Trouble Kids

Last year when I coached younger kids, most kids were very polite. They listened well and had lots of respect for the coach.

This year, coaching a bit older kids, I had about 5 kids who were "trouble kids". These are 11 year olds who didn't know how to behave. Spoiled, if you will. In one instance I tried teaching this kid how to shoot correctly. I spent 15 minutes of my time just showing him how to shoot. He kept giving me blank looks and would reluctantly do what I asked him. After I was done, he went right back to shooting with his toes.

There was another kid who was sitting outside during a game. I asked him to get ready to go in. He replied: "it's too hot coach!".

Then there are kids who cannot stop talking to each other. They can be very disruptive to the practices and even during games.

I also had a couple of occassions where two kids got into a pushing match with each other.

A few weeks ago a lady came over during practice and asked if her son could practice with us. "fine" I said. He was a big kid, a bit out of shape.
I put the kid in defense. Five minutes later he came to me and said: "can I play forward?". I said that's fine. I switched his position with another player. Again, five minutes later: "can I play goalkeeper?". "Allright" go ahead and play goalkeeper. A few minutes later he came to me and said: "why are those cones over there?" That's where people cross the ball from, I said. "But that's not the object of the practice" He replied with all his wisdom.

It doesn't matter how you respond to these kids. Many of them are forced by their parents to play and don't really want to be there. Maybe they are thinking: "this is too hard...I should have played baseball this season".

There are several ways to deal with situations like this. For one thing, making kids run laps for misconduct might be an option. But more importantly they need to understand that their behavior is disruptive. Some kids just shape up when they understand the situation. Others, keep on doing what they are doing.

Write an email to the parents and explain the situation. It usually resolves the problem. A bigger problem arises if the parent takes the side of the kid. I had one parent do that to me last season: "my son is a top student at school...he is a great kid..."
Fine. At the end of season, he found himself in a lower division team.

Identify Your Shooters

There comes a time in a game when a penalty kick or a free kick is called in your favor. All the players turn to you as a coach and say: "coach can I take it?". You need to be prepared.
At practice, have each player take 5 penalty shots. Identify 2 or 3 kids who on the average do better than others. Some of them might not be present on that faithful day when the game depends on that last penalty kick. Always have backups.
Try the same with free kicks. Place the ball outside the penalty box. Ask other team members to make a big wall. Ask the players to stand behind the ball and shoot over the wall and into the goal. Again, identify which players looks more promising. You are going to find players whose shots don't even reach the wall. So don't be discouraged.
Now try the same thing with goal kicks. I have found out that goal kicks are crucial in games. If your team is unable to kick the ball out of danger area and into the opponent's half of the field, you are going to be in for a long day. You need to find out which one of your defenders can shoot the ball harder. Sometimes goalkeepers shoot pretty well too. But if you cannot find anyone, resort to your midfield line and identify players who can shoot. Ask them to always take goal kicks.

Organizing the Team for Matches

In general I have divided soccer practices into three main pieces:

1. Mechanics
2. Dynamics
3. Creativity

Mechanics: This is what I call holding positions and knowing blindly where and where to pass the ball. Last season I started coaching 11 year old kids and I did not emphasize this aspect of the game enough. That was a mistake. If players don't know the mechanics, no matter how much you teach them about the dynamics and creativity, it's useless on game day. They will all bunch up and start kicking the ball. They need to fully understand and hold their positions or the team will look very unorganized and unless the opposing team is just as terrible, there is no way to win. Here are some tips on how to practice the mechanics:

During practices tell the players that no player should ever get closer than 10 feet to his teammates. If they do, blow your whistle and stop the game. First start organizing the defensive line. If you are planning to play with a sweeper and a stopper and two side defenders, put your starting defensive line in one team and tell the players to get into their positions. Walk to each player and tell her/him what is expected of them. The stopper should always mark the center foward of the opposing team. The sweeper can move from side to side but not too far as to leave his spot open. The two side defenders should be able to move up and down and side ways but in limited distances. It's hard for 11 year olds to get back in time if they stray too far.
The main job of the defenders should be to get the ball upfield and the whole line should move up quickly to about the half-way line but relative posititions should be kept at all times.
I like to play with a 3 half-back line. I keep saying half-backs and the kids keep asking me: "what's a half-back"? Okay midfield, sorry. It's very important to let the center half-back know that as soon as he gets the ball, he is going to pass it to the wings, left or right. This should be an automatic thing and needs to be practiced. Same with the other midfielders. Pass the ball to the wings right after they get it.
Ask your center forward to always stay close to the last man in the other team's defense. Center forward should not stray too far back or to the sides. He needs to keep his position and shoot when he gets a chance. This will give the other team a big headache. If you see the center forward moving back or to the sides too far, you need to remind him to get back to his position.
The wings also should be very close to the side-lines. If they stray in too far, when the ball gets to the sides, they won't be there. So they need to keep their positions too.
Ofcourse all of these mechanical aspects need to be practiced throughout the season. On the last practice before match day, put the starting 11 in one team and the subs in the opposing team. If there too few subs, join in and play as a keeper in the subs team. Start kicking the ball to the main team and have them hold their positions while passing the ball to each other and attacking. Let them know that each player only has 2 seconds to get rid of the ball.
It's important to make sure that players don't bunch up. They need to keep their distances and their positions. Again, if you see them bunching up, stop the game and ask them why they are bunching up and who has lost his position. Gradually they will learn to stay in their positions and to pass the ball quickly.

