Even if the rules are the same for anybody playing soccer, kids teams have a few perks of their own. Your main focus is to get them to enjoy the game and learn to be a part of the team even if they aren’t the strongest team player.
When coaching young teams the first focus is to try to get them motivated. Starting up with soccer related exercises where everybody has the chance to play with the ball is the best way to start off the day.
Remember that with kids teams and especially the new ones you can not teach them everything about soccer in one single day. Focus on one of the elements of soccer at each training and diversify the exercises. Even if you focus on shooting it doesn’t mean they should repeat the same routine for 30 or 40 times.
Creating more scenarios will make them more interested and make them give the best they can. Remember there are numerous concepts that have nothing to with the physical exercise that they need to grasp as well. Learning to be a good team player and understanding the rules might be just as important as scoring a goal when you are part of kids teams.
The way you present the exercise is also important. Give each exercise a name and if possible give the players different roles with names. A great example is the Ice Monster.
In this exercise, you mark off an area for the game to be played and select one kid to be the “Monster”. Have the rest of the kids teams dribble around within the area. The “Ice Monster” attempts to touch each player’s ball, at which point that player “freezes” with their foot on the ball. The last remaining unfrozen player gets to be the new Ice Monster for the next round.
Even if the exercise actually uses the same physical abilities, the kids are entertaining themselves and enjoy their company because of the story. The stories help in becoming more connected and become strong winning teams.
When playing with other kids teams you need to help them have a positive attitude and learn that their opponents are not their enemies. Make them understand that the game itself is what they should be grateful for.
There is a need for them to learn the rules gradually so you can be a little indulgent in their first games even if they make mistakes. Let them have fun. Some people choose not to keep the score for kids teams games.
In some cases this a good idea as they don’t learn to rezend the other team or have any problem with the fact that they lost, they are just happy they played. But you need at one point to make the change. The score can help them have a greater incentive for playing and practising.
When training kids teams you need to focus on making them have a good time, learn the rules and know what being part of team means. There are many ways you can keep them focused and happy in order to reach your goal. Just remember that the first rules is having fun.
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