Coaching Soccer For Dummies Page 7
Dangerous play: Players who put themselves or an opponent in danger are whistled for this infraction. Some examples of dangerous play are swinging a leg near a player’s head to kick the ball or diving low to head a ball that opposing players are attempting to kick at the same time. Even if the foul is completely accidental, it can still be called.
Charging: Legally charging an opponent is possible, such as when two players are going for the ball, and shoulder-to-shoulder contact results. But penalties occur when players use violent or excessive force to gain an advantage, such as knocking into the opponent to get her off balance, disrupting her dribbling of the ball, or unfairly impeding her progress down the field.
Charging the goalie: Goalies do receive a thin veil of protection within their own penalty areas; opposing players can’t run into them and attempt to dislodge the ball from their possession.
Offside: Although the rule is pretty straightforward, it usually is one of the most difficult and controversial for referees to enforce during games, especially at the more advanced levels, where the speed of play is quicker. The rule exists so players don’t hide behind defenders at one end of the field, hoping for an unguarded shot on goal.
Double play: When a player puts the ball into play, he can’t touch it again until another player from either his team or the opposing team makes contact with it.
Paying the price for fouls
Three types of penalties can result from fouls. Here, we provide you with the rules and regulations for these three kicks. Check out Chapter 13 for instructions and drills on the actual techniques.
Indirect free kicks: These kicks are awarded to the nonfouling team and result in a free kick from the point of the foul. A player can’t score a goal on an indirect free kick because the ball must first touch another player.
Direct free kicks: The referee awards these kicks for fouls she considers careless or reckless. These kicks don’t have to touch another player before a goal can be scored. The kick takes place where the penalty is committed unless it occurs within the penalty area. In that case, it results in a penalty kick.
Penalty kicks: Players look forward to penalty kicks as much as they do the first day of summer vacation. It’s the chance to score a goal for their team, going 1-on-1 against the goalie. These kicks are awarded for fouls occurring inside the penalty box. The ball is placed on the penalty spot, which is 12 yards from the front of the goal on a regulation soccer field. On a smaller-scale field for younger players, the spot is much closer.
During the kick, all the other players must remain outside the penalty area. The offensive player gets only one shot. The goalie must stand stationary in the goal with his feet on the goal line. He’s allowed to shift his weight, but he can’t make any distracting gestures or wave his arms while awaiting the kick. The kicker, who can be anyone you choose from your team, must wait for the signal from the referee before she can proceed with the kick. She’s allowed to take a running start at the ball, but she must make the kick in one continuous motion. She can’t fake the kick, step over the ball, or stop to pause to try to outsmart the goalie.
Determining what’s in the cards
The referee breaks out yellow and red cards at the more advanced levels of soccer to signal minor and major infractions. Use this list to help you understand what they mean:
Yellow card: The referee issues this card when a minor rules violation occurs. A common scenario that warrants a yellow card includes players entering or exiting the field without prior permission from the referee. Players are allowed to temporarily go out of bounds for corner kicks, free kicks, and throw-ins or to play the ball near the edge of the out-of-bounds line, for example. Virtually any other time, they need permission from the referee. Yellow cards are also usually issued when players argue with the referee over a call.
Red card: Referees issue red cards for major violations, such as being overly physical during the course of play. Players who commit a particularly violent foul, such as intentionally tripping an opponent who has an obvious scoring opportunity or using their hands to stop a ball on a shot that has a good chance of going in the net, usually get the red card. When the referee issues a red card, the player is immediately ejected from the game, and he can’t be replaced, so his team plays short-handed the remainder of the game.
Interpreting the ref’s hand signals
Perhaps no other sport leaves such a wide margin for individual interpretation of the rules than the sport of soccer. Knowing what a referee signals during the game and understanding why he makes that particular call are essential for fulfilling your coaching responsibilities and helping your players learn and grow. Take a look at the most commonly used hand signals you’ll see in your contests this season. In some cases, the referee may look like he’s involved in an intense game of charades. You can check out these signals in Figure 3-5:
Indirect free kick: The referee initially points in the attacking direction of the team taking the kick. Then he holds one hand up in the air until the ball is kicked and touched by another player or until it goes out of the field of play.
Figure 3-5: The most common hand signals a referee and linesman use.
Drop ball: This rarely happens during the course of a game, but every once in a while, the referee may have to stop the game for some reason, such as a small child running onto the field of play during a game or a ball from a nearby field rolling onto the playing field. To restart the game, she goes with the drop ball. The drop ball is used at the spot where the ball was when play stopped. The referee holds the ball out at waist level and drops it to the ground between two opposing players. She can drop the ball at any time without any type of warning, though she typically holds the ball until both teams are ready. Players aren’t allowed to touch the ball until it hits the ground.
