Introduction

1. Disclaimer

2. Copyright

3. Reproduction of materials

4. How to use the Manual

Resources for Coaching

5. Coaching certification & courses

6. Useful items to get for practices

7. Sample medical and other forms

8. Medical information for soccer coaches

9. Risk management and safety tips

10. A coach's first-aid kit

11. A guide to the Laws of the Game

12. A guide to on-field communication

13. A soccer glossary

14. Training Aids for Coaches

· Helpful videos and CDs

· Helpful books

· Websites with useful drills/skills info

15. Information on Stretching

16. Fun Games to Teach Skills

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

17. Expectations after One Year

18. The Most Important Skills to Teach

19. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

20. Individual Attacking

21. Group Attacking

22. Individual Defending

23. Group Defending

Practical Guidelines for Coaching

24. Importance of pre-season meeting with parents and players

25. Organizing effective practices

26. Player management and discipline

27. Special ideas for your first practice

Practice Plans to Teach the Basics

Ball Control

28. Straight-ahead Dribbling

29. Dribbling moves

30. Chops

31. Inside cut

SC-L Coaching Manual page 6 printed 08/23/99

32. Fakes & feints

Passing & Receiving

1. Push pass

2. Passing & receiving

3. Receiving

4. Chest traps

5. Receiving 'air balls'

6. Shielding

7. Heading intro

8. Heading

Kicking

1. The instep drive

2. The laces kick

3. The lofted kick

Defending

1. Tackling

2. Shoulder charge

3. Communication

4. First defender

5. Second defender

33. Basic marking

Attacking

1. Going 1 v 1

2. Taking defenders on

3. Combined play

Other

1. Throw-ins

2. Restarts

3. Tips on basic goal-keeper training

4. Sample stretching routine

5. Teaching the Laws of the Game (LOTG)

6. Fun Games That Teach Skills (from the archives of SOCCER-COACH-L)

Guidelines for Game Day

1. Dealing with officials

2. Game day tips

3. Effective ways to handle subs

4. Adjusting to your opponent

Coaching the Very Young Child

34. Training guidelines

35. Coaching the swarm

SC-L Coaching Manual page 7 printed 08/23/99

36. Games for the very young

37. Drills for the very young

38. More games and activities

Further reading

Updated 11 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 8 printed 08/23/99

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

This section is about the basic principles of what you should try to teach your players, and what those things are

important. The actual mechanics of the coaching sections can be found in the "Practice Plans to Teach the Basics"

section. Here's what you'll find here:

1. Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

2. The Most Important Skills to Teach

3. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Skills

4. Individual Attacking

5. Group Attacking

6. Individual Defending

7. Group Defending

Updated 12 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 9 printed 08/23/99

Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

After one year (one long or two short outdoor seasons, or one outdoor and one indoor season, depending on local

conditions) of formal soccer training, most coaches on the List think that it is realistic to expect most beginners at

age U-10 and above to be able to do the following:

1. Head a fairly gentle ball (they shouldn't even think of attempting teeth-rattlers until around U13 or so).

2. Be able to execute a decent chest trap (and decide whether to use the head or chest as the ball is coming in).

3. Know the basic rules for a first defender (delay/deny), and be able to successfully mark/hold an attacker of

similar size/speed/skill for a count of about 7-8.

4. Execute a basic standing tackle and shoulder charge.

5. Be able to pass a stationary ball thru cones 1 yard apart at distances of 6 yards with dominant foot. Be able

to pass accurately with non-dominant foot at the 3 yard distance.

6. Be able to receive/control with 2 touches/then push pass a moving ball thru cones 1 yard apart at a distance

of 4 yards (2-3 yards with non-dominant).

7. Be able to execute a laces kick with some power and accuracy.

8. Be able to execute a lofted kick/chip which will clear an average-sized player in their age bracket.

9. Understand the basic rules on throw-ins, and be able to execute them properly.

10. Be able to dribble/beat an unskilled defender by use of simple cuts and changes of pace.

11. Be able to shield the ball and hold in 1 v 1 situation to count of 8.

12. Understand basic principles of keepaway (talking, taking the ball where the defenders aren't, basic rules of

support triangles, planning your reception to take ball into space/away from pressure).

13. Understand usual game rules (restarts, fouls, fair play, ref signals, basic offsides if applicable).

14. Understand/follow the team rules (paying attention, bringing proper equipment to practice, cleanup,

subbing, calling if late/missing, no hassle of teammates, etc.).

15. Be able to juggle the ball with the foot or thigh at least 5-10 times.

16. Be able to pass the ball appropriately to a teammate who is 10 yards or more away, both when teammate is

stationary and when moving (i.e., understands the concept of leading a moving player so that he does not

overrun the ball).

17. Be able to receive a well-struck ball passed with the inside of both feet, and with at least the outside of the

dominant foot.

Updated 31 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 10 printed 08/23/99

The Most Important Skills to Teach

Soccer players need a lot of different skills, and it does not matter for most of these skills whether you teach Skill A

or Skill B first. However, there are some skills that are absolute "must-haves" for any player- and are so important

that you probably will want to teach them first.

These are basic ball-holding skills (receiving and shielding); basic ball-stealing skills (defense); and basic take-on

skills (attacking). Most kids naturally seem to have a few basic defensive skills, even if they were never formally

taught. The other two areas require instruction to accomplish with even minimal competency, so there is a good

argument to start first with ball-holding skills; move next to take-on skills; and then to get to ball-stealing skills.

Why ball-holding before take-on? Simple. Once you get possession, the other side is going to try to take the ball

back. If you can hang onto the ball under pressure, you'll have time to make better decisions (including finding an

open teammate to pass the ball to). Also, if you are confident that you can hold the ball, you are much less likely to

blindly try to simply whack it away and let someone else worry about it (a technique commonly known as "passing

the responsibility rather than the ball" or the "hot-potato phenomenon"). What are ball-holding skills? Most folks

refer to them as receiving and shielding skills. The first step (receiving) is to bring the ball under control quickly.

Then, you use your body/legs to get between the opponent and the ball to protect (shield) the ball. It includes really

basic stuff like simply stepping over the ball when somebody is coming in, as well as somewhat harder stuff (but

still easy) like rolling/pulling the ball back behind you or to your side. The rolling/pulling of the ball requires some

work, as you need to learn to use both feet - and to switch feet. However, one of the key ingredients is to learn to

bend the knees; get the arms out; and use your weight to push back into the opponent. As kids get more advanced,

they can learn how to spring off of an opponent (or roll off of him by using a circle turn). However, at the very

beginning stages, they are fine if they can simply get their bottoms down; get those knees bent; push hard back into

the opponent; and get enough weight on their support leg to be able to free their far foot and use it to roll the ball

around. Along with these ball-holding skills, you will want to introduce some basic receiving skills, so that they can

bring the ball under control quickly (which is essential if they are going to have any hope of shielding it).

How to do this? Start with two equal-sized players with a single ball in a grid about 3-yards square and have them

work on holding the ball by using simple rolls, pullbacks and other touches to shield the ball. If you teach your

players ANYTHING, teach them the skills to keep possession. Once they realize that they have the skills to keep an

opponent from stealing the ball, they will gain the confidence to lift their heads up and find another player to pass

off to. Before they gain this confidence, you can expect terrible passing simply because they will get flustered at the

first hint of pressure (and might even "feel" panicked at pressure which is 10-20 yards away). Until your players can

hold a ball 1 v 1 in a grid about 10 feet by 10 feet for a count of around 7-8, they are not going to have enough

confidence to do very well on the field.

