What if I ask you How to coach soccer, or for that matter youth soccer? The phrase looks quite simple and familiar but if you give it a serious thought, a lot of things will start coming to your head.
Of all the soccer skills, communication is one thing that is imperative for both coaches and players to learn. A coach needs good communication skill for giving instructions, sharing feedback, evaluating players, counseling them, and maintaining discipline.
Players, alternatively, need to discuss their problems with coach, peers, and parents, share their feelings with contemporaries, and give tips and tricks to weak players in the team. It is the comprehensive language of soccer by which players and coaches transmit their thoughts and feelings.
Soccer coaching has some fundamental principles of communication that are essential for coaches to learn and then teach them to their players.
1. Use your player’s name to call them. This is both courteous as well as soothing.
2. The instructions that you give to the players should be first clear in your mind before going out to them.
3. Be kind: The purpose of communication is not to overpower but to bond. So value the opinions of others as well.
4.Watch your body language. It should be relaxed and open to convey positive feelings and get better results.
5.When addressing the team, maintain eye contact with each player one by one. Look directly into the eyes of the player you are talking to.
6. Your manner of speaking should impress the person you are talking to. So pick a style that suits your person as well as the person you are talking to.
7. Choose a topic that needs to be discussed. Communication is the key to finding answers, how to coach soccer is successful when it is short and clear-cut. Decide on a list of items and remain firm on it.
8.Be objective: Always remain cautious of the fact that you are a soccer coach who is speaking to a team or an individual player. So remain in charge of your emotions and talk only about the points of the game.
9.Speak Clearly: It is critical that what you say is understood in the same spirit as you intended.
10.While teaching soccer, focus on the main points. Keep talking about the important points so that the players are always reminded of them.
11.Always aim to keep the conversation light by using funny words and style.
12.Always give your players enough room and confidence so that they can get their queries answered from you. Give them freedom to ask questions.
A soccer coach who does not exhibit good communication skills required to distribute the information correctly will not be a good coach in the long run.
In conclusion, how to coach soccer is something that must make get the coach into a mode of trying to understand and make allowances for different cultures. Register for our youth soccer coaching community that has a wealth of articles and videos on coaching young players and how to help them develop excellent skills.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Kids Soccer Drills
