Holistic Culture
“Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be”
– Rita Pierson
Why?
Children need to feel comfortable in their environment in order for enjoyment and development to occur
How?
- Enjoyment– Understand the needs of your players. Incorporate Free Play and Small-Sided Games into training to help facilitate the ability for children to express themselves
- Inspire– Be encouraging, supportive and energetic to ensure that your children fall in love with the game of soccer. Allow players the autonomy to make their own decisions
- Consistency– Hold children accountable based on expectations/values set. Treat all players the same
- Empower– Create an atmosphere where everyone (Parents and Players) feels a part of the group. Keep clear lines of communication with the children and parents. Take the time to listen to your players and provide autonomy in the decision-making process
- Vulnerability– Be vulnerable in a way that allows the children to get to know who you are, so they are more likely to become comfortable expressing themselves. Model desired behavior in everything that you do and help children understand that it is ok to be wrong. An impasse can be an opportunity to build relationships.
- Safety– All children should have a safe learning environment that is free from physical harm, intimidation, harassment, and bullying. Click here for a list of items to assist with checking safety properly.
“Catch Them Being Good”
“Over-Coaching is the worst thing you can do to a player”
-Dean Smith, former basketball coach, University of North Carolina
Brian McBride: Advice to Youth Sports Coaches
Why?
It is important that the children build confidence and a positive self-esteem to allow them to grow as soccer players and people
How?
- Celebrate when children do something good on the field or exemplify one of the values set at the beginning of the year
- Allow children to make mistakes as this is how we learn
- Positive Reinforcement- Stay away from “Negative” coaching
- Instill Belief- Send a personal email to the parent letting them know you see them (the player) working hard and provide some encouragement moving forward
- Observe and assess the children while they Play
Get to Know Your Team
“Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we are all in this together.”
– Brené Brown
Why?
We never know what a child is going to remember or what they may be going through at this point in their life
How?
- Greet each child as they arrive, ask them how their day is going
- Take the time to speak to a player before and after training to discuss whatever it is, they would like to discuss (do this on the field in view of the parents)
- Ask them to finish the sentence, “One thing I wish my coach knew about me that would help them coach me better is…” on a notecard (some may be silly, but others will provide insight to the child’s personal life and struggles they may be experiencing)
- Allow the children to get to know you, BE VULNERABLE
Understanding Developmental Needs
U6
Developmental Goals
“The ball is playing with me…I am playing with the ball”
- Learn Fundamentals and Techniques of the game
- Understand the purpose and structure of the game, direction of play and basic rules
- Develop imagination
- Explore Physical Abilities
How?
Activity based games that emphasize exploration and experimentation
Why?
- It is important at this age that children develop a sense of ambition and responsibility
- Allow the children to explore within the limits of the game and support their choices
- This will help each child develop self-confidence and feel a sense of purpose
U8
Developmental Goals
“Playing with my friends”
- Learn the basic understanding of attacking, defending and transition by playing together
- Build upon Developmental Goals from U6
- Explore Physical Abilities
- Learn to get along with others
- Create a positive vision of one’s self
How?
- Creating activities that are focused on the goals of Attacking and Defending and how to accomplish them together
- Ball experiences in game-like situations with attention on the individual’s qualities
Why?
- At this stage of development children are starting to compare themselves with their peers
- Stay positive and encouraging as this is important so they do not feel inferior
U10
Developmental Goals
“Playing as a team”
- Learn the basic understanding of attacking, defending and transition by playing as a 7v7 team
- Understand that my actions and decisions affect others (teammates and opponents)
- Build on Developmental Goals from U8
- Develop creativity with and without the ball
- Experiences in game-like situations for attacking and defending individually and as a team
- Learn to get along with others
- Create a positive vision of one’s self
How?
- Create game-like activities that allow children the opportunity to work together and make decisions
- Support child’s creativity and decision-making through positive reinforcement
- Give the children opportunity to recognize each other at the end of training or games, “Does anybody want to recognize a teammate for demonstrating one of our values today?”
Why?
- At this stage of development children are starting to compare themselves with their peers
- Stay positive and encouraging as this is important so they do not begin to feel inferior
U12
Developmental Goals
“Playing my role and position for the Team”
- Learning the fundamentals given his/her role, position, and tasks in the 9v9 team
- Gain an understanding of the meaning of my role, position and task in a team
- Build on 7v7 Developmental Goals
- Learn to get along with others
- Create a positive vision of one’s self
How?
