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Coaching Youth travel soccer, I don't know anything about soccer (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Righetti
- Start date
Kafka
Footballguy
Kafka
Footballguy
AcerFC
Footballguy
I coached my daughters team the past three years and hold a C license. I also coach at the high school level right across the border from you in Suffern. If you want to meet up, I can probably put together a bunch of stuff for you that would be perfect for u8.
If not, I might be able to email it, but it needs to wait until I get back to work next week.
If not, I might be able to email it, but it needs to wait until I get back to work next week.
sho nuff
Footballguy
Kafka
Footballguy
Righetti
Footballguy
That would be awesome. I can check out the people taking over your neighborhood at the same time
AcerFC
Footballguy
Just let me know which works.
If you dont want to post it here, maybe PM me. What club are you in. I would assume you are playing in Northern Counties this year. If you play at Monroe Woodbury, I can get it to you then if its early in the season.
Righetti
Footballguy
our first game is Sunday, I got 11 girls on my U8 team with one more girl who signed up last night. The last girl won't be able to play this week as they'll never have all her paperwork in, so we'll travel with 11 girls.
We play 8v8 on the small sided field (they take a normal soccer field and break it up into two smaller fields where our goals are lined up on the side-lines of the bigger field.
I think we have unlimited substitutions, so I plan on getting them switched a bunch, both in position and also in terms of playing and not playing.
I'm considering a 2-3-2 concept. two defenders, three midfielders and two forwards, with my best player playing the center midfielder position. As the two defenders to hang back, the two forwards to play offense and the three midfielders to roam a bit. but really I have no idea if this will work. Maybe it makes sense to go some kind of 3-1-3 concept, three girls play back and three play up with one midfielder who roams a bit.
I have no idea what I'm going to do at goal, my best player would also be the best goalie, not sure if it makes sense to put her there as right now I have her penciled in to play center midfield.
one thing that is very clear is that there are a million forms I have to bring with me, I need laminated player and coach cards, a watermarked roster, a printed 'game day sheet'.
we play at 1pm on Sunday.. results have to be reported to the league within 4 hours..
how screwed are we?
We play 8v8 on the small sided field (they take a normal soccer field and break it up into two smaller fields where our goals are lined up on the side-lines of the bigger field.
I think we have unlimited substitutions, so I plan on getting them switched a bunch, both in position and also in terms of playing and not playing.
I'm considering a 2-3-2 concept. two defenders, three midfielders and two forwards, with my best player playing the center midfielder position. As the two defenders to hang back, the two forwards to play offense and the three midfielders to roam a bit. but really I have no idea if this will work. Maybe it makes sense to go some kind of 3-1-3 concept, three girls play back and three play up with one midfielder who roams a bit.
I have no idea what I'm going to do at goal, my best player would also be the best goalie, not sure if it makes sense to put her there as right now I have her penciled in to play center midfield.
one thing that is very clear is that there are a million forms I have to bring with me, I need laminated player and coach cards, a watermarked roster, a printed 'game day sheet'.
we play at 1pm on Sunday.. results have to be reported to the league within 4 hours..
how screwed are we?
PIK95
Footballguy
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fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
Depends on whether your best player is better than the other team's best player. All your hand-wringing about positions and tactics is mostly meaningless at that age. One exceptional player can make a crappy coach look like a genius.
Righetti
Footballguy
Righetti
Footballguy
no clue.. she's pretty good but not heads or shoulders above her competition..
Ned
Footballguy
14 U8 girls on the field at once sounds like its going to be bunchball city. 
If you can manage to teach them to stay even remotely spread out, they'll have a lot more freedom with the ball.
Unless you have a dedicated keeper, it's common to rotate keepers at the half to give players a chance to be on the field. Are they playing quarters or halves? You could rotate at the quarter if they're doing that.
If you can manage to teach them to stay even remotely spread out, they'll have a lot more freedom with the ball. Unless you have a dedicated keeper, it's common to rotate keepers at the half to give players a chance to be on the field. Are they playing quarters or halves? You could rotate at the quarter if they're doing that.
Blick
Footballguy
First off, forget tactics for the most part. They're too young to understand spatial relationships and probably don't possess the technical ability to make it work. Further, it will stunt their development to stick them in a single position. Start with a simple shape, probably a 3-3-1 and don't get upset when they abandon it as soon as the ball is kicked off. Instead, try to teach them to go to space when attacking and recover behind the ball when defending. Honestly, it will probably take you all season to get them to complete a few intentional passes in a game.
At this age, training should be 100% technical. Lots of dribbling. No lines. Lots of movement. Keep it fun. Sharks and minnows is a favorite. I'd also recommend the crab crawl game. Start players across the end line in a 20 x 20 or so grid. Put one player in the grid. Their job will be to crab crawl in the grid while trying to knock balls away from the players dribbling across the grid (from the end line) with their feet. If the "crab" kicks a ball away, that player also becomes a crab. Continue until all players are crabs. Encourage players to find paths though the crabs to the opposite end line.
