Great list! I'd add: 1. Lack of session planning which often results in less training/ball rolling time 2. Using over complicated drills/activities which results in coaching the drill rather than the players 3. No progression of activities to further challenge players 4. Not sticking to the session topic and/or using too many coaching points
How do you make sure points 2 and 3 don't cancel each other out? I'm coaching U8 and even the simplest activities/drill seem confusing to them. Also, tips on politely telling parents to stop "joysticking" at practice and games?
@elizabethengelman1027 I started coaching a U8 team today. As a coach, I am not supposed to focus so much on winning but I'm looking at other U8 team and they play advanced compared to my team. I think we've got to find simple ways to explain hard to understand points/ideas to them. Incorporate simple games and drills and ask questions on whether they understand what should be done, even letting one of the kids demonstrate after you've explained it. We're working on spacing. It's a big issue. This might help you; ua-cam.com/video/l96wXCskupc/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared I don't know how to stop the parents. I ignore them and focus on the kids. I've got two parents wanting to be assistant coach, not thrilled.. haha. Remember you're the coach. Be the coach and put the kids having fun first, while you teach.
Great video! I’m glad I found your channel. This, and many of the other videos, is exactly what I was looking for. This is my second season coaching in a local catholic school league here in Northeast Philadelphia. The skill gap between teams/kids is vast! The school I’m coaching is small and didn’t have a soccer team until last year. Our fist season I had 14 kids for a 7v7 league. All but 3 kids had never played soccer, didn’t know the rules, what the lines in the field meant, etc. and we only had 3 weeks (6 practice sessions) to prepare for our fist game. So it was a disaster until about our 3rd game when things started to click. But there was a lot of raw talent and excitement to learn and play the game. Side note: when we scored our fist goal, I was like a kid on Christmas. I ran out on the field, picked up the kid and gave him a huge hug. My overall objective was to get each of the 14 kids as much game time as possible. But before the season ended, I also wanted to get them a win so they would know what winning feels like, and increase the odds of them returning the next year. Towards the end of the season we finally got a win against a team that beat us pretty bad earlier in the year. It was glorious! At the end of the season I came to the conclusion that what they needed was just time practicing, drilling, honing their skills, and scrimmaging. So I started a free soccer camp this past summer. We practiced twice a week from Mid May-early August. I had 24 kids at the beginning of camp and had 19 kids at the last camp session. This season (first game will be 9/16/22) we have two team competing in the league. A 7v7 team (cadets 3rd and 4th graders) with 13 kids and a 9v9 team (junior varsity 5th and 6th graders) with 12 kids. So I’m kinda proud that the soccer program has grown. My hope is that next year or maybe the following year, all grade levels will be not only represented, but also competitive, in the league. Anyway, there were several coaching mistakes I’ve been making. The joysticking, too many drill, giving specific instruction from the sidelines rather than giving them a chance to think, being mr freeze, and asking for help. One thing I did well was communicate with the parents, which I think had a direct impact on how many kids enrolled and stuck with the summer soccer camp though the summer, and the growth of the schools soccer program. Coaching is certainly not an easy task. I’ve found that there is a fine balance between developing their skills, pushing them to improve, motivating those few who try to cheat the conditioning a skill development drills, touching their heart and bringing that love of the game to the surface, and also maintaining the fun factor and keeping them focused and interested. It absolutely fills my heart with joy seeing them consistently show up for practice in 90 degree weather ready to get to work. Another side note: last season when it started getting dark early, the people who maintain the field didn’t adjust the lights to turn on when it started getting dark. So for the last few weeks of practice, the sun would go down and about mid practice, aside from street lights, we’d finish the last half of practice in complete darkness without a single complaint. Parents had to come a drag their kids away. Many of the kids would ask if we could continue even when practice had concluded. But I love the game and even in my late 40’s I’d occasionally slide in some shin guards and get into the mix. It’s just so much fun! Anyway, I know I typed a wall of text, but just wanted to give some background, current state of my coaching experience and say thank you for the informative videos. I will be spending the next few days going through them all. Thanks again, Jason
Hello Coach Rory! This video was enlightening for me - a first-year soccer coach in a rec league with fourteen 4th/5th graders. I'm two training sessions in so far, and thanks to your videos, I already jotted down some notes on what *not* to do anymore. (I didn't commit all mistakes you addressed, but more than half.) Live and learn! Thank you for helping people like me inspire the next generation about the game of soccer!
Great Video! I coached my daughter from U8 to U19 from Recreational to highly competitive soccer and I made a ton of mistakes when I first started. I got some great advice after the first couple seasons and many of the things you said where part of that. I absolutely loved coaching that group of girls, many stayed with the program all the way up to U19. I would like to think that because I used that advice, they continued to have fun and enjoyed playing together. "Joysticking" was the one thing that I learned to kick and WOW it made the game fun for me again. The girls knew if I said anything in the game is strategy not a specific play. At that age if you try to tell them to move on a play, it is too late. Now I am coaching my U10 son. It has been a little difficult to go back to U10 and have to rethink my training and fun drills, but it is fun to see how fast they are learning and taking that onto the field. Thanks for putting these videos out there. They have helped me refocus with the U10 Boys.
i've coached youth soccer for 25+ years at the U12-U14 level. this year, for the first time, i'm coaching a U9 club team and realize that that is a quite different challenge, esp how to work with younger kids. i am enjoying your videos immensely... thanks!
Great video. I have been coaching my daughter's team for 3 years now. Last year I was assistant coach (went from Rec to Travel) and the head coach unfortunately made it not as fun for the team. Now back as a head coach I appreciate seeing videos like this to try and avoid pitfalls that we all have as coaches! :) So thanks for the video. It was awesome!
We do short lectures at the first couple practices for formations and team-specific stuff and then later in the practice have a “pop quiz” where they can win a small prize for answering a question. They help each other answer questions as well to build team camaraderie.
This was the first video I watched on how to coach U9 players. It is straight up gold. I've been complimented by numerous parents (my own players and those of opposing players), and it's because I internalized what what said here and Rory's other videos. The kids are having fun learning how to win (not playing to win) and getting a ton of touches this season, which translates to execution and having fun doing it, which is leading to wins. Thank you, Coach Rory.
Thank you for making this video. I was coaching U14 last season, and U10 currently. This helps make the difference in ages more clear, and how to coach them appropriately. I feel a little more confident knowing these tips.
Great tips! This is only my 2nd season coaching my daughter's rec team and every game I learn so much (mainly from my mistakes!) I must admit, I have been guilty of joysticking in the past! That really hit home. Thanks for the wisdom!
I'm glad I came back to this video. I'm a fairly new travel coach for GU9 and I failed to engage the parents and it came back to bite me. Fortunately our parents were vocal about it during our last parents' meeting and it was refreshing to hear how much they wanted to be involved. Expecially them asking what they could be doing at home and what the kids could be working on. I have this info but I was not sharing it. My comms are great when it comes to notifying parents about games/practices/events but I was not sharing the statuses of their children and what we (the coaches) are having them focus on. It's always good to check yourself and realize what you can be doing better for your team! Thanks Coach!!
Thank you so much! Great video! We had our first game and we had every player play every position-keeper we only had two players, but we plan to have every player try it out by the first half of our season. I am blessed that my other coach is willing to study with me. Our team lost our first game in goals, all of our players won in pride of themselves for how well they played.
This video is Excellent!! Every youth coach should be required, mandatory must watch.. every parent should watch this and email this video to all the other parents on the team.. this video is that on point!! Thanks crs
Some good points in there. The kids turn up wanting to play games. Your session should have lots of rolling ball. Last week we just played games with the kids - mixing up the teams after 10 mins, but mainly, just letting them get on with it. There is a feeling sometimes that if we aren't imparting some technical information to players, even at U9, the parents will feel they are getting short-changed. That's when we have to engage with parents.
Great points! I would add that coaches should include position walk throughs so that everyone knows what is expected from each field position. I.e. when the ball is here, where should everyone be? If someone gets beat, who is responsible to help, and who back fills them? etc...
Huge mistake I see coaches make: allowing players to solidify bad habits by not holding players and the team accountable to certain standards. I.e. there is a tendency for younger players, especially coming from a recreation program, to put their head down and dribble or kick the ball as soon as it comes to them, or even behaviorally where players will constantly distract themselves and others. If players are not held to a certain standard, they solidify these bad habits and it makes it extremely difficult to correct the habit and it can be detrimental to overall progress. Note: the standards must be realistic to the age group you’re working with. Just my observation. Great video btw Coach!!!! I appreciate your quality!
I agree with this as well. My son plays u13 and is usually playing fullback and him and his teammates back there still have not formed a good communication pattern to call out or recognize when they have time to settle a ball, take a touch and then pick out a meaningful pass before they start getting closed down. It's mostly ball comes to them and like a hot potato clear back down toward our attacking end or out of bounds. I think about how those could be such teachable moments for them to recognize when they don't have to do that and could give so many more extra chances down field. Obviously there's times when playing it out or out of immediate danger is necessary, but not every time when the other team's closest player coming at you is 10 yards away.
