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 [...]

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,” [...]

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 [...]

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 – [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

CRITICISM SHOULD COMMUNICATE, NOT CRUSH

What Every Coach Should Know About Criticizing Players
Coaches take vastly different approaches to criticizing their players. Some coaches nit-pick constantly during practices, some not at all. During games, some coaches “instruct” their players to tears from the sidelines. Some coaches go entire games without saying anything.
Coaches have different styles, and they maintain different theories on [...]

WHY COMPETITION?

Some youth coaches fear that competitive games or drills can bruise young kids’ self esteem and deflate enthusiasm for soccer. They shouldn’t. Competition, which lies at the heart of any good game, makes soccer fun while pushing players and teams to improve. This is true at any level of the sport. But coaches need to [...]

INTERVIEW WITH TRAVIS KIKUGAWA ON TEAM AND PLAYER MENTALITY

Travis Kikugawa, Head Coach of the National Finalist U16 Real So. Cal Boys Team, On Team and Player Mentality, Mental Preparation, Communication, and Setting Goals
Q – How to you prepare your teams mentally for tournament play?
A – I stress singleness of purpose and commitment. Team building activities, like trust exercises, can be really helpful. We [...]