Soccer coaching tips to get to know your players
Get to know your players and help improve their motivation and ease of integration into the team with these soccer coaching tips.
You may have a very clear idea of the particular soccer (football) qualities that a new player possesses, but what do you know beyond that?
By gaining a greater understanding of your players as individuals you can help improve your ability to integrate and motivate them. Players care about what you know when they know that you care about them.
Key soccer coaching tip
A good way to get to know your soccer (football) players better is to ask them to complete a questionnaire or "player information sheet". Example questions could include:
- The drills and exercises they like to do in training.
- The TV programmes they watch.
- The books, magazines, films they like.
- Who their football and other sporting heroes are.
- The music they like to listen to.
- The strengths and weaknesses of their game.
- Their ambitions as a soccer player.
- Their reasons for playing soccer (football).
- Their interests outside soccer (football).
Encourage the players to be as honest as they can. Emphasise that this information helps build effective team skills and encourages clear communication. Most importantly, once you have collected the information, use it.
Making the effort to get to know the player, and not just for the part they play in your team, can pay dividends when trying to understand their wider motivations. The process of asking is a classic motivational tool for the player – it shows you care.
Click here for more skills and tips on youth soccer coaching.
Soccer coaching tips
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