Better Soccer Coaching / Better Soccer Coaching / The Dug-Out

Introduce Yourself

Noel — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:09:33 GMT

I know its not my forum but I always think its a good idea on forums for its members to introduce themselves here and explain briefly what they do

7-a-Side Formations

Gav — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:08:10 GMT

Just wondering if anyone has had success with different formations at 7-a-side football? My side is just in pre-season training now so this is one thing to start thinking of...

My group are U8's. We play 7-a-side here until they reach U11 where they go to 11-a-side on a full field. Our fields for U8 are typically 60X40 yards - sometimes bigger.

I'm hearing different things from coaches... some like 2-2-2. Others like 3-2-1. And some play 2-3-1. At U8, I feel we're just trying to get them to learn the basics of positioning and so forth and it's not wise in my opinion to complicate it too much.

However, as I look at my team, I see a very very very fast team and I wonder if that factor should play into how I set them up? They can recover and get back very quickly and also move up to attack quickly. The trick for me is to work hard on getting them doing that *with* the ball at their feet and not lose control.

Any thoughts, experiences to share, suggestions?

Playing Up a Year

Gav — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:24:06 GMT

I'm curious to know people's opinions on this as it's become a hot button topic at my club. I find there's more and more kids playing a year above their regular age level. Usually it's a coach has recruited them to play or the parents have pushed for it.

I personally don't agree with a U8 playing U9 for example. As a coach I'm also dealing with my club's U9 coach poaching good U8 players before I even have a chance to see them! I've since managed to get a grip on it and invariably those that play up ultimately come back down. I have 2 kids now who played up and wanted to come back. They were skilled enough to handle it and both actually scored a few goals but the overall experience was not good according to their parents - both socially and from a coaching style perspective.

I've always felt the drawbacks of playing up (especially as a youngster) far outweigh any perceived benefits. I did it twice as a teenager in 2 countries and while I could hold my own, I can't say I enjoyed it - it was hard to fit in and the older kids had their cliques.

Any opinions/experiences/horror stories/fairy-tales... on playing up a year?

Accused of sand bagging and I hate it!

nollster — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:10:32 GMT

[font=Comic Sans MS]I'm very proud of the fact that my U10 boys team have been very successful and won the B division title this fall season! They worked very hard and are playing beyond even our expectations culminating with an exciting 2-1 victory against the next best team in the league. Unfortunately, the day before the close win, we played against a team of lesser talent who is now saying we shouldn't have even been in this division after the game we played against them. I can assuredly say that we did almost everything we could, short of shooting it into our own goal, to keep from scoring against this team; but how do you tell an 8- or 9-yr. old player not to shoot when they're at the six?? Instincts take over and they do what they've been training to do. We ranked our team in this division because we were unsure of our abilities. We lost half our team from last year due to age and of the new players, one is still technically U8 and they all came from a non-competitive rec program. We lost 2 of our experienced players when parents split leaving us with 10 boys to play 8v8 for the season!! I apologize for the rant, but to say we deliberately placed ourselves to win a cheap piece of tin in a small town league is ludicrous!! We are very excited about being promoted in the Spring -- we'll get to see how we stack up as coaches against the best in our area and the boys will get a chance to play in exciting matches again!![/font]

New forums for our manuals and subscriptions

Kevin Barrow — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:49:55 GMT

If you've bought (or are thinking of buying any of our books or subscription newsletters) I've created a forum for each of them here:

http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/soccerforum/Group3.aspx

Please post any comments, suggestions, success stories, failures in them. What works for you? What tweaks have you made? We have several thousand coaches using our books and subscriptions and we would like to create a community area as an additional benefit to buyers so that everyone can get the most out of owning and using them.

You'll note that the forums are all but empty at the moment but don't let that put you off. I'll answer any questions even if nobody else does.

Kevin

my under 8s got thrashed

simon Fryer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:21:20 GMT

although i have some really great players in my under 8s team, we got thrashed 11-3, by a team that we could have beaten easily, our keeper was outstanding and stopped it being 20 odd. the problem was in defence, they all just watched as the opposition just walked past them, and had free shots on goal. also one of the oposition players was goal hanging constantly. I was using a 2 2 2 formation, but no one wanted to tackle back. ive been reading a few forums and websites and some of them say dont use formations, anyone got any ideas about how to stop the goal hangers and also weither or not its good to use formations for under 8s.

Simon

Deciding on a Captain

Gav — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:43:50 GMT

Should I have a captain?

Keeping in mind here that my team is just U9s.

I'm undecided yet whether it's worth having one. Last season, I rotated it and really every player had a turn or two. It didn't really matter nor make much difference but some took to it and others couldn't care less. I bought an armband and some liked that and others would take it off!

