SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP A Good Classic Coach ....

Having weathered 2 years of classic soccer at the U11 and U12 levels and after 10 seasons of coaching Y soccer, it seems to me that there are several qualities that determine a good Classic Coach (in no particular order).
1. Be on time for games and practice, this does not mean tell everyone to be there 45 minutes early so that the chronically late parents can make it in under the wire. But you can't blame the kid for his parents.
2. Kids (and you) dress neatly for practice -- have respect for the game. Have a practice plan.
3. All fitness drills with a ball. Suicides suck.
4. Most importantly: Let the kids know what the expectations and responsibilities are. I have yet to see adequate instruction in position play and certainly have not seen instruction in set pieces. I do believe SSC, GFC, etc have thought of this.
5. Pushups suck. If a kid makes a mistake show him what to do. If you can't show him take up Football Coaching.
6. Corollary to numbers 4 and 5. Yelling "Try harder" does not work if the kid has never been told what the expectation is. For example, If the midfield is cheating back on defense to cover weak defenders then they will not try hard for those critical 50-50 balls.
7. Use dads to help with 2 v 2 or 4 v 4 drills, or keeper work, etc. Most dads who are coaches are relatively objective. Well maybe not. But they can still help with the busy work at practice.
8. Do a weekly shoot-out to select who will take the PKs or free kicks on the weekend. This is fair, provides some pressure and gives the kids some incentive for next week. Likewise shooting drills are a must.
Please feel free to comment, criticize, etc.

Christieh...I agree with many of your points... particularly 1,2,4,6,and 8. I agree that suicides are not very popular or enjoyable, but the players need to understand that conditioning is vital. Often, the time where lack of conditioning shows itself in games is making runs off the ball. The overlapping sprints and slashing runs that need to take place in a game to disrupt the defense and cause them to lose shape take a great deal of energy and need to be practiced... and without a ball to slow them down.

Pushups are about as popular as suicides, and if they are used exclusively as a punishment in place of proper instruction, then I agree that they are useless. (actually harmful) However, they can prove useful as a gentle reminder of things that the players already know very well. For example, if my players use inappropriate language in practice, even of a mild nature, they need to "drop and give me ten". If they pickup a ball with their hands to move it to a different spot on the field instead of dribbling it with their feet, the same thing. During shooting drills, they have all been properly instructed on how to keep the ball down. If it goes over the top, they stop and drop. They actually enjoy the routine...they stop and kid each other about it and they actually focus the next time. And most importantly...it is done in a fun and forgiving nature, not with anger or humiliation.

Using Dads for busy work is a good idea...let's not exclude the Moms. Either way, the parents need to know what their limits are when it comes to giving instruction.

You bring up many excellent points and you seem to care about the kids. Good observations Christieh!