Dynamics are what I call movements of players with respect to one another. Moving into space, passing the ball into space and supporting each other. This is not too easy to teach 11 year olds. So I emphasize it less at this age but nevertheless it needs to be practiced. The best practice game for this is what I call "keep-away".
Divide the kids up into two equal strength teams and give them two different color jersies. Use one-half of the field. First start with using hands only and passing the ball to each other. The other team has to intercept the ball. Start counting how many consecutive passes they make. Make sure the kids start making the right decisions when passing. They should never throw the ball into traffic. Also everyone should be running into empty spaces and asking for the ball. Nobody should be walking. After 15 minutes of this game the kids are dead tired. Give them a water break and then repeat the same practice using feet this time. Count each team's passes aloud. Kids love this exercise.

Creativity: something that is hard to teach, especially at this level. If you find a kid that's creative, don't discourage him as long as he abides by the mechanics and holds his position. If a kid tries to be too creative and destroys the rhythm of the game, put a stop to it but otherwise, there is nothing wrong with a bit of creativity even at this level. Usually forwards and strikers have greater freedom of creativity than defenders but that doesn't mean that they can just get cute. Make sure creativity is useful for the team otherwise if you see too much dribbling, etc. give a fair warning.
The best practices for creativity come before and after practice sessions. Do not discount kids running around before practice starts and kicking the ball every which way. In fact encourage them to be creative and let them do whatever they want. It's the best time to create without you telling them what to do. Sometimes this turns into horse-play but as long nobody does anything dangerous, they are fine. Let them play and have fun.
Overall, an organized team plays much better and when players leave the field they are not exhausted. The speed of getting the ball from defense to midfield to offense is crucial and needs to be practiced.

Defending

When I wrote about attacking one on one, I said that the attacker should go straight at a defender. By the same token, a defender should not allow an attacker to come straight at him. Easier said than done! Defenders should always position themselves at an angle in relation to the attacker in order to sweep the ball away from him. In fact, ideally defenders should run in a curved path when approaching attackers which essentially means they should sneak up on the attacker:




When the defender gets closer to the ball, he/she can either slide tackle or simply kick the ball away.

Some simple exercises:

1. Have some stationary balls and ask the kids to run to the ball from the side and slide tackle. Kids have a tendency to lean on one side of their bodies but both sides should be practiced. If you are kicking the ball away with the right leg, the left leg should be bent 90 degrees.
After a while of slide-tackling, it becomes natural. Then they get up, run to the ball again and slide tackle. You can make it a game to see who reaches the end-line faster.

Take a water break.

2. Line the attackers on the side-line. Have them dribble towards defenders and try to beat them one on one. The defenders should also move towards the attackers and slide-tackle. Make sure you tell the defenders to hit the ball first or they will be penalized.

Note: This exercise is very injury prone. So it might be best to remove the shoes while learning to slide-tackle. That way the attackers won't get injured.

Competition

Competition for kids is a tricky business. As a coach you want them to win so they feel good. You also want the parents to see their kids win. But you also need to be performing a balancing act to do what's right for the kids development vs. winning.

1. Ask the parents to bring the kids to the games at least 1/2 hour before the game. Once they arrive, get them away from the parents. Make sure they are wearing socks and shin guards and the shoes are tied. I always ask the kids to shake everyone's hands when they arrive. At first it might seem awkward for them but kids need to learn respect: "When you see an older person, you don't just walk by him without saying hello".

2. Make sure every kid has water. It never fails that at every practice a kid walks up to me and says: "I didn't bring water", "I ran out of water", etc. When that happens ask other kids or parents for water and hand it to him. By the way, water and gatorade are acceptable drinks. If you see Coke or Pepsi, warn them about it. That's a no no! it causes obesity and is full of sugar! My rules are: "No soft drinks at the games or practices" and make sure parents realize that.

3. When the kids get there, they start running, shooting or whatever. Do not try to stop them. Let them play and then ask them to gather somewhere, do some stretching. Meanwhile keep talking to them: "we need to concentrate today...we are playing one of the best teams..."

4. Parents: During the games they scream and yell and get all excited. No way to avoid it. One of the problems I see is that a kid is dribbling the ball down the field and all of a sudden a parent who probably has never played soccer before yells: Shooooot... and the poor kid shoots from center of the field trying to score a goal. I usually tell the parents: "It's okay if you want to cheer and say go go go hooray... but let the kids make their own decisions on the field. They need to learn the process of decision making, whether they want to pass, dribble or shoot". Parents understand that.

