Coaching Soccer For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Although the size of a soccer field can vary, sometimes even from community to community, the markings remain pretty much the same. Get to know these playing field features:

As a soccer coach, your players count on you during the season for guidance and support. The following are some ways to help your kids through the soccer season:

• Be specific with your praise

• Stop practices to point out when a player does something well rather than when they make a mistake

• While providing feedback, use the “sandwich” method by placing a critical remark between two encouraging comments

• Pile on the praise for kids giving their best and displaying good sportsmanship

• Provide constant positive reinforcement — it’s the key to improvement

• Focus on fun and safety instead of wins and losses

• Be passionate and enthusiastic and it carries over to your players

• Have reasonable expectations and set attainable goals for the kids

• Remember that kids making mistakes is all part of the learning process

What you say and how you say it when delivering the pre-game speech is a big motivator for your soccer players. Try these coaching tips when talking to the kids before the soccer game to prepare them for competition:

• Speak in a calm and relaxed manner.

• Be brief.

• Conduct the talk away from any distractions.

• Stress the importance of having fun and displaying good sportsmanship at all times during the game.

• Stay away from overused clichés; speak from the heart to get your point across.

• Avoid pressure phrases like “Let’s score five goals today.” Kids can give you their best effort, but they can’t control the outcome of games.

• Be enthusiastic with your tone of voice and body language. The kids will be more responsive.

Get your day of coaching soccer off to a good start by establishing a pregame routine. Go through the following tips so your players have a safe and fun-filled time on and off the soccer field.

• Inspect the field for loose rocks, broken glass, raised sprinkler heads, or anything else that could injure a child.

• Verify that all the kids brought the proper equipment.

• Have the kids warm up. Keep the drills light, cover all the muscle groups that will be used in the game, and involve a large number of soccer skills to properly prepare kids for the game.

• Give the kids a water break before the game begins.

• Provide encouraging words and a pat on the back to boost kids’ confidence and enhance self-esteem.