Coaching High School Soccer: 5 Action Ideas

You might disagree, but hear me out on this when I say that in coaching high school soccer, communication is the first step to success. The actual meaning of coaching kids is the art of communicating with them. This has the effect of expressing yourself to people with a view to perform them things in precisely the same manner.

When it comes to soccer coaching, I've observed that most of the coaches often are the ex-players. Still, there are several problems that they have to find solutions to. Most of these issues are a result of lack of communication. As a coach, you need to work upon certain communication related problems for effective execution of your responsibilities.

Let me explain them to you one at a time.

Coaches generally allow their emotions to become involved while watching their kids play. Instead of acting as analytical observers, they become more of spectators. They fail to notice the important points that could better their team's performance. They therefore lose the opportunity to have an objective conversation aimed at winning the game.

The coaches are generally not trained to communicate effectively although they have all the knowledge of the game. For example; in soccer coaching, many coaches are not aware of the utility of a flip chart or a video. The coach may be technically talented but if he not able to communicate properly, regular practice sessions get really boring for the kids.

This occupies greater importance in coaching high school soccer as the players are young but also know the various facets of the game. They have been performing soccer drills on the same lines for quite some time, although at different levels. And one of the ways to avoid the boredom of repeating important messages is to keep varying the format.

The coaches have a tendency to just forget that training sessions are being executed by human beings and not machines. They get so absorbed in the training and coaching as a process that they lose their ground. For instance; the communication is incomplete when an instruction is given to a player but without his/ her name thus making it difficult for any of them to apply it.

In football coaching, there are some points that need special attention and they are as follows:

All messages that come from the coach are very important. So it’s necessary that they are deduced correctly.

Your language should be positive enough to push the players to try hard to perform well. Allow them to grow and become better players instead of highlighting their flaws.

• Spend equal time with all players. Studies indicate that coaches spend relatively more time with star players in team (up to seven times more!).

• Be proactive in communicating the problem the moment you see it coming.

Strengthen the player’s self respect by matching criticism with praise. When it comes to coaching high school soccer, tilt the balance slightly more towards praise.

Believe my words. Your training programs will be immensely benefitted as a result of adopting these simple exercises.

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