Coach Training AYSO Region 1282

DVDs and UK Soccer website

2010-08-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Does the league have any books or DVDs that I could use (or recommend) that would be comprehensive overview of what I should be teaching the boys at this level?

Yes, we have have a collection of DVDs that you can borrow. Unfortunately, I don't think any of them will be exactly what you're looking for, but you are welcome to borrow some and see. I practice at Aviara park Tuesdays from 4:30-6:00 and Thursdays from 6:00-7:30. Let me know if you are coming and I'll bring the DVDs.

The other resource I would recommend is the uksoccer website.

Click here or go to uksocca.com and scroll to the bottom and you will see “ online curriculum”
User Name – La Costa Region 1282 (input exactly as written)
password – ukisc (all lower case and input exactly as written)

This will give you access to over 1100 coaching sessions and activities which are sortable by age.

Energize your players and your practices

2010-07-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Energize your soccer team

eleven simple soccer coaching games for very young children

2010-07-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

11 soccer games for young players

Off-The-Ball movement

2010-07-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Got anything for movement off the ball????

Ouch. Tough question. For U-8 and below, I recommending reading http://http//www.soccerhelp.com/How_When_To_Teach_Passing.shtml. NOTE: Even though this is written with younger players in mind, there's some really good fundamentals in there that everyone should read. After that, these are the concepts I would recommend introducing to players U-10 or older:

Having attackers stay a pass apart. Obviously, you can't have players standing right next to each other. They must learn to spread the field. This is probably the key to the whole thing. Even at the competitive level, kids are drawn - like moths to the flame - to the ball. Especially if there's a good 1v1 battle going on with one player shielding the ball from another, the surrounding plays will be compelled to get closer and closer in order to support and help. You've got to teach that any supporting pass less the 10 feet is useless; out of the frying pan into the fire. The defender will just switch their attention from the passer to the receiver, and since the receiver has to bring the passed ball under control, they're often vulnerable. The best support is being wide open; far enough away that they can bring the ball under control BEFORE pressure is applied.
Having receivers move away from the ball handler as he approaches them in order to create space (i.e., so they are a pass apart.) This can be really tough for forwards to do. A lot of the time, forwards are anxious. They've been standing up front, waiting for the ball to come to them, and they often feel it's their responsibility to take the ball and move it forward. I can't count the number of times I've seen forwards run directly at their own player who has the ball and essentially attempt to steal it. We need to correct this. If someone is dribbling toward them, then they need to make a diagonal run AWAY from that person, open up the field and give that player an option to make a diagonal pass. If the left defender starts dribbling up the left wing, your left winger or left midfielder needs to learn, "Hey, this left side is getting crowded. There's no reason for us to both be here. I need to move more centrally." One note: running to the corner is not open; once we get into the attacking third, we want to funnel all balls and movement toward our opponents box.
Passing to open space. The key tactical advice here is to teach the kids to always pass on the diagonal. Square passes slow the game down; especially square passes to forwards. Teach the kids to make through passes to forwards toward the OPPOSITE corner flag. Couple of reasons why: It's much easier for your forwards to receive a ball that's been passed in front of them at a diagonal than it it to receive a ball that's been struck straight up the field to their backs. Also, 75% of straight through passes go right into the goalies hands. This is kick-ball and not soccer. But a long diagonal pass is different. Most goalies will not leave their box to fetch a ball passed to the corner, no matter how deep the pass is. And last, if the action is all happening on the left side of the field, players tend to drift from their position toward the left. If your left midfielder or left defender knows to always try for the long through pass to to the RIGHT corner, and your right winger has learned to expect that pass and so has stayed wide right, that winger is very likely to be all alone. You're not going to see a more exciting fast break than this.
Movement after the pass. Don Boyd tells his kids "Get it, give it, and GO!!!!" Most kids simply stop after passing the ball, as if to say, "Well, I did my job. It's his problem now." Not only is this wrong, it eliminates any possibility for a combination play (wall pass) going forward. You've got to really get on them to move SOMEWHERE immediately after passing the ball. Try to emphasize this during all activities. If we're playing "enjoy your shirt" and a player doesn't move immediately after passing, it's the same as if they lost the ball to the defender or made a bad pass; they get the shirt. Likewise, in a scrimmage, not moving after a pass means the game stops and the other team gets the ball. The good news is, once you get them to move, you can sit back and watch wall passes and other combinations just start happening. The key to combo play is movement after the pass.
NOTE: I haven't provided many drills here. That's because truthfully, I haven't found any movement off the ball drills that work. Movement is best taught as a part of the game. As a coach you need to set up a scrimmage or possession game, and then be on the look-out for the common mistakes (too short passes, not getting out of the way of your own players, passing square or straight, stopping after a pass) and make a correction. It may be best to take each of these on individually; for example, only correct not moving after a pass in one practice. Next week you emphasize passing diagonally....etc.
That said, this is the classic drill to introduce movement off the ball. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVZ90KGQV1o
Uneven numbers. One technique is to create games in which one team is "numbers up." 4v3 or even 3v1. This makes the use of movement and space more obvious to the attacking team.
This drill can emphasis movement after the pass, and (with slight modification) passing to space. NOTE: You can also run this with five players in a square. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJk1Im2B3W0
Here's another drill you can try: http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/movement_off_the_ball.htm#