I've been thinking about for next season though and am going back and forth between rotating again or electing one player to do it for the whole season. I have one kid who is an absolute natural for it. Very mature for his age. Very vocal and extremely competetive. I've played him at every position at various times to fill gaps if people are on holiday and he does exactly wht I ask of him and he does it well. He's also extremely good from a sportsmanship point of view. He's an obvious choice whether I do it now or a few years now.

On the one hand, I like the idea of an on field leader and it's certainly worked for teams I've played on. I also like that I'm teaching and giving responsibility to my players (well, one of them but maybe the rest will step up too?) But still these are 8 and 9 year old boys.

Has anyone gone this route with a captain at this age who does more than the coin toss?

If so, what does your captain do - or what do you expect them to do given their young age?

Or am I off my rocker and this is a daft idea?

improving as a coach & UEFA C licence

paul — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:22:18 GMT

hello everyone ,my name is paul and i help with my sons u11 local team in norht wales and have recently started in our local academy , i have passed my leaders course last year and have been offered the chance to do a uefa c licence , i never have been a footballer other than fun with mates and my kids ,this is how i got involved with the club and academy. i want to learn myself and improve as a coach and help my son and his mates develop and improve . what or where should i look to get help ,maybe get an insight on the uefa c licence before i go on it are there any dvd or books that are specific and maybe you guys out there consider beneficial , really glad of your advice or any links .paul.

Teaching Games For Understanding

djasha68 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:01:35 GMT

How do you go about using all the different ssg that are out there, do you only use a few games with young children or are you likely to play many different games over a season?

I am curious to know if you use different games each week, how do your players learn what the games are supposed to be teaching ? Is repetition of the games not an important issue??

I have used the Liverpool game, 4 goal game, playmaker game and the 1-0 game regularly and I have seen the benefits of the games in our 11 aside league..

game day

Dave_1000 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:06:55 GMT

Ok here is my delemma, My girls U12 play competitive soccer in usa (maryland) I have been doing small sided games pretty much since i started coaching about 11 years which has worked for our kids but the team i have now do the games very good in practice, we do 4v4 to goals, we play keepaway from 3v2, 4v2, 3 team keepaway they do these games at 1 touch speed, but when we get into a game it seems that they forget how to play is there a way to get it related to the game. I am going to start this week having them play on the field up and down the field to hopfully help them see where and when it can be used.

dealing with coaches

soccerparent — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:16:15 GMT

Hopefully someone will be able to assist. We are on a select team and the coach is not moving the players around as he had promised at the beginning of the season. Only a few players are getting proper plays and the rest of the team is being left behind and not reaching their potential play. To make matters worse, his wife is the manager and possibly one of the worst managers ever and providing favoritism especially towards their own kid -- their kid only plays striker and will never play back along with a couple of other players. They are basically playing favourites while the remainder of the team who are more than willing to play are not able to because they are always stuck in the same positions.

Coaching techniques for Under 8s

Gary Adams — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:03:47 GMT

Hi all started a new under 8s team recently but finding it hard to keep the lads concentration, any suggestions for fun coaching stuff i could use
Thanks

GLORY DAYS! The FA Cup Finals: 1920s - 1950s

cashmanarchive — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:02:10 GMT

Hi there,

My name is Lee Cashman, and I am the director of a new DVD production company called ‘Cashman Archive Productions.’ We specialise in producing sports documentary DVDs using rare or even never-before-seen archive footage.

Our very first production will be released on the 5th November, and is entitled ‘Glory Days! The FA Cup Finals: 1920s – 1950s’.

Blurb:
The 1920’s. The Great War was over and battle was now commencing on the football field. The Football Association were seeking a new venue for the cup final, and Wembley Stadium was it. But no-one could have predicted the crowds present at the first Wembley Final in 1923.

Featuring rare archive footage including:
PC George Scorey and ‘Billy’ in the White Horse Final of 1923.
Cardiff City - STILL the only non-English team to lift the cup.
The dominance of Newcastle United during the fifties.
The Matthews’ Cup Final of 1953.
The Munich Air disaster of 1958.
All the facts and figures from each cup final featured

To find out more, please visit our website – www.cashmanarchive.co.uk

Pre-orders taken NOW! Ideal Christmas present for all football fans, for only £9.99.

Thanks,

Lee Cashman

A day to a league match.

Topcy — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:01:40 GMT

[b]What should you be doing with your team a day to a league match. [/b]
And is it really good to to rest your players a day to a match?