Corner kick: When the referee awards a corner kick, he points briefly to the proper area.
Out of bounds: The more advanced levels of youth soccer have a linesman as well as a referee. When a ball rolls over a touch line, the linesman uses her flag to point in the attacking direction of the team that’s putting the ball back into play.
Play on: Sometimes during the course of play, one team commits a penalty, but the other team maintains an advantage. In this case, the referee may allow play to continue. To indicate that he’s making this call, he extends his hands with his palms facing up to indicate that he wants play to continue.
Direct free kick: The referee points briefly in the attacking direction of the team taking the kick.
Substitutions: When a team wants to make a substitution, the linesman holds both ends of her flag above her head to signal to the referee.
Misconduct: The referee displays a yellow card when issuing a caution to a player and a red card when ejecting the player.
Offside: The linesman raises his flag quickly to indicate offside and then sticks his arm straight out with the flag if the infraction occurred in roughly the center of the field. He raises his arm at an angle when the offside takes place at the far side of the field, and he lowers his arm at an angle when the offside occurs on his side of the field.
Examining Common Considerations for Younger Kids: League Specials
One of the great things about soccer is that the game can easily be modified to fit the age, experience, and skill level of the players participating. At the beginning levels of youth soccer, it’s all about teaching kids the basics of the game, not adhering to the rulebook that’s used in the upper ranks of organized soccer. In the sections that follow, we outline adjustments to the rules, field, and equipment that are common in youth leagues.
Reduced field size
Typically in youth soccer, the younger the kids, the smaller the field. If you throw kids on a large field for a game, they huff and puff, and are out of breath and too tired to do anything with the ball when they finally get to it. Depending on how much field space a recreation agency has, the size of a youth soccer field varies from community to community.
A 4-on-4 game with beginning players can easily be played on a field measuring just 30 yards long and 15 yards wide. Keeping beginning players confined in a small playing area allows them lots of touches of the ball instead of spending all their time aimlessly running around in a wide-open area. As players get older, they can expect to play on fields that are 60 to 100 yards long and 35 to 50 yards wide.
Smaller balls
We don’t throw a classic novel at a child just learning how to read, so giving a youngster just starting out in the sport (or even one who has a year or two under his belt) a regulation soccer ball makes little sense. A child’s small foot can’t control a soccer ball that’s intended for an adult, and forcing a regulation ball on a child just learning the game doesn’t speed his learning and development. To build confidence in the sport, a child must continually experience success and notice improvement, and that can happen only if he’s learning with the appropriate-size ball for his age. Take a look at the different-size balls that are available for kids to use these days:
Size 3: These balls are typically used for kids ages 7 and under.
Size 4: These balls are generally for kids ages 7–11.
Size 5: Youngsters ages 12 and up are usually ready to handle these balls, which are standard at all other levels of soccer.
No-goalie games
At the beginning levels of youth soccer, most leagues don’t have goalies. Because the kids don’t have a lot of skills at this point and are in the infant stages of learning the basics of the game, putting a kid in front of the net really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense — she’ll probably see more butterflies during the course of the game than shots on goal. And even if another kid does take a shot on goal, the goalie will probably be playing with a bug in the grass or waving to her mom in the bleachers instead of defending the shot.
In beginning soccer leagues, you typically set up a couple pylons a few yards apart to help the youngsters get the concept of moving the ball downfield and putting it into the goal. At these early stages of youth soccer, you simply want to introduce the kids to kicking the ball, running after it, and kicking it again. Executing passes, headers, and throw-ins all come later, as does dealing with a goaltender.
Fewer players on the field
Although a regulation soccer game features 11 players on the field for each team, the younger the children are, the fewer you have on the field at any one time. The idea at the youngest age levels is to introduce them to the game by giving them lots of touches of the ball, and that can happen only with a handful of players on the field at one time. Just imagine having a full squad of 6-year-olds on the field at once. The players would be lucky to touch the ball a couple times during the game, which isn’t going to be any fun at all.
That’s why games of 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 are quite common nationwide. These scaled-down games are great for promoting an interest in the game, because the kids are experiencing the thrill of kicking a ball in a team environment and being actively involved in the action. This type of approach stirs interest in the sport and opens kids’ eyes to how much fun playing this great game can be. Positioning takes a backseat at this level, because you just want the kids to learn to go after the ball, begin building some foot–eye coordination skills in making contact with the ball, and get the ball to go in the general direction that they intended.
Special substitution rules
In a regulation soccer game, only two substitutions are allowed, and any player that you substituted for can’t return to action. In youth soccer, the substitution rules in place are far more lenient, and with good reason. If you have a squad of 10 players, and your team plays in a 5-on-5 league, you have to be able to interchange players every few minutes to keep their excitement and interest levels high.