Great comments on mistakes, especially joysticking, so many coaches are yelling out instructions that almost always are lagging behind the actual play... And definitely too much emphasis on boring technical work and not on tactical training and decision making. Great stuff!
Very helpful stuff. It’s my first year as a coach for my daughters team and I was doing a lot of the wrong things you mentioned at their games. Joysticking way too much. Thank you for the help!
I'm a brand new coach and haven't played soccer myself in decades. You're bringing it all back! I could not agree more with every single one of these points.
This video is not only extremely informative and helpful it’s integral. I will share this advice with my colleagues and coaches moving forward. Thank you.
I just found your channel this morning. Just wanted to let you know how great your content is. Coming from a u8 parent. The more I watch your videos the more it makes me want to step up and try coaching my son's soccer team in the future. The current coach checks all the boxes from that video. I have noticed a lot of kids losing interest quick my son included in those statics drills where they have to stand in line for minutes for their turn.
Enjoyed this video (under 10 coach) one thing I would add to the levels part is that I would want my team to play in a level where everything is hard work and earned, not to the point where you're not competitive but you are instilling risk and reward. Too often I see coaches put teams into a level where it's all very safe and they know they will have a positive win-loss ratio. Keep up the good work with vids Rory!
Thank you so much! About to start another year of soccer. Excited to start but nervous about certain things. So much of this made me realize in what areas I need to work on to build better teams.
Loved this video saving it. I coach under 8s 1/2 newbies And we share training with our U8s experienced team and the other coach does so many of your issues. Make it's all too complicated and takes away the fun aspects so I'm constantly adding in fun skill based games like tails with a ball. My team is improving every week up to the point we're matching his team with more players too.
I’m prob most guilty of joystick coaching but I’m also in a developmental league not club. The first few scrimmages and games I def tend to joystick a bit but once the boys learn to communicate and trust each other I dial it back. It’s way different coaching a selected team versus a player rating 2.5-8.5 scramble of kids. I am glad that I am conscious about it now though because I do agree that making mistakes is a big part of the learning process and being able to make your own choices. Thank you for making the video.
Something that worked out very well for me in 7x7 and I continue it in 9x9 is having my strong middle players get the left right in their spots and being accountable for keeping them working together. It has worked very well on defense and for some kids (those that have a hard time taking coaches instructions) they take instruction better from their peers. Of course you need to have the right leaders in those center positions.
Thank u very much I was coach assistant for one year U9 after that the coach left and the club give me job as coach and when I was assistant the coach was always shouting and pushing and now am coaching same team become U11 and some of the players left so now I know they are just kids like u said coming just for fun and play with there friend that matter for them to win or loose but me and other coach we were expecting more.
I love this video coach Rory! I really liked the example of guided questions, saying where is support? versus telling them specifically where to pass all the time!
Thank you for this video! I realize I joystick way to much! Now I know a better way to educate. I also thabk you for all your videos. I played hockey all through school and my kids chose to play soccer so here I am learning soccer terms, positions, and rules as I coach them. They play both outdoor and indoor. I like indoor more as I can relate more to it. I like the challenge for my self of learning how to position and coach for outdoor.
Great video and advice for coaches of really any youth sport but especially soccer. The joystick coaches or the frozen defender ones (have 1 or 2 just standing on the 18 line) are in abundance.
As a parent of of a U9 girl, i found this to video to be super helpful, confirmed that we have a good coach and that our parents (including myself) need to calm down a bit, and let the. girls develop. Thank you.
Someone else brought up practice planning and preparations and thats helpful. I also find that having an assistant coach for practices and games is a huge difference. As for your list, im prone to the joystick 🕹 sometimes and you make a good point of it. Ill work on improving that part of my coaching.
Very insightful video. Great watch. Brand new coach teaching brand new team (u7) football (not soccer) in England 🤪 I am so excited to go on my journey at the same time as my kids. Going to be epic.
Played as a child. Coaching 8+ years in rec. Son is currently in academy/travel. I think the most useful nuggets from this are joysticking, and positioning. Joysticking. I think coaching and verbal queues are important, but I really agree with making sure those are ones to remind them to look for their own triggers. "Check your shoulder", "where's the space", "where's your help", "where can you help", etc. I also think reminding players to give these verbal queues to their teammates is important too... reminding THEM to be vocal (time, man on, back, turn, etc). Positioning. I 100% agree with making sure you have skilled players in the back. Ironically, I think this helps the entire team develop better / faster than having the more skilled players at the top. Primarily, it helps with possession and build-up which means more touches and opportunities for the team as a whole - not to mention confidence, morale, trust, and example (i.e. it shifts responsibility of the best players to prevent goals rather than just scoring them and subconsciously placing the blame on the weaker players when attackers have way less pressure RE: losing possession).
Tremendous video!!!! Extremely informative!!!! I think everything you touched on was point and on par for kids of the age range! And for kids just starting off learning the sport, it's important to instill confidence and make it fun. Often enough certain coaches get wrapped up in wins n losses!
Thanks for sharing! I would definitely agree with getting a mentor as a coach. Mentors can provide valuable feedback on what you’re doing well or not so well at. It has risen my level as a coach for sure.
very interesting video and agree with a lot of your points.....i have coached for 30 years at various levels from rec to elite travel.....i struggle with balancing technical skills vs games to develop players especially with large differentials in skill athleticism etc.... but at the highest level premier league academies I believe there is a tremendous focus on repetitions of basic skills (first touch passing accuracy range of passing etc) if you have a new raw travel team where do they learn the technique for all the technical skills .....the kids rarely play or practice on their own for fun.....example if you want to develop a decent shot then you need to practice a 1000 + times but it is of no use to practice the wrong thing a 1000 times and not improve so you need both repetition and guidance/correction.....many of the kids and their parents in the US have no interest in the game outside of playing and do not watch the professional game at the top level and therefore have no heroes players to copy.... the very best do watch top teams and practice on their own but that is a minute percentage...... i think you need 1on 1 or very small group individual training outside the team (as compensation for lack of street/beach soccer) and then application in small sided games progressing to larger side in team training) From coaching or overcoaching I find it very interesting that the very best coaches/managers in the world seem to be very animated and instructing for much of the game (especially if they are not winning) the training should have restrictions to accomplish development ( 3 touch minimum or 2 touch max etc) At the end of the day they need to be better players at the end of the season than they were at the beginning..... and you are very correct play at the right level but that is not always easy to accomplish as everyone has a different perspective and divisions are often unbalanced that is why you have promotion and relegation....coaching is much easier with talent....just ask Pep or Jurgen.....see what they could accomplish with a low level team without the ability to buy the best players ...I am sure they could improve the team but there would be a ceiling Interested to hear your perspective
What help me the most are progressions and small sided games. Combine learning with fun at young ages. Not reviewing my sessions was one of my early mistakes.
3rd year coach and I likes some of what you talked about. I do some times catch myself placing the weaker players in the back or not in the right position. I will be re-evaluating the positions for this weeks games.
Brilliant 👏 👏 👏 This is what we need more of than merely endless drills ...the psychological aspect of coaching plays the most important part in the making of a good coach
Terrific video (I really wish there was more content like this out there). I think a couple points either are wrong or (probably more likely) weren't really well articulated. 1) Technical Drills = Bad. I think that's the lesson that a lot of people will take from your first point and I don't think that's what you meant. ESPECIALLY at the youth level, teaching technical skills is vitally important. The goal is finding ways to do it that feel more like a game (or mini-game) than simple doing line drills. I would suggest taking your standard line drills and finding SOME way to spice it up just a little bit (something to make it a little more competitive... timed race between groups, points, person in the middle, whatever. But the key is it still needs to focus on those technical skills. Don't just do 3v2 drills all day and then a scrimmage. Kids will learn very little from that. If your coaching staff is large enough (i've been lucky enough to coach with two other terrific coaches), having one of them pull a single player aside to work on a specific skill while the other two coaches run the rest of practice can be terrific. Kids love the 1 on 1 time as well. If you can give four or five kids 5-10 minutes each during each practice that will make a meaningful difference in their development. 2/3) These are sort of the same. Teaching kids is your job. You have to find a way to do that that keeps them engaged. SOME kids respond really well to questions. Some kids absolutely do NOT. The biggest thing that all coaches will struggle with at this age is simply avoiding "pack ball". You'll find yourself stopping practice a LOT and saying, "Guys... look around... should there be four of you next to each other?" That's okay... you SHOULD be Mr. Freeze in that situation. Frankly, you NEED to be because "spreading out" isn't a thing that they'll learn on their own. What you shouldn't do is stop play to spend five minutes teaching them how to do give and gos in the middle of a session. Stop things and lecture when things are fundamentally broken (and keep those lectures to 30-45 seconds in most cases, frankly). 7) Joysticking. In some ways this goes along with "Winning" (I think you mentioned that). Again, some amount of this is inevitable. I find myself most frequently doing it in games with positioning (my wingers cross over to the other touchline, my defenders hang too far back, my forwards decide that our goalie needs another defender, etc). I think that's necessary and I've tried LITERALLY everything else. It's just going to be one of those things you have to harp on over and over and over. That being said, I think the better alternative to joysticking is largely what you described. Find encouraging things to say or reminders ("be quick", "be brave", etc are always fine as well). It's also good to remind them of the things you do NOT want them to do (anti-joysticking). The dreaded "pass across the middle by an 8 year old who can't hit a cross field pass with any kind of reliability to save his life" for instance. 8) Player positioning assignments. I find the coaches that put their big tall fast player at forward to be amusing. Guess where I want my best player playing? In a 231 I want them at CM. I have to force myself to rotate them to other positions but that's 100% where your best player SHOULD be playing most of the time if you're trying to win (and there's plenty of reasons NOT to do that 100% of the time... I'm just saying those coaches that put their best player at forward hoping to maximize their wins are demonstrably wrong). I also agree that you should NEVER ever put your worst players at defense. That's a terrible idea and usually you get that from coaches who have a goalkeeper or two that can reliably kick the ball to half field so they're simply bypassing build up play. It's bad. Lastly, every youth team IME, has that one player who's quick but doesn't have the ability to reliably kick the ball hard. That's your forward. At this age, goalies are not very good (heck, sometimes even afraid of the ball). That quick kid that can dribble but can't shoot? Don't worry... he'll be fine at forward and it'll really build their confidence. Shooting from distance is a skill that comes later. Learning to get open and dribble in space is a skill they can work on right now.
