Top Soccer Coaching Tips

Coaching kids and youths to play soccer is one of the most satisfying jobs. Watching young players develop their skills from scratch and become professional soccer players is very satisfying. But to have such an achievement, there are several things that you need to get right as a coach – these are professional soccer coaching tips. 

Whereas some of these soccer tips are just common sense, they are more effective when done professionally. If you are a soccer coach or aspiring to be one, this guide is for you. We have put together a list of 10 best soccer coaching tips to help you succeed as a soccer coach. These tips include: 

1. Authority 

The first thing you need to work on is your authority. A good coach must always assert his/her authority by being in control of the team. You will be dealing with all kinds of characters in your players. Some of them could be difficult to deal with. Everyone in the team should know you are in control and must respect your orders. Otherwise, you might have a problem controlling players. When necessary, don’t hesitate to punish undisciplined players. 

2. Create a Fun Environment 

The trick to good coaching is ensuring that players are enjoying themselves. Dealing with kids requires getting a creative environment that will give them fun. So, make sure that your players are enjoying every moment while practising. Don’t just create a winning environment because it put pressure on the kids. So, create a fun space where players will be happy and looking forward to coming back. Allow players to be themselves and express themselves the best way they know. This is what will keep them coming back. 

3. Get Your Paperwork in Order 

To professionalise your coaching, you must keep your paperwork in order. Before the season starts, everything, including the new signings, should be complete. Make sure that you have gotten everything, including parental consent for all players participating in the training session. It is also essential to get consent for kids to participate in various season matches. Don’t forget to get the emergency medical aid for the team use during training and matches. These are just of the crucial things that should be done to ensure the new season starts off successfully. 

piles of paperworks

4. Improve Your Skills 

As a soccer coach, it is important that you continuously improve your skills. Otherwise, you might miss out on most of the latest soccer coaching techniques. There are two ways that you can go about it. First, you need to consider attending classes during the off-season. You can either enrol for a physical or online class. If you don’t like attending class, there is a lot of material on soccer coaching out there for you to read. Therefore, you have plenty of options to select from when it comes to improving your soccer coaching skills. 

5. Seat Goal for The Season 

Like other professions, setting goals as a soccer coach is paramount. It is one of the pillars of a successful soccer coach. There are many factors that you need to put into consideration when setting goals for the next season. First, you need to evaluate the previous season’s goals and performance before setting new goals. What didn’t you achieve during the previous season? Are you looking forward to adding more players, and how many? What plans do you have for every player in your team? These are crucial milestones and goals to set. 

6. Plan You Training Sessions 

One of the mistakes you can make is failing to plan your season’s training well. There are several things you need to put into consideration when crafting training sessions. First, you need to choose the best days and time for training. Make the training timing as convenient as possible for the players. Get a time when all prayers are available. You also need to change your training tactics a little bit from the last season to give the season a new feel. It would also work great if you can come up with few bonding activities for the players such as camping. 

7. Maintain A Match Log 

Keeping your team’s performance recorded is essential for a successful soccer coach. You should have everything including the starting players for every game, substitutes made, minute played by each play, goals, position played, red and yellow cards and so on. These are very useful statistics that help you monitor your success as a coach. They will also help you know where to improve to make your team play better. The stats will also help you prepare players’ reports at the end of the season. 

maintaining log sheet on computer

8. Keep an Open Line of Communication 

As a soccer coach, you are no different from teachers. Make yourself accessible to both the players and parents/guardians. Make it easy for them to talk to you. Take time to check on the players to know who they are doing. Ask them if they like the training, including the position you play them. It is also important to speak with the parents about the player to know if they are happy with the progress. 

9. Offer Plenty of Praises 

As a soccer coach, offering plenty of praise to the players is a crucial part of the training. When dealing with kids, you need to play with psychology to boost their morale and confidence. Praising even the smallest achievement can make a huge difference in their career. Never make a player feel demoralised because of the commend you made on them. Always make your players feel that they are doing the right thing and heading in the right direction. 

10. Make Teamwork a Priority 

Last but not least of soccer coaching tips is making teamwork a priority. Soccer is all about players working together for a common goal. So, you need to make every player feel responsible for the team. This will help to create harmony among players and makes a strong team. 

These are many soccer coaching tips, but these constitute the most important ones for a successful coach. Have a plan for the season, and let your authority be felt. Focus on the season’s targets and make adjustments whenever it’s necessary. That’s what makes a successful coach.