Manager/Assistant Coach power struggles

Footballgirl — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:37:35 GMT

A friend of mine is having a problem at the moment, whereby he appointed an assistant to help him (mainly so that he could split the team in two during training to work on specific position based drills).

The problem now, is that the assistant is starting to take over, basically taking over the team talks when he is meant to be just running the warmup, so by the time it gets to the 'official team talk' it has all been said. Even then he was louder and more in their faces than the manager, and jumped in at every opportunity. The other problem is he is saying stuff to the players without the manager there or discussing with him first, so my friend doesn't even know what is/isn't being said or if it is even what he wants...it can't carry on with no communication...

I feel this is undermining the manager, and am worried what will happen if he doesn't nip it in the bud now. It is also annoying, as my friend took over as no-one else stepped forward, and is now being made to feel like he has the 'boring bit' no-one else wants to do, and the stress of chasing players, and the assistant just wants the fun bit of doing the team talk.

The difficulty is he doesn't know how to tell him to back off without offending him? He appreciates the help at training etc, and would be happy for him to give him feedback/input, but he seems to just think he can plan training without even consulting the manager, and wont stop giving talks at matches and training, rendering my friends talks as manager pointless.

Any ideas?? :unsure:

Poor proffessionalism influeincing our kids teams

swift1 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:52:57 GMT

With everyone talking about the Henry incident which closely followed the N'Gog penalty incident (regardless of the fact i'm a Birmingham supporter) then i believe everybody is missing the point.

We do not need a hundred cameras or 10 officials dotted around the pitch all we need to do is put the emphasise on the guilty player. It is so easy to blame the referee yet the Swedish official in charge of the Ireland v France game had a fantastic game and although he was unsighted and missed the incident the usual nonsense of changing our game with technology etc raises its ugly and annoying head. The players in question should be banned simple as that. If N'gog or Henry were not allowed to participate in 5 or 6 games then it would certainly deter anyone being so dishonest again.

It is a definate fact that our youngsters copy what they see and in the current climate they are seeing people being what is basically dishonest and being told thats ok its the refs fault he didnt see it. If technology comes in then the game we all watch on Sunday mornings with our kids will be a different game to what the proffesionals are playing and that for a start kills what makes the game so appealing and popular the pure simplicity. The refs decision should be final full stop end of story. Defenders make mistakes, managers make mistakes, goalkeepers make mistakes and low and behold now and again refs make mistakes, human error simple as that. They say too much money depends on it so every time an own goal is scored or a bad pass leads to a goal what should we do then - have technology to help defending??

Leave the game alone, start putting responsibility on the players and stop over analyzing decisions after they are gone. Even after the ref refused to give Anelka a penalty and the replay proved the ref was correct it was still a post game talking point...why??

The buck starts and stops with the players full stop if they dont give a good example then what chance have the youngsters got! The press and especially SKY TV who obviously just need to fill up time after a game are the ones who heap the pressure on everyone by looking at things over and over again...they create the pressure and they also help with this putting the emphasise on the refs.

Without being too dramatic but the game will be killed off with interference and rule changing. Its doens need to progress as the old saying goes "why mend something that isnt broekn"

Forming a new football team

ALEEM — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:29:34 GMT

I am a new soccer kid coach in my primary school. I just want to indentify the criteria to choose the player after selection made. Then,i want the advise,how to start training include warm up and fitness session from best coaching? Is the manual provide? Or video.

Thanks.

I am a beginner :)

friendlys for summer 2010

stedman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:47:59 GMT

want to get in early possible to early i know but i world be very intreasted in finding under 13 teams who would possible be avaliable for friendlys or sooner depending on progarams. we are in the epping essex area and would consider traveling as we can make a day of it so any coastal teams avaliable that would be fantastic look forward to hearing from you

How do you get them to spread out on the field?

Francois — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:30:52 GMT

I coach a U10 girls team and I cannot prevent them from clumping around the ball. They have all good skills but keep playing for the ball against each others. How can I get them to understand they need to spread out and pass the ball?

Thanks,

Goalkeeping tips for U7

lyazge — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:42:59 GMT

Our U7 girls team is moving from 3v3 to 6v6 w/goalies. I'm looking for some tips on what to teach these girls (I have to give them all a chance to play goalie). I know that some coaches teach for players to get down on both knees, others teach a one knee kneel with the body at an angle. So, how do I introduce the concept of goalkeeping to U7s?

Coach Laura

Why won't they head the ball

PaulRodgers — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:51:20 GMT

I am coaching an U14 team and am in my 6th season. Whilst all of my players will get up and head the ball once it is coming at them from more then 10ft away they won't go near it!! It's come to a head (no pun intended) because we had a game recently where we had many corners. Our corner taker is very good and he delivered about 5 corners which just needed a slight knock and they'd be goals. We don't defend corners the same to be honest so it only needs a team with a good header of the ball and he'd score every time. I've tried drills where it's just the player heading the ball and their technique is fine, I'm assuming it's confidence.