Additional Training dates in San Marcos

2010-07-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

If you cannot attend our coach training sessions on the 17th of July, or are looking for Intermediate training, you can attend the training in San Marcos. San Marcos Coaching Clinics

Coaching Philosophy

2010-07-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

What's your coaching philosophy? it's one of the first questions you may want to answer at the start of the season, whether this is your first season or your tenth.

Can you sum up - in one sentence - what your goals are for this team, this season?

Examples include:

Developing skill, sportsmanship and the value of teamwork without sacrificing fun
Improve skills and have fun
It doesn't matter what the score of the game is at the end, if you have learned something NEW, then you have WON the game anyway

Spend a minute or two thinking about your goals, and write them down. For inspiration, check out http://www.finesoccer.com/coaching_philosophies.htm

Once you've written it out, share it with your team; both the kids and the families. It should be amoung the first things you go over at your team meeting.

YouTube soccer

2010-07-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

There is a bunch of great training ideas out on YouTube. I've gone through and attempted to collect a few that are appropriate for Rec level players. Enjoy.

U6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZgZH6pAn2o – stuck in the Mud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TijmIGxTG4 – red light, yellow light, red light, crash!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BilrRgwXqqA – hit the coach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5XWVfoYgLc - dribbling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92rY1x0exGI – teaching how to strike the ball
http://www.soccerhelp.com/U-4_Coaching_Ages_2_3_4_5.shtml - Not a video, but some great advice on teaching young players.
http://www.soccerhelp.com/How_When_To_Teach_Passing.shtml

U8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml3AGLeR8NM – Body dribbling – excellent warm-up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPQCU_f9MVI – Hand Tag (Watch what he does at the 1:14 mark for great coaching technique. Nothing like competition to get kids to work harder!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG6gdwUoe_Y – Shadow Dribbling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hRbhncyu4k – Passing ( “hit the ball at the equator”, “Soft feet; like a cushion”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drIbja06e8sl – Musical dribbling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyN56Eb6228 – 3v3 small sided game (the most important part of your practice. Break ‘em up into small team and everyone will be more involved.)
http://www.soccerhelp.com/Coaching_Soccer_Things_To_Teach.shtml

U10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtyR_V07hxY– Dribbling technique (note how he taps the ball at the equator of the ball and keeps it under him rather than pushing or shoveling the ball out in front)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqifI4RR7NM – Quick Draw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hRbhncyu4k – Passing ( “hit the ball at the equator”, “Soft feet; like a cushion”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJk1Im2B3W0 – triangle passing (follow your pass. This is one of the “classics”)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22soccer+drills+for+kids%22+touch&aq=f – The First Touch (technical series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJJvDR2q46I – 2v2 with three goals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtM8gW13Isc – 2v2 to target players (tusing target players instead of goals is a great way to encourage passing.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS0UVrx5qsUl – Dynamic dribbling warm-up
http://video.kudda.com/coach/Badmington - A whole series of videos. All of them are excellent and age appropriate (click the “more clinics” link)
http://video.kudda.com/clinic/Under_11_Soccer_Goalkeeping_Fundamentals_and_Basics/Goalkeeping:_Diving – He does a nice series on goalkeeping too.