After learning some basic shielding/receiving skills, the next thing to learn is some basic dribbling skills. Different

coaches have different philosophies on how to teach dribbling. Many coaches spend a lot of time trying to teach

young players a lot of fancy moves which were made famous by noted international stars (who, incidentally, only

perfected these fancy moves after years and years of hard work on the basics). This approach works for some kids

who are naturally graceful and quick. However, it can have the unfortunate result of convincing an awful lot of kids

that "I can't dribble" when they simply are still growing; are a bit clumsy; and cannot get their big feet and/or

unwieldy bodies to do all of the ballerina stuff.

What these coaches don't realize is that a player only needs to know about 3 basic moves to be able to dribble very

successfully--and that virtually all top-notch players use these same 3 moves about 90% of the time when they are

dribbling the ball. ANYBODY CAN LEARN THESE 3 MOVES (and this includes the coach)!

The moves are the check (a/k/a "magic hop" in some Vogelsinger videos); the simple cut/explosion using the outside

of the dribble foot; and the chop (cut with the inside of the foot). If they can master these three moves, and learn the

standard, straight-ahead dribbling technique (i.e. knee over the ball; front of dribble foot pulls the ball along so it

SC-L Coaching Manual page 11 printed 08/23/99

stays on/near the foot at all times), they can learn to beat a reasonable number of defenders especially if those

defenders are coming in at speed.

The key to take-on skills is getting the head up to watch the defender which is dependent on having enough ballcontrol

that you know where the ball is and what it is going to do without needing to look. Then, as soon as the

defender tries to stab at the ball, you can take advantage of his "dead leg" (weight mainly on one leg) by attacking

the outside of the dead leg and going around him. Piece of cake!!

Of course, once your players become convinced that they can dribble, they probably will want to work on "cool

moves". This is a great warm-up. In fact, it can be great homework (Coach at end of practice: "Johnny needs to learn

a new move and teach it to us at next practice; anyone who uses it in the scrimmage gets a lollipop"). But don't put

the cart before the horse. Convince them that they can dribble and the fancy moves will take care of themselves.

The next thing to learn is basic defense including simple delay as well as ball-stealing. The first thing to teach is

simple delaying tactics by use of good footwork to get in the attacker's way. Time is the defender's friend, and speed

is the attacker's friend, so you want to delay and delay and delay to allow your teammates to come and help. Once

you're "numbers up", it's easier to steal the ball! The second skill is the standing tackle followed by the shoulder

charge.

Of course, after you've taught these very basic skills, you'll need to work on passing technique and kicking technique

since most kids won't be able to pass accurately or do a laces kick or a chip without instruction (although most will

toe-kick just fine). Whatever you do, please don't teach your kids that the "proper" way to score is to break the net

with a hard shot. Many kids get the impression that they cannot play forward unless they have a very hard shot. This

is garbage. Most goals in games will be scored by passes, not by blistering shots on goal (pull out your WC tapes

and watch - this is universally true for most goals, except for set plays). So, get them used to scoring by simply

passing the ball into the net and their future coaches will thank you. Nothing wrong with scoring by a kick, mind

you. Just don't get them into the mindset that their spectacular dribbling run through 6 defenders needs to end with a

bullet shot as they'll inevitably put the ball out too far in front of them to get the shot off and the keeper will make a

meal of it. On the other hand, they most likely would have scored if they had simply kept the head up; watched the

keeper; and pushed it past him.

Depending on your age group, the next stage is often to introduce wall passes but these take lots of ball

control/receiving/passing skills which often are not present at younger ages or with newer players. You'll also want

to introduce the basic cutback or drop at some stage, as well as the square pass. The cutback or drop (where the onball

player takes the ball to the goal line and cuts it back to the penalty mark) are common support options. These

are all basic 2v1 options for support - and I haven't even added the overlap!

There is not much point in even adding much in the 3v1 or 3v2 attacking category until your kids have mastered the

basic jobs of the on-ball player and the player who is closest to him (the 2nd attacker, in coach-speak). Once the kids

have figured out how to keep the ball; take somebody on; and provide simple 2v1 support; add in the concepts of

basic triangles for support and focus on the job of the off-ball players to promptly move so that the on-ball player

always has 2 safe, short passing options. Along with improving first-touch and some more basic take-on, finishing

and defending skills, this should be quite enough to occupy your team (and you) through the next World Cup.

Along the way, expect them to make mistakes in deciding what was the "best" support option. Expect them to go to

sleep from time to time, and not move into a good support position. Expect their first-touch to fail them. But, if you

work them in these basics and push them to learn these simple rules, they are likely to be among the best players on

the field in a few years.

Updated 6 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 12 printed 08/23/99

Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

Most teams (and new coaches) are thrown into games after just a few practices, often before the coach has had a real

chance to teach the players anything. Thus, new coaches often feel intense pressure to "win", and may take early

losses personally. This can lead them to worry excessively about where to put their players to maximize their "wins"

when they really should be worrying about giving their young charges valuable experience in all parts of the field.

These same fears of "failure" (i.e., not winning) can also cause some youth coaches to focus on a few stars and

relegate the rest to the bench or supporting roles. When this happens, most of the players don't learn anything or

have any fun, and even the development of the "stars" can be harmed in the long run.

How You Define "Winning" Will Affect All You Do

It is important to let players and parents know what the coach defines as "winning" at the start of the season. In their

developmental years, kids really do "win" at soccer or, for that matter, any other sport if they have fun with their

friends; learn enough about the game to become a fan; and get some healthy exercise. Numerous studies show that

while kids certainly enjoy winning contests, their short attention span allows them to quickly forget the score in the

last game, at least until some adult makes a big deal out of it. In addition, because kids are naturally more focused on

their own performance than on the performance of the group, kids can be perfectly happy if they had a great game

themselves even if the team lost in a blow-out.

Because kids have these wonderfully short memories and an ingrained focus on "me", any coach can have a

"winning" season by setting the kids up to succeed at some task in every game and praising them for this

accomplishment. Of course, a good coach also wants to teach them to work together and to whittle down the "me"

focus a bit. Therefore, good coaches will include some team objectives that encourage the kids to work together

(e.g., "Let's see if we can get 3 passes in a row in each quarter"). So, don't be afraid to use a long-term focus and to

define "winning" in a way that gives everyone a fair chance to succeed.

