What You and USA Soccer Should Expect From Your Kids Coach

Please note that the opinions expressed in this post, particularly in regard to training methods, are those of the Soccer Yoda, although many soccer institutions, agree wholeheartedly.

Well, it’s that time again…again. Each year around the end of May soccer clubs around the country have their tryouts. This year there is more expectation and more urgency as to how America’s children are coached, so that they can reach their maximum potential as soccer players. Why this year more than others? Because the USA men’s team did not qualify for the World Cup. Because the likes of Panama and Honduras finished above us in the 6 team playoff round. As a result there has been a huge amount of introspection as to the reasons this soccer-world catastrophe occurred. And our youth coaches have been among the most accused.  And rightly so. The drive for most all American soccer clubs to grow manifests itself into a drive to attract parents with money to spend on their kid’s soccer. And that frequently means to shortcut the development of players in order to produce immediate victories that attract more players. Sometimes it means to use training methods like “speed and agility” or “strength and conditioning” training that forego the use of a ball but sound great to unaware parents. Sometimes it means small areas to train because of an over-sized club. Sometimes it means a coach who is also coaching 2 or 3 or even more other teams as a means of increasing income and therefore cannot provide the personal touch so important to youngsters. And sometimes the coach just doesn’t know any better. Last year at this time, I posted a well-received “here is what to look for” piece for parents who want their child to have the best soccer experience in terms of development and fun. In light of this past year’s disappointment and subsequent attention to youth soccer training methods, I am posting it again, with some additional up-to-date comments.

Success in soccer can be defined in many ways and is usually dependent upon the goals of the player and his/her parents. These goals can range from “be prepared for a pro career” to “have fun and don’t break anything!” We know that only a minuscule percentage of kids will play professionally and that, despite the dreams of so many families, only 5.6% of boys playing high school soccer will play in college (according to the NCAA). Statistics are about the same for girls, except the number playing pro is even less than the boys. We also know that not all youth players will even be proficient enough to play for their high school and even less will make those controversial  high level programs that take the place of high school soccer for some of the very gifted. So, this means that we must recognize that life lessons that carry beyond soccer are extremely important for our young players if they are to carry benefits gained from their soccer experience for the rest of their lives.

But it is not the purpose of this post to discuss the non-soccer learnings that can be derived from the sport, as important as they may be. Here is why…..unless youngsters are having fun they tend to drop out within a comparatively short span of time. At that point they aren’t getting any life lessons from playing soccer anyway. Although other factors may drive a kid from the sport, failure to improve skills is a leading cause of the “this isn’t fun anymore” syndrome. After all, it is fun to learn and get better and often boring not to do so.  And of course if a child does harbor dreams of advancement to higher levels, learning new skills is a must. It is possible, even if a child loves the game enough to keep playing for years, that skill development can be neglected by coaches. I have seen, not very long ago, youngsters who were veterans of a number of years of soccer and yet could not use their opposite foot, couldn’t use the outside of either foot, didn’t know the offside rule despite playing with it for years and whose tactical knowledge consisted of “the goal is down there, why don’t we just kick the ball down there?” Once upon a time that might have been expected, although not preferred, because so many youth coaches were moms and dads with little or no soccer experience who were volunteering so kids could play. Not today. Parents are spending good money and devoting more time to the demands of the soccer club than to be satisfied with a lack of soccer growth in their children. One problem is that, to less experienced parents who are paying so much attention to game action and scores, it is not easily apparent if their child is not advancing. If they spent money on a piano teacher for a couple years and their child was still playing the same songs as when they started, they would know something is wrong. But it is not nearly as obvious if their youngster is still playing the soccer equivalent of Chopsticks after years of soccer experience.

Other countries are not nearly as dependent on coaches to develop their soccer talent. Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Germany……these soccer powers have a culture to help produce talent. Kids play for hours a day in the streets or neighborhood fields in small groups, with makeshift goals, emulating their “football” heroes that they see on tv. There are no coaches, no parents, no recorded scores or tournament championships to be had. Just kids having fun playing the sport and trying new skills with no negative feedback if they mess up while learning. It has been said that the more our youth training is like playing in the streets the better our kids would learn.

youth “soccer practice” around the world

Soccer is a sport played with the players feet, brain and heart. Although playing with lots of heart certainly helps achievement and is one of those “non-soccer” attributes parents want their children to develop, the deciding factor in the consideration of the achievement level of any player is far more often the players feet and brain than his/her heart. And it is in those areas, the feet and brain, that good coaches stand apart from the ordinary. So lets look at the methods used (or not to be used) in order to produce soccer players who are at the top of their potential and are having fun while constantly improving their game.