Hopefully someone else has been through this??

Coaching boys and girls over 11 together

RichardE — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:05:07 GMT

I am going to be running an English language and football coaching programme for boys and girls aged 12-16 from different countries around the world next summer. Although the girls and boys will be coached together and will play mixed matches, they won't be playing against other teams or clubs. We will need a level 2 coach.

As many of you are qualified coaches, in principle would you be prepared to coach boys and girls aged 12-16 together or would you be worried about breaking the FA's rule that boys and girls mustn't play together over the age of 11?

COACHES ARE GOOD BECAUSE OF PLAYERS OR PLAYERS ARE GOOD BECAUSE OF COACHES

Framak — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:12:31 GMT

COACHES COMPLAIN ABOUT PLAYERS AFTER LOSING A GAME AND PLAYERS THINK THEY PLAY UNDER THE INSTRUCTION OF THE COACH. COACHES SELECT PLAYERS WHO CAN DO BETTER OR THE ONES THAT THEY THINK THEY WILL MAKE DO BETTER.

Coaching opportunities

fourfourtwo — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:17:37 GMT

I see a number of clubs are looking for additional level 4 youth and childrens holders. With 11's and 12's going to performance that has increased the need. One of my friends has just been taken on by Stenhousemuir FC who are at performance level and they have some slots for both level 4 and level 3.

What to do with your goalkeeper during training sessions

Dwyer — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:51:37 GMT

"What do you do with your goalkeeper during training sessions. I’m a goalkeeper and a former goalkeeping instructor with the Toronto Blizzard of the now-defunct North American Soccer League. The position of goalkeeper is so unique that it requires specialized training, obviously, which the vast majority of coaches simply don’t have a clue as to how to administer. The easy answer is to send your GK to an academy, but that’s not always an option in all areas. So how to do you “handle” goalkeepers during regular team training sessions?"

Thread courtesy of Canuck.

New Forum Member... Scotland

catcoach — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:47:31 GMT

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum, but it looks great. As a goalkeeping coach here in Scotland, I am more than interested in swopping ideas about coaching. Most of the attention features outfield players, so is there anyone on the same theme asmyself. Thanks for reading this.:)

How to defend against these strikers?

KWCFC — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:34:20 GMT

Hi I am a 16 year old centre back for a mens team I am you can give me some advice.

The striker is standing with his back to goal, I am standing between him and the goal. The problem is whenever a ball is played to him he would shield me off and play a great pass.

My question is what do I do in this situation?

Do I concentrate on staying goalside of him and keep letting him do these great flicks and passes?

Or do I try to tackle him from behing and risk giving away a free kick?

Or is there another solution?

What's the Actual Rule on Taking Your Shirt Off to Celebrate a Goal? And Should 8 Yr Old's be Shown Yellow Cards?

Gav — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:32:41 GMT

This more a fun (or funny topic) but it got me thinking as to what the actual FIFA rule is.

I had my U8s at a tournament last weekend. One of my 2 main strikers scored a great goal and as 8 yr olds do proceeded to expend tons of energy running around clebrating his goal. What he then did though was pull his shirt up over his face baring his stomach. He did not take the shirt off. The referee, who I felt was old enough and experienced enough to handle it differently, gave my player a yellow card. I wasn't overly bothered but - #1, I felt there isn't a need to card an 8 yr old (talk to him). In fact, that's the only yellow card I've seen this year in any game. #2 is that I thought the rule was the shirt had to be completely removed.

I spoke to the ref after the game to see if he'd maybe not write it in the game report but he refused and when I questioned the rule, he took great offence that I thought I knew better than he did. He just said "you won 5-1, your kid broke a rule and he will now know not to do that again". Fair enough.

Now I'd prefer that my kids didn't do these stupid things obviously (they get it from TV) because it can be viewed as showing up the opposition and it just looks idiotic. But they're just young kids. If my same player had got another yellow in our next game, he would have missed the semi final which would have been crushing for an 8 yr old.

So...

1) What's the official rule on this lunacy?

2) Should very young kids be shown yellow cards?

I should note that I have seen a boy ejected from a game against us for persistent two-footed challenges. Very dangerous actually and the boy had obviously not been taught anything about tackling. The ref in that case I thought handled it superbly. He simply took the boy and marched him over to his bench and told the coach not to play him again the rest of the game. I thought that was fair enough.

Never toe poke the ball — Rubbish!