Hey Coach, i train some Kids since this year and I like the things u say, they really help me because i did much wrong which I knew from my time as a kid playing and realize my coaches were not the Best but I hope to do it better than them
I pulled out my old white board the other day and sat my daughter down and started explaining her role at each position the coaches normally put her at. And what to do and look for in a few different scenarios
Thanks for some of the tips. I think with the technical stuff it depends on what type of team you are coaching. For an elite squad you want to get the basics right at an early age and therefore technicals are very important. For a team that is more social but have a wide skill gap then you do need to help those less technical kids lift their level up. So its probably finding the right balance and not overly be too technical or have them do the technical voluntarily in their own time etc. I am actually facing this challenge this year. I used to coach an elite team but now I am coaching my own kid's team and they are more a social club with wider skill gap. I am a serial joystick controller maybe i was deprived of Nintendo growing up. But thanks for the reminder and i will word my instructions differently :)
Good list... I definitely refrain from teaching "booting downfield". I only teach it in practice to get the point across that if players are bunching, one needs to boot the ball into space to prevent tunnel vision.
08:00 WINNING: How important is winning? It’s very important as you know… You can win by playing out from the back and not yelling at kids. You can win in the right way
At the recreational program where we break down the 1 hour play in 4 quarters for those in Division 1 under 10 - play them as much and play them in all three positions in a game as forward, defense and midfield so they can get a flavor of all the positions.
You alluded it to it - but I'd say "let the game be the teacher" and "maximize playing time" by minimizing transition time between drills and having spare soccer balls near by to keep play flowing and minimize players chasing soccer balls over the place. Tactically - I focus mostly on my backs to push up and emphasize pressure and support, shape.
I made a lot of these mistakes, and as I took US soccer licenses I found I was wrong and so I've changed as a coach. However, as an administrator of a rec club, learning these things made soccer less fun, as I tried to help others, they became offended and angry, to the point I found it better to quit administrative and only concentrate on my individual team.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I also made a lot of these mistakes but like you wanted to get better. So many coaches out there aren’t able to take criticism and feedback.
@@CoachRorySoccer One thing I see at the Rec level is coaches from other sports bringing those coaching styles and habits, and expecting them to work with soccer. My father in law was a coach in Peru and he noticed the Joysticking and yelling while visiting and he put it to me, Soccer is an abstract sport, if you get in those kids heads they can't be creative.
My anti-joystick words are "Keep going" "you're not done" "what's next" "what do you see" My line up strategy is my three strongest players form a spine down the middle of the filed: center back and center mid. I like skilled ball handlers and attackers as my outside backs. At that spot, they get the ball at their feet more often and can be helpful. They're coached to join the attack as winger. If you put your most skilled as strikers they spend most the game waiting for service and have little impact on the game. Parents will complain that their superstar is not playing striker and you can explain that they're getting more touches and experience as a back. If they persist, put the kid up front. The parent will quickly see how little their kid is actually playing if they don't get service.
I am seeing myself making some of these mistakes, but the real issue that we face on the U8 and U10 teams that I coach is engagement. We try to make it fun, we try to never stop and talk endlessly. We try to give specific, targeted feedback about positive behaviors, skills, or game awareness (positioning). We even let the girls have 2 minutes of just doing cartwheels, so they are not constantly just busting into cartwheels during practice. But as compared to the other teams we are seeing, we just have kiddos that are simply never paying attention or even seemingly invested in being on the field at all. Obviously, we are doing something wrong, but how do we get them fired up? I even tried to give away some pop-its to the girls that had an amazing practice or games....(that was successful for less than 5 minutes).
I think a big impediment for development is the coach who only notices the mistakes or who scores/is responsible for getting scored on. Our players are surely making wonderful albeit at times unsuccessful decisions. Do we notice those moments? Do we praise those moments even if it doesn’t come off perfectly? With our youngest players, keeping your eyes trained on the positives keeps them excited and engaged!
Agree with it all...I want to add one thing... keep the numbers of kids playing as low as possible so the players get the most amount of player actions as possible. 1v1, 2v1, 2v2. especially when the kids are new to soccer.
I lecture my team every practice and game. Gotta pump them up and focus them I think. Game days are serious that's what I tell them. I coach u8 right now. Your right it's much harder then coaching the older kids
I don’t do much technical work. But when I do I prefer Belgium box. Check out Thomas Vlaminck channel. You can modify some of these exercises for younger/less skilled kids as well.
Thankful to have found your channel, like you said-I searched for "soccer drills", and thankful I chose yours (different video of course). The hubs and I got thrown into coaching both of our girls (1st time players) teams this year...U6 and U10....and neither of us have ANY soccer experience or with coaching. We've only had a couple of practices due to weather issues, so I will definitely be implementing these and using our club directors (who are VERY knowledgeable) when I can. Thank you!!!
100% agree with this coach.. I made the mistake of putting low confidence weaker players in the back.. They cost us goals & as a result they became less confident.. Now I know less confident players need to be in the middle where they are more involved & allowed to make mistakes.. Kids good with the ball at their feet should be in the backs. Brilliant advice.. ❤
My personal rule is 5-7 min of a technical drill just to show them how to do the skill, and then a 15 min game that incorporates it. Kids learn through playing. So 5 min of basic passing, then let them try to hit me with the ball 😂
I need your advice. I just took my son out of a U8 team that is really undisciplined. The coach does not assign any positions anyone can play any position if they wish. My son could start as a forward then defense and possibly goalie at the end. The kids practice in a park and the coach sets up these little orange cones, I have pleaded with him to lets move practice to an actual soccer field with actual goals set up.. I explained that the lines on the field would help the kids recognize where they need to be and the assigning of positions would help the kids learn their assignments. The coach seems to love my sons soccer capabilities but does not want to hear any of my advice. The coach shows up late, wastes time getting his son dressed and shoes on... Last week he had a group of two little girls standing there and never included them in the drills. Practice ended and those poor girls were never included. Please tell me what you think? Thank you
Sounds like you made the right call! Definitely not a good situation. I would try to look into the local clubs and have your son practice with them first before committing.
