COACHING

Soccer

Coaching sports is more than just teaching how to play a sport. It is also learning
important life lessons.

Tyler Pratley
1489292
CLC 11
Mr. Koshman
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Coaching sports is about showing the players how to succeed, not only in the game, but also in

life. “Part therapist, part consultant, part motivational expert, part professional organizer, part

friend, part nag…” (Kim Palmer, 2018), this means that coaching sports isn’t always about

improving their skills in the sport, but also shaping them to be mature individuals.

The questions that will be explored in this research paper, and in my product, are the important

aspects of teaching kids how to play a sport, and what can the kid’s benefit from playing sports.

Some examples of teaching aspects: what are some simple drills to teach to beginners, 3

important rules when playing soccer, and what can kids benefit from while playing sports.

The skills that coaches need to make their team successful are communication, “Effective

communication is the lynchpin of success; not just for sports coaches, but in every aspect of life.

Most challenges and obstacles arise from miscommunication, making it a vital skill to master in

the pursuit of success”, (Ohio University, 2018). Communication is something that a coach needs

to have, because if you can’t tell what the players need to do, how can you expect them to

execute a proper technique.

Organization is a valuable aspect to coaching, because as a coach you need to put certain players

in different positions based on what that player is good at, “As a skill, organization is critical if a

coach wants to achieve success. Planning and organization keep the athletes engaged. Without a

plan, athletes may lose motivation or sight of the goal, and progress will be challenging”, (Ohio

University, 2018). Some other times that coaches may need when dealing with organization is

setting up drills.

Analyzing the players skill is very important in sports, “Coaches must see beyond the physical

and perceive beyond the basics. They must observe details, and analyze how to enhance their
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athletes beyond what they find possible. Understanding all aspects of performance — both

mental and physical — is not easy and can be taxing. Successful coaches stay vigilant, aware,

and comprehend their athletes spoken and unspoken needs”, (Ohio University, 2018). Other

ways that analyzing is useful is when you need to have player cuts if the team is too big. As a

coach, you need to be able to tell when someone needs a brake, and also when someone needs to

work harder to improve the overall skill of your team.

As a coach you need to be able to have new ways of drilling your team instead of doing the same

drills repeatedly, “Finally, but no less important, is the ability to produce original and fresh ideas.

The biggest leap taken toward success by coaches involves finding unique methods to invigorate

and energize their athletes. Through never-ending education and commitment, coaches

eventually create their own distinctive strategies for success”, (Ohio University, 2018).
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The single most important first step to coach soccer is knowing the drills that give/ teach good

skills to the players. The basics are very important for youth players, so the skills that will be

focused on are dribbling, passing, and kicking, “When teaching soccer to beginners, keep your

expectations in line with the skill set of your players and expose them to basic defensive and

offensive drills. Focus on basic techniques, such as proper kicking form and dribbling, rather

than advanced concepts, such as slide tackling or goalkeeping”, (Williams, 2017)

Dribbling is what gets you from point A to point B, so it is a basic skill that needs to be acquired

to move on to more advanced skills, “Dribbling the ball means moving the ball around the field

using your feet. It's a core skill in soccer, and critical to a player's ability to move and keep the

ball. Start with basic dribbling, where the player taps the ball with her foot while jogging slowly.

Line the kids up and have them dribble in a circle around the field. Focus on teaching the players

to kick in only small amounts as part of their running motion, keeping the ball close. As the

players advance, teach them to speed up, then slow down to throw off a defender”, (Williams,

2017)
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Kicking is what how you gain leverage over then opposing team by scoring goals. Thus, making

this a very important skill to acquire for being a well-rounded player, “Soccer balls aren't kicked

with your toe. You use the lace-covered part of your foot for the most power and best control.