Oh, and 8 v 8 at u8 is insane.
At this age, training should be 100% technical. Lots of dribbling. No lines. Lots of movement. Keep it fun. Sharks and minnows is a favorite. I'd also recommend the crab crawl game. Start players across the end line in a 20 x 20 or so grid. Put one player in the grid. Their job will be to crab crawl in the grid while trying to knock balls away from the players dribbling across the grid (from the end line) with their feet. If the "crab" kicks a ball away, that player also becomes a crab. Continue until all players are crabs. Encourage players to find paths though the crabs to the opposite end line.
Oh, and 8 v 8 at u8 is insane.
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Joe Summer
Footballguy
Two bits of advice from a former coach:
1. don't sub too much during play. It wastes a lot of time and the kids get easily confused about their roles. I found that it was better to let them know ahead of time about substitutions (i.e., "You're going to play midfield for the first and second quarters, then you're going to rest, then you're going to go in at defender.")
2. you only need one good defender, but only if she is one of those "nose for the ball" types. Resist the urge to try to hide your lower-level "daydreamer" girls at defender, because the other team will blow right by those girls and score every time. Let the flower pickers run around as a midfielder.
Righetti
Footballguy
we play halves, so plan to switch the keeper at half..14 U8 girls on the field at once sounds like its going to be bunchball city.
Unless you have a dedicated keeper, it's common to rotate keepers at the half to give players a chance to be on the field. Are they playing quarters or halves? You could rotate at the quarter if they're doing that.
Righetti
Footballguy
we've been scrimmaging a bit and any sense of position or spacing is immediately lost. I hate to take away natural aggressiveness, so usually just embrace it. Also, our scrimmages are usually 5 on 5 since we're only playing ourselves, so it's not nearly as crazy as 8 on 8..
I've been doing the crab crawl for a while, they love it. The other one that worked really well was one where I made a medium size circle out of cones and put a soccer ball on top of a cone in the dead center. I had one girl stay in the middle to play the keeper and had the girls on the outside of the circle pass until they saw a shooting lane. It was a really fun drill. I had about 4 girls on the outside and one on the inside..
Blick
Footballguy
Sorry for the hijack. How was the C? I have my D and have been debating whether to do it or not.
Righetti
Footballguy
thanks for the advice on the not subbing too much. I'll have 11 girls, do you recommend playing 8 girls an entire half? This way we'd have four girls play both halves and six girls play one half each.. is that a lot of time for them to be sitting out?
I could also sort of make it into four quarters.. so no girl is sitting for an entire half
berndog
Footballguy
Keep it fun, focus on individual skills, some positional awareness and google is your friend for figuring what to do in practice
http://www.ayso.org/For_Volunteers/coaches/coach_training_games/u8_training_games.htm
http://soccerhelp.com/newsletter_archive/Soccer_Drills_8_17_2009.shtml
Even if your team stinks you're spending time with and daughter and preventing her from getting a nut job as a coach.
http://www.ayso.org/For_Volunteers/coaches/coach_training_games/u8_training_games.htm
http://soccerhelp.com/newsletter_archive/Soccer_Drills_8_17_2009.shtml
Even if your team stinks you're spending time with and daughter and preventing her from getting a nut job as a coach.
Righetti
Footballguy
as for the defender.. my keeper will likely be lost, so I am thinking of keeping at least one girl with her head on straight on defense. I've used the scrimmages to sort of evaluate the players who can dribble with their heads up, the players who are not afraid to mix it up on defense and the ones who are picking daisies..
Righetti
Footballguy
Otis lives 40 miles and two bridges away.. it would cost us $30 just on bridges to get to his backyard..
AcerFC
Footballguy
The C class was great. It is not a walk in the park though. It was serious business as many ex college and pro players were taking the class. I had two excellent instructors. Not everyone passes the field test. It was nerve racking a bit. I was all set to do the B this summer but they totally revamped the entire thing and now it takes place over months. As a teacher, I just cant committ to taking off so much. I really hope they go back to offering it as a summer class
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
For subbing, I bring a whiteboard with me to every game so that the players can see exactly what position they will be playing, and so I can keep track of who is playing where and playing time.
Personally I would sub every ten minutes. Sitting on the bench for a long time sucks.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Personally I would sub every ten minutes. Sitting on the bench for a long time sucks.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Braktastic
Footballguy
How does any reputable club field a travel soccer team with a coach that doesn't know the game, or is this just some loose affiliation of independent teams a la travel baseball? If it is the later, get your daughter into a proper club environment stat.