U12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7CEM5G0FPU - Shield the Ball from the Defender
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVZ90KGQV1o – Four square (classic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbE8jWIQO8Il – skills drill with movement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwt-3LQ26Swl - passing while running backwards
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Soccer%20-%20Defending%20Against%20the%20Dribble%20Soccer%20-%20Defending%20Against%20the%20Dribble&search=Search&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&spell=1 – Series of Defending technique videos ( offense wins games, defense wins championships )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADq6LR1Ygq8 – 2v1 to goal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8IsaCa5Es0l – 5v5 against goal in the penalty box.

Passing and Receiving

2010-07-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Do you have any good drills or games for passing\receiving?

The basics for younger players: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hRbhncyu4k

Soft Feet. That’s the phrase you should emphasize during any receiving drill; players have to have soft feet. They have to cushion the ball as it comes into the feet; not just stick a foot in front of it. I ask the players if they've ever been in a water balloon tossing contest, and show them the way you catch a water balloon to keep it from breaking. Then we trasfer that same idea to the feet. One key to soft feet is being light on the feet. I try to get my players to do a little hop or skip before the ball reaches them. You can't just stand there like you're stuck in cement; you have to be on the toes with knees bent and a bounce in your step to really cushion the ball well.

Centerline. Equally important is where you cushion the ball. You've got to cushion it right at the center line (or equator) of the ball. In order to do this, you have to pick your foot up about 3 inches off the ground. Most rec players do not do this. Shift your center of gravity to your plant foot and lift the receiving foot high BEFORE the ball arrives. I prefer to have the player lift the foot about 6 inches and then come DOWN on the ball (at the centerline) as it arrives. See this video for excellent example of this technique: http://video.kudda.com/clinic/Soccer_Training_to_Develop_Technique/Washington_College_Warmup_1

Trap with feet; not shins. For any ball that's bouncing higher than 6 inches, many players attempt to just stick a leg in front of it. This results in the ball bouncing ten feet away off their hard, boney shin or shin guards. Instead, teach them to shift their weight onto the plant foot and lift their foot up to meet the ball at the centerline. "We trap with our feet; not our shins."

Two touch. Whether it’s a scrimmage or a possession type game, restrict it to two touch. Why? Because if you only have two touches, your first touch better be a good one. The kids quickly learn to pay attention to that first touch. Second, they have to pass (no dribbling) which means they often have to think ahead BEFORE they even make their first touch. This is huge. I’ve done this with my sons struggling rec team and was amazed at how much better the soccer was; almost immediately. This is also good for shielding. If their first touch is bad, they learn to shield the ball until a player moves to support them.

Possession games. My favorite is “enjoy your shirt.” You take two to four pinnies and have players hold them in their hand. Those players are defenders. Everyone else plays possession around them in a 40x40 grid (option: restrict to two touch). If a defender wins the ball (or an attacker makes a mistake), the defender drops the shirt on the ground and the attacker has to pick it up and begin playing defense (At which point I yell, “enjoy your shirt!”) It’s basically a version of Monkey in the Middle, except there’s more than one monkey and no one gets stuck being the monkey or too long (which results in monkeys getting discouraged and lazy.) Smart players figure out that if they immediately hustle right after getting the shirt, they can typically pressure someone into making a mistake, and get rid of it and back on the attack right away. This game is great for coaches in that it's easy to adjust to the skill level of the team. If they're struggling to keep possesion, remove one of the pinnies. If they're getting the hang of it, or the defenders are getting frustrated, add a pinnie. You can also experiament with the size of the grid to increase the speed and pressure (the smaller the grid, the faster the game.)

Tri-angle or square passing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJk1Im2B3W0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVZ90KGQV1o – Four square (classic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwt-3LQ26Swl - passing while running backwards

Adding Power to Your Soccer Kick

2010-04-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.blasttheball.com/adding_power_to_soccer_kick.html

Coaching tips

2010-04-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

A good series of well written coaching tips:
http://www.stingraysoccer.com/coaching_tips.html

Movement & Change of Pace
Thirds Of The Field
A Wall and a Ball
A Black Bag of Skills
Trapping-The Most Important Skill in Soccer
Four Steps To Success
Field Vision
Supporting
Little Johnny

Pass and Move

2010-04-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Four corner drill. An all time classic. A great place to start
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVZ90KGQV1o

