U12 Coaching Tips
"All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them" - Magic Johnson
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Did the kids have fun?
Are the players at least 1% better than they were before the session?
Did they learn something new?
If you hit these 3 areas, you’re a great coach!
Below are some ways of helping you hit these goals
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Positivity and encouragement are going to make the players want to keep coming back for more. But furthermore, your positive values will develop these children into good human beings.
Positivity & Encouragement - Give honest and explicit encouragement, motivation and inspiration!
High energy - your energy will be contagious and keep them moving
Set the standard - your commitment, enthusiasm, respect, and integrity will have an effect on developing those values among your players
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“No lines, no laps, no lectures”
The more time they are actually playing fun, engaging games with a purpose, the more they will learn and have fun.
Touches on the ball - 90% of the session should be learning by playing - “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand”
Simple, concise instruction - Under 30 seconds if you need to stop the play to reinforce a skill or the lesson objective
Reinforce technique & quality - What are the objectives of the drill and what are they learning e.g. dribbling - are they keeping their head up, ball close etc.
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Challenge them - too easy? Can they do it quicker? More accuracy? Challenges will help them develop and keep them engaged
Personalize learning and engagement - Be mindful of individual development - make things simpler for less developed children, make it more challenging for more experienced children, and always encourage individuals - every child is different - learn how you can engage with each one
Good coaching made easy
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Winning is not the goal. I know, you may think this is new-age ‘every kid gets a medal’ talk. Winning is great - it raises our dopamine levels and makes us feel good.
Competitiveness is a good thing and should be encouraged , but winning a game should be a by-product of the FUN & DEVELOPMENT.
More importantly, if we focus and make winning the goal, the fun and development will suffer.A great coach at this age isn’t one with a 100% winning record - it’s the one that helps the players have fun, keeps them coming back and helps them grow and develop. Don’t worry if you have a losing record - at this age the kids are more interested in making friends, being encouraged, wearing a cool uniform and getting a post-game popsicle.
“You don’t ever lose, you learn.”
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Each child is different
Each child will learn at different speeds and in different ways. Some like soccer because they make friends or get to run around, and some want to win trophies and play in the World Cup. Some are there because their parents are making them!
There is also a large developmental age gap - you may have players who are just 5 and some are turning 8.
School Days
They’ve been concentrating, listening, in a structured environment, and behaving all day - this is their time to let off steam. They may be tired or want to let their emotions and silliness come to the fore.
There still needs to be structure and discipline, but keeping the soccer fun and high-energy can allay some of this.
Additional Needs
It is important to ask the parent/guardian at the start of the season if their child has any developmental needs to either be aware of or take into account and ask how you can support them in their development.
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SETTING EXPECTATIONS
At the start of the season, it is good to have a meeting with parents and a separate, more informal meeting with the children about the expectations. You want them to have fun - but you also want them to develop. You can talk about values - respect, teamwork, encouragement, integrity, being brave - and reinforce those throughout the season. Also about discipline:
What a great teammate is:
Being kind and encouraging friends
Asking questions
Talking to each other during breaks but listening when the coach speaks
Having creativity on the ball and trying new skills
Doing your best and not giving up
A great teammate does not:
Talk when someone else is talking
Not follow directions and ignore your coach
Be mean to others
Not trying and making excuses
You can learn more about team meetings here
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As with expectations and asking parents about the developmental needs of each child, you can build a rapport with each parent and child with some of these ideas
Get to know each player - at the start of the season have a 2-3 minute chat with each individual child. This can help build trust and make a child feel comfortable in a new environment.
Do they have any siblings?
Do they have a pet?
What do they love doing outside of soccer?
What is their favorite subject in school?
Greet every child individually with genuine warmth when they get to games and practices.
Smile and fist-bump/high-5 - call them by their name!
Ask them about their day or if they did anything fun over the previous weekend
Tell them you’re happy to see them!
Get on their level to have conversation. Literally. It will make them feel more comfortable.
You can kneel to get to their eye level.
Get close, but not into their personal space
Listen. Listen to their ideas and encourage them to give their view. You may get children that love to speak and some that don’t so be mindful of this.
Share the spotlight - don’t let the same child speak all the time. Encourage quiet children to have their say but don’t push them if they’re really not comfortable.
Some children at this age will speak forever if you let them. When the conversation goes on too long or becomes irrelevant (the child starts talking about their dog when the conversation is soccer), you can gently take control and bring it back.
GETTING U6-U8S TO LISTEN!
You can be slightly more lenient of younger children after a hard day at school, but if you set the expectations and reinforce them, you will find it easier to get them to listen!
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As a rec-coach, you are coaching soccer, but the real win is using soccer as a vehicle to develop the child holistically and transfer the skills to the real world as they grow. Soccer is a fantastic opportunity to instill positive values in the young mind.
To incorporate character lessons and development, you may want to introduce a word of the week to help children grow and learn. Every week - particularly at U6-U8 you can introduce a word:
⚽Respect - Be kind!
⚽Confidence - I can do it!
⚽Encouragement - You can do it!
⚽Courage - Be brave!
⚽Integrity - Be true!
⚽Determination - keep going!
⚽Teamwork - Go team!
⚽Sportsmanship - Good game!
Finish the session with a recap of what has been learned and how the value has been developed in within the session
💡TIP - After a game, ask them what values they’ve learned - a close-fought win might have a lot of determination and teamwork. A tough loss might give them the opportunity to be resilient, stay confident for the next game, and use great sportsmanship.