Today we are learning how to coach soccer.
This video is geared towards coaches.
What’s going on?
Little dap!
It’s Jared Montz, former pro and founder of Online Soccer Academy.
Coaching is a lot more then setting up cones and running drills.
It’s the mental side of the game that isn’t always taught in most coaching courses.
The mental game is what really separates great coaches from okay coaches.
Be the coach players call a role model.
Be the coach players invite to their wedding one day.
Be the coach players can trust.
Don’t be the coach they hate.
Don’t be the coach they are scared of.
Don’t be the coach that crushes their confidence.
I’ve been coaching for 10 years, we’ve done hundreds of OSA Soccer Camps around the
United States and we’ve been producing free Online Soccer Academy videos to players and
coaches worldwide since early 2009.
This video is just a few mental tips I find helpful when coaching.
For physical tips, drills, exercises and how to videos, watch our 200+ free OSA videos
at OnlineSoccerAcademy.com.
Key Points!
Key Point One – Ask questions!
Keep your coaching points short and ask questions when you can.
For example if you are working on shooting and a kid keeps missing his shots to the left.
Instead of saying, “Billy, quit missing!
You keep missing left.
Don’t do that.”
Then Billy just runs by you like okay coach.
He may not even have heard you.
Instead ask a question.
Say, “Billy, love your energy today but your shots keep missing left.
Do you know why that’s happening?”
Now, Billy’s mind is engaged.
He needs to think about his answer versus him not even hearing you and just saying yeah
coach.
If he replies with the right answer, then great you know he’s learning.
If he replies back with the wrong answer then great, now you know how far off he is and
can give him the correct answer which is probably that his shoulders are turning left when he
shoots.
Key Point Two – Use the “Repeat it back to me” trick.
Lots of coaches will say something like, “Sarah, let’s pass it with your left foot, yes!”
Then Sarah says, “Yes” because you pretty much told her too and then she passes it with
her right foot.
You are then like looking up at the sky trying to contain your frustration and not pull your
hair out if you have any on why she didn’t do what you said.
Here is where the “Repeat it back to me” trick comes in handy.
In your mind, you said left, but in her mind when she said yes for left, but she actually
meant right.
A great example of this is a story of a player at one of our OSA Camps in State College,
Pennsylvania.
Smart kid, good player, but just learned a little different then everyone else and there
is nothing wrong with that.
We were doing a shooting exercise where you dribble up one on one with the goalie and
you are suppose to pass the ball with your right foot, into the right side of the goal.
In short it was, “Right, Right”.
I set up the exercise, first five kids are getting it and every shot is right, right
into the goal.
Then my thinking different player comes up and does it right, left.
I say, “good shot, but it’s right, right not right, left.”
He says, “Yeah coach” as he’s running back to the line.
Next turn for him he scores right, left again and I’m starting to get frustrated, but
I immediately at this point think maybe it’s me, not him.
Did I set this exercise up wrong?
So I decide to use the “Repeat it back to me” trick.
I say, “Buddy, it’s right, right.
Repeat that back to me”.
He says, “yeah coach” as he continues to run back to the line.
So now I’m like he clearly isn’t hearing me because his mind is going so fast.
So I say, “Come over here.”
I get him in front of me and off to the side of the exercise and say, “The exercise is
right, right.
Repeat that back to me.”
He then says, “Right, left”.
I start smiling right away because in his mind he had been doing the exercise correct
the whole time and he had.
He scored his two shots both right, left and they were nice.
I then say, “No buddy, it’s actually right, right.
Repeat that back to me.”
He repeats “right, right” back to me correctly and his next shot was perfect.
Right, right.
So I know it can be frustrating in those moments when you feel like a player isn’t listening
to you, but try to take a deep breath and figure out how to fix the problem versus just
yelling at them.
Try the “Repeat it back to me” trick.
Key Point Three – Don’t Yell for Mistakes.
We all make mistakes.
Even top pros do.
Great coaches don’t yell at players when they make one mistake.
Ideally if a player messes up you want your player reacting positive and hustling back
on defense without even thinking you are mad at them because they know you support them.
If your player messes up and immediately looks at the bench area scared you are about to
yell at them that is not good.
You don’t want your players playing scared.
Now if they make three mistakes in a row because they aren’t paying attention that is a different
story.
By all means be firm with them and let them know to wake up.
Just imagine your boss or co-worker yelling at you every time you have a typo.
The anxiety of trying to work with that person would be awful.
Don’t create that feeling for your players.
Key Point Four – No long lines.
This is a classic.
If you have a line of ten players doing one exercise figure out how to make it two lines
of five.
Shorter lines lead to less standing around and less standing around leads to less chances
of players getting bored and getting into trouble.
Key Point Five – Make it fun and remove pressure.
If you watch some of the top pro teams in the world they look like they are having a
blast at practice.
Laughing, cutting up and then when it’s time to get serious they get serious.
Do your best to create a fun environment.
Create fun, goofy type warm ups to get players to loosen up.
Tell them it’s okay if they make a mistake and then of course when they do, don’t yell
at them.
These types of actions from you lead to removing pressure for them.
When the pressure is removed, they play better.
Naturally they will put a little pressure on themselves, but if you can help keep them
loose that will do wonders for your team.
Key Point Six – Be positive, not negative.
Yes, there are times when you need to talk about negative moments like mistakes with
players and that is okay, but do it in the right way.
I was coaching a seven-year-old little girl once in a defending exercise.
She was smiling big and trying so hard, but the player she was defending just kept running
right by her and she was diving in on defense.
I could of said, “Sarah, quit diving in.
She is beating you every time.
You have to do better!”.
This is negative and would have dampened her smiling spirit and caused her to put her head
down and be scared on the next play.
Instead I called her over and started with a positive.
I said, “Sarah, I’m so proud of you for how hard you are working.
I see you smiling big.
Are you having fun?”.
She replied with a smile, “Yes” and then I said, “Great!
Why do you think the defender keeps running by you even though you are working so hard?”
She didn’t really know, so I re explained to her how to set her feet and not dive in.
She ran back to the line with a smile and her head held high.
The very next play she won the ball with confidence!
Two different styles I could have used with her, but for me, more times then not choosing
the positive not negative style usually leads to faster, better results for your players.
Helpful Videos!
We have lots of videos to help you coach!
Videos on creating a pre practice plan, sessions to do, tips on how to teach juggling, dribbling,
passing, shooting, etc.
Plus we cover what could go wrong and how to fix it on most techniques.
All the videos are free.
Enjoy them at OnlineSoccerAcademy.com!
Bonus Tip!
Thanks for being a coach!
I know it’s not easy to coach and lots of you volunteer your time.
Thank you for giving back.
I hope your players and their parents appreciate you the way they should.
Hope you enjoyed this Online Soccer Academy video!
Click here to watch our incredibly helpful 200+ free videos, go here if you want a Believe
in it® shirt and go here if you are a coach and want to host an OSA Soccer Camp.
My name is Jared Montz and remember if you Believe in it® and back that up with hard
work, anything in life is possible.
Believe in it®!