Speed and Agility training

2010-04-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

1v1

2009-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

1v1 training is probably the most valuable - and economical - activitey you can spend time on in practice. It not only teaches valuable skills such as dribbling, shielding, feints, and proper defense but it emphasises the biggest deciding factor at game time... Intesity! The team the takes the field with the most intesity - the team that has been taught to "never give up, never give in" - will win the day. I just ran across an excellent article on the topic here:

http://www.fundamentalsoccer.com/members/Meigs.html

My favorite paragraph:

At a particularly teachable moment, we pulled the team together and I asked who it hurt if they didn't give their best effort in our 1v1 drills. In typical U-12 fashion, all responded that they were only hurting themselves if they gave less than their best in practice. But through a guided group discussion, my coaching partner and I led the girls to the realization that letting up on a lesser opponent was not only hurting "themselves," but was robbing the opponet of a very important teachable moment. Following this discussion, the expectation was clear. Less than 100% effort in 1v1 training is unacceptable. Always demand the best of your opponent. They will be your ally on Saturday. Challenge them to self improvement. You do them no favors if you hold back and are easy on them in the 1v1 drills. Like Anson Dorrance, we successfully took the "Me, Me, Me" of 1v1 play and turned it into "We, We, We." This was critical to the success of our 1v1 training.

Special NOTE: When conducting 1v1s, you should have multiple matches going on at once. Don't have everyone standing in line while two opponents go at each other. Create at least two - in not three or four - simultaneous games.

First Week in Review

2009-08-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

Coaches,

I had the pleasure, not to mention plenty of exercise, as I observed/ participated in five games this weekend. We are off to a great start and thank you for all your efforts. We had more than 60 fun filled games with much praise to go around and a few comments worth addressing. Please consider the following.

Game prep. Please be ready (game cards complete/ balls inflated etc.) well before your scheduled game time. Last minute practice sessions are probably not very helpful and a late start has a ripple effect. Help the refs start the game on time. Our youth refs especially look to you for help / guidance.

Playing time. Our goal is every player plays 75% of the game. Make it happen. Believe me, when one player plays 100% and other half the game, we hear about it. If numbers require some to play half the game, you must rotate the reduced playing time amongst all players. Yes, that includes your "all star." Also keep in mind the clock continues to run at the quarter. It is a time for a quick substitution so prepare for it. As a general rule, the quarter break is a 60 second stoppage. Bringing water to players helps speed the process.

Sideline coaching. Consider coaching practice and allowing the players to play the game. While younger players may need some help, the best way to learn is to just do it. I guarantee your players will figure it out. Consider limiting actual instruction during the games to ball stoppages, half time etc. I recognize is easier said than done. Your players will appreciate it. Of course,

Blow Outs. A three goal differential indicates a potential blow out and indicates time to consider altering your game plan. Consider placing your stronger players on defense or in goal. You can also instruct them to shoot with their left foot or add other challenges such as attempt to head the ball into the net or add an number of passes before shooting. I prefer to not de-emphasize scoring (that's the object of the game) rather I recommend you increase the challenge / skills required or players involved. Placing your weaker players as forwards also provides them an opportunity to shine. As you consider your options each week, demoralizing an opponent or an entire league (we've thumped several SM teams) is not in our best interest. Demoralized players quit and leagues may decide to it's just not fun to play LC. We have 39 U8 teams and only 3 U17 teams. Keeping the kids playing should be our goal.

(Disclaimer, my team had a 9-1 victory in week one. We had 7 different players score including a player in her first game and a 8 year defender who scored her first goal. I placed my more aggressive players on D, and in goal; and instructed the players to only shoot, then kick the ball with their left foot. In hind sight, I should have placed the last quarter w/ fewer players. This week we went up 3-1 and I backed off. The opposing team put two shots off the goal post in the last five minutes!)

Gary

SoccerHelp.com

2009-07-25T20:47:00.001-07:00

At the coach training session, there was some interest in a drill I mentioned called "traffic school." I picked this one up off of the SoccerHelp.com web site, where it's called the "dribble accross the square" game. You can find it at http://www.soccerhelp.com/practice_games/Dribble.shtml

I highly recommend this website for recreational coaches. Most soccer coaching websites are geared toward competitive, but this one is all about rec. It can be a little annoying because he's repetitive and constantly pushing to sell his iron-ons, but there's some really good stuff in here. I paid for the premium membership my first year of coaching, but plenty can be found for ...if you're willing to dig:

Here's a great place to start:
http://www.soccerhelp.com/Coaching_Soccer_Things_To_Teach.shtml

This article is a must read:
http://www.soccerhelp.com/Soccer_Stopper_Soccer_Formation_8v8.shtml

He has a bunch of stuff on "defending deep" in Premium, but you can figure out the gist from here: http://www.soccerhelp.com/soccerdrills_positions_formations/Soccer_Push_Up_Defend_Deep_Attack.shtml
Enjoy.

