult time. Economic circumstances, genetics, trauma and many other factors play a role. For More

Organizing Your Practice a Duty, Not an Option by Jeff Wander
Now that you have decided to coach a soccer team, or have made the decision to continue your coaching career, you must set out a plan for organizing your practices. No coach should ever go to his or her team's practice without a definite plan as to what areas are to be worked on, complete with a list of drills, exercises, equipment necessary and an approximate time to be spent on each one of them.How does one go about coming up with such a plan? I believe there are several factors that must be taken into consideration when coming up with a plan to organize your practice. First, you must take For More

Recreational Coaches Vital to the System
Many people on the fringes of the soccer scene perceive competitive coaches to be of higher intrinsic value than the average recreational coach. This is patently not true. For the players to reach the classic (competitive) level, they must have played and been coached in the recreational division (level). The grounding they get playing rec ultimately will determine whether they enjoy the game enough to even think about making the commitment to competitive soccer. What follows below For MoreFor More

Silence is Golden by Karl Dewazien
If a coach feels that individual instruction is needed during play, the individual should be taken off the field and replaced by a substitute. Coaching in this instance should follow a question and answer sequence rather than a lecture. The player should be asked to explain the actions taken as well as corrections to be made before being allowed to re-enter the game. For More

Teach Roles Not Positions by Lang Wedemeyer
Before coming to South Dakota to begin the inaugural season of women's soccer at South Dakota State University, I was the Director of Coaching for a medium-sized youth club in Virginia. During my time there, I noticed a disturbing trend among area coaches at the U-9 and U-10 levels of play. They were teaching their players (boys and girls) how to play specific positions. This not only occurred with the "select teams," but also with recreational sides. There has been much controversy and a number of articles lately dealing with the competitive nature of this age group. For More

The Importance of Training for Coaches by Jeff Wander
Coaches in youth sports take on many responsibilities. In the SAY organization, these duties include making sure our children have fun while learning the game of soccer, sharing playing time following our rules and learning the fundamentals of a wonderful sport. These are just a few of the many responsibilities we undertake as coaches. For More

Who are Those Kids and Why are They Standing There Anyway? by Jeff Wander
As a coach who is now well into his second decade of coaching, I always try to give advice and information to less experienced coaches when asked. Also, I try to stay involved with children of as many different age groups as possible. Recently, I was awarded the job of varsity coach by the local high school. However, each and every spring I work with the youth of our community from the ages of 8 through 14. When not involved with my varsity team, I will help individual coaches and players with tactical or technical training if asked by the local Soccer Club. I think it is very important for all coaches to share advice and information with less experienced coaches, as this is for the benefit of all our youth soccer players. For More