25 Important Things You Can Teach Your Soccer Player
Submitted to the Soccer-Coach-L e-mail list by Barry Murtaugh (1998)
1. Always play fairly within the rules.
2. Maintain poise under difficult conditions. It's easy to maintain composure when things go right; when they don't real
athletes step forward and stand up to the test.
3. Support and encourage your teammates at all times. All of us make mistakes at times and they are not done on
purpose. Encourage your teammates to be the best they can be.
4. Play as hard as you can in practice and in games. Never be beaten because of lack of effort. Even opponents who are
bigger or more skilled than you can be beaten if you out-hustle them.
5. Show respect to your coaches, referees, and your opponents; win or lose. Most of all, respect the GAME.
6. A good soccer player must have conditioning, skills and tactical knowledge. A player must work on all three to be the
best they can be.
7.When your team has the ball, everyone is on offense; when your opponent has the ball everyone is on defense.
8.No matter what position you are in, you are first a soccer player and you will have to be able to receive, shoot, pass,
dribble, head, make space, etc., regardless of your position.
9. Do not just "kick" the ball unless it is in a dangerous position in front of your goal. Instead take a " picture " of the
situation before you get the ball. In this way you can perceive the situation, determine the best solution, and act
accordingly when the ball arrives. Develop Field Vision. Always send the ball to someplace or someone.
10. Always maintain your position. Don't run following the movement of the ball. Know where you are on the field in
relation to where the other players and positions are on the field.
11. Don't run forward when your team has the ball unless you are willing to run back when the other team has the ball.
12. If you lose the ball, you should be the first person on defense. Giving immediate chase is the first rule of defense.
13. When changing from offense to defense, sprint to get between your opponent and the goal you are defending.
14. When defending close to your goal, the player closest to the ball should attack the ball. The other defenders should
"mark" other opponents who could receive and shoot the ball. In "marking up" your opponent, you should position yourself
between the ball and your opponent and prevent them from receiving the ball. A common error on defense is to have too
many defenders move to the ball leaving opponents open to receive a pass and shoot an unopposed goal.
15. On the defensive side of the field, always move the ball toward the touchlines and away from the middle of the field.
On the offensive side of the field move the ball toward the center, where your teammates can take a good shot on goal.
This is "centering" the ball.
16. Good ball handlers pass the ball before they get into trouble not after they are in trouble.
17. Make no small strikes on the ball. Whether clearing, passing or shooting MOVE the ball. Proper technique on striking
the ball will enable even small players to effectively move the ball a good distance.
18. Take your shot! Don't hesitate to fire a shot if you feel an opportunity. Shoot into the back of the net. Shoot where
the keeper isn't.
19. Don't limit yourself to shots taken only near the goal line. Good opportunities for goals are hard shots taken further out
from the goal. Keep your head down, strike and follow through the ball for the goal.
20. Most players are right-footed. At this level, when playing defense against an opponent with the ball especially watch
and attack against the right foot.
21. When playing offense with possession of the ball, anticipate your defender attacking your right foot. Use your left
foot. It is imperative that you develop your passing, dribbling, and shooting skills with both your left and right foot.
22. Always be aware of protecting possession of the ball. Resist "kicking" the ball directly into the shin guards of the
defender in front of you. Passing or dribbling the ball laterally or even backwards can be a better choice if it maintains
possession of the ball.
23. When on offense always "support" your teammate with the ball. Supporting your teammate means being in a position
where they can pass the ball to you. Stay far enough away so the pass effectively neutralizes the defender. Stay close
enough so they can make a good pass. If you are too far to make a good pass to your teammate, then you are too far for
your teammate to make a good pass to you, and you are not supporting.
24.Win, lose or tie; if you have given 100%, when you walk off the field you have nothing to regret and no reason to be
ashamed.
25. Don't be afraid to be a hero. YOU CAN DO IT!
Winning, At What Cost?
by Larry Pedrie
Head Coach of the Chicago Chill
Former Head Coach of the University of Illinois Flames
Having been in athletics my entire life, both as a player and a coach, I often find myself confronted
with a high degree of emphasis placed upon winning. As a player I have always had a deep desire to win
and a hatred for losing. I can embarrassingly admit that I remember as a 3rd grader punching a classmate
for his failure to hit the ball over the net in a gym class volleyball game. I have carried this desire to win
and hatred toward losing my entire life... and it's still there.
As I began coaching, losing became even more personal. I no longer had the opportunity to
physically participate and directly affect the game's outcome. My first and most lengthy coaching
experience lasted 15 years and was at the Division I NCAA College hockey level. I am now beginning my
second year of coaching at the youth level, as the coach of the Chicago Chill AAA Bantam team. Having
had a chance to look back at my college coaching experience, and the opportunity to see the current
direction of youth hockey, I find myself with a different attitude toward winning. Although striving to win is
extremely important, how you accomplish winning is far more important.
I believe, at the youth level in all sports, and possibly at the high school level as well, winning
should be a secondary priority, not the ultimate and only goal, as too often the case. The primary
emphasis should be placed upon the development of each and every athlete both on and off the
ice/field/court. If the cost of winning a game does damage to one player's self confidence, desire or
interest in the sport then ultimately as coaches we have failed. I cannot accept the thought of sitting a
weaker player(s) on the bench in an effort to win a game. The amount of humiliation and embarrassment
that players feel and take from that game is far more significant than any positive that may have come
from "winning" the game.
The decision as to how much playing time a child receives should not be based upon that child's
ability or lack thereof. Instead, we should be teaching and rewarding the values of effort, discipline,
coachability and team play. We should be instilling confidence, encouraging success, identifying mistakes,
and providing the opportunity to correct mistakes. Penalize a player because of laziness and selfishness,
but not for lack of ability.
Youth sports are not about the "strong surviving". They are there to create the "strong" from all of
our participants. Each and every child deserves the opportunity to compete, feel a valuable part of the
team, and be provided the opportunity to develop as a player and person. If people, especially young
people, do not feel good about themselves, development will stagnate. Coaches must realize that they
may be destroying the possibility of any future development by limiting the opportunity to play. If a child
feels like a failure at hockey, his/her self-confidence toward everything he/she does may be diminished.
None of us can predict when development in any individual will begin, accelerate or decline. If provided
the opportunity to develop, a weak player in a year's time may become the best player. However, none
can develop if not given the incentive and opportunity to do so.
As coaches, we must decide why we are involved and what motivates our decisions. If winning is
our ultimate goal, the damage caused may far outweigh the positive experiences. If coaches can simply
understand that their main reason for involvement is the kids, all of us will be winners.