Develop a Long-Term Focus

88***************************************

Introduction

1. Disclaimer

2. Copyright

3. Reproduction of materials

4. How to use the Manual

Resources for Coaching

5. Coaching certification & courses

6. Useful items to get for practices

7. Sample medical and other forms

8. Medical information for soccer coaches

9. Risk management and safety tips

10. A coach's first-aid kit

11. A guide to the Laws of the Game

12. A guide to on-field communication

13. A soccer glossary

14. Training Aids for Coaches

· Helpful videos and CDs

· Helpful books

· Websites with useful drills/skills info

15. Information on Stretching

16. Fun Games to Teach Skills

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

17. Expectations after One Year

18. The Most Important Skills to Teach

19. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

20. Individual Attacking

21. Group Attacking

22. Individual Defending

23. Group Defending

Practical Guidelines for Coaching

24. Importance of pre-season meeting with parents and players

25. Organizing effective practices

26. Player management and discipline

27. Special ideas for your first practice

Practice Plans to Teach the Basics

Ball Control

28. Straight-ahead Dribbling

29. Dribbling moves

30. Chops

31. Inside cut

SC-L Coaching Manual page 6 printed 08/23/99

32. Fakes & feints

Passing & Receiving

1. Push pass

2. Passing & receiving

3. Receiving

4. Chest traps

5. Receiving 'air balls'

6. Shielding

7. Heading intro

8. Heading

Kicking

1. The instep drive

2. The laces kick

3. The lofted kick

Defending

1. Tackling

2. Shoulder charge

3. Communication

4. First defender

5. Second defender

33. Basic marking

Attacking

1. Going 1 v 1

2. Taking defenders on

3. Combined play

Other

1. Throw-ins

2. Restarts

3. Tips on basic goal-keeper training

4. Sample stretching routine

5. Teaching the Laws of the Game (LOTG)

6. Fun Games That Teach Skills (from the archives of SOCCER-COACH-L)

Guidelines for Game Day

1. Dealing with officials

2. Game day tips

3. Effective ways to handle subs

4. Adjusting to your opponent

Coaching the Very Young Child

34. Training guidelines

35. Coaching the swarm

SC-L Coaching Manual page 7 printed 08/23/99

36. Games for the very young

37. Drills for the very young

38. More games and activities

Further reading

Updated 11 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 8 printed 08/23/99

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

This section is about the basic principles of what you should try to teach your players, and what those things are

important. The actual mechanics of the coaching sections can be found in the "Practice Plans to Teach the Basics"

section. Here's what you'll find here:

1. Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

2. The Most Important Skills to Teach

3. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Skills

4. Individual Attacking

5. Group Attacking

6. Individual Defending

7. Group Defending

Updated 12 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 9 printed 08/23/99

Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

After one year (one long or two short outdoor seasons, or one outdoor and one indoor season, depending on local

conditions) of formal soccer training, most coaches on the List think that it is realistic to expect most beginners at

age U-10 and above to be able to do the following:

1. Head a fairly gentle ball (they shouldn't even think of attempting teeth-rattlers until around U13 or so).

2. Be able to execute a decent chest trap (and decide whether to use the head or chest as the ball is coming in).

3. Know the basic rules for a first defender (delay/deny), and be able to successfully mark/hold an attacker of

similar size/speed/skill for a count of about 7-8.

4. Execute a basic standing tackle and shoulder charge.

5. Be able to pass a stationary ball thru cones 1 yard apart at distances of 6 yards with dominant foot. Be able

to pass accurately with non-dominant foot at the 3 yard distance.

6. Be able to receive/control with 2 touches/then push pass a moving ball thru cones 1 yard apart at a distance

of 4 yards (2-3 yards with non-dominant).

7. Be able to execute a laces kick with some power and accuracy.

8. Be able to execute a lofted kick/chip which will clear an average-sized player in their age bracket.

9. Understand the basic rules on throw-ins, and be able to execute them properly.

10. Be able to dribble/beat an unskilled defender by use of simple cuts and changes of pace.

11. Be able to shield the ball and hold in 1 v 1 situation to count of 8.

12. Understand basic principles of keepaway (talking, taking the ball where the defenders aren't, basic rules of

support triangles, planning your reception to take ball into space/away from pressure).

13. Understand usual game rules (restarts, fouls, fair play, ref signals, basic offsides if applicable).

14. Understand/follow the team rules (paying attention, bringing proper equipment to practice, cleanup,

subbing, calling if late/missing, no hassle of teammates, etc.).

15. Be able to juggle the ball with the foot or thigh at least 5-10 times.

16. Be able to pass the ball appropriately to a teammate who is 10 yards or more away, both when teammate is

stationary and when moving (i.e., understands the concept of leading a moving player so that he does not

overrun the ball).

17. Be able to receive a well-struck ball passed with the inside of both feet, and with at least the outside of the

dominant foot.

Updated 31 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 10 printed 08/23/99

The Most Important Skills to Teach

Soccer players need a lot of different skills, and it does not matter for most of these skills whether you teach Skill A

or Skill B first. However, there are some skills that are absolute "must-haves" for any player- and are so important

that you probably will want to teach them first.

These are basic ball-holding skills (receiving and shielding); basic ball-stealing skills (defense); and basic take-on

skills (attacking). Most kids naturally seem to have a few basic defensive skills, even if they were never formally

taught. The other two areas require instruction to accomplish with even minimal competency, so there is a good

argument to start first with ball-holding skills; move next to take-on skills; and then to get to ball-stealing skills.

Why ball-holding before take-on? Simple. Once you get possession, the other side is going to try to take the ball

back. If you can hang onto the ball under pressure, you'll have time to make better decisions (including finding an

open teammate to pass the ball to). Also, if you are confident that you can hold the ball, you are much less likely to

blindly try to simply whack it away and let someone else worry about it (a technique commonly known as "passing

the responsibility rather than the ball" or the "hot-potato phenomenon"). What are ball-holding skills? Most folks

refer to them as receiving and shielding skills. The first step (receiving) is to bring the ball under control quickly.

Then, you use your body/legs to get between the opponent and the ball to protect (shield) the ball. It includes really

basic stuff like simply stepping over the ball when somebody is coming in, as well as somewhat harder stuff (but

still easy) like rolling/pulling the ball back behind you or to your side. The rolling/pulling of the ball requires some

work, as you need to learn to use both feet - and to switch feet. However, one of the key ingredients is to learn to

bend the knees; get the arms out; and use your weight to push back into the opponent. As kids get more advanced,

they can learn how to spring off of an opponent (or roll off of him by using a circle turn). However, at the very

beginning stages, they are fine if they can simply get their bottoms down; get those knees bent; push hard back into

the opponent; and get enough weight on their support leg to be able to free their far foot and use it to roll the ball

around. Along with these ball-holding skills, you will want to introduce some basic receiving skills, so that they can

bring the ball under control quickly (which is essential if they are going to have any hope of shielding it).

How to do this? Start with two equal-sized players with a single ball in a grid about 3-yards square and have them

work on holding the ball by using simple rolls, pullbacks and other touches to shield the ball. If you teach your

players ANYTHING, teach them the skills to keep possession. Once they realize that they have the skills to keep an

opponent from stealing the ball, they will gain the confidence to lift their heads up and find another player to pass

off to. Before they gain this confidence, you can expect terrible passing simply because they will get flustered at the

first hint of pressure (and might even "feel" panicked at pressure which is 10-20 yards away). Until your players can

hold a ball 1 v 1 in a grid about 10 feet by 10 feet for a count of around 7-8, they are not going to have enough

confidence to do very well on the field.

After learning some basic shielding/receiving skills, the next thing to learn is some basic dribbling skills. Different

coaches have different philosophies on how to teach dribbling. Many coaches spend a lot of time trying to teach

young players a lot of fancy moves which were made famous by noted international stars (who, incidentally, only

perfected these fancy moves after years and years of hard work on the basics). This approach works for some kids

who are naturally graceful and quick. However, it can have the unfortunate result of convincing an awful lot of kids

that "I can't dribble" when they simply are still growing; are a bit clumsy; and cannot get their big feet and/or

unwieldy bodies to do all of the ballerina stuff.

What these coaches don't realize is that a player only needs to know about 3 basic moves to be able to dribble very

successfully--and that virtually all top-notch players use these same 3 moves about 90% of the time when they are

dribbling the ball. ANYBODY CAN LEARN THESE 3 MOVES (and this includes the coach)!

