Entries Tagged as ‘U-16’

February 24, 2009

COACH-SMARTER BLOG MOVED TO NEW SITE!

Please go to coach-smart.com/soccerblog to access our new and improved blog.
As we grow as a resource for soccer coaches, we want to provide the best coaching advice available.
Our new blog will continue to post helpful information, videos, articles, and interviews to help soccer coaches of all levels. We will help beginner coaches run productive and [...]

February 20, 2009

DURING GAMES, LESS IS MORE

Why and How Coaches Should Leave Games to the Players

Over-coaching, or over-instruction, plagues American Youth Soccer, not to mention many other sports. The intense atmosphere of games often causes coaches to try to control their players’ every movement.
“I see a lot of over-coaching on the sidelines, a lot of instructions from coaches play to play,” [...]

February 6, 2009

NEED A COMPETITIVE TACTICAL, OR SMALL-SIDED, GAME?

Here’s a simple tactical game that can work for almost any age group, U10 to U18+. It creates a naturally competitive atmosphere crucial to raising the level of players’ games. The game creates lots of goal-scoring opportunities and lots of pressured situations in which players have to perform technical skills and make decisions in tight [...]

December 16, 2008

INTERVIEW WITH ANNE MOORE, THE NEW DIRECTOR OF COACHING FOR WYOMING YOUTH SOCCER

Anne Moore, recently hired as the Wyoming Director of Coaching (DOC), speaks about being the first female DOC, developing young players, and youth soccer in Wyoming.
Q – You’re the first female Director of Coaching for a state association. Can you put this into perspective at all? What does this mean for other women coaches?
A – [...]

December 11, 2008

WARM UP BETTER

Why And How Proper Warm-Ups Can Help Your Team
Improper warm-ups plague youth soccer, and youth sports in general. A disturbing number of coaches do nothing to fix this, even at elite levels.
“I can’t believe how many teams I’ve seen here that don’t run proper warm-ups,” an Eclipse Select coach said at the US Youth National [...]

November 6, 2008

COACHING FREE KICKS NEAR GOAL

At high levels of soccer, free kicks frequently decide games. The higher the level of play, the more crucial free kicks become.
Competitive teams, especially U-14 and older, should practice taking and defending free kicks on a regular basis. When a free kick occurs anywhere near the top of the penalty box, players should consider going [...]