Joe Summer
Footballguy
My games were divided into quarters, so it was a little easier to handle substitutions. In your scenario, I'd sub at the halfway point of each half (or whenever a player got tired). Also, try to rotate things so that every player gets to play at least 66% of the game.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Righetti
Footballguy
this is kind of what I'm thinking...
basically break it down into 4 quarters...each girl plays 3 quarters with one of them playing 2 quarters..
Righetti
Footballguy
it's a local town league.. no idea how 'reputable' it is.. if there was some awesome German guy who wanted to coach, i'd happily give way..but as in most girls youth sports, getting coaches is difficult
Righetti
Footballguy
every 10 minutes is not a bad idea either. from scrimmaging you can tell that they get pretty tired, especially because none of them stay in their designated positions, so they are all running up and down the field the entire time..
Righetti
Footballguy
three girls stay back on defense
three girls play midfield
one girl plays a roaming forward
is that correct?
Braktastic
Footballguy
I guess that's what's throwing me. What you're describing sounds like what we call rec or advanced here not travel. Around here past rec, most advanced and travel teams are affiliated with a club. Hell, most rec teams are affiliated with a club.
Advanced teams don't have to have paid, non-parent coaches, but travel teams must. All travel team coaches certified to various degrees with some pretty impressive accomplishments. They have soccer down to a science here with opportunities for all to play at a level their capable of, but when the "travel" moniker gets applied it's serious business. To be fair, that doesn't start here until 10U and later. Under 10U, all "travel" teams are part of the club academy. The do play games, but it is very skill-centric. They don't "travel" anywhere until 10U.
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fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
Yeah, the math works out pretty easily. Your two keepers and your two best players play 50 minutes, everyone else plays 40.
Righetti
Footballguy
the coaches of the older kids (mostly the boys) all seem to mean serious business tm but nobody is paid anything..
the U8 kids are just learning the game.. our rec-league is pure instructional, no games at all.. so if you want your kid to play something a bit more competitively, you have to join the 'travel' team. We travel pretty far, are furthest game is 30 minutes away
PIK95
Footballguy
Yout should join a club so you can pay someone two grand to coach six and seven year olds.
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sho nuff
Footballguy
I agree with others on 3-3-1...you will get scored on a lot only keeping 2 back...others won't always drop back to help.
I have not coached travel at that age...but coached rec from U8-U10 before my son started playing travel (and 4 of the kids I coached are playing on or have played with his travel club)
Definitely harder with attention span of 8 year olds...
I would not put your best player at goalie. Goals will be scored...always emphasize that its not the fault of the goalie and just tell them to do their best. If you don't already have a manager to help you with keeping up with all of the things you need to bring...get one. They can be huge helps in communication and keeping up (like who is showing up and who has already showed up on time) when you need to be worried about getting those who are already there focused as much as possible and warmed up.
Mookie
Footballguy
First off, good for you for stepping up. You're a great father and a great neighbor. I played in college, coached from U6 through high school boys, served on Boards at the local and state level etc.. My favorite part of coaching is that it got me into the inner circle of my sons and their friends so that I became a trusted mentor and friend. That is immensely rewarding. Here are a couple of tips.
Always keep the kids moving and find ways to maximize the number of times every kid touches the ball. There should be no lines and no lectures. I always liked to stress tempo with my teams so that we do everything quickly. Teaching moments come while the kids are playing and should be quick stoppages to get your point across before play resumes. Have a general idea of the things you want to work on before practice starts and show up a few minutes early to set things up. Smile a lot. Laugh a lot. They are 8 - Let them have fun, but also let them know that you expect them to behave and pay attention.
Youtube is a great resource for drills/games. Find ones that are simple for you to understand and communicate. If a drill bombs, ditch it and do something else. You will know very quickly when this happens. Find Dads and Moms on team who played and bring them in for guest appearances to teach something or share a drill wit the kids. Ask for help from other coaches. Find a high school player who needs some community service hours to help you out.
Here's how I liked to structure 90 min practices with quick water break after each area:
(1) dynamic warmup without ball. Get them moving and their blood flowing with simple agility exercises and light stretching. THIS IS NOT CONDITIONING. 10 minutes.
(2) ball skills. I like to work on passing the ball back and forth between two players. Use left and right foot. short passes, long passes, one touch, two touch, little volleys etc. The goal here is to teach kids how to properly receive and kick a ball with both feet. Later, you can use groups of 3 and work on turning. No Heading at this age! 20 minutes
(3) specific skills. shooting, moving without the ball, small sided games, sharks and minnows, passing to space, keep away 30 minutes
(4) scrimmage for no more than 15 minutes - This is where you teach game specific stuff.
DO NOT DO CONDITIONING AT THIS AGE GROUP! Nothing worse than seeing a bunch of 8 year olds suffering through sprints at the end of a practice. Is that the last thing you want them to remember from practice? You want them to keep coming back, so make it fun. If you keep them moving for 90 minutes, they will get conditioning during the practice.