Oh man... So many mistakes I've seen others make & have made myself in 4.5yrs of coaching U6-U11. Most of them are mentioned in this video. But, by far The Major one is the mistake where coaches recruit players based on footballing factors alone rather than based on the total package. Experience has taught me a few things about player recruitment, chiefly this - Recruit parents first, kids second! In youth team sports, the character & personalities of the parents plays a Big part in the culture of the team & the behaviour of the players. Parents who do not support the coach will say negative things about the coach in the car or at home with their kids. Then coaches wonder why such kids don't train or play as taught. Having the wrong profile of parents also creates divisions & rivalries within the team that (again) filters to the players & causes rifts between them which affects their ability to play well together on the pitch. The besr way to avoid this is simple - do not recruit players with parents like this. And if you inherited them, get rid of them! No matter how individually skilled or influential a player might be in games, team unity is ultimately worth more results than how well any one player can play. So be careful who you allow into the tent, and make sure to take time to get to know the parents of potential recruits and get a second opinion on them. I once had a 2.5hr meeting with the parents of a prospective new recruit. I explained my personal values, my coaching philosophy, my vision for the team, my rules & expectations etc. This way, they knew the score before signing. They were happy to join & have backed my vision ever since. Another mistake, again closely related to the "engage parents" rule is this...is where coaches fail to win an advocate in the parents group. Some parents will always be on the fence about the coach & will often easily fall into the temptation to criticise the coach on the sideline. A smart coach will Foster positive relationships with parents who can advocate for them in conversations with other parents. A good youth football coach knows that they manage 2 groups. 1 is the kids. And the 2nd is the parents. I have an advocate (for example) who always backs up my messages to our group and acts as a cheerleader to others for my vision. Another mistake I see coaches make (and have made myself in the past) is that when coaches look for help/resources, they only look for "drills" and fail to look wider for inspiration. For example, there are books out there that have nothing to do with football/soccer but which have massively improved my coaching because they gave me a different way of seeing things. Black Box Thinking (by Matthew Syed) and "Team Turnarounds (by Joe Frontiera & Daniel Leidl) have majorly influenced my coaching on the pitch and my approach to team culture management off the pitch also. I've also gained a lot from watching documentaries about American Football teams & coaches, and have even borrowed phrases from those sources. Coaches would really benefit for looking farther afield for inspiration. Another big mistake I've seen a lot of coaches make is the mistake of not questioning orthodoxies. For example, for the first few years I'd put my team through drills I found interesting. But other (better qualified) coaches would often tell me that those drills or coaching sessions were age-inappropriate. To which, I always think "says who??"... How does a coach know to trust some stranger's opinion on what is age-appropriate for the group without testing it first? By all means try things. If your group get it, then great. If not, then OK, try something easier. But never begin with the premise that something is too advanced for your group just because X person said so. They don't know and neither will you till you try. Kids brains are like sponges and can take in more than most coaches dare to believe. To not push them to learn so-called advanced skills is to waste the most potent period in their brain's ability to learn & develop. I had a UEFA B coach tell me that I shouldn't be using a tactics board at U9s. But the repeated incorporation of tactical position preparation has made my players more tactically conversant & disciplined compared to their peers. We're entering U11s in the 22-23 season and will be working with these 10yr olds on third man runs. Too advanced? Says who? Another big mistake I see coaches making is focusing on individual achievements and rewarding individualism either on matchdays or in general. For example, a player dribbles past the entire opposition to score without involving his/her teammates and they get clapped for this. Or (the most common) at the end of every game, 1 "Man of The Match" award gets given to 1 individual. It's a paradox that most coaches want players to play as a team, but then incentivize an individualist approach to the game through individual rewards. You should reward what you want to see. Want to see more greedy football? Then give a MOTM award after every game. Once I realised the correlation, I stopped giving MOTM and began to give "Group of the Match Awards" to whichever group (gks, defenders, midfielders or forwards) performed best. Once I did that, results began to improve as players understood that good teamplay in their groups (rather than selfish play) carries rewards. This also fosters unity, which is key to performances.
When it comes to bringing-on assistant coaches, I always make it clear that the coach needs to coach ALL ~ten players on the team...they can't just coach their own son or daughter.
I am coaching my first practice for my 8 year old son tomorrow 🥴 I played when I was little. But nothing upset competitive but last season I was not happy with my son’s coach. He barely got any playing time and there was no interaction or teaching really! I’m nervous and was wondering if you had any suggestions! Thank you
Taking these points on, 6 months in. We’ve gone from 13 players to 25 in the squad. They turn up because it’s fun and they are developing. Some of them couldn’t even kick a ball but by and large they seem to enjoy. Now, far better. We’re still not winning games, but, they are developing and growing. The big win is the having fun and not giving up. Sadly we’re up against teams that have had years to develop. One day it’ll click but this is a learning journey for everyone. Can’t wait for the day we do win. What makes me laugh, at this age, encourage a dribble during a match - they get apprehensive. Tell them to chase their partner with a ball at their feet, they turn into prime Maradona or Messi.
Good advice on not to be a joystick coach. (Keep your head up and where's your help" I like it. As far as freezing play during practice goes I believe that to be extremely beneficial to learning the game. The reason is if a child is playing the game wrong in practice and the coach is allowing them to, then the child will exert the same behavior in the game. That's what practice is for. Freezing play has always worked great for me when coaching u12 to u9
Not sure if this is a mistake necessarily or not, but addressing the balance between coaching individual skills (dribbling, ball control, ball skills, even goal keeping) with "bigger picture" concepts like BOOTB, shape, making runs, etc. In our rec league I try to explain to parents (talking about engaging parents and addressing expectations) that there exists a certain amount of personal accountability that their child must take on in regards to their own personal development. I wasn't raised playing soccer as I am sure a good deal of US soccer rec league coaches were not if you are a certain age. I personally don't have the skills to always demonstrate proper ball handling and ball skills. I say that up front with parents. But conceptually, talking of strategy and soccer principles, I have a pretty good grasp of what is going on and what to do situationally from watching a lot of soccer and breaking it down. Long winded way of asking, what percentages are and should a coach be devoting to individual skills (without resorting to lines and drills too much) and what percentage should be spent on big picture defensive strategy or attacking or set pieces? (I do use the play-practice-play model, have two, hour long practices per week and I generally scrimmage the last 20-30 minutes of practice, every practice.)
This is a tough one. I personally lean towards not doing much technical work vs positional play, rondos, 4 goal games and pattern choreography. This isn’t because I think that technical work isn’t important. It’s just I don’t have time during the week and put it on the player to do at home. Now the level of play/team makes a difference in it as well.
Hello Rory, thank you so much for sharing these coaching mistakes. It would be great if you could provide the counterpart for every mistakes. Examples of what you do or could do instead of those mistakes. Maybe develop each point further with suggestions? Once again, thank you very much!
great video , our club has an elite team at level of u7 to u16 , I have been tasked to coach the current u10 team A & B , i have been coaching them since they were u7 but not taking them to league competitions . The u10 A has been on a champion strike for 4 season , u10 B is ups and downs on the league table , since they're not the best skill level. Started this season with a couple of friends, we won 2 of 5 , drew 1 and lost 2, not the worst but not what we're used too. This season so far the boys look smaller than any other team we are facing . My question now , do you have any advices and ideas on how to help them with protecting the ball , and not get immediate by height , I know once we settle down like in the two games we won ,we can knock any team of the field , usually have to take off the best players or tell them no scoring unless we make 10 passes first, to keep the other team playing.
First time I'm going to be coaching and I'm looking for help on how to coach. 10u anything will help. This video has helped me figure out how I want to coach, but could use a guide.
Thank you so much… one of my challenges is rotating goal keepers. Don’t want to punish a kid putting her in a place she doesn’t want to. Want also to make them réalise keepers are important and valuable. For the moment I’m using the one’s I know want it to go there… trying to have 2 different goalies in a game (f-10). Thank you for your advice. I asked the parents for suggestions also.
Great vedio i just start coaching my daughter u10 team and always looking for advise and different ways i am a parent love the game so much and was happy when my daughter said she wants to play somtimes i forget the fun she wants to have i have bigginer team of 10 kids and look for any tips to coach and make sure its fun for them.
Great list! I'd add:
1. Lack of session planning which often results in less training/ball rolling time
2. Using over complicated drills/activities which results in coaching the drill rather than the players
3. No progression of activities to further challenge players
4. Not sticking to the session topic and/or using too many coaching points
How do you make sure points 2 and 3 don't cancel each other out? I'm coaching U8 and even the simplest activities/drill seem confusing to them. Also, tips on politely telling parents to stop "joysticking" at practice and games?
@elizabethengelman1027 I started coaching a U8 team today. As a coach, I am not supposed to focus so much on winning but I'm looking at other U8 team and they play advanced compared to my team.
I think we've got to find simple ways to explain hard to understand points/ideas to them. Incorporate simple games and drills and ask questions on whether they understand what should be done, even letting one of the kids demonstrate after you've explained it.
We're working on spacing. It's a big issue. This might help you; ua-cam.com/video/l96wXCskupc/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
I don't know how to stop the parents. I ignore them and focus on the kids. I've got two parents wanting to be assistant coach, not thrilled.. haha. Remember you're the coach. Be the coach and put the kids having fun first, while you teach.
My kid plays under 12s. Other kids r starting to leave him behind, skill wise. He doesn't feel like practicing on his own - any suggestions??
I am a soccer guy and I am coaching kids for 4 years, this is one of the best video I have seen because there are not a lot of vidéos about mistakes.
Thank you!
Agree
@@clwilliams6618 hello I’m Ibrahim I’m an Africa
I want to be a coach
Please show me some tips
Best reminder I've ever heard, "they want to score goals, they want to play with their friends." This is really important to remember.
Great video! I’m glad I found your channel. This, and many of the other videos, is exactly what I was looking for. This is my second season coaching in a local catholic school league here in Northeast Philadelphia. The skill gap between teams/kids is vast! The school I’m coaching is small and didn’t have a soccer team until last year. Our fist season I had 14 kids for a 7v7 league. All but 3 kids had never played soccer, didn’t know the rules, what the lines in the field meant, etc. and we only had 3 weeks (6 practice sessions) to prepare for our fist game. So it was a disaster until about our 3rd game when things started to click. But there was a lot of raw talent and excitement to learn and play the game. Side note: when we scored our fist goal, I was like a kid on Christmas. I ran out on the field, picked up the kid and gave him a huge hug. My overall objective was to get each of the 14 kids as much game time as possible. But before the season ended, I also wanted to get them a win so they would know what winning feels like, and increase the odds of them returning the next year. Towards the end of the season we finally got a win against a team that beat us pretty bad earlier in the year. It was glorious! At the end of the season I came to the conclusion that what they needed was just time practicing, drilling, honing their skills, and scrimmaging. So I started a free soccer camp this past summer. We practiced twice a week from Mid May-early August. I had 24 kids at the beginning of camp and had 19 kids at the last camp session. This season (first game will be 9/16/22) we have two team competing in the league. A 7v7 team (cadets 3rd and 4th graders) with 13 kids and a 9v9 team (junior varsity 5th and 6th graders) with 12 kids. So I’m kinda proud that the soccer program has grown. My hope is that next year or maybe the following year, all grade levels will be not only represented, but also competitive, in the league. Anyway, there were several coaching mistakes I’ve been making. The joysticking, too many drill, giving specific instruction from the sidelines rather than giving them a chance to think, being mr freeze, and asking for help. One thing I did well was communicate with the parents, which I think had a direct impact on how many kids enrolled and stuck with the summer soccer camp though the summer, and the growth of the schools soccer program.
