How does a question like this sound to you, how to coach soccer or youth soccer? Although the question looks simple and easy but you’ll find it difficult to answer even if your try your best.
Communication is one of these soccer skills, necessary for both players and coaches to master. A coach needs good communication skill for giving instructions, sharing feedback, evaluating players, counseling them, and maintaining discipline.
Players discuss issues with their coaches, peers, parents; share their feelings (good or bad) with teammates, and give tips and tricks to those new in the team. Soccer is the only language by way of which players and coaches can converse with each other.
Soccer coaching has some fundamental principles of communication that are essential for coaches to learn and then teach them to their players.
1. Call players by their name. This is not just polite but is also relaxing.
2. Make it clear in your head what you want players to do and achieve before sending out instructions.
3. Be kind: The purpose of communication is not to overpower but to bond. So try to understand their point of view as well.
4. Be careful of your body language: It should be comfortable and easy to allow others to open up with you.
5.Make an eye contact with players when talking to them individually or together. Look into the eyes pf people that you get to talk to.
6. The way you speak should make a mark upon the other person. So select a style that best describes you and also suits the other person.
7. Select a subject that requires redressal. Communication as an answer to the simple question, how to coach soccer is effective when it is concise and to the point. Select a list of items and that’s it.
8.Be objective: Just remember that as a coach, you are interacting with 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: Speak in a manner that your message flows across to the other person with the exact meaning.
10.At the time of teaching soccer, keep talking about the important issues. Keep talking about the important points so that the players are always reminded of them.
11.Introduce light and funny words in the conversations so as to keep the talk light and stress free.
12.Always give your players enough room and confidence so that they can get their queries answered from you. Permit them to ask questions.
A soccer coach or a player without the ability to give and receive the information necessary for the highest levels of performance is bound to suffer in the long run.
In the end, how to coach soccer should be a means to educate the coach about the diversity in cultures and make allowances for them. 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.
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 practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.