A lot of soccer coaches get involved with coaching soccer because they have a child who wants to, or is, participating in the sport.
Unless they coach, there is often no one else to coach the team.
It is at that point where the realization hits that there is more to coaching soccer than just having the children run through cones.
Player Development The primary goal of any youth soccer coach should be player development.
The fundamental technical skills of soccer are what should be coached throughout a youngster's soccer career.
It is easy to win soccer games if you have good athletes, but when the younger players become older, thing start to even out athletically.
If those players who've relied solely on speed or strength haven't been taught and practiced the basic technical skills, they're going to struggle.
The professional teams in Europe use the Coerver Coaching method as one of the keys to rearing young soccer players in their academies.
They teach them the skills to succeed technically so they can go out onto the soccer field and fulfill their potential.
Having Fun The drop out rate for young soccer players is alarming.
By the time the kids get to thirteen some of them have played in literally hundreds of games.
If we want to grow the game in the United States, we need to be aware of burnout.
Young soccer players need to be challenged with the soccer ball at their feet, they need to be encouraged to be creative.
I remember playing as a youngster and we did the same drills over and over, there was very little emphasis on doing tricks or being creative (in the right areas).
A young soccer player who's been coached for several years with Coerver Coaching is capable of stepping onto a soccer field and being able to perform change of direction moves and moves to beat an opponent.
Why is that? Because they have been given time with the soccer ball and have learned moves so they become second nature.
Sportsmanship America loves a winner, we all do.
But one thing that has to be guarded against is a win at all costs mentality.
A young soccer player should be able to go out and play without any pressure on them - not feeling worried if they make a mistake, because it's part of the learning process.
With Coerver Coaching there is an element of competitiveness, but not at the detriment of losing touch of what soccer coaching is all about, developing soccer players of the future.
Unless they coach, there is often no one else to coach the team.
It is at that point where the realization hits that there is more to coaching soccer than just having the children run through cones.
Player Development The primary goal of any youth soccer coach should be player development.
The fundamental technical skills of soccer are what should be coached throughout a youngster's soccer career.
It is easy to win soccer games if you have good athletes, but when the younger players become older, thing start to even out athletically.
If those players who've relied solely on speed or strength haven't been taught and practiced the basic technical skills, they're going to struggle.
The professional teams in Europe use the Coerver Coaching method as one of the keys to rearing young soccer players in their academies.
They teach them the skills to succeed technically so they can go out onto the soccer field and fulfill their potential.
Having Fun The drop out rate for young soccer players is alarming.
By the time the kids get to thirteen some of them have played in literally hundreds of games.
If we want to grow the game in the United States, we need to be aware of burnout.
Young soccer players need to be challenged with the soccer ball at their feet, they need to be encouraged to be creative.
I remember playing as a youngster and we did the same drills over and over, there was very little emphasis on doing tricks or being creative (in the right areas).
A young soccer player who's been coached for several years with Coerver Coaching is capable of stepping onto a soccer field and being able to perform change of direction moves and moves to beat an opponent.
Why is that? Because they have been given time with the soccer ball and have learned moves so they become second nature.
Sportsmanship America loves a winner, we all do.
But one thing that has to be guarded against is a win at all costs mentality.
A young soccer player should be able to go out and play without any pressure on them - not feeling worried if they make a mistake, because it's part of the learning process.
With Coerver Coaching there is an element of competitiveness, but not at the detriment of losing touch of what soccer coaching is all about, developing soccer players of the future.
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