Over time, you will develop your own style and routine. Good luck!
Always keep the kids moving and find ways to maximize the number of times every kid touches the ball. There should be no lines and no lectures. I always liked to stress tempo with my teams so that we do everything quickly. Teaching moments come while the kids are playing and should be quick stoppages to get your point across before play resumes. Have a general idea of the things you want to work on before practice starts and show up a few minutes early to set things up. Smile a lot. Laugh a lot. They are 8 - Let them have fun, but also let them know that you expect them to behave and pay attention.
Youtube is a great resource for drills/games. Find ones that are simple for you to understand and communicate. If a drill bombs, ditch it and do something else. You will know very quickly when this happens. Find Dads and Moms on team who played and bring them in for guest appearances to teach something or share a drill wit the kids. Ask for help from other coaches. Find a high school player who needs some community service hours to help you out.
Here's how I liked to structure 90 min practices with quick water break after each area:
(1) dynamic warmup without ball. Get them moving and their blood flowing with simple agility exercises and light stretching. THIS IS NOT CONDITIONING. 10 minutes.
(2) ball skills. I like to work on passing the ball back and forth between two players. Use left and right foot. short passes, long passes, one touch, two touch, little volleys etc. The goal here is to teach kids how to properly receive and kick a ball with both feet. Later, you can use groups of 3 and work on turning. No Heading at this age! 20 minutes
(3) specific skills. shooting, moving without the ball, small sided games, sharks and minnows, passing to space, keep away 30 minutes
(4) scrimmage for no more than 15 minutes - This is where you teach game specific stuff.
DO NOT DO CONDITIONING AT THIS AGE GROUP! Nothing worse than seeing a bunch of 8 year olds suffering through sprints at the end of a practice. Is that the last thing you want them to remember from practice? You want them to keep coming back, so make it fun. If you keep them moving for 90 minutes, they will get conditioning during the practice.
Over time, you will develop your own style and routine. Good luck!
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Righetti
Footballguy
This is a fantastic post, thank you for putting it togetherMookie said:
i totally agree with the the conditioning thing, I've never done more than a short warm up jog to start practice. I have them running quite a lot in practice, don't feel like they need any extra conditioning, I'm already running them for 1:15, no need for more
I've certainly had a few drills bomb, good suggestion to just drop them
I definitely love the part of being a coach, like to get to know the kids and have fun I certainly don't know the nuance of the game but try to make up for it in enthusiasms and energy I'm a sweaty mess after practice too
SwampDawg
Footballguy
No soccer expert but from observation on watching my sons team as someone said don't use your best player at goalie but I would recommend if some of your girls have softball experience try them. Our coaches noticed the boys who played baseball even if they weren't the best athletes did better in goal, they seemed to know how to track the ball already and weren't worried about getting in front of it.
It is very interesting reading how terms from different areas mean different things. Here (Eastern PA) to most Travel refers the club teams that play in various county and regional leagues, most of the clubs are school district based and coaches are often dads but they are required to go get various coaching certifications and most have experience playing at least through the high school level if not higher. My son started "travel" last year at U9 and the longest drive we had was an hour and fifteen minutes. Within the league each age group is divided into 2 or 3 tiers depending on the number of teams so clubs will usually have an A and B team. Rec league you play in-house only, maybe one local rec league tournament against a few neighboring clubs. What Braktastic is describing most around here refer to as Premier, these are your pay to play clubs, and their teams will travel playing multiple states away on any given weekend. They sometimes also have at the lower age groups development teams that will play in the county travel league.
It is very interesting reading how terms from different areas mean different things. Here (Eastern PA) to most Travel refers the club teams that play in various county and regional leagues, most of the clubs are school district based and coaches are often dads but they are required to go get various coaching certifications and most have experience playing at least through the high school level if not higher. My son started "travel" last year at U9 and the longest drive we had was an hour and fifteen minutes. Within the league each age group is divided into 2 or 3 tiers depending on the number of teams so clubs will usually have an A and B team. Rec league you play in-house only, maybe one local rec league tournament against a few neighboring clubs. What Braktastic is describing most around here refer to as Premier, these are your pay to play clubs, and their teams will travel playing multiple states away on any given weekend. They sometimes also have at the lower age groups development teams that will play in the county travel league.
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El Floppo
Footballguy
good stuff.
fwiw... I'm not a fan of having the kids warm up without a ball. every minute they're at practice, they should be getting as many touches on a soccer ball as possible... so warm-ups, for me, is a great time to have them running around dribbling. but totally subscribe to the rest of it.
Righetti
Footballguy
I tend to do this too, lots of toe-taps and drilling with the ball but I do have them do normal stuff like jumping jacks, light stretching and just some running from one goal to another to get the blood going..
