I can picture it now, the practice activity that is failing before my eyes. We’ve all been there. You set up the activity, you explain what needs to happen, you’ve anticipated the kids enjoying this great new practice plan for weeks. When the action starts, everything you had hoped for is not happening… the kids are confused, or disinterested, or outright revolting. It turns out that your well planned practice is too much for the younger audience. Time for your back-up plan.

It’s always important to balance the skill work with fun games when you’re coaching younger ages. Many times they’ll focus on learning a skill better if they know the reward is a fun game they’ll use the skill in.

A long-time coach and friend of mine mentioned to me yesterday that he “tells parents we will have fun at practice and games and I will sneak in the skills without them looking”. Keep that in mind when you’re coaching the younger ages. If the kids enjoy what they are doing and can improve their skill at the same time, you’ve found the right balance in your practice plans!

Here are some recommendations for back-up plan activities you can use to fill in the weak spots of your practice plan. I grabbed these from a great coaching resource on the web, http://www.soccerxpert.com. Find more here: http://indyfusionsoccer.com/custpage.php?cid=64

Warm-up Activities:

• Simon Says
• Ouch!
• Red Light, Green Light
• Body Parts Warm Up Game
• Coach’s Revenge
• Tail Tag

Dribbling:

• Knockout
• Sharks and Minnows

Passing:

• Guard the Castle
• Monkey in the Middle
• Keep Your Yard Clean

Shooting:

• World Cup Soccer Game
• Instep Shooting Drill

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About the Author:

Dan Laughlin is VP of Community Soccer for Fusion Soccer Academy in Avon, Indiana and coach of a 30+ member U9 girls travel academy.

My hope is that this Spring we coach the kids to create in the flow of the game and respond to the game. I hope we do our best to avoid using coaching tactics or strategy to influence the exploration of the game by the youth we coach.

Please don’t take this advise as me saying I don’t believe in tactical instruction. I believe very strongly that there are age appropriate, tactical lessons that can be taught to younger ages. However, the bulk of the learning should involve ball skills and field awareness developed with FUN activities in practice and match-like settings.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when coaching children under the age of 8:

1. Don’t keep score
2. Do make it fun
3. Balance the sides – Players learn faster when facing like competition
4. Teach field awareness without pouring on the tactics – You can teach the kids how to stay involved in the game without telling them where to stand and what to do
5. Remember, kids will keep coming back if you make it fun and parents will buy in if they’re children are improving and enjoying the game

Two outstanding resources for Youth Soccer Coaches:

1. Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States (PDF)
2. A Developmental Approach to the Soccer Learning Process (PDF)

For some fun practice activities geared for the youth, please use this link:

• http://indyfusionsoccer.com/custpage.php?cid=64

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About the Author:

Dan Laughlin is VP of Community Soccer for Fusion Soccer Academy in Avon, Indiana and coach of a 30+ member U9 girls travel academy.