Coaching Soccer For Dummies Read online

  Coaching Soccer For Dummies

  by The National Alliance For Youth Sports with Greg Bach

  Coaching Soccer For Dummies®

  Published by

  Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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  Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

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  Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

  Published simultaneously in Canada

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  ISBN-13: 978-0-471-77381-8

  Manufactured in the United States of America

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  About the Authors

  The National Alliance For Youth Sports has been America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports for children for the past 25 years. It serves volunteer coaches, parents with children involved in organized sports, game officials, youth sports administrators, league directors, and the youngsters who participate in organized sports. The Alliance’s programs are utilized in more than 3,000 communities nationwide by parks and recreation departments, Boys & Girls Clubs, Police Athletic Leagues, YMCAs/YWCAs, and various independent youth service groups, as well as on military installations worldwide. For more information on the Alliance’s programs, which appear in the following list, visit www.nays.org.

  National Youth Sports Coaches Association — More than 2 million volunteer coaches have been trained through NYSCA, which provides training, support, and continuing education.

  Parents Association for Youth Sports — Parents gain a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in youth sports through this sportsmanship training program, which is utilized in more than 500 communities nationwide.

  Academy for Youth Sports Administrators — More than 1,500 administrators worldwide have gone through the Academy, which is a 20-hour certification program that raises the professionalism of those delivering youth sport serv- ices. A professional faculty presents the information, and participants earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

  National Youth Sports Administrators Association — The program provides training, information, and resources for volunteer administrators responsible for the planning and implementation of out-of-school sports programs.

  National Youth Sports Officials Association — Officials who go through this certification program gain valuable knowledge on skills, fundamentals, and the characteristics that every good official must possess.

  Start Smart Sports Development Program — This proven instructional program prepares children for the world of organized sports without the threat of competition or the fear of getting hurt through an innovative approach that promotes parent-child bonding.

  Hook A Kid On Golf — Thousands of children of all ages and skill levels tee it up every year in the nation’s most comprehensive junior golf development program, which features an array of instructional clinics and tournaments to choose from.

  Game On! Youth Sports — This worldwide effort introduces children to actual game experience by giving them the freedom to create and play on their own.

  Global Gear Drive — This program puts sports equipment in the hands of children around the world who wish to take part in quality sports activities but are unable to because of equipment shortages. The Alliance collects new and used youth sports equipment from individuals, organizations, and companies that it distributes to impoverished regions of the world.

  Greg Bach is the communications director for the National Alliance For Youth Sports, a position he has held since 1993. Before joining NAYS, he worked as the sports editor of the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe, Michigan, where he captured numerous writing awards from the Associated Press, Michigan Press Association, and the Hearst Corporation. He has a journalism degree from Michigan State University, which he earned in 1989, and he spends a lot of his free time during football and basketball season cheering for his beloved Spartans. He’s an avid sports fan and has coached a variety of youth sports.

  Dedication

  National Alliance For Youth Sports: This book is dedicated to all the volunteer soccer coaches who give up countless hours of their free time to work with children and ensure that they have positive, safe, and rewarding experiences. We applaud their efforts and commend them for making a difference in the lives of youngsters everywhere.

  Greg Bach: This book is dedicated to my mom and dad, the best parents anyone could ever wish for. I am truly lucky and forever grateful for their never-ending love and support.

  Authors’ Acknowledgments

  A successful youth soccer program doesn’t just happen. It takes a real commitment from not only dedicated volunteer coaches, but also parents who understand their roles and responsibilities and league directors and administrators who know what it takes to ensure that every child w
ho steps on the soccer field in their community has a safe, fun, and rewarding experience. Soccer plays an important role in the lives of millions of children and provides them with the opportunity to learn the skills of the game and the chance to develop both emotionally and physically as individuals. The National Alliance For Youth Sports extends a heartfelt “Thank you” to every person who makes a positive difference, through soccer, in the life of a child.

  This book is the result of a lot of hours of hard work from a lot of great people. A huge “Thank you” goes out to the incredibly talented staff at Wiley, particularly Mike Baker, the project editor of this book, whose editing expertise, insight, and creative touch as we went along from chapter to chapter made an incredible difference in the quality of the book you’re holding right now. Thanks also to Stacy Kennedy, the acquisitions editor, whose efforts behind the scenes many months ago in working with the National Alliance For Youth Sports turned this book idea into reality; to Sarah Faulkner, the copy editor, whose touch can be found on every page with her eye for detail and passion for making every sentence perfect; the fabulous effort of the illustrators — Joni Burns, Shelley Norris, Karl Brandt, and Rashell Smith — whose work will be a great point of reference as you teach your team new soccer skills; and Emory Schlake, who provided a wealth of soccer knowledge.