A. Minimum of activities without the ball

A top German professional coach said to me once,” You know what you get when you have your players run lots of laps? Good lap runners!” Youngsters need to touch the ball to develop ball skills. The more touches done right, the more proficient they become. Running done without a ball or not in a soccer situation does nothing to develop the ability of a soccer player. Of course, the “win” syndrome plays a part with coaches who run their players. Coaches may feel that they can make up for a lack of skill and tactics by being in “better shape” or “more aggressive”. But 1) just running is not fun to most kids and 2) eventually kids and teams who can use their feet and brains on the field pass those who can’t, no matter how much those latter teams can run or how fast they can get to the ball. For older kids cardio work may be needed, but it can be gained by exercises using a ball. Beware of “speed and agility” sessions that don’t use a ball. Last January Barcelona spent $190 million to acquire Philippe Coutinho, a player who is not fast or strong or big and, in the age of “all positions play defense”, plays virtually no defense at all. But he is a magician with the ball. Parents should remember that.

B. Practice should be efficient, lots of soccer and less of other things.

Take a look at the picture below:

Of the 10 young ladies in participating in this exercise, 1 is practicing soccer and 9 are practicing standing in line. If the drill lasts 20 minutes, that’s 2 minutes of soccer and 18 minutes of line waiting per player. Coaches should use drill structure that involves a high percentage of players in soccer activity and less involved in standing around. Here is an example:

This is a dribbling drill similar in structure to the picture above in that there are 2 players working while the others stand. But, the same work could be accomplished like this:

Now there are 3 times as many players involved. If the coach makes this a game condition drill by putting a time limit on the encounter in the middle , the work and rest times resemble those during a game where there is a period of high action followed by a period of less. In regards to methods #A and #B above, the USSF has long preached the no “L’s ” concept…..” no laps, no lines, no long lectures”.

C. Use the “teaching progression” to develop skills and concepts.

When introducing new skills and team play the use of this progression is the most effective means of developing talent:

1. No pressure or opposition – players practice the move or skill without anything forcing the action. They can take it slow, practice by trying one step at a time, make sure of what they are doing.
2. Passive pressure – when learning dribbling moves,  a “defensive” player who does nothing but stand in the way is a good means to introduce opposition. Limiting space can also provide a limited obstacle for new players. For passing skills the clock provides an excellent form of pressure i.e.”how many passes can you complete in 15 seconds?”

An excellent dribbling practice: players each have their own ball and space is limited.

3. Low pressure – use of numbers is a great way to introduce active pressure but still provide a                transition from no active pressure to game conditions. 5 v 2; 4 v 1, etc. Introducing team shape          with small numbers of opponents works well to familiarize kids with positional responsibility            without discouraging them.

4. Increasing resistance to full and beyond – gradually making the numbers of the opposition                  more equal or limiting time and space to game conditions can prepare players for game action.          For advanced teams adding even more opposition players ( 4 v 5; 8 v 9 to a goal) can make                  games seem easy.

D. Lots and lots of “rondos” – Rondos are drills in which one side outnumbers the opposition and the emphasis is ball possession. As noted above, these are great for building ability when used with youngsters, but even the best teams in the world practice using this concept. Lately the USSF training gurus have decided that rondos do not simulate the game enough and are not in favor of them. After talking to many experienced successful youth coaches, they and I strongly disagree. Repetition develops skill and these activities supply those reps better than other exercises.  The individual drill can be modified to fit the learning objective desired. Touch limitations, single foot usage, dribble requirements…..if it is a part of the game it can be practiced in a rondo form of exercises. A form of rondo can even be used with a goal….ex: the offensive team must complete 5 passes consecutively before shooting. The German coach I quoted above finished his statement about laps with,” If you want good soccer players, they must play soccer!” Rondos and conditional scrimmages are the closest thing we have to the “street soccer” that international youth play and might even be more efficient due to the specific purpose of the play.

E. Make it competitive – kids love to play, but they also love to compete. Those Brazilian youngsters on the beach are always keeping score, even if the outcome is forgotten as soon as they go home. Coaches will keep the interest and the fun levels of their players high if they devise ways to keep score in their exercises. For instance: Passing: a point for every x number of passes ( depends on the skill of the players) Dribbling: a point for every stepover (or whatever move is being emphasized) accomplished in the rondo.   Shooting: a point for every shot on goal and 5 points for scoring. The coaches imagination or a good practice manual can provide different scoring scenarios, but competition tends to drive practice energy upwards.