This drill is often a good way to close practice as the players may be tired. Sit the players down

on the grass and have them remove their socks, shoes and shin guards. Holding the ball with

their hands, have the players kick the ball straight up in the air while pointing their toe. This

gives them good practice getting a feel for where the ball should contact their foot. Once they

can hit the ball twice with their bare foot, have them stand up. Once up, set the players in a line

and let them kick toward the goal, practicing the power and accuracy required for a goal-winning

kick”, (Williams, 2017)

Passing is arguably the most important skill in soccer, because it’s what binds all plays together,

it is the glue that keeps a team strong, “Passing enables beginning players to get the ball to

another teammate without losing possession. Pair the players up and lead them onto the field,

one ball per pair. Send the pair down the field, practicing passing back and forth. When they hit

the midfield, send the next pair. Continue until all players are at the opposite end. The pair with

the most passes wins a small prize, if you want to make it a competition. Take the drill to the

next level by sending the pairs down, with the lead pair setting the course in a follow-the-leader

passing drill”, (Williams, 2017)

Once a team uses these drills, and masters them, then they can move on to more complex skills.

These skills are necessary for a successful team and should be worked on in every practice. For a

team to be able to practice these skills they need to have the proper equipment, “Ensure that your

players are properly equipped for practice and drills. Each player should have, at a minimum,
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shin guards and athletic shoes. While soccer cleats are helpful, many leagues don't require them

until later ages. Also, players shouldn't wear jewelry of any kind, including earrings or a watch.

In case of collision, earrings and watches are potential injury hazards both to the player and to

the person with whom the player collides”, (Williams, 2017)

One of the first things a coach should teach beginners are the rules. This will cause less

confusion when it comes to teaching complex plays to the kids. The three most important rules

are knowing how to do a proper throw-in, knowing how offsides work, and knowing how many

players can be on the field. These are all very important rules to teach the players, because all

three of the rules get broken often throughout the game, but if coached properly, there is no need

for the referee to teach your team while in game.

A Throw-in is used every time the ball goes out of bounds on the two longer sides of the field,

and is needed quite often in youth games, “field players are allowed to use their hands on this

play, but the soccer ball is coming from outside the field of play. Awarded when the ball crosses
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completely over the side line, the team that did not touch the ball last is allowed to throw it back

into play. Coaching the throw in technique is just as important as explaining the rule. A player

must use both hands to throw the ball from behind and over his head, and with both feet on the

ground. He takes the throw-in from the spot where the ball went out of play”, (PlaySportsTV,

2018) This rule can be very tricky to teach, because the kids will have a habit of lifting their foot

off the ground when taking the throw.

Offsides happen all the time during youth games which is why a coach should always teach the

players this very early on, “Keep it simple: Just make sure your players do not go behind the

other team’s defenders unless they are dribbling the ball or following the dribbler. When the ball

is on the opponent’s side of the field, the offensive players must be in front of or even with the

second-to-last defender (the goalie is the last defender) when the ball is passed behind this

second-to-last defender. Eventually, defenses will try to draw opponents offside with strategic

movement, but the youngsters won’t face a trap at the introductory level”, (PlaySportsTV, 2018)

Knowing the amount of players you can have on the field is very important, because you need to

know how many subs you can have to coordinate what players you want on the field, and at what

time. “Matches are generally played by two teams of 11 to a side. The goalkeeper is included in

the 11-player total. If a team cannot field at least seven players at match time, the game is a

forfeit. Teams of fewer than 11 a side can often be seen in youth leagues where smaller teams are

used as a developmental tool. FIFA-sanctioned matches are generally limited to three

substitutions per match, with the exception of friendly matches. Most youth leagues allow an
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unlimited number of substitutions, which must also be listed on the game card prior to the

beginning of the match, otherwise those players are ineligible. Substitutions may only enter at

the halfway line, upon the referee’s approval, and after the player being subbed out has left the

pitch. The goalkeeper may be substituted with anyone on the pitch or any eligible substitute on

the bench during a game stoppage”, (Syosset, 2018)

All these rules are very important for a team of beginners, because if you don’t teach them early

on, bad habits may stick.