Coaching is certainly not an easy task. I’ve found that there is a fine balance between developing their skills, pushing them to improve, motivating those few who try to cheat the conditioning a skill development drills, touching their heart and bringing that love of the game to the surface, and also maintaining the fun factor and keeping them focused and interested. It absolutely fills my heart with joy seeing them consistently show up for practice in 90 degree weather ready to get to work. Another side note: last season when it started getting dark early, the people who maintain the field didn’t adjust the lights to turn on when it started getting dark. So for the last few weeks of practice, the sun would go down and about mid practice, aside from street lights, we’d finish the last half of practice in complete darkness without a single complaint. Parents had to come a drag their kids away. Many of the kids would ask if we could continue even when practice had concluded. But I love the game and even in my late 40’s I’d occasionally slide in some shin guards and get into the mix. It’s just so much fun!
Anyway, I know I typed a wall of text, but just wanted to give some background, current state of my coaching experience and say thank you for the informative videos. I will be spending the next few days going through them all.
Thanks again,
Jason
Hello Coach Rory! This video was enlightening for me - a first-year soccer coach in a rec league with fourteen 4th/5th graders. I'm two training sessions in so far, and thanks to your videos, I already jotted down some notes on what *not* to do anymore. (I didn't commit all mistakes you addressed, but more than half.) Live and learn! Thank you for helping people like me inspire the next generation about the game of soccer!
Awesome! Thanks so much!!!
Same, here first yr coaching u10, and I myself have not played in a long time!
This was very helpful thank you for your insights and advice.
Great Video! I coached my daughter from U8 to U19 from Recreational to highly competitive soccer and I made a ton of mistakes when I first started. I got some great advice after the first couple seasons and many of the things you said where part of that. I absolutely loved coaching that group of girls, many stayed with the program all the way up to U19. I would like to think that because I used that advice, they continued to have fun and enjoyed playing together. "Joysticking" was the one thing that I learned to kick and WOW it made the game fun for me again. The girls knew if I said anything in the game is strategy not a specific play. At that age if you try to tell them to move on a play, it is too late. Now I am coaching my U10 son. It has been a little difficult to go back to U10 and have to rethink my training and fun drills, but it is fun to see how fast they are learning and taking that onto the field. Thanks for putting these videos out there. They have helped me refocus with the U10 Boys.
Thank you! Love to help in away I can!
i've coached youth soccer for 25+ years at the U12-U14 level. this year, for the first time, i'm coaching a U9 club team and realize that that is a quite different challenge, esp how to work with younger kids. i am enjoying your videos immensely... thanks!
Th so you. Hope I can help.
Great video. I have been coaching my daughter's team for 3 years now. Last year I was assistant coach (went from Rec to Travel) and the head coach unfortunately made it not as fun for the team. Now back as a head coach I appreciate seeing videos like this to try and avoid pitfalls that we all have as coaches! :) So thanks for the video. It was awesome!
Thank you!
We do short lectures at the first couple practices for formations and team-specific stuff and then later in the practice have a “pop quiz” where they can win a small prize for answering a question. They help each other answer questions as well to build team camaraderie.
This was the first video I watched on how to coach U9 players. It is straight up gold. I've been complimented by numerous parents (my own players and those of opposing players), and it's because I internalized what what said here and Rory's other videos. The kids are having fun learning how to win (not playing to win) and getting a ton of touches this season, which translates to execution and having fun doing it, which is leading to wins. Thank you, Coach Rory.
Hey thanks!!! Glad to hear it! Keep me updated on their progress.
Thank you for making this video. I was coaching U14 last season, and U10 currently. This helps make the difference in ages more clear, and how to coach them appropriately. I feel a little more confident knowing these tips.
Thanks!
Great tips! This is only my 2nd season coaching my daughter's rec team and every game I learn so much (mainly from my mistakes!) I must admit, I have been guilty of joysticking in the past! That really hit home. Thanks for the wisdom!
I've never coached before this year and never played organized soccer. I'm coaching a U10 team. Your channel is invaluable! Thank you so much.
Hey thank you! Good luck and thanks for coaching!
I'm glad I came back to this video. I'm a fairly new travel coach for GU9 and I failed to engage the parents and it came back to bite me. Fortunately our parents were vocal about it during our last parents' meeting and it was refreshing to hear how much they wanted to be involved. Expecially them asking what they could be doing at home and what the kids could be working on. I have this info but I was not sharing it. My comms are great when it comes to notifying parents about games/practices/events but I was not sharing the statuses of their children and what we (the coaches) are having them focus on. It's always good to check yourself and realize what you can be doing better for your team! Thanks Coach!!
Coaching is a humbling experience. I know from personal mistakes. Great stuff!
Thank you so much! Great video! We had our first game and we had every player play every position-keeper we only had two players, but we plan to have every player try it out by the first half of our season. I am blessed that my other coach is willing to study with me. Our team lost our first game in goals, all of our players won in pride of themselves for how well they played.
This video is Excellent!! Every youth coach should be required, mandatory must watch.. every parent should watch this and email this video to all the other parents on the team.. this video is that on point!! Thanks crs
Thank you!
Some good points in there. The kids turn up wanting to play games. Your session should have lots of rolling ball. Last week we just played games with the kids - mixing up the teams after 10 mins, but mainly, just letting them get on with it. There is a feeling sometimes that if we aren't imparting some technical information to players, even at U9, the parents will feel they are getting short-changed. That's when we have to engage with parents.
From being a youth coach I share your experiences! Really great advice! Joy and Development first-always!
Thanks!
Great points! I would add that coaches should include position walk throughs so that everyone knows what is expected from each field position. I.e. when the ball is here, where should everyone be? If someone gets beat, who is responsible to help, and who back fills them? etc...
Huge mistake I see coaches make: allowing players to solidify bad habits by not holding players and the team accountable to certain standards. I.e. there is a tendency for younger players, especially coming from a recreation program, to put their head down and dribble or kick the ball as soon as it comes to them, or even behaviorally where players will constantly distract themselves and others. If players are not held to a certain standard, they solidify these bad habits and it makes it extremely difficult to correct the habit and it can be detrimental to overall progress.
Note: the standards must be realistic to the age group you’re working with.
Just my observation.
Great video btw Coach!!!! I appreciate your quality!
Totally agree! I’m think about doing another video with additional mistakes. This is a great one!
I agree with this as well. My son plays u13 and is usually playing fullback and him and his teammates back there still have not formed a good communication pattern to call out or recognize when they have time to settle a ball, take a touch and then pick out a meaningful pass before they start getting closed down. It's mostly ball comes to them and like a hot potato clear back down toward our attacking end or out of bounds. I think about how those could be such teachable moments for them to recognize when they don't have to do that and could give so many more extra chances down field. Obviously there's times when playing it out or out of immediate danger is necessary, but not every time when the other team's closest player coming at you is 10 yards away.
i have been coaching youth from U6s up to U19s. These tips are excellent and universally applicable.
I appreciate your "The Obstacle is the Way" up there.
Great comments on mistakes, especially joysticking, so many coaches are yelling out instructions that almost always are lagging behind the actual play... And definitely too much emphasis on boring technical work and not on tactical training and decision making. Great stuff!
100%
I am a chronic joysticker. I'll do better next season.
@@MikeBaas none of us are perfect! Keep working brother! I know I gotta get better at that as well.
Very helpful stuff. It’s my first year as a coach for my daughters team and I was doing a lot of the wrong things you mentioned at their games. Joysticking way too much. Thank you for the help!
Thanks!
I'm a brand new coach and haven't played soccer myself in decades. You're bringing it all back! I could not agree more with every single one of these points.
Thank you! Good luck this season.
I've started coaching a u9 team. Your channel is invaluable for me. Thanks so much for this info!
Great to hear! Thanks!
This video is not only extremely informative and helpful it’s integral. I will share this advice with my colleagues and coaches moving forward. Thank you.
Thank you!!
I just found your channel this morning. Just wanted to let you know how great your content is. Coming from a u8 parent. The more I watch your videos the more it makes me want to step up and try coaching my son's soccer team in the future. The current coach checks all the boxes from that video. I have noticed a lot of kids losing interest quick my son included in those statics drills where they have to stand in line for minutes for their turn.