The moves are the check (a/k/a "magic hop" in some Vogelsinger videos); the simple cut/explosion using the outside

of the dribble foot; and the chop (cut with the inside of the foot). If they can master these three moves, and learn the

standard, straight-ahead dribbling technique (i.e. knee over the ball; front of dribble foot pulls the ball along so it

SC-L Coaching Manual page 11 printed 08/23/99

stays on/near the foot at all times), they can learn to beat a reasonable number of defenders especially if those

defenders are coming in at speed.

The key to take-on skills is getting the head up to watch the defender which is dependent on having enough ballcontrol

that you know where the ball is and what it is going to do without needing to look. Then, as soon as the

defender tries to stab at the ball, you can take advantage of his "dead leg" (weight mainly on one leg) by attacking

the outside of the dead leg and going around him. Piece of cake!!

Of course, once your players become convinced that they can dribble, they probably will want to work on "cool

moves". This is a great warm-up. In fact, it can be great homework (Coach at end of practice: "Johnny needs to learn

a new move and teach it to us at next practice; anyone who uses it in the scrimmage gets a lollipop"). But don't put

the cart before the horse. Convince them that they can dribble and the fancy moves will take care of themselves.

The next thing to learn is basic defense including simple delay as well as ball-stealing. The first thing to teach is

simple delaying tactics by use of good footwork to get in the attacker's way. Time is the defender's friend, and speed

is the attacker's friend, so you want to delay and delay and delay to allow your teammates to come and help. Once

you're "numbers up", it's easier to steal the ball! The second skill is the standing tackle followed by the shoulder

charge.

Of course, after you've taught these very basic skills, you'll need to work on passing technique and kicking technique

since most kids won't be able to pass accurately or do a laces kick or a chip without instruction (although most will

toe-kick just fine). Whatever you do, please don't teach your kids that the "proper" way to score is to break the net

with a hard shot. Many kids get the impression that they cannot play forward unless they have a very hard shot. This

is garbage. Most goals in games will be scored by passes, not by blistering shots on goal (pull out your WC tapes

and watch - this is universally true for most goals, except for set plays). So, get them used to scoring by simply

passing the ball into the net and their future coaches will thank you. Nothing wrong with scoring by a kick, mind

you. Just don't get them into the mindset that their spectacular dribbling run through 6 defenders needs to end with a

bullet shot as they'll inevitably put the ball out too far in front of them to get the shot off and the keeper will make a

meal of it. On the other hand, they most likely would have scored if they had simply kept the head up; watched the

keeper; and pushed it past him.

Depending on your age group, the next stage is often to introduce wall passes but these take lots of ball

control/receiving/passing skills which often are not present at younger ages or with newer players. You'll also want

to introduce the basic cutback or drop at some stage, as well as the square pass. The cutback or drop (where the onball

player takes the ball to the goal line and cuts it back to the penalty mark) are common support options. These

are all basic 2v1 options for support - and I haven't even added the overlap!

There is not much point in even adding much in the 3v1 or 3v2 attacking category until your kids have mastered the

basic jobs of the on-ball player and the player who is closest to him (the 2nd attacker, in coach-speak). Once the kids

have figured out how to keep the ball; take somebody on; and provide simple 2v1 support; add in the concepts of

basic triangles for support and focus on the job of the off-ball players to promptly move so that the on-ball player

always has 2 safe, short passing options. Along with improving first-touch and some more basic take-on, finishing

and defending skills, this should be quite enough to occupy your team (and you) through the next World Cup.

Along the way, expect them to make mistakes in deciding what was the "best" support option. Expect them to go to

sleep from time to time, and not move into a good support position. Expect their first-touch to fail them. But, if you

work them in these basics and push them to learn these simple rules, they are likely to be among the best players on

the field in a few years.

Updated 6 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 12 printed 08/23/99

Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

Most teams (and new coaches) are thrown into games after just a few practices, often before the coach has had a real

chance to teach the players anything. Thus, new coaches often feel intense pressure to "win", and may take early

losses personally. This can lead them to worry excessively about where to put their players to maximize their "wins"

when they really should be worrying about giving their young charges valuable experience in all parts of the field.

These same fears of "failure" (i.e., not winning) can also cause some youth coaches to focus on a few stars and

relegate the rest to the bench or supporting roles. When this happens, most of the players don't learn anything or

have any fun, and even the development of the "stars" can be harmed in the long run.

How You Define "Winning" Will Affect All You Do

It is important to let players and parents know what the coach defines as "winning" at the start of the season. In their

developmental years, kids really do "win" at soccer or, for that matter, any other sport if they have fun with their

friends; learn enough about the game to become a fan; and get some healthy exercise. Numerous studies show that

while kids certainly enjoy winning contests, their short attention span allows them to quickly forget the score in the

last game, at least until some adult makes a big deal out of it. In addition, because kids are naturally more focused on

their own performance than on the performance of the group, kids can be perfectly happy if they had a great game

themselves even if the team lost in a blow-out.

Because kids have these wonderfully short memories and an ingrained focus on "me", any coach can have a

"winning" season by setting the kids up to succeed at some task in every game and praising them for this

accomplishment. Of course, a good coach also wants to teach them to work together and to whittle down the "me"

focus a bit. Therefore, good coaches will include some team objectives that encourage the kids to work together

(e.g., "Let's see if we can get 3 passes in a row in each quarter"). So, don't be afraid to use a long-term focus and to

define "winning" in a way that gives everyone a fair chance to succeed.

Develop a Long-Term Focus

Introduction

1. Disclaimer

2. Copyright

3. Reproduction of materials

4. How to use the Manual

Resources for Coaching

5. Coaching certification & courses

6. Useful items to get for practices

7. Sample medical and other forms

8. Medical information for soccer coaches

9. Risk management and safety tips

10. A coach's first-aid kit

11. A guide to the Laws of the Game

12. A guide to on-field communication

13. A soccer glossary

14. Training Aids for Coaches

· Helpful videos and CDs

· Helpful books

· Websites with useful drills/skills info

15. Information on Stretching

16. Fun Games to Teach Skills

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

17. Expectations after One Year

18. The Most Important Skills to Teach

19. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

20. Individual Attacking

21. Group Attacking

22. Individual Defending

23. Group Defending

Practical Guidelines for Coaching

24. Importance of pre-season meeting with parents and players

25. Organizing effective practices

26. Player management and discipline

27. Special ideas for your first practice

Practice Plans to Teach the Basics

Ball Control

28. Straight-ahead Dribbling

29. Dribbling moves

30. Chops

31. Inside cut

SC-L Coaching Manual page 6 printed 08/23/99

32. Fakes & feints

Passing & Receiving

1. Push pass

2. Passing & receiving

3. Receiving

4. Chest traps

5. Receiving 'air balls'

6. Shielding

7. Heading intro

8. Heading

Kicking

1. The instep drive

2. The laces kick

3. The lofted kick

Defending

1. Tackling

2. Shoulder charge

3. Communication

4. First defender

5. Second defender

33. Basic marking

Attacking

1. Going 1 v 1

2. Taking defenders on

3. Combined play

Other

1. Throw-ins

2. Restarts

3. Tips on basic goal-keeper training

4. Sample stretching routine

5. Teaching the Laws of the Game (LOTG)

6. Fun Games That Teach Skills (from the archives of SOCCER-COACH-L)

Guidelines for Game Day

1. Dealing with officials

2. Game day tips

3. Effective ways to handle subs

4. Adjusting to your opponent

Coaching the Very Young Child

34. Training guidelines

35. Coaching the swarm

SC-L Coaching Manual page 7 printed 08/23/99

36. Games for the very young

37. Drills for the very young

38. More games and activities

Further reading

Updated 11 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 8 printed 08/23/99

