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In this IssuePage 1!! Top Tip: To stretch or not to stretch?!
Page 2!! The Main Feature: Match day planning!
Page 3!! The Game: Handball!!
Page 4! !Steve’s Coaching Clinic: Why won’t my U8s tackle?
Dear Coach,!Match days should be enjoyable occasions. !Your players should have fun and you should be able to relax and enjoy watching them. !But for many youth soccer coaches, match days are anything but fun!!Stress levels shoot up (players’ and coaches’), water bottles are thrown around and there aren’t many smiles to be seen.!That’s down to poor attitude - some coaches just HAVE to win - and poor planning. !I’ll address attitude in the next newsletter. The article on page 2 is about planning.!If you take the time to plan your pre-match routine and think carefully about who is going to be in your starting lineup and how you’re going to use your subs, you’ll look forward to match days, not worry about them. !The featured game is a great pre-match warm up for any age of player and it can also be used to get your coaching sessions off to a great start. !The Clinic is from a coach whose U8s pass and shoot but won’t tackle! What should he do about it?!Yours in soccer,!
Welcome from Steve Watson
To stretch or not to stretch?!Top Tip
Young children (up to the age of eight) hardly need to warm up at all - some jogging, swinging of the arms, twists of the hips or other movements to loosen up will suffice.!Older children need some easy stretches interspersed by some gentle jogging to warm their muscles and raise their heart rate.!But it's important not to do any stretches before your players’ muscles are warm. !So if you are going to do some stretches do some gentle jogging first.!See page 2 for an example of a good structured warm up. !
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Issue 46 7th August 2014
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It’s important to plan your match days as carefully as a coaching session. !A good, structured warm up is really important and knowing who is going to start and when your subs are going on is vital. !The warm up!A poorly planned warm up makes you look like an amateur and doesn’t get your players ready to start matches, either physically or mentally.!A good warm up, on the other hand, is fun, looks professional and gets your players ready to win!!As your players arrive (at least thirty minutes before kick off) you should greet each one by name and make sure that they:!
• Are not injured or unwell;!• Are properly dressed, (shin pads, boots,
waterproofs or an extra layer or two in cold weather),!
• Have a drink, (take a spare bottle of water for the one child who always forgets to bring their drink),!
• Are not wearing any jewellery.!
Now it's time to get them physically and mentally ready to play.!
This is a warm up I use with my U9s:!To begin with, every player dribbles a ball in the penalty area. I tell them to stop, turn left/right, change direction, accelerate and slow down. !Then I move onto a simple game of keepaway or Handball! (see the next page) for the outfield players while the goalkeeper gets an individual warm up from my assistant or a parent.!Tip: Never line your players up in front of a goal so that they can shoot one at a time. There shouldn't be any players standing in lines before a
game. They aren’t warming up for a trip to the cafeteria!!The starting line up!You should have already decided on the starting line up and have it written down. Stick to it. !Remember that over the course of the season all players should have the chance to: 1) play different positions; 2) be captain and 3) start and finish games. These things are important to your players.!Don't bother with a long pep talk. Your players should know what they have to do and if they don't, it's too late to tell them now. !Two minutes is ample time to tell them to go out and enjoy themselves!!You've done your job so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the match.!Or can you?!Within 30 seconds of kick off you feel a little hand plucking at your sleeve and an equally little voice saying 'can I go on now?'!No problem. Simply refer to the plan and tell her when she is going on and where she will be playing :)!
Match day planning
The Main Feature
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If you want your players to start matches fast, have fun and not worry if they aren’t in the starting lineup, you need to have a plan…
Objective: improving off the ball movement, support play, quick passing and communication.!Age group: U6 - U15!Set-up: A 30x20 playing area with a small goal at each end is good for ten year olds.!Split your players into two teams, wearing bibs (pennies).!How to play!Points are scored by throwing the ball into the other team's goal.!Alternatively, teams score by throwing the ball to a team mate who is stationed on an end line.!The rules!Players can only pass the ball by throwing it.!Once a player receives the ball they cannot run with it. They must stand still and look for the next pass.!Tip: allow very young children to take a limited number of steps with the ball.!The team not in possession can only win the ball by intercepting a pass or picking up a dropped ball - no grabbing the ball out of a players hands!!If the ball goes out of the playing area award a throw in to the opposing team.!First team to X points is the winner. !
Handball!The F4K Game
Physical contact is penalised by a penalty throw from a spot about ten yards out from the goal.!
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Player movement Ball movement Run with ball ShotKEY:
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Steve’s Coaching Clinic
QUESTION:!Hello Steve,!
My U8s pass and shoot really well but they won't tackle!!
They stick a leg out in the hope the ball will make contact but most of the time the opposition players just go round them.!
It's odd. My players tackle hard in training too but when it comes to matches against other boys they just look scared.!
I have spoken to my son about this and he said he was worried about getting hurt or hurting the other player in a tackle.!
How can I help my boys understand that tackling is as important a part of the game as passing and scoring goals?!
ANSWER:!It's only natural for young children to be concerned about hurting themselves or other players but you can help them get over this fear by teaching them how to tackle safely.!
Begin by putting your players into pairs with one ball between two.!
The player with the ball has to try to get past the other player and score in a goal you have set up in a corner of the field.!
Then demonstrate the block tackle technique:!
• Quickly get close to the ball carrier. Position your body between the ball and the goal and stop when you're about two or three feet away.!
• Watch the ball. If it gets away from the ball carrier, move in fast, plant the non-tackling foot on the ground and make firm contact with the ball with the other foot. !
Emphasise that there doesn't have to be any body to body contact at all. It's just foot to ball. That way you'll reassure your players that no-one is going to get hurt.!
Before your next match, remind your players about what you did in training and ask them to try to put in just one or two really good tackles during the game.!
At half time and at the end of the match, congratulate them for any tackles they made (or tried to make). !
If you teach the technique as suggested and positively reinforce the desired behaviour (tackling), you will soon have a team full of keen, confident tacklers.
Why won’t my U8s tackle?
You can only ask Steve a question if you subscribe to footy4kids Premium. Send your youth soccer coaching questions to [email protected] and Steve will do his best to help. If Steve doesn’t know the answer, he’ll find someone who does.
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