How to be an effective childrens football coach

Perhaps the most important 'key' to successful youth soccer coaching is this:

always aim to make the training sessions fun for everyone - including you!

But...you can only do this with the aid of careful planning. Always think about what it is you want to achieve beforehand.

It is important that the plan for your training session takes into account the ages and capabilities of your children (click here for good advice on how to plan sessions for young children) but generally your sessions will follow this pattern:

a warm up to raise the heart rate of your children, stretch their muscles and get them focused on the session;

                                        a quick and simple demonstration of the skill/technique                                               that you want them to learn. ASK them why they think                                            it’s best to pass with the side of their foot, shoot towards the                                    bottom of the goal, etc. rather than TELLING them why you                                    think they should do it that way;

Don't be tempted to adopt a 'P.E' style of coaching - while it's important to plan your sessions be careful not to make them to rigid. Be prepared to adapt according to what you see and hear on the practice field. Above all, don't be afraid to let your children play! Read this article for more on soccer coaching style.

Don't try to pack too much in - remember to allow time for discussion, setting up, drinks, arguments etc!

Don't persevere with a plan that obviously isn't working. Have a couple of tried and tested alternatives up your sleeve and work out what went wrong afterwards.

Don't use drills that involve children standing in lines for more than a few seconds - they'll soon get bored and bored children are trouble!

Don't train children on your own. Always have at least one assistant, even if all they do is tie laces and fetch balls. There is also an important health and safety consideration here: who will look after your children if you have to take one of them to hospital?

Also, you must consider child protection issues, especially if you're training a mixed group of boys and girls. Always have a female assistant if you are training girls.

If you have trouble with discipline issues, read this.

If you are looking for something specific, try the site map. Alternatively, check out these coaching books and manuals or this soccer coaching software.

If you still can't find what you're looking for, send me the details and I'll try to help.