Motivating players

2009-07-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

One subject I've spent a lot of time looking for resources on is motivating players. Let's face it, often times it's the motivated team that wins the game; not neccessary the most skillful.

These are a series of basketball coaching articles, but I found many of them helpful. Enjoy:

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/coaching/coaching.html

The Happy Soccer Book

2009-07-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

Many of you have already had your team meeting, but this is something that should be required reading by all parents and coaches before hand. Please, please check it out:

http://www.blasttheball.com/happy_soccer_book.html

Coerver Dribbling\footwork

2009-07-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Looking for footwork dribbling videos? Then you want to get your hands on as much "Coerver" material as possible. I'm a huge fan, but NOTE: This stuff takes a lot of practice. Don't expect to cover it a few times and then see your players doing these moves out on the field. It takes years of repetition to get this good. Not really appropriate for Rec teams, but it is inspirational to see the skill of these young players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLN8g5WehNA

A nice routine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Kk1pKJ8UE

There’s about twelve of these videos in a series and they are excellent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvUeuRkxDH0

This entire video is available in parts on YouTtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2kUc8wp9l8

This guys is pretty boring, but he goes through and explains each of the fundematal Coerver moves step-by-step. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvDn6428bX8

These two little kids are amazing. They have three or four videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeRaTgR1BYQ

These are amazing, just to see how young the players are. Crazy good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shqLOoiw68c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tms5r5D9ZSo

An alternative "dribble thru cones" routine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNl9TIzZOGA

Goalie training videos

2009-07-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Received a question about goalie training videos. We have two full length goalie training videos in our region, and you're more than welcome to check them out, but I found neither of them to be very good.

But if your interested in goalie training, I highly recommend these links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NwNRWCr6EM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X90U6RTZ9_Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIawci-R-5

Soccer Balls

2009-07-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

TIP 1: You can often find soccer balls at Ross for around 6 bucks. Yes, it's hit or miss, but I've picked up some really nice, $30 Addidas ones there....still six bucks. Even the cheaper Wilson's I picked up have been holding up fine.

TIP 2: Keep 'em inflated. I've become a stickler about making sure that all the balls we use at practice are rock hard; I start each practice with my "pocket pump." http://www.siliconvolley.com/product_p/pocket%20pump.htm

Why? Becuase it's much harder to trap a hard ball than a less inflated one. Much, much harder. Better to get my girls used to it, especially because most referees on game day are also sticklers about well inflated balls.

All Stars and Post Season

2009-07-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Do you happen to know what the coach training progression is. What are the coaching licenses/ certificates needed for the various ages and are they difference for Post-season AYSO vs. All Stars

Here's the official training Matrix from AYSO. http://ayso.com/resources/coach_res/coach_training_matrix.aspx

The short answer is: For u-10, you need a u10. For u-12 you need a u-12. For u-14 you need Intermediate, and u-16 or above requires Advanced. Post Season and All Stars requirements are the same. i.e. Since All Stars play in Area tournaments, you need your certifications to coach All Stars

Why Kids Want to Participate in Sports?

2009-07-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Richard Stratton
Numerous research studies completed in the last 20 years have asked youth sport participants why they decided to participate in organized sports. Although there is some variation in the ranked order, the top reasons are very consistent. Children expect to have :

FUN
learn SKILLS
develop FITNESS
participate because they enjoy COMPETITION.

Winning and receiving individual awards (medals, trophies, etc) does not appear among the top reasons.

The bottom line is that children want an opportunity to participate in competitive sports, to develop the skills and fitness that will allow them to play effectively, and to have fun doing it.

The 6 Things a Soccer Mom Should Say to Her Youth Soccer Player

2009-07-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of coaches who have been around awhile who pass this out at their first team meeting. Enjoy.

By Youth Soccer Coach Bruce Brownlee, USSF "C" License

The soccer mom (and dad) need say only 6 things (just 23 easy-to-remember words) to their youth soccer player.