100%. Unfortunately this is very common. You could totally do it!
Enjoyed this video (under 10 coach) one thing I would add to the levels part is that I would want my team to play in a level where everything is hard work and earned, not to the point where you're not competitive but you are instilling risk and reward.
Too often I see coaches put teams into a level where it's all very safe and they know they will have a positive win-loss ratio.
Keep up the good work with vids Rory!
Great point! 100% on point Lee!
Thank you so much! About to start another year of soccer. Excited to start but nervous about certain things. So much of this made me realize in what areas I need to work on to build better teams.
Thank you! Good luck. Let me know how it goes!!
Loved this video saving it.
I coach under 8s 1/2 newbies
And we share training with our U8s experienced team and the other coach does so many of your issues. Make it's all too complicated and takes away the fun aspects so I'm constantly adding in fun skill based games like tails with a ball.
My team is improving every week up to the point we're matching his team with more players too.
Thats awesome!!
I’m prob most guilty of joystick coaching but I’m also in a developmental league not club. The first few scrimmages and games I def tend to joystick a bit but once the boys learn to communicate and trust each other I dial it back. It’s way different coaching a selected team versus a player rating 2.5-8.5 scramble of kids. I am glad that I am conscious about it now though because I do agree that making mistakes is a big part of the learning process and being able to make your own choices. Thank you for making the video.
Something that worked out very well for me in 7x7 and I continue it in 9x9 is having my strong middle players get the left right in their spots and being accountable for keeping them working together. It has worked very well on defense and for some kids (those that have a hard time taking coaches instructions) they take instruction better from their peers. Of course you need to have the right leaders in those center positions.
Thank u very much I was coach assistant for one year U9 after that the coach left and the club give me job as coach and when I was assistant the coach was always shouting and pushing and now am coaching same team become U11 and some of the players left so now I know they are just kids like u said coming just for fun and play with there friend that matter for them to win or loose but me and other coach we were expecting more.
Great list and overall mindset for coaching this age/level. I am now subscribed!
Thank you!!
I love this video coach Rory! I really liked the example of guided questions, saying where is support? versus telling them specifically where to pass all the time!
💪🔥🔥⚽️⚽️😎
Thank you for this video! I realize I joystick way to much! Now I know a better way to educate.
I also thabk you for all your videos. I played hockey all through school and my kids chose to play soccer so here I am learning soccer terms, positions, and rules as I coach them. They play both outdoor and indoor. I like indoor more as I can relate more to it. I like the challenge for my self of learning how to position and coach for outdoor.
Great video. I’m a new U8 coach and this is really going to help me and the kids! Also, good to see Ryan Holiday book in the background 😊
What stands in the way becomes the way!
Great video and advice for coaches of really any youth sport but especially soccer. The joystick coaches or the frozen defender ones (have 1 or 2 just standing on the 18 line) are in abundance.
Thank you!!
As a parent of of a U9 girl, i found this to video to be super helpful, confirmed that we have a good coach and that our parents (including myself) need to calm down a bit, and let the. girls develop. Thank you.
Thanks!
Someone else brought up practice planning and preparations and thats helpful. I also find that having an assistant coach for practices and games is a huge difference. As for your list, im prone to the joystick 🕹 sometimes and you make a good point of it. Ill work on improving that part of my coaching.
Very insightful video. Great watch. Brand new coach teaching brand new team (u7) football (not soccer) in England 🤪
I am so excited to go on my journey at the same time as my kids. Going to be epic.
Thanks! Good luck!!
Played as a child. Coaching 8+ years in rec. Son is currently in academy/travel. I think the most useful nuggets from this are joysticking, and positioning.
Joysticking. I think coaching and verbal queues are important, but I really agree with making sure those are ones to remind them to look for their own triggers. "Check your shoulder", "where's the space", "where's your help", "where can you help", etc. I also think reminding players to give these verbal queues to their teammates is important too... reminding THEM to be vocal (time, man on, back, turn, etc).
Positioning. I 100% agree with making sure you have skilled players in the back. Ironically, I think this helps the entire team develop better / faster than having the more skilled players at the top. Primarily, it helps with possession and build-up which means more touches and opportunities for the team as a whole - not to mention confidence, morale, trust, and example (i.e. it shifts responsibility of the best players to prevent goals rather than just scoring them and subconsciously placing the blame on the weaker players when attackers have way less pressure RE: losing possession).
Great additions!
Tremendous video!!!! Extremely informative!!!! I think everything you touched on was point and on par for kids of the age range! And for kids just starting off learning the sport, it's important to instill confidence and make it fun. Often enough certain coaches get wrapped up in wins n losses!
Thank you!!
Thanks for sharing! I would definitely agree with getting a mentor as a coach. Mentors can provide valuable feedback on what you’re doing well or not so well at. It has risen my level as a coach for sure.
very interesting video and agree with a lot of your points.....i have coached for 30 years at various levels from rec to elite travel.....i struggle with balancing technical skills vs games to develop players especially with large differentials in skill athleticism etc.... but at the highest level premier league academies I believe there is a tremendous focus on repetitions of basic skills (first touch passing accuracy range of passing etc) if you have a new raw travel team where do they learn the technique for all the technical skills .....the kids rarely play or practice on their own for fun.....example if you want to develop a decent shot then you need to practice a 1000 + times but it is of no use to practice the wrong thing a 1000 times and not improve so you need both repetition and guidance/correction.....many of the kids and their parents in the US have no interest in the game outside of playing and do not watch the professional game at the top level and therefore have no heroes players to copy.... the very best do watch top teams and practice on their own but that is a minute percentage...... i think you need 1on 1 or very small group individual training outside the team (as compensation for lack of street/beach soccer) and then application in small sided games progressing to larger side in team training)
From coaching or overcoaching I find it very interesting that the very best coaches/managers in the world seem to be very animated and instructing for much of the game (especially if they are not winning) the training should have restrictions to accomplish development ( 3 touch minimum or 2 touch max etc)
At the end of the day they need to be better players at the end of the season than they were at the beginning..... and you are very correct play at the right level but that is not always easy to accomplish as everyone has a different perspective and divisions are often unbalanced that is why you have promotion and relegation....coaching is much easier with talent....just ask Pep or Jurgen.....see what they could accomplish with a low level team without the ability to buy the best players ...I am sure they could improve the team but there would be a ceiling
Interested to hear your perspective
Very very well said❤
Please how do I contact u either ur email or phone number
Am a football coach too
❤
Klopp was a success in Mainz05
What help me the most are progressions and small sided games.
Combine learning with fun at young ages.
Not reviewing my sessions was one of my early mistakes.
This is great stuff. I really appreciate the content you produce.
Thanks!
I watched this right after practice today. Doh! I made a few mistakes. Guess I need to practice! Thanks for this video, it was enlightning!
I’ve made almost all of these at some point. Just trying to get better each time.
3rd year coach and I likes some of what you talked about. I do some times catch myself placing the weaker players in the back or not in the right position. I will be re-evaluating the positions for this weeks games.
Let me know how it goes!
Brilliant 👏 👏 👏
This is what we need more of than merely endless drills ...the psychological aspect of coaching plays the most important part in the making of a good coach
Thanks!!! New vids dropping this week!
This is quality content. I think I need to send this video to some of the parents! Thanks.
Hey thanks!!
Terrific video (I really wish there was more content like this out there). I think a couple points either are wrong or (probably more likely) weren't really well articulated.
1) Technical Drills = Bad. I think that's the lesson that a lot of people will take from your first point and I don't think that's what you meant. ESPECIALLY at the youth level, teaching technical skills is vitally important. The goal is finding ways to do it that feel more like a game (or mini-game) than simple doing line drills. I would suggest taking your standard line drills and finding SOME way to spice it up just a little bit (something to make it a little more competitive... timed race between groups, points, person in the middle, whatever. But the key is it still needs to focus on those technical skills. Don't just do 3v2 drills all day and then a scrimmage. Kids will learn very little from that. If your coaching staff is large enough (i've been lucky enough to coach with two other terrific coaches), having one of them pull a single player aside to work on a specific skill while the other two coaches run the rest of practice can be terrific. Kids love the 1 on 1 time as well. If you can give four or five kids 5-10 minutes each during each practice that will make a meaningful difference in their development.
2/3) These are sort of the same. Teaching kids is your job. You have to find a way to do that that keeps them engaged. SOME kids respond really well to questions. Some kids absolutely do NOT. The biggest thing that all coaches will struggle with at this age is simply avoiding "pack ball". You'll find yourself stopping practice a LOT and saying, "Guys... look around... should there be four of you next to each other?" That's okay... you SHOULD be Mr. Freeze in that situation. Frankly, you NEED to be because "spreading out" isn't a thing that they'll learn on their own. What you shouldn't do is stop play to spend five minutes teaching them how to do give and gos in the middle of a session. Stop things and lecture when things are fundamentally broken (and keep those lectures to 30-45 seconds in most cases, frankly).