- Create game-like activities that allow children the opportunity to work together and make decisions
- Allow children to become familiar with a specific position to help them understand their role and build confidence before moving them to a different position
- Support child’s creativity and decision-making through positive reinforcement
- Give the children opportunity to recognize each other at the end of training or games, “Does anybody want to recognize a teammate for demonstrating one of our values today?”
Why?
- At this stage of development children are starting to compare themselves with their peers
- Stay positive and encouraging as this is important so they do not begin to feel inferior
U13-U19
Developmental Goals
“Being the best player I can be for my role and position within the team”
- Learning the alignment of the roles, positions, and designated tasks in the 11v11 team
- Gain an understanding of the meaning of role, position and designated task in a team
- Experience of the alignment of position specific task execution during defending and attacking
- Ability to problem-solve through decision making both offensively and defensively
How?
- Set up games that allow children to explore and problem solve
- Give children the opportunity to take control of their own development
- Be encouraging and allow the children to make mistakes
Why?
At this stage of development kids are fundamentally trying to find out “who they are”
Parent Engagement
“The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all about making the lives of your team members or workers better”
-Tony Dungy
Why?
- Parents want to be a part of their child’s development
- Parents care for their child and want to know what is going on
How?
- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
- Speak to Parents when you see them at training and the games
- Pre-season Meetings-
- Communicate your philosophy
- Get to know the Parents
- Allow Parents to set expectations for you and themselves as a parent group
- Have them set goals for their Child at beginning of the season
- Review the Parents Tips and Tricks
- Educate Parents on Why Children Play Sports – From a Child’s Perspective
- Send weekly emails
- Communicate the upcoming schedule
- Share with parents what you worked on in training, so they know what to look for in that weekend’s game
- Discuss how you feel the previous game went with a brief (few sentences) recap
- Be approachable
- Allow them to help with duties that may arise
- Halftime and Postgame snacks and beverages,
- Organizing and planning
- Tracking their child’s development during a game (ex. How many moves did your child attempt?)
- Educate Parents on the Laws of the Game based on the age I am coaching
Child Centered
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
– Maya Angelou
Why?
Every coach’s main goal is to create a positive environment where kids develop a love for sports and want to continue playing after the season has ended
How?
- Create a safe space for children both emotionally and physically
- Children should be at the forefront of all decisions made whether it be political, administrative or coaching related
- Always be respectful and encouraging in your communication
- All-Inclusive- Accept everyone for who they are, make every child feel like the MVP. All Children should enjoy themselves
- Know what players want from you as the Coach- From A Child’s Perspective
- Ensure that every individual exit training having learned something, soccer or life related
- Put them in situations where they must work together to solve problems- Let them figure it out
- Model desired behavior in everything that you do
- Adopt a holistic approach
The Quality Coaching Framework
- Competence- refining the technical, tactical and sport-specific performance elements
- Confidence- developing an athlete’s self-belief and self-worth, as well as their resilience and mental toughness
- Connection- building social bonds between teammates, coaches and parents
- Character- developing the moral character of athletes, such as empathy, respect and integrity so that the person is also a positive role model for their peers
Set Expectations
” To find yourself, think for yourself”
– Socrates
Why?
When expectations are set everyone is aware of what is expected of one another and can now hold each other as well as the coach accountable
How?
- Hold a team meeting at the beginning of the season to discuss expectations
- Have the team come up with “What makes a great teammate…” (these will be your expectations/ core values)
- Allow the children to set expectations for you
- By allowing the children to set their own expectations and the expectations for the coach you are including them in the process
Give the Game Back
“Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch non fear, you are free”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Why?
We learn by doing; evaluating, analyzing, and reflection on our experiences helps develop competencies and improve behavior.
How?
- When planning a training session, do everything we can to include as much play as possible
- Use the Age Appropriate Methodology
- My main Coach’s Tool Kit options are:
- Observation- This practiced coaching skill, allows the players to play the game while the coach observes and takes note of how the players are preforming. As you are watching a training session or game take note of player actions related to the topic you are or have been working on.
- Positive Reinforcement- When a player or the team performs a positive action, let them know that you noticed. This Coaching Tool should be used to assist in inspiring and motivating the players
- Guided Discovery- Ask questions to challenge players to think about their actions. Check for understanding by having the players give you the information. Reflect on what was discussed before moving on.
- Let the children own the games by allowing them to make their own decisions without fear of criticism
- Allow children to make mistakes and see how they respond the next time in a similar situation
- Ensure that all children ENJOY their experience