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.