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

This section is about the basic principles of what you should try to teach your players, and what those things are

important. The actual mechanics of the coaching sections can be found in the "Practice Plans to Teach the Basics"

section. Here's what you'll find here:

1. Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

2. The Most Important Skills to Teach

3. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Skills

4. Individual Attacking

5. Group Attacking

6. Individual Defending

7. Group Defending

Updated 12 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 9 printed 08/23/99

Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

After one year (one long or two short outdoor seasons, or one outdoor and one indoor season, depending on local

conditions) of formal soccer training, most coaches on the List think that it is realistic to expect most beginners at

age U-10 and above to be able to do the following:

1. Head a fairly gentle ball (they shouldn't even think of attempting teeth-rattlers until around U13 or so).

2. Be able to execute a decent chest trap (and decide whether to use the head or chest as the ball is coming in).

3. Know the basic rules for a first defender (delay/deny), and be able to successfully mark/hold an attacker of

similar size/speed/skill for a count of about 7-8.

4. Execute a basic standing tackle and shoulder charge.

5. Be able to pass a stationary ball thru cones 1 yard apart at distances of 6 yards with dominant foot. Be able

to pass accurately with non-dominant foot at the 3 yard distance.

6. Be able to receive/control with 2 touches/then push pass a moving ball thru cones 1 yard apart at a distance

of 4 yards (2-3 yards with non-dominant).

7. Be able to execute a laces kick with some power and accuracy.

8. Be able to execute a lofted kick/chip which will clear an average-sized player in their age bracket.

9. Understand the basic rules on throw-ins, and be able to execute them properly.

10. Be able to dribble/beat an unskilled defender by use of simple cuts and changes of pace.

11. Be able to shield the ball and hold in 1 v 1 situation to count of 8.

12. Understand basic principles of keepaway (talking, taking the ball where the defenders aren't, basic rules of

support triangles, planning your reception to take ball into space/away from pressure).

13. Understand usual game rules (restarts, fouls, fair play, ref signals, basic offsides if applicable).

14. Understand/follow the team rules (paying attention, bringing proper equipment to practice, cleanup,

subbing, calling if late/missing, no hassle of teammates, etc.).

15. Be able to juggle the ball with the foot or thigh at least 5-10 times.

16. Be able to pass the ball appropriately to a teammate who is 10 yards or more away, both when teammate is

stationary and when moving (i.e., understands the concept of leading a moving player so that he does not

overrun the ball).

17. Be able to receive a well-struck ball passed with the inside of both feet, and with at least the outside of the

dominant foot.

Updated 31 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 10 printed 08/23/99

The Most Important Skills to Teach

Soccer players need a lot of different skills, and it does not matter for most of these skills whether you teach Skill A

or Skill B first. However, there are some skills that are absolute "must-haves" for any player- and are so important

that you probably will want to teach them first.

These are basic ball-holding skills (receiving and shielding); basic ball-stealing skills (defense); and basic take-on

skills (attacking). Most kids naturally seem to have a few basic defensive skills, even if they were never formally

taught. The other two areas require instruction to accomplish with even minimal competency, so there is a good

argument to start first with ball-holding skills; move next to take-on skills; and then to get to ball-stealing skills.

Why ball-holding before take-on? Simple. Once you get possession, the other side is going to try to take the ball

back. If you can hang onto the ball under pressure, you'll have time to make better decisions (including finding an

open teammate to pass the ball to). Also, if you are confident that you can hold the ball, you are much less likely to

blindly try to simply whack it away and let someone else worry about it (a technique commonly known as "passing

the responsibility rather than the ball" or the "hot-potato phenomenon"). What are ball-holding skills? Most folks

refer to them as receiving and shielding skills. The first step (receiving) is to bring the ball under control quickly.

Then, you use your body/legs to get between the opponent and the ball to protect (shield) the ball. It includes really

basic stuff like simply stepping over the ball when somebody is coming in, as well as somewhat harder stuff (but

still easy) like rolling/pulling the ball back behind you or to your side. The rolling/pulling of the ball requires some

work, as you need to learn to use both feet - and to switch feet. However, one of the key ingredients is to learn to

bend the knees; get the arms out; and use your weight to push back into the opponent. As kids get more advanced,

they can learn how to spring off of an opponent (or roll off of him by using a circle turn). However, at the very

beginning stages, they are fine if they can simply get their bottoms down; get those knees bent; push hard back into

the opponent; and get enough weight on their support leg to be able to free their far foot and use it to roll the ball

around. Along with these ball-holding skills, you will want to introduce some basic receiving skills, so that they can

bring the ball under control quickly (which is essential if they are going to have any hope of shielding it).

How to do this? Start with two equal-sized players with a single ball in a grid about 3-yards square and have them

work on holding the ball by using simple rolls, pullbacks and other touches to shield the ball. If you teach your

players ANYTHING, teach them the skills to keep possession. Once they realize that they have the skills to keep an

opponent from stealing the ball, they will gain the confidence to lift their heads up and find another player to pass

off to. Before they gain this confidence, you can expect terrible passing simply because they will get flustered at the

first hint of pressure (and might even "feel" panicked at pressure which is 10-20 yards away). Until your players can

hold a ball 1 v 1 in a grid about 10 feet by 10 feet for a count of around 7-8, they are not going to have enough

confidence to do very well on the field.

After learning some basic shielding/receiving skills, the next thing to learn is some basic dribbling skills. Different

coaches have different philosophies on how to teach dribbling. Many coaches spend a lot of time trying to teach

young players a lot of fancy moves which were made famous by noted international stars (who, incidentally, only

perfected these fancy moves after years and years of hard work on the basics). This approach works for some kids

who are naturally graceful and quick. However, it can have the unfortunate result of convincing an awful lot of kids

that "I can't dribble" when they simply are still growing; are a bit clumsy; and cannot get their big feet and/or

unwieldy bodies to do all of the ballerina stuff.

What these coaches don't realize is that a player only needs to know about 3 basic moves to be able to dribble very

successfully--and that virtually all top-notch players use these same 3 moves about 90% of the time when they are

dribbling the ball. ANYBODY CAN LEARN THESE 3 MOVES (and this includes the coach)!

The moves are the check (a/k/a "magic hop" in some Vogelsinger videos); the simple cut/explosion using the outside

of the dribble foot; and the chop (cut with the inside of the foot). If they can master these three moves, and learn the

standard, straight-ahead dribbling technique (i.e. knee over the ball; front of dribble foot pulls the ball along so it

SC-L Coaching Manual page 11 printed 08/23/99

stays on/near the foot at all times), they can learn to beat a reasonable number of defenders especially if those

defenders are coming in at speed.

The key to take-on skills is getting the head up to watch the defender which is dependent on having enough ballcontrol

that you know where the ball is and what it is going to do without needing to look. Then, as soon as the

defender tries to stab at the ball, you can take advantage of his "dead leg" (weight mainly on one leg) by attacking

the outside of the dead leg and going around him. Piece of cake!!

