Introduction

My Coaching Philosophy

I think it is crucial for parents to understand my approach to coaching. I believe that at the U9 level, the main priority is to develop the players' technical abilities. At typical weekly practices we emphasize technical skills (dribbling, passing, trapping, etc.) throughout the warm-up and into the session. The reasoning behind this approach is that players must master the basic skills before they can attempt to learn and execute more advanced soccer concepts. I cannot introduce advanced concepts (nor do I think it would be very productive) until the players are comfortable enough with the ball to take that next step.

The process of evaluating what needs to be worked on comes from the games. The games give me an indication if kids are advancing with their skills. Again, the emphasis is not so much on positional play, making the right supporting runs, etc. Its more about: "Did the player control the ball effectively?", "Is this player controlling ball and finding open teammates with both dribbling and passing?" It cannot be emphasized enough that the players have just taken a huge leap from rec soccer (where they were the star of their team) to travel soccer (where they may not be the best player anymore). They are being forced to play and think faster than they have ever before.

Practices

In developing practice plans, I observe what the team is struggling with in games and create practice plans that address the team's weak areas. In addition to technical training, I concentrate on playing small-sided games to simulate match conditions while maximizing each players' contact with the ball. I set parameters to the practice games that focus on our practice theme. If I see a player make a poor decision, I will stop play and ask what may have been a better decision. I don't yell at them or simply give them the answer; I think its better to make them think and make the connection themselves. For example, we consistently work on getting in good positions to receive passes (and get out of the herd mentality!). If I see players start to migrate back to the bad habit of chasing the ball, I may "freeze" the play and ask the group if they have good spacing between one another. Instantly, they recognize they are clumped together and make adjustments. Hopefully, this gives parents a better idea of how I run practices

My Coaching Style During Games

My coaching demeanor during games is reflective of my personality. I will never be the coach yelling across the field to correct a minor detail. In fact, I think its vitally important to stay as calm and composed as possible on the sidelines. I know my body language and comments affect their mentality on the field. I believe that excessive yelling during the game will condition the team to expect explicit direction for all circumstances. Soccer is a fluid game, and each situation will be different. During games, I observe whether the players are taking the themes from the previous week's practices and implementing them in the game. I can understand that parents believe I should provide more instruction from the sidelines, but it is a fine line for me to walk. There are some bad habits from rec soccer that need to be eliminated (for example, defenders staying too far back and "just" defending or simply booting the ball down the field), and I constantly address those habits. However, mistakes such as making a questionable soccer decision on the field, should be addressed in private and not publicly cited. Most of all, I want them to express their own creativity and have fun!