Getting Started
Welcome to the exciting world of coaching youth soccer! Congratulations on your commitment to both coach and your youth players.
This nine-week program contains everything you need to teach basic and intermediate soccer skills to players ages 10 and up. This program is conveniently organized by week and topic so you know exactly when and how to introduce each concept during your season. For this age group, we've chosen to focus our instruction on five technical areas: dribbling, passing, ball control, defense and shooting. It's important that players at this age continue to develop these skills so they will be prepared to advance to more competitive levels of soccer as they get older. Use the video lessons and demonstrations included in this program to prepare for your team practices and individual training sessions. As you'll see, written explanations and diagrams for each concept also are included and available to print out and take with you. Remember that it's our responsibility as coaches to make sure players improve and have fun, so take time to prepare!
Here are some of the concepts we'll be covering throughout the program:
Dribbling
Controlling the ball using short, precise touches.
Increasing the productivity of each touch on the ball.
Shielding the ball from defensive pressure.
Dribbling into open space.
Attacking defenders with changes in speed and direction.
Manipulating the ball using all surfaces of the foot.
Maintaining spacing with teammates.
Becoming proficient in dribbling with both feet.
Passing
Perfecting in-step technique.
Coordinating passes and movement with teammates.
Passing and receiving on the move.
Using passes to create scoring opportunities.
Passing through gaps in the defense.
Using support passes to create offensive space.
Ball Control
Controlling balls in the air and on the ground.
Controlling with various body parts.
Angling the ball toward the next dribble or pass.
Relaxing the body on impact.
Transitioning from control technique into the next move.
Defense
Defensive stance and footwork.
Defending in man-up and man-down situations.
Coordinating team defense with other players.
Learning to anticipate the offense's next move.
Challenging on the ball and in passing situations.
Shooting
Shooting accuracy and timing.
Coordinating with teammates to set up shots.
Shooting with either foot.
Finishing on breakaway opportunities.
Shooting from long range.