Of course, once your players become convinced that they can dribble, they probably will want to work on "cool

moves". This is a great warm-up. In fact, it can be great homework (Coach at end of practice: "Johnny needs to learn

a new move and teach it to us at next practice; anyone who uses it in the scrimmage gets a lollipop"). But don't put

the cart before the horse. Convince them that they can dribble and the fancy moves will take care of themselves.

The next thing to learn is basic defense including simple delay as well as ball-stealing. The first thing to teach is

simple delaying tactics by use of good footwork to get in the attacker's way. Time is the defender's friend, and speed

is the attacker's friend, so you want to delay and delay and delay to allow your teammates to come and help. Once

you're "numbers up", it's easier to steal the ball! The second skill is the standing tackle followed by the shoulder

charge.

Of course, after you've taught these very basic skills, you'll need to work on passing technique and kicking technique

since most kids won't be able to pass accurately or do a laces kick or a chip without instruction (although most will

toe-kick just fine). Whatever you do, please don't teach your kids that the "proper" way to score is to break the net

with a hard shot. Many kids get the impression that they cannot play forward unless they have a very hard shot. This

is garbage. Most goals in games will be scored by passes, not by blistering shots on goal (pull out your WC tapes

and watch - this is universally true for most goals, except for set plays). So, get them used to scoring by simply

passing the ball into the net and their future coaches will thank you. Nothing wrong with scoring by a kick, mind

you. Just don't get them into the mindset that their spectacular dribbling run through 6 defenders needs to end with a

bullet shot as they'll inevitably put the ball out too far in front of them to get the shot off and the keeper will make a

meal of it. On the other hand, they most likely would have scored if they had simply kept the head up; watched the

keeper; and pushed it past him.

Depending on your age group, the next stage is often to introduce wall passes but these take lots of ball

control/receiving/passing skills which often are not present at younger ages or with newer players. You'll also want

to introduce the basic cutback or drop at some stage, as well as the square pass. The cutback or drop (where the onball

player takes the ball to the goal line and cuts it back to the penalty mark) are common support options. These

are all basic 2v1 options for support - and I haven't even added the overlap!

There is not much point in even adding much in the 3v1 or 3v2 attacking category until your kids have mastered the

basic jobs of the on-ball player and the player who is closest to him (the 2nd attacker, in coach-speak). Once the kids

have figured out how to keep the ball; take somebody on; and provide simple 2v1 support; add in the concepts of

basic triangles for support and focus on the job of the off-ball players to promptly move so that the on-ball player

always has 2 safe, short passing options. Along with improving first-touch and some more basic take-on, finishing

and defending skills, this should be quite enough to occupy your team (and you) through the next World Cup.

Along the way, expect them to make mistakes in deciding what was the "best" support option. Expect them to go to

sleep from time to time, and not move into a good support position. Expect their first-touch to fail them. But, if you

work them in these basics and push them to learn these simple rules, they are likely to be among the best players on

the field in a few years.

Updated 6 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 12 printed 08/23/99

Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

Most teams (and new coaches) are thrown into games after just a few practices, often before the coach has had a real

chance to teach the players anything. Thus, new coaches often feel intense pressure to "win", and may take early

losses personally. This can lead them to worry excessively about where to put their players to maximize their "wins"

when they really should be worrying about giving their young charges valuable experience in all parts of the field.

These same fears of "failure" (i.e., not winning) can also cause some youth coaches to focus on a few stars and

relegate the rest to the bench or supporting roles. When this happens, most of the players don't learn anything or

have any fun, and even the development of the "stars" can be harmed in the long run.

How You Define "Winning" Will Affect All You Do

It is important to let players and parents know what the coach defines as "winning" at the start of the season. In their

developmental years, kids really do "win" at soccer or, for that matter, any other sport if they have fun with their

friends; learn enough about the game to become a fan; and get some healthy exercise. Numerous studies show that

while kids certainly enjoy winning contests, their short attention span allows them to quickly forget the score in the

last game, at least until some adult makes a big deal out of it. In addition, because kids are naturally more focused on

their own performance than on the performance of the group, kids can be perfectly happy if they had a great game

themselves even if the team lost in a blow-out.

Because kids have these wonderfully short memories and an ingrained focus on "me", any coach can have a

"winning" season by setting the kids up to succeed at some task in every game and praising them for this

accomplishment. Of course, a good coach also wants to teach them to work together and to whittle down the "me"

focus a bit. Therefore, good coaches will include some team objectives that encourage the kids to work together

(e.g., "Let's see if we can get 3 passes in a row in each quarter"). So, don't be afraid to use a long-term focus and to

define "winning" in a way that gives everyone a fair chance to succeed.

Develop a Long-Term Focus

Introduction

1. Disclaimer

2. Copyright

3. Reproduction of materials

4. How to use the Manual

Resources for Coaching

5. Coaching certification & courses

6. Useful items to get for practices

7. Sample medical and other forms

8. Medical information for soccer coaches

9. Risk management and safety tips

10. A coach's first-aid kit

11. A guide to the Laws of the Game

12. A guide to on-field communication

13. A soccer glossary

14. Training Aids for Coaches

· Helpful videos and CDs

· Helpful books

· Websites with useful drills/skills info

15. Information on Stretching

16. Fun Games to Teach Skills

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

17. Expectations after One Year

18. The Most Important Skills to Teach

19. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

20. Individual Attacking

21. Group Attacking

22. Individual Defending

23. Group Defending

Practical Guidelines for Coaching

24. Importance of pre-season meeting with parents and players

25. Organizing effective practices

26. Player management and discipline

27. Special ideas for your first practice

Practice Plans to Teach the Basics

Ball Control

28. Straight-ahead Dribbling

29. Dribbling moves

30. Chops

31. Inside cut

SC-L Coaching Manual page 6 printed 08/23/99

32. Fakes & feints

Passing & Receiving

1. Push pass

2. Passing & receiving

3. Receiving

4. Chest traps

5. Receiving 'air balls'

6. Shielding

7. Heading intro

8. Heading

Kicking

1. The instep drive

2. The laces kick

3. The lofted kick

Defending

1. Tackling

2. Shoulder charge

3. Communication

4. First defender

5. Second defender

33. Basic marking

Attacking

1. Going 1 v 1

2. Taking defenders on

3. Combined play

Other

1. Throw-ins

2. Restarts

3. Tips on basic goal-keeper training

4. Sample stretching routine

5. Teaching the Laws of the Game (LOTG)

6. Fun Games That Teach Skills (from the archives of SOCCER-COACH-L)

Guidelines for Game Day

1. Dealing with officials

2. Game day tips

3. Effective ways to handle subs

4. Adjusting to your opponent

Coaching the Very Young Child

34. Training guidelines

35. Coaching the swarm

SC-L Coaching Manual page 7 printed 08/23/99

36. Games for the very young

37. Drills for the very young

38. More games and activities

Further reading

Updated 11 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 8 printed 08/23/99

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

This section is about the basic principles of what you should try to teach your players, and what those things are

important. The actual mechanics of the coaching sections can be found in the "Practice Plans to Teach the Basics"

section. Here's what you'll find here:

1. Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

2. The Most Important Skills to Teach

3. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Skills

4. Individual Attacking

5. Group Attacking

6. Individual Defending

7. Group Defending

Updated 12 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 9 printed 08/23/99

Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

After one year (one long or two short outdoor seasons, or one outdoor and one indoor season, depending on local

conditions) of formal soccer training, most coaches on the List think that it is realistic to expect most beginners at

age U-10 and above to be able to do the following:

1. Head a fairly gentle ball (they shouldn't even think of attempting teeth-rattlers until around U13 or so).

2. Be able to execute a decent chest trap (and decide whether to use the head or chest as the ball is coming in).

3. Know the basic rules for a first defender (delay/deny), and be able to successfully mark/hold an attacker of

similar size/speed/skill for a count of about 7-8.