A lot of soccer moms (dads, too) with good intentions give a 30 minute lecture, covering all the youth soccer player’s supposed deficiencies and giving playing advice, in the car on the way to each match.

The kids arrive far off their optimal mental state, and dreading the critique they are likely to hear, whether they want it or not, on the way home. Kids who are massaged in this way tend not to play badly, they just tend to not play, possibly to avoid making mistakes.

The easiest way to detect this problem is just to ask the player if it is a problem. Kids are more than willing to share this grief. The easiest way to correct this problem is to speak to the parents, as a group, about your expectations, and to cover this as a routine problem. Many of the parents will recognize themselves if you can present this problem with humor and illustrate the importance of the kids having fun and arriving in a good state of mind.

For best results, parents should memorize and use the following 6 phrases to say to their youth soccer player:

Before the Match

I love you!
Good luck!
Have fun!

After the Match

I love you!
It was great to see you play!
What would you like to eat?

Good Luck !!!

Friday Clinics

2009-07-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'm from Region 1282 (Carlsbad, CA). I'll be coaching my daughter's girls Under 8 team. I had some questions about the Friday night soccer clinics at Stagecoach Park. Is there anywhere I can go to get more details? Thanks

The friday night clinics will start at StageCoach park on July 31st and will continue every week until October 9th. They will be one hour sessions by age group:

4:00-5:00 U6 boys and girls
5:00-6:00 U-8 boys and girls
6:00-7:00 U-10 boys and girls
7:00-8:00 U-12, U-14 and above boys and girls

Here's the training agenda put forth by UK Soccer:

Week one – shooting – – I hour sessions – all coaches do there own progressive sessions -
Week two – Fakes and moves – beat your opponent
Week three – Passing
Week four – GK/defending / attacking play
Week 5 – the cycle starts again.

Previous training

2009-07-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Last year I was a coach of an under-10 team in AYSO, and this year I am also coaching BU10. Immediately after last year's coach's meeting, there was a coach's training session held by the UK soccer group. I did not receive any kind of ertificate from that session. Do I need to attend a new session this year? Thanks.

As I said in the meeting, if you attended a course in previous years, it's highly likely that you did not get credit for that course in the eAYSO system. Thanks for sending your note. You do not have to repeat the course. We'll get you fixed up and in the system. If anyone else is in a similar situation, leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

AYSO Coaching certification

2009-06-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

We are working hard to improve the coach training for our Region 1282 coaches. First and foremost is getting our coaches AYSO certified. The Basic coaching certification covers U-6, U-8, U-10, and U-12.

Be assured that getting these AYSO certifications is easy. It's not traffic school. The instrutors are entertaining, most of the training takes place out on the field, you run around, get a nice little work-out, and leave fired up, ready to pass the things you've learned on to your new team.

In general, getting your basic certifications is easy, fun, and just a good thing for everyone to do. Its good for the players, the Region and AYSO!!

But certifications are also required in certain situations. Here's the really important part: If you are coaching U-10 or above, and your team wins our regional playoff's, you must have your AYSO certifications in order to continue to coach that team at the Area and Sectional tournaments. This is true for All-Stars as well.

For example, let's say you're a coach, and you work hard and get a great set of kids and end up having a great season. In October time frame, we have play-offs. And let's say you work even harder, and ta-da! Your team ends up in first or second place! Congratulations, your team just won the right to move on and represent Region 1282 in the Area R play-off tournment! This tournament is tons of fun for the kids, and in the past, teams from our region have faired very well, allowing them to move on to the Sectional tournament.

....except, you didn't bother to attendend one of the AYSO certification training courses offered back in July or August.

Guess what? Either your team stops right there and forfeits their spot in the tournament, or you find another coach in our region who does have the certification, and you get to sit on the side lines and watch as he or she coaches your team.

Now for the good news. You can get your U-6, your U-8, and your U-10, or your U-12 done and taken care of in a single Saturday.

UDPATED: La Costa held our trainig session on July 11th and it was a big success. If you missed it, there are still opportunities to take the training though another local AYSO region.