  Publisher’s Acknowledgments

  We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

  Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

  Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

  Project Editor: Mike Baker

  Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy

  Copy Editor: Sarah Faulkner

  Editorial Program Assistant: Hanna Scott

  Technical Reviewer: Emory Schlake

  Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck

  Editorial Assistant: David Lutton

  Cover Photos: © Ken Chernus/Getty Images

  Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

  Composition Services

  Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez

  Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Andrea Dahl, Heather Ryan

  Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, Joe Niesen, Aptara

  Indexer: Aptara

  Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

  Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

  Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

  Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

  Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

  Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

  Publishing for Technology Dummies

  Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

  Composition Services

  Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

  Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

  Contents

  Title

  Introduction

  About This Book

  Conventions Used in This Book

  What You’re Not to Read

  Foolish Assumptions

  How This Book Is Organized

  Icons Used in This Book

  Where to Go from Here

  Part I : Getting Started Coaching Soccer

  Chapter 1: Teaching Soccer to Children

  Doing Your Homework

  Taking the Field

  Balancing Parenting and Coaching

  Chapter 2: Getting Organized

  Developing a Coaching Philosophy

  Getting to Know the League You’re In

  Chapter 3: Getting Up to Speed with the Basics

  Surveying the Field

  Taking Up Positions

  Rules of the Game

  Examining Common Considerations for Younger Kids: League Specials

  Part II : Building Your Coaching Skills

  Chapter 4: Meet the Parents

  Introducing Yourself

  Putting Together the Paperwork

  Assembling Your Parent Posse

  Going Over Equipment

  Meeting Players’ Special Needs

  Answering Parents’ Questions

  Chapter 5: Getting to Know Your Team

  The Art of Evaluation

  Assigning Team Positions

  Understanding and Working with All the Kids

  Chapter 6: Running a Great Practice

  Kicking Off the Season with a Great First Practice

  Coming to Practice Prepared

  Putting Smiles on Their Faces: Selecting Winning Drills

  Creating a Positive Atmosphere

  Ending Practice on a Positive Note

  Chapter 7: Getting Your Game On

  Taking Care of Pre-Game Responsibilities

  Pre-Game Team Meeting

  Warming Up

  The Whistle Blows!

  The Halftime Speech

  Winning and Losing Gracefully

  The Post-Game Talk

  Chapter 8: Refining Your Approach at Midseason

  Conducting the Midseason Review

  Setting Goals for Your Players

  Revising Your Practice Plan

  Part III : Beginning and Intermediate Soccer

  Chapter 9: Teaching the Fundamentals

  Focusing on the First-Timers

  Shooting: Teaching the Instep Kick

  Ball Handling

  Passing

  Receiving

  Heading

  Goalkeeping

  Defending

  Helping Kids Who Just Don’t Get It

  Chapter 10: Fundamental Drills

  Working at a Beginner’s Pace

  Offensive Drills

  Defensive Drills

  Putting It All Together: A Sample Practice Session

  Chapter 11: Coaching Offense 101

  Building a Beginner Offense

  Understanding Field Position

  Moving the Ball Downfield

  Different Styles of Offense You Can Run

  Kicking the Offensive Skills up a Notch

  Chapter 12: Coaching Defense 101

  Building a Solid Foundation

  Different Types of Defenses You Can Run

  Kicking the Defensive Skills up a Notch

  Chapter 13: Coaching Restarts

  Initiating Offense

  Playing Defense

  Chapter 14: Taking Practice Drills to the Next Level

  Offensive Drills

  Defensive Drills

  Putting It All Together: Sample Practice Session

  Part IV : Advanced Soccer Strategies

  Chapter 15: Coaching Offense 201

  Upgrading the Offense

  Chapter 16: Coaching Defense 201

  Defensive Approaches

  Clearing Strategies

  Introducing New Defensive Skills

  Chapter 17: Implementing Advanced Drills

  Conditioning Your Players

  Challenging Drills

  Part V : The Extra Points

  Chapter 18: Keeping Kids Healthy and Injury Free

  Injury Prevention

  Injury Recognition

  Watching the Weather

  Following a Healthy Diet

  Chapter 19: Dealing with Common Coaching Challenges

  Dealing with Difficult Parents

  Dealing with Problem Coaches

  Dealing with Discipline Problems on Your Own Team

  Chapter 20: Taking Your Show on the Road

  Hitting the Road

  The Selection Process

  The Season

  Being on the Road

  Part VI : The Part of Tens

  Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Make the Season Memorable

  Challenge the Coach Day

  Bring Your Parent to Practice Day

  New Drills

  Contest Day

  Midseason Report C
ards

  Bringing in New Faces

  Team Votes

  Team Captain for the Day

  Carnival Day

  Holiday or Birthday Themes

  Chapter 22: Ten Ways to End the Season on a High Note

  Team Awards

  Team Videos

  Individual Videos

  Team Trading Cards

  1-on-1 Meeting

  Team Newsletter

  Team Photo Album

  Crazy Practice

  Soccer-Ball Photo

  Team Memento

  Introduction

  Welcome to Coaching Soccer For Dummies, a book dedicated to volunteer coaches everywhere who work with kids in the wonderful sport of soccer. We hope you find it informative, entertaining, and — most important of all — useful in helping ensure that every child on your team has a fun, safe, and rewarding experience. After all, that’s what it’s really all about.

  About This Book

  We wrote this book for first-time volunteer soccer coaches looking for some guidance before they step on the field, as well as for coaches who’ve been on the sidelines for a season or two and are interested in gaining more insight on specific areas of the game to benefit their young squads. If you’re new to the sport, you may be somewhat nervous or a bit apprehensive about what you’re getting yourself into. You can take comfort in knowing that this book will kick those concerns to the curb and fully prepare you to enjoy a rewarding season with your team. Each chapter is filled with useful and straightforward information. The more chapters you knock off, the more knowledgeable you’re going to be about this great game and how to teach it.

  We also have plenty of information for veterans of the postseason pizza parties who’ve spent countless evenings at the local soccer fields. We wrote plenty of chapters specifically for you, covering everything from drills you can employ to upgrade individual skills to examining in detail the various systems of play that are available and how to choose the one that best fits your team’s talent level.

  One of the neat things about this book is that you can jump in anywhere. If you’re a rookie coach, you probably have several questions swirling around in your head on everything from how to plan an effective practice to what to say to the team after a loss. Just check out the table of contents or the index for the topic you want to read about and then flip right there to get the scoop. Each chapter is divided into sections, and each section contains information on a specific topic concerning coaching youth soccer.