SCW Editor — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:55:34 GMT

During a recent mail conversation with one of our coaches, I stated that the old absolute 'never toe poke the ball' is not applicable to the modern coach. Having seen both Ronaldinho and Ronaldo score with toe punts my youngest son scoffed at me for ever suggesting it. Does it have a place in modern soccer?

Fantasy Choice !

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Welcome!

How to deliever long throw ins

gunnersglory — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:14:21 GMT

Whats the key to deliver long throw ins (like Rory Delap)?

In regards to feet positioning can the be in a lunge formation when throwing?

Help with blisters.

KWCFC — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:36:46 GMT

I have bought pair of new boots. I have had 4 training sessions and 1 match in them yet I still suffer from painful blisters. Anyone got any tips?

I have tried adding an extra sock and putting plasters over where they normally appear but still no use.

Coerver

queenie — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:30:37 GMT

My club is thinking of adopting this method entirely. This will mean that coaching will follow Coerver to the letter. I have some reservations, including the costs and dangers of being dependant on one method only. Has anyone experience, good, bad or indifferent or opinions on a club using Coerver?

Youth Strength training

Wigster — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:36:12 GMT

In your opinion at what age should strength training begin? I utilize speed and agility in my sessions. I was wondering when I should introduce to my child strength and flexibility into his soccer development?

Wigs

Offside. U13

sandy_67 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:51:56 GMT

I coach U13 in a league. We often have referees appointed, but never linesmen. This leaves parents to act as linesmen, and I am being very frustrated by the number of parents that are playing the old style ofside law, flagging players that are clearly NOT interfering with play, and occasionally using the flag to stop attack when their own team is under pressure. We have a very fast centre forward who runs onto through balls, and two teams in particular even flag before the ball is played!!

How should I hndle this? Should I complain to the referee during the game? Unfortunately the young referees normally giveIFKs based on the linesman's decision even if it is blatantly wrong. Our parents are often getting very upset and have started to get very vocal to the point where I am worried about them causing trouble on occasion.

Any suggestions / comments welcomed.

Sandy

Stepping up to Adult Coaching

phillymc — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:40:42 GMT

Hiya all

I'm an FA Level 2 coach working in Spain with 3 youth teams and have 6 or so years experience. I've recently been asked to step up and assist with an adult team as well , helping the existing manager. He doesn't have a huge amount of experience football wise and admits as much, although he is well liked and great with fitness etc.. Apart from during my courses, all my experience has been with junior teams up to the age of Under 14 and this is my first real experience of dealing with an adult team who play at a decent level. I like to use Small Sided Games as much as possible with the kids for all the obvious reasons, and wondered what all you guys think in terms of using these with the older players? Its a big squad and I'm thinking of mixing these up with tactical 11 a side work in positional groups along with set plays. Any advice or thoughts are welcome.

Cheers

Making the step up to mens football.

KWCFC — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:39:07 GMT

I know this forum is primarily for coaches but I am a young player who has found this forum and the main site very useful in improving my game tactically. I hope there isnt any problem with me asking for help on this forum.

I am a 16 year old lad who has been offered to play a friendly for the senior team of a local Sunday league side. Full sized pitch, 90minutes e.tc

It will be my first senior game in football so I was wondering if there is any help or tips you can give me in making the step up? Is the pace faster or slower than U18's?

Advice for a New 6 a side team

Farcelona — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:43:19 GMT

Hi everybody. I have started a 6 a side team and our first game is on Sunday. We have very average players and have played a couple of friendlies and lost 4-1 and 3-0. Our first league game is a few days away and I was wondering if any experienced 6 a side teams/players had any useful advice on how to become a hard team to beat.

It would be great if we could get a result in our first game as it would increase the teams morale. So if anybody has any ideas on the bast formation and tactics it would be very appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

Best Coaching DVD

VecchioCoaching — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:35:23 GMT

Hey everyone,
i am interested in the best Coaching DVD that you have ever bought and why.

I have purchase quite allot of DVD's and they all seem to lack content.

I would have to say that the best DVD I have bough would be: One Touch and Combination Play to Develop a Fast Break Attack

In short this DVD has many progressions, it is very easy to follow and understand and the coach Norbert Elgert is in my opinion, absolutely brilliant. The intensity throughout the DVD is high tempo, however this is easily transferable to your team. Personally I have used the drills contained in this DVD with a variety of different age groups and ability both in male and female I highly recommend this DVD and give it (four and a half stars).

Tactical diagramns, graphics

Roberticus — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:45:24 GMT

Can anybody indicate where I might find tools to illustrate tactical diagrams and maneouvres on a simple computer software?

Cheers!