Coaching a U12 Practice

“No laps, No lines, No lectures!”

KEEP IT SIMPLE

  • ✅Be clear with communication and ask the same in return

    ✅Set up a team message group on your phone, or use a dedicated sports team app like TeamSnap or Spond (FREE!)

    ✅Do the team know the dates/location/times of practices & games?

    ✅Find out how many are coming to the session/game so you can plan accordingly

    ADVERSE WEATHER/SICKNESS

    ✅Does the club have a protocol for adverse weather & does the team know it?

    ✅Do you need to reschedule? What time/location

    ✅ Are you sick? Going to be late? Let the team know in good time.

  • ✅BALLS

    ✅CONES

    ✅PINNIES

    ✅GOALS

    ✅FIRST AID

    You can ask parents to bring a ball for their child. SIZE 3 BALLS are used in the U8 age-group.

    You can find recommended equipment to buy here

  • Arrive as early as you can (30mins) to setup and be organized

    ✅You should always know what your session goal is and what exercises you want to do. Don’t worry - we have this covered in our SESSION PLANS

  • Greet every player with a high-5 or a fist-bump and ask them:

    ✅How was their day?

    ✅Did they learn anything fun at school?

    ✅What fun things have they been doing this week?

    Acknowledge all of them and make them feel like you’re happy to see them!

Below is a rough guide to the different levels of challenge that should be taken into account throughout a session.

Play-Practice-Play is the US U6-12 Grassroots developed philosophy designed around a player-centered approach to coaching. Taking a player-centered approach places the needs and motivations of the player at the forefront of a coach’s approach to coaching his or her players.

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5 Elements of a session

US Soccer’s coaching methodology includes 5 elements in a practice session that will give you the most success for development. Each of the sessions within New Soccer Coach are set up to give you the tools for success in these areas but it’s up to you as a coach to ensure they’re adhered to:

  • ⚽SESSION GOAL - a clear goal to the session; i.e. improve passing, opposed dribbling or developing scoring opportunities

    ⚽SETUP - everything is set up and ready for the session - correct field size, players are in the right positions to start, you, as a coach, are in a good position to obverse the session in full and you’re playing within a safe environment

    ⚽DESCRIPTION - all the players understand the rules, the goal, and what they need to achieve.

  • ⚽There is always context to the actual game of soccer within each exercise. This usually means that it looks like the game of soccer but if not exactly, the exercise has components that can translate directly to the game in a technical, tactical, physical, and mental context.

    OUTCOME- The training environment provides players with an enjoyable, game-like experience

  • ⚽ There are plenty of opportunities for the players to practice the exercise. The more players are on the ball the more they will learn. More time on the ball means more player-centered learning.

    ⚽ Set yourself & players up for success. If you need repetition, do you have enough balls ready to go? Get the players to fetch balls and get back into position quickly to get more game time!

  • A session should provide challenge enough for success and failure in order to develop resilience and for the player to feel a sense of accomplishment to drive them to get better.

    ⚽If it’s too difficult - Make the field larger, take away a defender, make the goals bigger!

    ⚽Need more challenge? - Make the area smaller, add a defender, ask them to use their non-dominant foot or do it quicker!

  • Use moments to give SPECIFIC feedback and provide actions and observations for development.

    It’s best to allow the game to be the teacher - let them play and work things out - but it’s always good to add concise and effective instruction at times too. Don’t do it for the sake of it, or too much. Just when you see a great opportunity for the players to learn.

    ⚽Coach in the flow - give encouragement or a word or two while the game is happening ‘great

    ⚽Natural stoppages in play - The ball goes out of play - while the play is resetting, take the moment to give players feedback or a coaching point.

    ⚽FREEZE! - You feel you need to stop the play to make a point? Do it! Make sure it’s short and sharp and maybe ask an open question ‘what could you do differently next time you have space?’

    Coaching should be linked to the goal of the session - i.e. if the session goal is to improve dribbling, spend most of the coachable moments focusing on coaching dribbling.

    OUTCOME - Players experience success and use mistakes as meaningful learning opportunities.

  • Players should have a water break in between each part of the session.

    The main parts should be broken up into repetitions of 2-3 mins between short breaks where you can give concise encouragement and instruction or get the players to reset, and back into position.

    Get into the habit of asking the players to tidy up cones and goals, giving you time to get the next thing set up and give them some responsibility!

  • We all make mistakes, your session won’t be perfect. Don’t expect it to be. Just remember - as long as the kids are having fun and learning, you’re doing it right.

    🤯 IT’S NOT WORKING!!!

    Don’t worry, don’t panic. Sometimes you realize the challenge is too much or the kids are particularly restless today.

    ✅ TAKE A STEP BACK, TAKE A BREATH and GO BACK TO A FUN EXERCISE OR GAME THEY LOVE or just PLAY the GAME OF SOCCER ⚽

    They are here to have FUN.

    Within the session plans, there are guides to field, area, and zone sizes. These guides help players get the best out of the skill and to help develop that particular skill. As a rule, you can make the area larger or smaller to change the difficulty.

    For example; the players are developing well with their dribbling drill and some are finding it a little too easy - bring one side of the cones in a step or two while they’re playing or at a break in play.

    If you are well prepared, there’s more chance of success.

  • The goal is to keep them in the game and with a great experience from you, they will do that.

    Encourage the players and make sure they’re having fun.

    We are not trying to turn these young players into Messi, Mbappe or Ronaldo, but with positive coaching and encouragement, we can help them be the happiest, best versions of themselves they can be