How To Coach Soccer:12 Action Ideas
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
What if I ask you how to coach soccer, or for that matter youth soccer? The phrase looks quite simple and familiar but if you give it a serious thought, a lot of things will start coming to your head.
One of the soccer skills that’s required for a player and a coach to learn is communication. A coach needs good communication skill for giving instructions, sharing feedback, evaluating players, counseling them, and maintaining discipline.
Players discuss issues with their coaches, peers, parents; share their feelings (good or bad) with teammates, and give tips and tricks to those new in the team. The game of soccer acts as a common language for both players and coaches convey their feeling and thoughts.
With respect to soccer coaching, there are some beliefs that the coaches must follow and subsequently teach their players.
1.Always call your players using their names. This is both courteous as well as soothing.
2. The instructions that you give to the players should be first clear in your mind before going out to them.
3.Be empathetic: The goal of communication is to connect and not to defeat. So try to understand the viewpoint of the other person.
4. Be careful of your body language: It should be comfortable and easy to allow others to open up with you.
5.When addressing the team, maintain eye contact with each player one by one. Look into the eyes pf people that you get to talk to.
6. Your manner of speaking should impress the person you are talking to. So select a style that best describes you and also suits the other person.
7. Select a subject that requires redressal. Communication as an answer to the simple question, how to coach soccer is effective when it is concise and to the point. Pick a list of items and remain committed to it.
8.Be objective: Always remain cautious of the fact that you are a soccer coach who is speaking to a team or an individual player. So be firm with your sentiments and communicate only about the points of the game.
9.Speak clearly: The other person should be able to interpret your message in exactly the same way you intended it to be.
10.When teaching soccer, repeat the important points. Find ways to emphasize on various points time and again so that the players always remember them.
11.Always aim to keep the conversation light by using funny words and style.
12.Give your players time and attention to understand and seek clarifications from you. Give them permission to ask questions.
A soccer coach who does not exhibit good communication skills required to distribute the information correctly will not be a good coach in the long run.
To conclude, how to coach soccer should help the coach understand the different cultures and make room for them. Register for our youth soccer coaching community that has a wealth of articles and videos on coaching young players and how to help them develop excellent skills.
Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.