4. Execute a basic standing tackle and shoulder charge.

5. Be able to pass a stationary ball thru cones 1 yard apart at distances of 6 yards with dominant foot. Be able

to pass accurately with non-dominant foot at the 3 yard distance.

6. Be able to receive/control with 2 touches/then push pass a moving ball thru cones 1 yard apart at a distance

of 4 yards (2-3 yards with non-dominant).

7. Be able to execute a laces kick with some power and accuracy.

8. Be able to execute a lofted kick/chip which will clear an average-sized player in their age bracket.

9. Understand the basic rules on throw-ins, and be able to execute them properly.

10. Be able to dribble/beat an unskilled defender by use of simple cuts and changes of pace.

11. Be able to shield the ball and hold in 1 v 1 situation to count of 8.

12. Understand basic principles of keepaway (talking, taking the ball where the defenders aren't, basic rules of

support triangles, planning your reception to take ball into space/away from pressure).

13. Understand usual game rules (restarts, fouls, fair play, ref signals, basic offsides if applicable).

14. Understand/follow the team rules (paying attention, bringing proper equipment to practice, cleanup,

subbing, calling if late/missing, no hassle of teammates, etc.).

15. Be able to juggle the ball with the foot or thigh at least 5-10 times.

16. Be able to pass the ball appropriately to a teammate who is 10 yards or more away, both when teammate is

stationary and when moving (i.e., understands the concept of leading a moving player so that he does not

overrun the ball).

17. Be able to receive a well-struck ball passed with the inside of both feet, and with at least the outside of the

dominant foot.

Updated 31 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 10 printed 08/23/99

The Most Important Skills to Teach

Soccer players need a lot of different skills, and it does not matter for most of these skills whether you teach Skill A

or Skill B first. However, there are some skills that are absolute "must-haves" for any player- and are so important

that you probably will want to teach them first.

These are basic ball-holding skills (receiving and shielding); basic ball-stealing skills (defense); and basic take-on

skills (attacking). Most kids naturally seem to have a few basic defensive skills, even if they were never formally

taught. The other two areas require instruction to accomplish with even minimal competency, so there is a good

argument to start first with ball-holding skills; move next to take-on skills; and then to get to ball-stealing skills.

Why ball-holding before take-on? Simple. Once you get possession, the other side is going to try to take the ball

back. If you can hang onto the ball under pressure, you'll have time to make better decisions (including finding an

open teammate to pass the ball to). Also, if you are confident that you can hold the ball, you are much less likely to

blindly try to simply whack it away and let someone else worry about it (a technique commonly known as "passing

the responsibility rather than the ball" or the "hot-potato phenomenon"). What are ball-holding skills? Most folks

refer to them as receiving and shielding skills. The first step (receiving) is to bring the ball under control quickly.

Then, you use your body/legs to get between the opponent and the ball to protect (shield) the ball. It includes really

basic stuff like simply stepping over the ball when somebody is coming in, as well as somewhat harder stuff (but

still easy) like rolling/pulling the ball back behind you or to your side. The rolling/pulling of the ball requires some

work, as you need to learn to use both feet - and to switch feet. However, one of the key ingredients is to learn to

bend the knees; get the arms out; and use your weight to push back into the opponent. As kids get more advanced,

they can learn how to spring off of an opponent (or roll off of him by using a circle turn). However, at the very

beginning stages, they are fine if they can simply get their bottoms down; get those knees bent; push hard back into

the opponent; and get enough weight on their support leg to be able to free their far foot and use it to roll the ball

around. Along with these ball-holding skills, you will want to introduce some basic receiving skills, so that they can

bring the ball under control quickly (which is essential if they are going to have any hope of shielding it).

How to do this? Start with two equal-sized players with a single ball in a grid about 3-yards square and have them

work on holding the ball by using simple rolls, pullbacks and other touches to shield the ball. If you teach your

players ANYTHING, teach them the skills to keep possession. Once they realize that they have the skills to keep an

opponent from stealing the ball, they will gain the confidence to lift their heads up and find another player to pass

off to. Before they gain this confidence, you can expect terrible passing simply because they will get flustered at the

first hint of pressure (and might even "feel" panicked at pressure which is 10-20 yards away). Until your players can

hold a ball 1 v 1 in a grid about 10 feet by 10 feet for a count of around 7-8, they are not going to have enough

confidence to do very well on the field.

After learning some basic shielding/receiving skills, the next thing to learn is some basic dribbling skills. Different

coaches have different philosophies on how to teach dribbling. Many coaches spend a lot of time trying to teach

young players a lot of fancy moves which were made famous by noted international stars (who, incidentally, only

perfected these fancy moves after years and years of hard work on the basics). This approach works for some kids

who are naturally graceful and quick. However, it can have the unfortunate result of convincing an awful lot of kids

that "I can't dribble" when they simply are still growing; are a bit clumsy; and cannot get their big feet and/or

unwieldy bodies to do all of the ballerina stuff.

What these coaches don't realize is that a player only needs to know about 3 basic moves to be able to dribble very

successfully--and that virtually all top-notch players use these same 3 moves about 90% of the time when they are

dribbling the ball. ANYBODY CAN LEARN THESE 3 MOVES (and this includes the coach)!

The moves are the check (a/k/a "magic hop" in some Vogelsinger videos); the simple cut/explosion using the outside

of the dribble foot; and the chop (cut with the inside of the foot). If they can master these three moves, and learn the

standard, straight-ahead dribbling technique (i.e. knee over the ball; front of dribble foot pulls the ball along so it

SC-L Coaching Manual page 11 printed 08/23/99

stays on/near the foot at all times), they can learn to beat a reasonable number of defenders especially if those

defenders are coming in at speed.

The key to take-on skills is getting the head up to watch the defender which is dependent on having enough ballcontrol

that you know where the ball is and what it is going to do without needing to look. Then, as soon as the

defender tries to stab at the ball, you can take advantage of his "dead leg" (weight mainly on one leg) by attacking

the outside of the dead leg and going around him. Piece of cake!!

Of course, once your players become convinced that they can dribble, they probably will want to work on "cool

moves". This is a great warm-up. In fact, it can be great homework (Coach at end of practice: "Johnny needs to learn

a new move and teach it to us at next practice; anyone who uses it in the scrimmage gets a lollipop"). But don't put

the cart before the horse. Convince them that they can dribble and the fancy moves will take care of themselves.

The next thing to learn is basic defense including simple delay as well as ball-stealing. The first thing to teach is

simple delaying tactics by use of good footwork to get in the attacker's way. Time is the defender's friend, and speed

is the attacker's friend, so you want to delay and delay and delay to allow your teammates to come and help. Once

you're "numbers up", it's easier to steal the ball! The second skill is the standing tackle followed by the shoulder

charge.