San Marcos is offering the combined u-6, u-8, u10, and u-12 on July 18th and August 1st. To sign up, go to http://www.eayso.com/. You should already be registered as a eAYSO volunteer, so log in. Otherwise, sign up as a volunteer now. once signed in, press the blue "volunteers" button. Press the "sign up for a course" button. Put "San Marcos" in the city field, and select "Search." This will bring up a list of all their courses. Sign up for U-6. Rinse and repeat for U-8 and U-10. Yes, the website makes you repeat the steps for each one. But please sign up for all three. If you're going to attend the U-12, you can just sign up for the one.

Here's the scheduling details they provide off their web site:

7/18/2009 9:00 AM -3:00 PM - Coach Clinic #1 Walnut Grove - South
8/1/2009 9:00 AM -3:00 PM - Coach Clinic #2 Walnut Grove - North

NOTE: You also have the option of taking the training in any other Section. (Santee, Orange Country, South Bay...etc. ) ; although not all regions offer the 1 day combined certifications. You can find these courses on the http://www.eayso.com/ web site by searching on section "11."

Intermediate and Advanced certifications: U-14 and above.

The next levels of training after Basic are Intermediate and Advanced. These courses are taken seperately, and are two days long. but just like the Basic courses, they are fun, informative and valuable. I've yet to talk to any coach who went through these courses and regretted it. There's a ton of information provided, and should be taken by anyone who wants to get the most out of coaching.

U-14 coaches must have their Intermediate to play teams outside of our region. U-16 and above are required to have their advanced. See your DC or the training coordinator for more info.

How to kick a soccer ball

2009-06-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cool! Just getting started with this blog, and already we have our first question:

"Do you have any material on teaching power
kicks? Both my kids can get the ball down field to the goal with good speed but end up shooting fizzlers."

Great, great question. This happens to be the main thing I'm working on with my team right now, so I definitely feel your pain. The best advice I've found on this subject is from the "Blast the Ball" DVD website. We don't have a copy of the DVD - although maybe we should pick one up for the region - but there's some good stuff on the site, including a preview video, a forum, and the following article:

http://www.blasttheball.com/how_do_you_kick_a_soccer_ball.html

That's about the best break-down of kicking I've ever seen. Pay special attention to the concept of "the soccer hop." That's where true power comes from.

One great activity for teaching kids to find the "sweet spot" is punting. Put the kids in pairs, and have them *gently* punt the ball back-and-forth to one another about 15 yards apart. Emphasis on gently. It's going to be complete chaos the first couple of times, but after a couple of practices - when they start getting the hang of it - you can spread them out and go for distance. Make sure they're not straight legging it. They should be bending the knee and putting some *snap* in their punts. I tell them to "kick like Jackie Chan." You can "soccer hop" into a punt too.

NOTE: This activity can double as an opportunity to work on trapping (a.k.a. "collections" in official coach lingo.) Ask the receiving player to "use their skills" to collect the ball rather than their hands.

This guy has a excellent set of video clinics aimed at U11. Here's one on finishing. http://video.kudda.com/clinic/Under_11_Soccer_Progression_3_Finishing

There are a million "kids standing in a line shooting at the goal" exercises out there. Here are a few tips to keep things moving and lines short.

Have each shooter hold their own ball in line, and chase it after their shot. It may seem more efficient to have the coach serve balls to everyone from a pile, but that breaks down after a few minutes. And chasing balls gets them moving. Last, you as coach want to be concentrating on helping them with their kicking technique; not tracking down balls.
At least two lines. If the activity is completely new, you may start it in one line, but then it's "Two coaches, two lines." Don't have an AC that day? Grab a mom off the sidelines. You truly alone out there? It's still more efficient to serve two lines than one. NOTE: The downside is that occasionally someone retrieving their ball will get nailed by a shooter from the other line. It's surprising rare in my experience, but ask the kids to be careful, and if it's not safe, stop.
Shooting drills can often devolve into discipline problems. Keep it moving so that no one has time to squirrel around with each other in line. Ideally, you have them moving so hard, they're huffing and puffing. TIP: The closer the lines are to the goal, the faster the activity will move.

Coaching Philosophy

2009-06-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Developing skill, sportsmanship and the value of teamwork without sacrificing fun
Improve skills and have fun
It doesn't matter what the score of the game is at the end, if you have learned something NEW, then you have WON the game anyway

Spend a minute or two thinking about your goals, and write them down. For inspiration, check out http://www.finesoccer.com/coaching_philosophies.htm

Once you've written it out, share it with your team; both the kids and the families. It may even be the first thing you want to go over at our next topic of discussion: the team meeting.