5. Parents again: They always like to make themselves comfortable sitting in the shades on comfy lawn chairs. During half-time ask the parents to all move out of the shades (whether it's a tree or a tent) so kids can sit in the shades.

6. Parents again and again: Someone is likely to ask you to give his kid more playing time! that's your decision. I would not budge on that. It's direct interference in coach's decisions. Do not let parents dictate to you who plays for how long. But you also need to be fair to the kids. Make sure every kids gets to play at least one-half. The tendency for coaches is that in order to win you play your best players, all the time. Take a risk and bring out your best player and replace him with a less experienced player. Before you do that though, on the sideline, talk to the kid and point him to the good player showing him where he plays and how well he is doing. Ask him to do the same when he gets on the field.

7. Do not yell at the kids for making mistakes. Just say: "Next time do it better". Always be positive. Kids pick up on that. They should not be afraid to take risks on the field. I kept telling my defenders to clear the ball to the sides and out of our penalty box everytime but in every game my left and right defenders would send that ball back into our penalty box. This type of mistake is unavoidable but after repeating the concept so many times, finally they will be able to execute it.

8. Give the kids a free hand. In our first game, I asked one of my defenders to move up and try to score. His response was: "can defenders score?". This is typical. At some point in their short lives someone has erroneously told these kids that a defender needs to stay in one spot and kick the ball when he sees it. Your job as a coach is to get the kids out of their cages. Make sure your defenders move up and down the field. Make sure your forwards come back to defend. Creativity should not be lost. If you see your defender in the opposing team's penalty area, don't yell at him. Just ask him to get back to his position when he can.

Attacking 1 vs. 1

Every soccer player should be able to take on the defender in front on him. When I say "take him on" it does not mean to make a big wide circle around him. It means take him on straight on. Go at him straight on and leave him behind with a sudden move. Once the defender is left behind, the attacker should then speed up in the open space.

Why?

Mainly because when an attacker who has the ball goes straight at a defender, other defenders stay clear to let the defender do his job. They don't want to crowd him up. They also trust him.
If the attacker starts making a big circle, the defender + other defenders suddenly converge on him. So it's best to practice making the run straight at the defender.

How?

Line up the attackers on the side-lines, a few meters apart. The attacker is going to dribble the ball from the side-line to half-way across field. At the same time each kid should have a defender waiting for him a few meters away. The attackers should dribble the ball very carefully to the defender, make a sudden move and leave the defender behind and speed up. They can then turn around and come back repeating the same exercise.
At first ask the defenders to be passive.

Notes:
1. After a few minutes take a water break. This exercise can be exhausting.
2. With you ace players ask the defender to be active and defend hard. This depends on how many good players you have. They should still be able to pass the defender.
3. Many times when kids get to the defender, they don't know what to do. Here are some tips:
- Show them to fake their body as if they are going in one direction and then change direction and go the other way.
- When the attacker gets close to the defender, he weaves his right leg over the ball and back:
This can be done in two ways: weave your leg clockwise, or counter-clockwise. It really doesn't matter that much. Just have them try it. Once they weave their legs, they can tap the ball with the left leg and go around the defender.

Scrimmages

Kids don't come to practices to stand around and pass the ball to each other. They come to play!
Absolutely, every practice session should have a scrimmage at the end. In fact, using the promise of the scirmmage, I get the kids to practice harder, pay more attention and not waste too much time. Usually I tell them: "If you guys waste time and not listen, we won't have enough time at the end for the scrimmage". It's a great incentive to get them to listen.
And ofcourse, you have to stand by your promise.
Divide up the teams into two (almos equal forces). Here I would advise you that you should not be so strict as try to make the teams strengths exactly equal. It's impossible. During the course of the play if you see too much imbalance where the ball does not get out of one team's penalty box, take a couple of good players from the better team and have them switch to the other team. It quickly balances the scale.
In any case the kids will get their training out of these scrimmages one way or another, whether they are mostly defending or attacking.

A couple of important points:

1. Make sure you have "pennies" to give out to one team so that kids know who is on which team. Sometimes kids have trouble putting the pennies on. Help them out.

2. Many times kids ask you to put them on the other team because their friends are playing there! It's fine. Go with it. In fact sometimes you actually want kids who play well with each other to be on one team so you can have them practice passing to each other.

3. Make sure you allow about 30 minutes of scrimmage at every practice session. By the time you divide up the teams and get the kids going, another 5 minutes is gone!

4. Run along with the kids in the field and cheer them on. "Thomas: go for the ball...that ball is yours...don't stand around", etc. Don't let anyone stand around. Ask players to move into open space.

5. Don't let one goalkeeper stand in goal all the time. All players need to play even goalkeepers. Switch goalkeepers every 10 minutes or so.

6. Make it a happy scrimmage and encourage passing as much as possible.