Youth coaching



Did it for twelve years, Parent management is the first thing you need to learn.
Your team ethos has to be clearly communicated and is normally one of two types - winning and success is priority so the best players will play every game and some might barely play at all; or fun and equality are the guiding principle where everyone is going to get game time even at the expense of results.

We chose the second and suffered for it in the early years losing a few good players who left to join the top teams, however by mid teens most of them were back and just wanting to play and train with mates in a relaxed environment. We used to have twenty or more for training in the later years and the better teams at the club could barely muster eleven for matchdays
 
What age group are you looking to coach? Make sure you work on their first touch frequently. First touch is so important and movement.

Try and make coaching drills relevant to what happens in actual games. The amount of drills I did as a youngster especially shooting ones that would never occur in a game was ridiculous.
 
Billy Fish said:
Did it for twelve years, Parent management is the first thing you need to learn.
Your team ethos has to be clearly communicated and is normally one of two types - winning and success is priority so the best players will play every game and some might barely play at all; or fun and equality are the guiding principle where everyone is going to get game time even at the expense of results.

We chose the second and suffered for it in the early years losing a few good players who left to join the top teams, however by mid teens most of them were back and just wanting to play and train with mates in a relaxed environment. We used to have twenty or more for training in the later years and the better teams at the club could barely muster eleven for matchdays
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My lads team are the same. It's difficult to watch when they're leading 1-0 and under the cosh, then the coach brings a lad on in defence that can't really kick a ball or try to get involved! But you understand why he's doing it.

His coach always gets the parents and kids together after a match to say a few words and present a man of the match trophy. I think it's good, I've never noticed any other teams doing it.
 
Every time you sign a kid up get them to sign the club's code if conduct but more importantly get one written up for the parents as well and stick to it. Make it clear that bellends are not allowed pitch side and ban them and their kids if they start. Sometimes the other parents will police it but I've seen 1 gobshite infect the whole touchline.. respect for the refs is important cos the kids pick up quickly on grown men and women who've never kicked a ball or blown a whistle calling 16 year old refs wankers. I'm glad I'm out of it now like as my kids are grown up but good luck.. it's a superb thing to do
 
Stevie Freestein II said:
Buy a stop watch and make sure that Timmy gets as much time on the pitch as Billy does.
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You are out of touch marra. Coaches will have stop watches on their fitness wrist bands and the names of the players will be a little more 'exotic' than Billy and Timmy (the staffies on the touchline may have those names though)

In Washington, anything is possible though.
 
My lad played for a local youth team aged 11 and was very athletic, not brilliant on the ball but very determined. He trained and was coached by idiots in my opinion. The coach said we think your son has huge potential but lacks experience,,,haha he was 11 years old and it was his first year in any kind of football team. Well they coach/manager said we will sign him but he won’t get much game time as they had just signed a new lad who they said had just come from Liverpool’s academy. Yes that’s right Liverpool. Well this new lad got straight in the team as he had all the fancy flicks etc. My lad was livid, but he stuck at it u til he realised that getting 1 minute at the end of a game was pointless and no fun at all. Fast forward a year later and my lad goes to a coaching set up at Durham to get game time and sure enough the same lad that took his place at his under 11 team is there, once again showing off all his tricks, flicks and ball skills,,,,in games too. Well my lad was there 2 weeks and a guy from this set up asked how long my lad played for and who with etc. I said he was in a local team bút wasn’t getting game time. Fast forward again a few months and the coach who was part of safc youth team asked to speak to parents regards development. Coaches words were we are looking mostly for athletes who we believe we can coach skills into. He said that my lad had that and with their expertise could have him within Middlesbrough academy. They pointed out that there were lads who were also at this set up who didn’t have what they were looking for, which was the individual skills only and piss taking as they put it. My point being there is always the kid at the back of the room in class who could be the teacher.
 
Abu Dhabi Red and White said:
You are out of touch marra. Coaches will have stop watches on their fitness wrist bands and the names of the players will be a little more 'exotic' than Billy and Timmy (the staffies on the touchline may have those names though)

In Washington, anything is possible though.
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We are going through this with our Ezekiel aged 6.

There are 2 teams of mixed ability. Last week he was a sub for 20 mins of the 40 mins match. I noticed that Brett aged 7 and Travis aged 6 didn’t appear to be substituted very often. Amazingly enough, Brett and Travis are related to the managers!
 
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Billy Fish said:
Did it for twelve years, Parent management is the first thing you need to learn.
Your team ethos has to be clearly communicated and is normally one of two types - winning and success is priority so the best players will play every game and some might barely play at all; or fun and equality are the guiding principle where everyone is going to get game time even at the expense of results.

We chose the second and suffered for it in the early years losing a few good players who left to join the top teams, however by mid teens most of them were back and just wanting to play and train with mates in a relaxed environment. We used to have twenty or more for training in the later years and the better teams at the club could barely muster eleven for matchdays
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Pretty much this. Lay down what you expect from the players and parents, and what they can expect from you, then stick to it. Means that they can piss and moan on the touchline all they like, but if you're consistent with your philosophy, they haven't got a leg to stand on.
 
PtangYang kiperbang said:
I feel a bit like this is like:

I’m about to go on a round the world cruise, any tips??

Surely if you’d got a gig coaching legitimately under your own steam, you wouldn’t have to ask a messageboard for tips?

Gonna do a triple heart bypass tomorrow, does the SMB have any tips?
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Stop being a miserable bastard.

I’m sure that the lad has done plenty of research and knows what he’s getting into. He’s just using the board as another avenue to get some tips.
 
red apples said:
Show them they as people are more important to you than the football
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I ran an under 13 side years ago and had one outstanding player who had a terrible attitude causing problems with teamates and provoking the opposition,one day against superior opposition he was struggling and lashed out a few times and got warned by the ref so I took him off and got an earfull off him and his parents.So next game I made him sub and after he spoke to his parents he just picked up his bag and walked away never to be seen again.The club I was at had monthly progress meetings and I was summoned to explain myself as results had been poor insinuating that I had made the wrong decision,I found out that the lads parents were friendly with the chairman who suggested I should ask him to return,I refused and resigned to be replaced by the lads dad.Sometimes it is not worth the effort if you have principals which go above winning at all costs.
 
My dad did it for years. Because he started late he basically took what was left from the other two teams already formed in the area.

This was from 11 onwards, what he did was get my uncle involved to be the 'bad cop' so the lads would listen to him. Was pretty successful, the same group of lads still play on the same pub side 15 years later.
 

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