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Division One Coaching Message
- Coaching philosophy
You should really spend a little time thinking this through. At one point I
was considering recommending that coaches write out a mission statement and make
it available to parents – but this seemed a little too much like work. GBSL is
an instructional league. Our goal is to provide a healthy, safe and fun-filled
environment where ALL children can learn to play and love the game of soccer. As
a coach it’s easy to focus on your most gifted players – they’re your game
winners. You’ve got to decide how you’re going to relate to the least gifted
of the group. How much time and encouragement will they receive and where will
you position them when the game’s on the line? This is easy in division 1, our
least "competitive" area. However, the question will become more
problematic as you move up with your children.
Proper hydration
This is extremely important for our youngest players. Dehydration causes
headaches, cramping and sluggishness and sucks all the fun out of life. Small
kids are more susceptible because of their lower body weights and the "bop
‘till you drop" way they approach life. Encourage all your parents to
bring water bottles. Recommend that they actually fill them with WATER. Sport
drinks are okay, but in my opinion they’re not worth the price. During
especially hot periods, some parents have been known to freeze the water
bottles. The kids love drinking as it melts and the water stays colder this way.
One drawback – sometimes it doesn’t melt fast enough. Please avoid any type
of sugary drink. Sugar causes drinks to stay in the stomach longer, which slows
the re-hydration process and causes the children to feel bloated and sick.
You
should break often for water. Rules of thumb – if one child asks for water,
they all need it. If you’re confused about what activity to do next, they need
a water break. If you’re thirsty, they’re thirsty. As a coach, I always tried
to bring a very large water container. This way you can refill empty bottles and
provide water to children whose parents' rush out leaving theirs at home.
Equipment
| #3 soccer ball. These smaller, lighter balls are easier on the children’s
knees and a lot more fun. The adult size #5’s are just too big for a
5-year-old to kick through on those rare occasions when they try to pass.
If one of your players shows up with the larger ball just explain the
difference to the parent and hope for the best. If he insists on using it
there’s not much you can do – just don’t let him use it in shared
activities with other players. |
| If a parent asks for advice on selecting a ball, recommend the softer,
hand-stitched balls with a bladder. They’re a little more expensive than
the plastic balls but they’re also a lot easier on the foot when the
weather turns cold. |
| Clothing – the league provides jerseys. However, these jerseys are not
to go home with the children (We lose too many this way). Please collect
them at the end of each session. Some coaches launder them themselves,
others recruit parent volunteers. If your send them home with a parent,
please make sure they plan to return the following week – especially if
the next week is picture day. |
| Foot ware – Sneakers are fine, spikes are better. The common
denominator here is shoes that tie. We’ve had children show up in
sandals and slip-on sneakers. The sandals should be discouraged
aggressively, especially if other players are wearing spikes. The slip-ons
fly off with every hard kick. |
| Shin guards are a must. A child can not play or even practice if he
doesn’t have them. In past years I’ve seen children playing with
exposed plastic guards strapped to their shins. In these cases you can let
the child play but next week he must have the guard completely covered
with a soccer sock. The exposed guards often turn or come off and could
become tangled with other equipment as the players cluster around the
ball. |
- Safety Issues
| NO SLIDE TACKLING – Please keep your players on their feet. When they
go to the ground there’s a good chance they’ll get kicked in the face.
Also, they’ll learn more on their feet then they will on their butts. If
a player ignores repeated warnings, remove him from the game and have a
coach or parent talk to him. |
| NO HEADING – This is a controversial issue in soccer today. Most
old-line coaches will say millions of kids around the world are heading
the ball with no adverse effect. We don’t care. At this age children can’t
use the skill effectively anyway – so why spend time teaching it. |
| Jewelry – Have the children remove any chains, watches, bracelets,
dangling earrings or anything that you consider a safety hazard. |
| Dangerous or overly aggressive play is forbidden. The most common form
of dangerous play is when a child slips to the ground but continues to
kick at the ball. When this occurs, play should be stopped immediately and
the ball is then awarded to the other team. |
- Coaching Aids
There are tons of books and tapes on the market designed to help rookie
coaches like us. The league has a limited number of books but I recommend you
check out a place like Soccer Magic in Easton. They can steer you toward
something appropriate.
Coaching Equipment
| Hand pump, the compact variety. They cost about $10 and are extremely
helpful on those days when half your team shows up with soft balls. |
| Sticky name tags for the first few sessions. |
| Whistle, clipboard, cones and a few extra balls - Provided by the
league. |
| Dress to run with the kids – your good example is your best teaching
tool. |
| Goals – for Division One the league provides Pugg Pop-Up-Goals. Your
Commissioner will distribute them each week and you will drop them make
off at the trailer after each session (where we pass out the free Cokes). |
| Your smile - For many of your players this will be their first soccer
experience. They won’t understand even the basics of the game, like
which direction to run and more than a few are going to score on their own
goals. Your positive encouragement/attention is the way they’ll gauge
how well they’re doing. Please a special effort to say something nice to
each child at each session. Kids sometimes have a difficult time
recognizing their own significant improvement. |
- Games for 5, 6 and 7-year old kids
Younger children like games such as Freeze Tag, Ball Burglar and Capture.
There are literally thousands of games you can use as teaching aids. I suggest
you consult some soccer books or some knowledgeable friends and keep your eyes
open during practice sessions. You’ll find tons of things you can use. When
you find a game/drill your kids like, write it out on an index card along with
some possible variations and keep it with your coaching stuff. During practices,
when you run out of ideas, just pull out your stash of cards and rediscover a
golden oldie.
Always Keep Them Moving
Children at this level DON’T DO LINES. If you have too many kids for the
game you’ve planned, break them into groups. If you’re short on coaching
help, draft a parent (By the way, parents are required to stay with their
children at this level, so you should have a good pool of helpers). When you
see the little critters getting bored, move on to a new game. After the first
or second session you should have a fairly good idea of how long they’ll
tolerate a drill. One year, I saw a coach insist his children dribble around
cones until they get it right – they never did. If something’s not
working, move on. In this particular case, they just kept getting worse until
everyone was absolutely miserable. TIP – You can coach a lifetime without
ever resorting to having your kids weaving in and out of cones. If you do use
this type of drill, add variation. Turn it into an obstacle course or a
miniature golf course. If you can make them giggle you’ve captured their
hearts.
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