These methods will be very beneficial in making practice fun and improving the ability of players at a high rate. What skills should young players be developing?

Ball Control – Good soccer begins with good ball control. Players must be able to receive the ball and make it playable immediately. Young players learn to receive the ball with the inside of both feet (all skills should be learned with both feet) . Then with the outside of the foot. The ball should be put in front of the receiver just far enough to play it with the next touch. As kids learn, they should be able to move the ball away from defenders with their receiving touch. This leads to the ability to play 2 touch soccer, but the initial receiving touch is all important. Body surfaces should be used to cushion the ball for play. Thighs, midsection, chest ….youngsters need to develop the ability to use all surfaces. If one watches a mid-level ability professional team and compares that to the worlds best, the difference in ball control is very evident.

The great players have great control.

Passing – For youth players passing is the skill that starts them on the road to advancement. Inside foot ( both feet of course) is the basic and most used pass in the sport. Outside foot and laces passing adds the versatility and unpredictability of a players passes. To pass effectively players must have their heads up to see who should get the pass. This is an extremely important concept for young kids……getting their heads up with the ball is an absolute necessity. This skill must be practiced often and in different situations to develop proficiency.

Dribbling – Dribbling is a required skill for aspiring players. Youngsters should learn to move forward while keeping the ball close . Use of both inside and outside of the foot needs to be stressed. The ability to change direction with either surface accompanied with a feint to the opposite direction is an easily learned first “trick”. Then stepovers, cuts, pullbacks, etc can be added. Experience has shown that young players can develop these moves much earlier than many coaches believe. One point in regard to training dribbling moves: I have seen many drills in which the dribbling player gets 10 seconds, 15 seconds, even more time to try to beat a defender. This never happens in a game. Coaches need to keep to “game condition” exercises and with dribbling that means giving the offensive youth one quick try per attempt to make the move work successfully.

Receiving and Turning – turning as a part of receiving a pass is probably the most important skill in the game that is also the most neglected when it comes to training. The ability to receive a ball and turn 180 degrees quickly with it is very important. Kids can start with a basic inside of the foot 2 touch turn, but once that is mastered they should move on to one touch turns. These include outside of foot swivels, inside of foot hook turn, and the behind-the-heel ( also known as the Cruyff Turn). The ball should be ready to play as soon as the turn is completed. As players advance they should be able to confidently and quickly take a ball from the back, turn and play it to a teammate.

Shooting – Youngsters catch on to shooting fairly easily as far as form is concerned. However accuracy can be challenging to any age player and youth are no exception. The smaller goals now required by the USSF make training to shoot more productive than with adult goals. Keeping shots low and on goal is paramount. Shooting with the outside of the foot and putting spin and curve on shots are not above the level of experienced youth players. However, it takes many practice attempts to become a good shooter so kids need to get many repetitions to improve.

Proper shooting form is important at all levels.

Heading – Due to the unknown potential of injury to still-developing skulls and brains, the USSF has banned all heading (practice or games) for youngsters age 10 and under and minimal heading for those 11 and 12 yrs old. If a parent has a teenager playing, expect basic heading exercises and heading in games gradually leading up to the expertise expected in advanced players.

Defending – By definition playing defense is not a ball skill. Still, youth players need to understand the basics of defense. Parents should expect their kids to know about position ( goal side), footwork, patience and proper tackling technique. As they get older youth should learn team defensive strategies such as sheparding and maintaining shape.

Team Play – Once it was said that younger players could not understand team tactics and therefore only technical skill should be taught to kids. It is my belief that is absolutely wrong. Coaches should never underestimate the ability of youth to develop their feet AND their brains in regard to soccer. They can learn proper support moves, how to get to good angles, when to move to space, what their positional responsibilities are and those of their teammates. I have seen and coached u-10 and u-12 teams that play a high level of tactical soccer and they loved learning the game. In addition. it should not be a surprise that kids get better at things that they practice. By stressing and practicing team possession tactics, youth players also develop technical ball skills of control, passing, dribbling, etc. to accompany their always improving vision, movement and team concept. WARNING: while learning the “good game”, kids make mistakes and this can lead to losses on the field, especially to teams that are athletic and big and fast, even with the new rules that are designed to minimize those physical advantages. But, make no doubt about it, time spent developing these soccer skills…..the feet and brains of youth players, will pay off in the end.

It’s the lucky kids, those whose coaches teach them to know the game and love playing it, that will stick with it and experience those events that make for livelong memories, great friendships and personal traits that can lead to fulfilling lives in many diverse areas. And a few may even be a part of a USA team, of either gender,  that can qualify and advance in the World Cup!