7) Joysticking. In some ways this goes along with "Winning" (I think you mentioned that). Again, some amount of this is inevitable. I find myself most frequently doing it in games with positioning (my wingers cross over to the other touchline, my defenders hang too far back, my forwards decide that our goalie needs another defender, etc). I think that's necessary and I've tried LITERALLY everything else. It's just going to be one of those things you have to harp on over and over and over. That being said, I think the better alternative to joysticking is largely what you described. Find encouraging things to say or reminders ("be quick", "be brave", etc are always fine as well). It's also good to remind them of the things you do NOT want them to do (anti-joysticking). The dreaded "pass across the middle by an 8 year old who can't hit a cross field pass with any kind of reliability to save his life" for instance.
8) Player positioning assignments. I find the coaches that put their big tall fast player at forward to be amusing. Guess where I want my best player playing? In a 231 I want them at CM. I have to force myself to rotate them to other positions but that's 100% where your best player SHOULD be playing most of the time if you're trying to win (and there's plenty of reasons NOT to do that 100% of the time... I'm just saying those coaches that put their best player at forward hoping to maximize their wins are demonstrably wrong). I also agree that you should NEVER ever put your worst players at defense. That's a terrible idea and usually you get that from coaches who have a goalkeeper or two that can reliably kick the ball to half field so they're simply bypassing build up play. It's bad. Lastly, every youth team IME, has that one player who's quick but doesn't have the ability to reliably kick the ball hard. That's your forward. At this age, goalies are not very good (heck, sometimes even afraid of the ball). That quick kid that can dribble but can't shoot? Don't worry... he'll be fine at forward and it'll really build their confidence. Shooting from distance is a skill that comes later. Learning to get open and dribble in space is a skill they can work on right now.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! I wish you had a video for competitive parents for these kids.
I do have a video called “soccer parenting for dummies”.
@@CoachRorySoccer I'm going to go find it!!
Just found your channel and found this video very helpful and made me think better as I'm currently u8s coach
Thank you!
Hey Coach, i train some Kids since this year and I like the things u say, they really help me because i did much wrong which I knew from my time as a kid playing and realize my coaches were not the Best but I hope to do it better than them
Great video. Thank you. I'm coaching 5-6 years olds for the first time. I'll definitely use these tips.
Tough age. Good luck!
I always bring this video back in my working-memory as soon as I start “joysticking” during a match. And stop doing it immediately.
I will do from now on too!
I pulled out my old white board the other day and sat my daughter down and started explaining her role at each position the coaches normally put her at. And what to do and look for in a few different scenarios
Great tips! Thanks just starting to coach because of my girls but have no experience. This video helped a lot
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for some of the tips. I think with the technical stuff it depends on what type of team you are coaching. For an elite squad you want to get the basics right at an early age and therefore technicals are very important. For a team that is more social but have a wide skill gap then you do need to help those less technical kids lift their level up. So its probably finding the right balance and not overly be too technical or have them do the technical voluntarily in their own time etc. I am actually facing this challenge this year. I used to coach an elite team but now I am coaching my own kid's team and they are more a social club with wider skill gap. I am a serial joystick controller maybe i was deprived of Nintendo growing up. But thanks for the reminder and i will word my instructions differently :)
Sure!!!
I think for any kid, it's important that they work on fundamental skills...how you get them to work on those skills is probably the key
I coach competitor all boys league and I believe the technical stuff is important
Good list... I definitely refrain from teaching "booting downfield". I only teach it in practice to get the point across that if players are bunching, one needs to boot the ball into space to prevent tunnel vision.
08:00 WINNING: How important is winning? It’s very important as you know…
You can win by playing out from the back and not yelling at kids. You can win in the right way
At the recreational program where we break down the 1 hour play in 4 quarters for those in Division 1 under 10 - play them as much and play them in all three positions in a game as forward, defense and midfield so they can get a flavor of all the positions.
You alluded it to it - but I'd say "let the game be the teacher" and "maximize playing time" by minimizing transition time between drills and having spare soccer balls near by to keep play flowing and minimize players chasing soccer balls over the place. Tactically - I focus mostly on my backs to push up and emphasize pressure and support, shape.
Love the video i make some of those mistakes my self but at the end like you said kids just want to have fun .
I made a lot of these mistakes, and as I took US soccer licenses I found I was wrong and so I've changed as a coach. However, as an administrator of a rec club, learning these things made soccer less fun, as I tried to help others, they became offended and angry, to the point I found it better to quit administrative and only concentrate on my individual team.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I also made a lot of these mistakes but like you wanted to get better. So many coaches out there aren’t able to take criticism and feedback.
@@CoachRorySoccer One thing I see at the Rec level is coaches from other sports bringing those coaching styles and habits, and expecting them to work with soccer. My father in law was a coach in Peru and he noticed the Joysticking and yelling while visiting and he put it to me, Soccer is an abstract sport, if you get in those kids heads they can't be creative.
My anti-joystick words are "Keep going" "you're not done" "what's next" "what do you see"
My line up strategy is my three strongest players form a spine down the middle of the filed: center back and center mid. I like skilled ball handlers and attackers as my outside backs. At that spot, they get the ball at their feet more often and can be helpful. They're coached to join the attack as winger. If you put your most skilled as strikers they spend most the game waiting for service and have little impact on the game. Parents will complain that their superstar is not playing striker and you can explain that they're getting more touches and experience as a back. If they persist, put the kid up front. The parent will quickly see how little their kid is actually playing if they don't get service.
I am seeing myself making some of these mistakes, but the real issue that we face on the U8 and U10 teams that I coach is engagement. We try to make it fun, we try to never stop and talk endlessly. We try to give specific, targeted feedback about positive behaviors, skills, or game awareness (positioning). We even let the girls have 2 minutes of just doing cartwheels, so they are not constantly just busting into cartwheels during practice. But as compared to the other teams we are seeing, we just have kiddos that are simply never paying attention or even seemingly invested in being on the field at all. Obviously, we are doing something wrong, but how do we get them fired up? I even tried to give away some pop-its to the girls that had an amazing practice or games....(that was successful for less than 5 minutes).
There is always the question of level. Certainly joy should be the first goal of every coach.
So glad I found your channel. Great coaching tips from top to bottom. Thank you Cory!!
Thanks
Great video. Just became a youth soccer coach! Totally agree with you everything you said! I’ll be checking more content for sure!
Thanks!
I think a big impediment for development is the coach who only notices the mistakes or who scores/is responsible for getting scored on. Our players are surely making wonderful albeit at times unsuccessful decisions. Do we notice those moments? Do we praise those moments even if it doesn’t come off perfectly? With our youngest players, keeping your eyes trained on the positives keeps them excited and engaged!
Great point.
Great points - I've been coaching for a number of years, made some of these mistakes and agree with your perspective! Thanks
I have made all these mistakes as well. That’s how we get better!
Agree with it all...I want to add one thing... keep the numbers of kids playing as low as possible so the players get the most amount of player actions as possible. 1v1, 2v1, 2v2. especially when the kids are new to soccer.
Excellent suggestion!
thank you for your information- so informative and such great reminders!!!
Awesome.
I lecture my team every practice and game. Gotta pump them up and focus them I think. Game days are serious that's what I tell them. I coach u8 right now.
Your right it's much harder then coaching the older kids
Amazing staff well done
Good video. I’d be curious if you had any favorite technical drills that avoid the standing in line. I’m always trying to avoid the line.
I don’t do much technical work. But when I do I prefer Belgium box. Check out Thomas Vlaminck channel. You can modify some of these exercises for younger/less skilled kids as well.
I know you're speaking mainly to club coaches, but I'd love it if you did a companion series focusing on AYSO
Thankful to have found your channel, like you said-I searched for "soccer drills", and thankful I chose yours (different video of course). The hubs and I got thrown into coaching both of our girls (1st time players) teams this year...U6 and U10....and neither of us have ANY soccer experience or with coaching. We've only had a couple of practices due to weather issues, so I will definitely be implementing these and using our club directors (who are VERY knowledgeable) when I can. Thank you!!!
Awesome! Thanks for all the support. If I can help please reach out. Happy to give you any insight etc.
100% agree with this coach.. I made the mistake of putting low confidence weaker players in the back.. They cost us goals & as a result they became less confident.. Now I know less confident players need to be in the middle where they are more involved & allowed to make mistakes.. Kids good with the ball at their feet should be in the backs. Brilliant advice.. ❤
My personal rule is 5-7 min of a technical drill just to show them how to do the skill, and then a 15 min game that incorporates it. Kids learn through playing. So 5 min of basic passing, then let them try to hit me with the ball 😂
Great video coach! Great content 👍🏽
Thank you!
I need your advice. I just took my son out of a U8 team that is really undisciplined. The coach does not assign any positions anyone can play any position if they wish. My son could start as a forward then defense and possibly goalie at the end. The kids practice in a park and the coach sets up these little orange cones, I have pleaded with him to lets move practice to an actual soccer field with actual goals set up.. I explained that the lines on the field would help the kids recognize where they need to be and the assigning of positions would help the kids learn their assignments. The coach seems to love my sons soccer capabilities but does not want to hear any of my advice. The coach shows up late, wastes time getting his son dressed and shoes on... Last week he had a group of two little girls standing there and never included them in the drills. Practice ended and those poor girls were never included. Please tell me what you think? Thank you
Sounds like you made the right call! Definitely not a good situation. I would try to look into the local clubs and have your son practice with them first before committing.