Kids can benefit a whole lot from playing sports, “The human race learns best from personal

experience, and through that personal experience, they learn lessons that they can embody for the

rest of their life. Additionally, there can be specific lessons that can be learned only through

experiencing certain events. Playing team sports can help us learn those lessons and
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simultaneously enjoy life. I encourage any person to participate in a team sport, whether it be

organized teams in a park, or simple backyard pickup games. Wherever you may be, these

lessons can always be learned.” (To my family. 2018)

A main lesson that kids can use through their whole life is hard work, “Through hard work,

success can be obtained. That is a principle that all sports follows. We all learn that we need to

work hard to improve and reach our true potential as athletes. This mentality can quickly pick up

the slack where talent leaves. A common quote I hear quite often is “Always remember that

when you are training, there is always someone out there working harder than you. Because of

that, you cannot just quit, but rather keep on going.” (To my family. 2018)

Teamwork is something everyone uses, whether it is for sports, relationships, and careers.

“When we graduate from college and get jobs, we will most likely find ourselves participating in

a group environment where teamwork is imperative to success. Team sports are a great way to

learn those mechanics, where each individual learns to find their niche on the team, and once

each member does, the team becomes greater than the sum of the parts. We learn how the

importance of the team supplants the recognition of individual accolades-that by working

together as a group with a common goal, things can be accomplished that otherwise would be out

of the reach of individuals.”, (To my family. 2018)

A lesson that everyone can benefit from is the ability to strive for excellence. “There are two

types of goals: Short term and long term. Successful people set their own goals, both short term
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and long term to help them envision what they want. Setting both team goals and individual

goals can help a team become more cohesive. Those goals can help mirror the improvement

desired and then once those goals are set, then a plan can be set for them. Similarly, this can also

be implemented in other aspects of our life. We can create those goals, and once those goals are

set, we can better plan for the path we wish to take to get there, thus creating organization.” (To

my family. 2018)

Aside from life lessons, you can benefit from the exercise that sports provide, “Regardless of

your fitness level when you start playing sports, you'll notice an increase in your overall physical

fitness once you're involved. Nearly every sport requires some level of physical activity and has

you practicing the skills needed to be competitive. Most training regimens include running or

some type of cardiovascular endurance, and strength training, so playing sports is going to make

you more fit. Basketball players focus on strength training and short-interval cardio training,

while football players work on speed and agility and track athletes train through longer runs.”

(Pathak S. 2017)

Coaches are a lot more than just people who teach you how to play sports, “Part therapist, part

consultant, part motivational expert, part professional organizer, part friend, part nag…” (Kim

Palmer, 2018), a coach is someone who can help you through a rough patch in life, and someone
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who can whip you into shape. All in all, having a coach in any sport can have a very positive

effect on your life.

 What Skills Do Sports Coaches Need to be Successful. (n.d.). Retrieved April 06,
2018, from https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/what-skills-do-sports-coaches-need-to-be-
successful/
 J. (n.d.). 20 Great Quotes on Coaching. Retrieved April 06, 2018, from
https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/20-great-quotes-on-coaching/
 Williams, C. (2017, September 11). Soccer Workout Drills for Beginners. Retrieved
from https://www.livestrong.com/article/406888-soccer-workout-drills-for-
beginners/
 PlaySportsTV. (n.d.). Coaching the 10 Most Important Youth Soccer Rules.
Retrieved from http://www.playsportstv.com/soccer/articles/1900/coaching-the-10-
most-important-youth-soccer-rules
 What Are The Rules? • The 17 Laws of Soccer Explained - Syosset Soccer Club.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.syossetsoccer.org/home/683808.html
 To My Family When I Come Home. (2018, April 08). Retrieved from
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/to-my-family-when-come-home
 Pathak, S. (2017, September 11). The Advantages of Playing Sports. Retrieved from
https://www.livestrong.com/article/478350-the-advantages-of-playing-sports/