In the youngest age groups, coaches typically have the luxury to swap players in and out at any point during the game. In fact, a lot of leagues allow coaches to switch players during the actual game instead of waiting for a stoppage in play. As the kids get a little bit older, the rules on substituting become a little more strict. Also, in virtually all youth programs, the players you substitute for can return to the game; you can substitute players several times, and they’re allowed to continually reenter the game.
When you start coaching in leagues with kids who are 8 years old and above, substituting players becomes more formal and is done following the proper procedures, which includes securing the referee’s permission before sending a new player out onto the field. Substitutions can generally be made during the following times in a youth soccer game:
Prior to a throw-in: If your team has possession of the ball, you can usually make a line-up change at this time.
Before a goal kick: Usually, both teams can make player switches when the referee signals one of these kicks.
Following a goal: This is one of the most convenient times to change out players, because you have a little cushion of time before everyone is set up and ready to resume play again.
Injury stoppage: When a player suffers a minor injury, and the referee halts play so the injured youngster can be helped to the sideline, both teams can use the break to send in a substitution.
Halftime: This is another of those convenient times to make a line-up switch.
Following a caution: When the referee stops play to issue a caution to the player, removing that player is a good idea. You can use the opportunity to bring the youngster to the sideline to go over what he did wrong and make sure he clearly understands the ruling so that it doesn’t happen again later in the season.
Part II
Building Your Coaching Skills
In this part …
P arents can be a help or hindrance when it comes to their children and organized sports. In this part, we share secrets on how you can get parents on your side — and keep them there all season long. We also delve into what it takes to conduct practices that develop skills and keep your players excited about attending. Finally, we offer some tips to help game day go smoothly.
Chapter 4
Meet the Parents
In This Chapter
Introducing yourself to the parents
Brushing up on paperwork
Recruiting parents to help
Getting your equipment together
Coaching players with special needs
Addressing the parents’ concerns
A preseason parents meeting is a perfect starting point for the new soccer season. You can get everyone pulling in the same direction — rather than pulling against one another — for the benefit of the children. It’s largely up to you to guide the parents, advise them, set a positive tone, and outline your expectations for their children — and them — during the season. The preseason parents meeting provides a forum for you to explain your coaching philosophy and discuss your goals and expectations for the upcoming season, as well as answer all the questions the parents are sure to have on everything from shin guards to post-game snacks.
The parents meeting also lays the framework for a smooth-running season, opens the lines of communication on a positive note, and encourages season-long dialogue among all parties. Plus, for many parents, this season is their first experience having a child involved in a sports program, and they may find themselves in unfamiliar territory. The preseason meeting can help put their minds at ease.
Failing to hold this meeting invites all sorts of problems that can be prevented. Without this meeting, you may have an irate father screaming instructions to his child on the sideline during the first game of the season because he doesn’t know that parents aren’t allowed to do that. You may have a mother questioning why her child didn’t get to play half the game, even though you haven’t seen him at practice in three weeks — a situation you can easily avoid if you let parents know about your rule requiring attendance at practice in order to play in games. You don’t want to risk opening the door to these uncomfortable scenarios, or others, by not scheduling a parents meeting prior to the firs
t practice of the season. It’s simply not worth it.
Your meeting is the springboard to a fun-filled season. In this chapter, you find tips on planning the meeting, making a great first impression, and getting the parents to work with you all season long.
Introducing Yourself
How you interact with your young players — and their parents — has a pretty significant impact on how smoothly your season runs. The preseason parents meeting is your chance to explain all the team rules in a relaxed setting. Young athletes need to receive clear and consistent messages from their coaches and parents on everything from how much emphasis is going to be placed on winning this season to how important displaying good sportsmanship is. If the team sees mixed signals between you and the parents, your message is going to be lost, and that’s going to lead to unnecessary problems. Disciplining a child during the season for a team violation that you never discussed with the parents beforehand, for example, isn’t fair and can turn into a catastrophe.
Overcoming anxiety when speaking in public
Public speaking strikes fear into everyone at some point. Being properly prepared is the best antidote for conquering speaking nerves. Practice what you want to say to the group in the mirror in the days leading up to the parents meeting. If you sense that you’re really going to be uncomfortable, rehearse what you want to say in front of your spouse, a family member, or a friend. Bring your notepad that contains everything you want to say to the meeting. Referring to it often throughout the meeting isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s an indication that you want to make sure you cover everything for the benefit of the parents. You can also bring a flip chart with key points highlighted on it. A chart gives you something to divert your eyes toward to ease some of your nervousness throughout your presentation. The parents will also direct their attention to it, so they won’t be watching you the entire time, which increases your comfort level.