Oh man... So many mistakes I've seen others make & have made myself in 4.5yrs of coaching U6-U11. Most of them are mentioned in this video. But, by far The Major one is the mistake where coaches recruit players based on footballing factors alone rather than based on the total package. Experience has taught me a few things about player recruitment, chiefly this - Recruit parents first, kids second! In youth team sports, the character & personalities of the parents plays a Big part in the culture of the team & the behaviour of the players. Parents who do not support the coach will say negative things about the coach in the car or at home with their kids. Then coaches wonder why such kids don't train or play as taught. Having the wrong profile of parents also creates divisions & rivalries within the team that (again) filters to the players & causes rifts between them which affects their ability to play well together on the pitch. The besr way to avoid this is simple - do not recruit players with parents like this. And if you inherited them, get rid of them! No matter how individually skilled or influential a player might be in games, team unity is ultimately worth more results than how well any one player can play. So be careful who you allow into the tent, and make sure to take time to get to know the parents of potential recruits and get a second opinion on them. I once had a 2.5hr meeting with the parents of a prospective new recruit. I explained my personal values, my coaching philosophy, my vision for the team, my rules & expectations etc. This way, they knew the score before signing. They were happy to join & have backed my vision ever since.
Another mistake, again closely related to the "engage parents" rule is this...is where coaches fail to win an advocate in the parents group. Some parents will always be on the fence about the coach & will often easily fall into the temptation to criticise the coach on the sideline. A smart coach will Foster positive relationships with parents who can advocate for them in conversations with other parents. A good youth football coach knows that they manage 2 groups. 1 is the kids. And the 2nd is the parents. I have an advocate (for example) who always backs up my messages to our group and acts as a cheerleader to others for my vision.
Another mistake I see coaches make (and have made myself in the past) is that when coaches look for help/resources, they only look for "drills" and fail to look wider for inspiration. For example, there are books out there that have nothing to do with football/soccer but which have massively improved my coaching because they gave me a different way of seeing things. Black Box Thinking (by Matthew Syed) and "Team Turnarounds (by Joe Frontiera & Daniel Leidl) have majorly influenced my coaching on the pitch and my approach to team culture management off the pitch also. I've also gained a lot from watching documentaries about American Football teams & coaches, and have even borrowed phrases from those sources. Coaches would really benefit for looking farther afield for inspiration.
Another big mistake I've seen a lot of coaches make is the mistake of not questioning orthodoxies. For example, for the first few years I'd put my team through drills I found interesting. But other (better qualified) coaches would often tell me that those drills or coaching sessions were age-inappropriate. To which, I always think "says who??"... How does a coach know to trust some stranger's opinion on what is age-appropriate for the group without testing it first? By all means try things. If your group get it, then great. If not, then OK, try something easier. But never begin with the premise that something is too advanced for your group just because X person said so. They don't know and neither will you till you try. Kids brains are like sponges and can take in more than most coaches dare to believe. To not push them to learn so-called advanced skills is to waste the most potent period in their brain's ability to learn & develop. I had a UEFA B coach tell me that I shouldn't be using a tactics board at U9s. But the repeated incorporation of tactical position preparation has made my players more tactically conversant & disciplined compared to their peers. We're entering U11s in the 22-23 season and will be working with these 10yr olds on third man runs. Too advanced? Says who?
Another big mistake I see coaches making is focusing on individual achievements and rewarding individualism either on matchdays or in general. For example, a player dribbles past the entire opposition to score without involving his/her teammates and they get clapped for this. Or (the most common) at the end of every game, 1 "Man of The Match" award gets given to 1 individual. It's a paradox that most coaches want players to play as a team, but then incentivize an individualist approach to the game through individual rewards. You should reward what you want to see. Want to see more greedy football? Then give a MOTM award after every game. Once I realised the correlation, I stopped giving MOTM and began to give "Group of the Match Awards" to whichever group (gks, defenders, midfielders or forwards) performed best. Once I did that, results began to improve as players understood that good teamplay in their groups (rather than selfish play) carries rewards. This also fosters unity, which is key to performances.
Great comments!!
When it comes to bringing-on assistant coaches, I always make it clear that the coach needs to coach ALL ~ten players on the team...they can't just coach their own son or daughter.
@@gsimon4173 good point
What a great video. Wish I had come across it earlier! Keep up the great work.
Thanks!!
I absolutely love your videos!!!
Thank you!
I am coaching my first practice for my 8 year old son tomorrow 🥴 I played when I was little. But nothing upset competitive but last season I was not happy with my son’s coach. He barely got any playing time and there was no interaction or teaching really! I’m nervous and was wondering if you had any suggestions! Thank you
You’ll do fine. Just follow my videos!!
I have a good attacking team but we always concide ....last week lost 4-3 this week we drew 3-3 i need help with defensive oganization
Taking these points on, 6 months in.
We’ve gone from 13 players to 25 in the squad.
They turn up because it’s fun and they are developing. Some of them couldn’t even kick a ball but by and large they seem to enjoy.
Now, far better. We’re still not winning games, but, they are developing and growing. The big win is the having fun and not giving up.
Sadly we’re up against teams that have had years to develop. One day it’ll click but this is a learning journey for everyone.
Can’t wait for the day we do win.
What makes me laugh, at this age, encourage a dribble during a match - they get apprehensive. Tell them to chase their partner with a ball at their feet, they turn into prime Maradona or Messi.
Fantastic!! Thank he winning will come eventually. Great stuff
Good advice on not to be a joystick coach. (Keep your head up and where's your help" I like it. As far as freezing play during practice goes I believe that to be extremely beneficial to learning the game. The reason is if a child is playing the game wrong in practice and the coach is allowing them to, then the child will exert the same behavior in the game. That's what practice is for. Freezing play has always worked great for me when coaching u12 to u9
Not sure if this is a mistake necessarily or not, but addressing the balance between coaching individual skills (dribbling, ball control, ball skills, even goal keeping) with "bigger picture" concepts like BOOTB, shape, making runs, etc. In our rec league I try to explain to parents (talking about engaging parents and addressing expectations) that there exists a certain amount of personal accountability that their child must take on in regards to their own personal development. I wasn't raised playing soccer as I am sure a good deal of US soccer rec league coaches were not if you are a certain age. I personally don't have the skills to always demonstrate proper ball handling and ball skills. I say that up front with parents. But conceptually, talking of strategy and soccer principles, I have a pretty good grasp of what is going on and what to do situationally from watching a lot of soccer and breaking it down.
Long winded way of asking, what percentages are and should a coach be devoting to individual skills (without resorting to lines and drills too much) and what percentage should be spent on big picture defensive strategy or attacking or set pieces? (I do use the play-practice-play model, have two, hour long practices per week and I generally scrimmage the last 20-30 minutes of practice, every practice.)
This is a tough one. I personally lean towards not doing much technical work vs positional play, rondos, 4 goal games and pattern choreography. This isn’t because I think that technical work isn’t important. It’s just I don’t have time during the week and put it on the player to do at home. Now the level of play/team makes a difference in it as well.
Hello Rory, thank you so much for sharing these coaching mistakes. It would be great if you could provide the counterpart for every mistakes. Examples of what you do or could do instead of those mistakes. Maybe develop each point further with suggestions? Once again, thank you very much!
Great idea! I’ll add it to the list.
Great information. Thanks ❤
Great tips. Thanks coach!
Very useful information. Thanks!
great video , our club has an elite team at level of u7 to u16 , I have been tasked to coach the current u10 team A & B , i have been coaching them since they were u7 but not taking them to league competitions . The u10 A has been on a champion strike for 4 season , u10 B is ups and downs on the league table , since they're not the best skill level. Started this season with a couple of friends, we won 2 of 5 , drew 1 and lost 2, not the worst but not what we're used too. This season so far the boys look smaller than any other team we are facing . My question now , do you have any advices and ideas on how to help them with protecting the ball , and not get immediate by height , I know once we settle down like in the two games we won ,we can knock any team of the field , usually have to take off the best players or tell them no scoring unless we make 10 passes first, to keep the other team playing.
First time I'm going to be coaching and I'm looking for help on how to coach. 10u anything will help. This video has helped me figure out how I want to coach, but could use a guide.
Happy to help. Check out my videos.
Thank you so much… one of my challenges is rotating goal keepers. Don’t want to punish a kid putting her in a place she doesn’t want to. Want also to make them réalise keepers are important and valuable. For the moment I’m using the one’s I know want it to go there… trying to have 2 different goalies in a game (f-10). Thank you for your advice. I asked the parents for suggestions also.
Yeah I usually try to split the GK by half’s. So use two per game at this age.
Great vedio i just start coaching my daughter u10 team and always looking for advise and different ways i am a parent love the game so much and was happy when my daughter said she wants to play somtimes i forget the fun she wants to have i have bigginer team of 10 kids and look for any tips to coach and make sure its fun for them.
Thanks!