First to agressiveness:

I agree that aggressiveness can not be taught, however, it can be brought out of a player by constant encouragement when even the smallest act is performed. I have turned players who were content to run next to an opponent who was dribbling down the field, to now "de-cleating" them.

Constant reinforcement along with drills such as "sumo soccer", "go get it", and lots of 1v1 matches can really bring forth the inner demons in kids!

I also constantly reinforce the fact that soccer is a rude sport. There is no place for manners. There is no time that you are to politely allow an opponent into "your house"! This lesson is NOT a condoning bad sportsmanship, (which I will not tolerate) but to be aggressive.

I allow kids to do whatever they want in practice as far as aggression goes, so what you would normally see during 1v1s are kids occasionally doing things like pulling shirts, elbows high, pulling each other and downright "de-cleating" their teammates.

This actually does two things. First, I always teach that "if you can see the numbers on your opponents back, don't touch them!" and they actually don't foul much during games, but still keep the same aggression as they have in practice. When they are confronted by very aggressive opponents, it doesn't faze them in the least. The other thing that it does is desensitizes the parents. Now that they have seen MUCH worse during practices, they say nothing during games, because fouls from opponents that are called or not called are for things that are WAY less than what they have seen weekly.

Some may not agree with this methodology, but I have been able successfully turn many otherwise timid kids into aggression machines.

Soccer Sumo is a game that the kids ask for a LOT!

Since aggression is really very difficult to teach, this game allows kids to feel more comfortable with contact with other players.

I make a small rectangle with flat cones or paint about 1yd wide 2ft. long (adjust this depending on your kids' size. Ideally, it should be just enough so that both kids with legs spread have their outer foot about 5-6in from the line). I stand one kid in the middle and another steps in "shoulder to shoulder".

So two kids are in the rectangle. They are bending their knees and when you say "go"! the challenger has to use leverage and shoulder only to drive the other kid out of the rectangle. As soon as I say "go", I start counting to 5. If the champion has resisted for 5 secs or has pushed the challenger out, then a new challenger steps in.

I show them beforehand the importance of getting low and spreading their legs, by having one kid put his feet together and just slightly pushing him to the side. He, of course, has to step over to keep his balance, but when you tell him to do it again, but with knees bent and legs apart, it's VERY hard to push him. They then get the coaching point. Although a lot of times the bigger kids win, I go out of my way to make it a point to really praise the smaller kids for their effort and bravery. Also, I tell the smaller kids that even though they are smaller, that they can win if they have better form. I demonstrate this to them by having a shorter parent or assistant who weighs less than I do, drive me over using better form.

I guarantee that you will see a marked improvement in the kids' aggression. Plus, the smaller kids actually ask to play this quite a lot.