Of course, after you've taught these very basic skills, you'll need to work on passing technique and kicking technique

since most kids won't be able to pass accurately or do a laces kick or a chip without instruction (although most will

toe-kick just fine). Whatever you do, please don't teach your kids that the "proper" way to score is to break the net

with a hard shot. Many kids get the impression that they cannot play forward unless they have a very hard shot. This

is garbage. Most goals in games will be scored by passes, not by blistering shots on goal (pull out your WC tapes

and watch - this is universally true for most goals, except for set plays). So, get them used to scoring by simply

passing the ball into the net and their future coaches will thank you. Nothing wrong with scoring by a kick, mind

you. Just don't get them into the mindset that their spectacular dribbling run through 6 defenders needs to end with a

bullet shot as they'll inevitably put the ball out too far in front of them to get the shot off and the keeper will make a

meal of it. On the other hand, they most likely would have scored if they had simply kept the head up; watched the

keeper; and pushed it past him.

Depending on your age group, the next stage is often to introduce wall passes but these take lots of ball

control/receiving/passing skills which often are not present at younger ages or with newer players. You'll also want

to introduce the basic cutback or drop at some stage, as well as the square pass. The cutback or drop (where the onball

player takes the ball to the goal line and cuts it back to the penalty mark) are common support options. These

are all basic 2v1 options for support - and I haven't even added the overlap!

There is not much point in even adding much in the 3v1 or 3v2 attacking category until your kids have mastered the

basic jobs of the on-ball player and the player who is closest to him (the 2nd attacker, in coach-speak). Once the kids

have figured out how to keep the ball; take somebody on; and provide simple 2v1 support; add in the concepts of

basic triangles for support and focus on the job of the off-ball players to promptly move so that the on-ball player

always has 2 safe, short passing options. Along with improving first-touch and some more basic take-on, finishing

and defending skills, this should be quite enough to occupy your team (and you) through the next World Cup.

Along the way, expect them to make mistakes in deciding what was the "best" support option. Expect them to go to

sleep from time to time, and not move into a good support position. Expect their first-touch to fail them. But, if you

work them in these basics and push them to learn these simple rules, they are likely to be among the best players on

the field in a few years.

Updated 6 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 12 printed 08/23/99

Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

Most teams (and new coaches) are thrown into games after just a few practices, often before the coach has had a real

chance to teach the players anything. Thus, new coaches often feel intense pressure to "win", and may take early

losses personally. This can lead them to worry excessively about where to put their players to maximize their "wins"

when they really should be worrying about giving their young charges valuable experience in all parts of the field.

These same fears of "failure" (i.e., not winning) can also cause some youth coaches to focus on a few stars and

relegate the rest to the bench or supporting roles. When this happens, most of the players don't learn anything or

have any fun, and even the development of the "stars" can be harmed in the long run.

How You Define "Winning" Will Affect All You Do

It is important to let players and parents know what the coach defines as "winning" at the start of the season. In their

developmental years, kids really do "win" at soccer or, for that matter, any other sport if they have fun with their

friends; learn enough about the game to become a fan; and get some healthy exercise. Numerous studies show that

while kids certainly enjoy winning contests, their short attention span allows them to quickly forget the score in the

last game, at least until some adult makes a big deal out of it. In addition, because kids are naturally more focused on

their own performance than on the performance of the group, kids can be perfectly happy if they had a great game

themselves even if the team lost in a blow-out.

Because kids have these wonderfully short memories and an ingrained focus on "me", any coach can have a

"winning" season by setting the kids up to succeed at some task in every game and praising them for this

accomplishment. Of course, a good coach also wants to teach them to work together and to whittle down the "me"

focus a bit. Therefore, good coaches will include some team objectives that encourage the kids to work together

(e.g., "Let's see if we can get 3 passes in a row in each quarter"). So, don't be afraid to use a long-term focus and to

define "winning" in a way that gives everyone a fair chance to succeed.

Develop a Long-Term Focus

Introduction

1. Disclaimer

2. Copyright

3. Reproduction of materials

4. How to use the Manual

Resources for Coaching

5. Coaching certification & courses

6. Useful items to get for practices

7. Sample medical and other forms

8. Medical information for soccer coaches

9. Risk management and safety tips

10. A coach's first-aid kit

11. A guide to the Laws of the Game

12. A guide to on-field communication

13. A soccer glossary

14. Training Aids for Coaches

· Helpful videos and CDs

· Helpful books

· Websites with useful drills/skills info

15. Information on Stretching

16. Fun Games to Teach Skills

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

17. Expectations after One Year

18. The Most Important Skills to Teach

19. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

20. Individual Attacking

21. Group Attacking

22. Individual Defending

23. Group Defending

Practical Guidelines for Coaching

24. Importance of pre-season meeting with parents and players

25. Organizing effective practices

26. Player management and discipline

27. Special ideas for your first practice

Practice Plans to Teach the Basics

Ball Control

28. Straight-ahead Dribbling

29. Dribbling moves

30. Chops

31. Inside cut

SC-L Coaching Manual page 6 printed 08/23/99

32. Fakes & feints

Passing & Receiving

1. Push pass

2. Passing & receiving

3. Receiving

4. Chest traps

5. Receiving 'air balls'

6. Shielding

7. Heading intro

8. Heading

Kicking

1. The instep drive

2. The laces kick

3. The lofted kick

Defending

1. Tackling

2. Shoulder charge

3. Communication

4. First defender

5. Second defender

33. Basic marking

Attacking

1. Going 1 v 1

2. Taking defenders on

3. Combined play

Other

1. Throw-ins

2. Restarts

3. Tips on basic goal-keeper training

4. Sample stretching routine

5. Teaching the Laws of the Game (LOTG)

6. Fun Games That Teach Skills (from the archives of SOCCER-COACH-L)

Guidelines for Game Day

1. Dealing with officials

2. Game day tips

3. Effective ways to handle subs

4. Adjusting to your opponent

Coaching the Very Young Child

34. Training guidelines

35. Coaching the swarm

SC-L Coaching Manual page 7 printed 08/23/99

36. Games for the very young

37. Drills for the very young

38. More games and activities

Further reading

Updated 11 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 8 printed 08/23/99

Basic Principles: What to Teach and Why

This section is about the basic principles of what you should try to teach your players, and what those things are

important. The actual mechanics of the coaching sections can be found in the "Practice Plans to Teach the Basics"

section. Here's what you'll find here:

1. Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

2. The Most Important Skills to Teach

3. Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Skills

4. Individual Attacking

5. Group Attacking

6. Individual Defending

7. Group Defending

Updated 12 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 9 printed 08/23/99

Reasonable Expectations after One Year of Training

After one year (one long or two short outdoor seasons, or one outdoor and one indoor season, depending on local

conditions) of formal soccer training, most coaches on the List think that it is realistic to expect most beginners at

age U-10 and above to be able to do the following:

1. Head a fairly gentle ball (they shouldn't even think of attempting teeth-rattlers until around U13 or so).

2. Be able to execute a decent chest trap (and decide whether to use the head or chest as the ball is coming in).

3. Know the basic rules for a first defender (delay/deny), and be able to successfully mark/hold an attacker of

similar size/speed/skill for a count of about 7-8.

4. Execute a basic standing tackle and shoulder charge.

5. Be able to pass a stationary ball thru cones 1 yard apart at distances of 6 yards with dominant foot. Be able

to pass accurately with non-dominant foot at the 3 yard distance.

6. Be able to receive/control with 2 touches/then push pass a moving ball thru cones 1 yard apart at a distance

of 4 yards (2-3 yards with non-dominant).

7. Be able to execute a laces kick with some power and accuracy.

8. Be able to execute a lofted kick/chip which will clear an average-sized player in their age bracket.

9. Understand the basic rules on throw-ins, and be able to execute them properly.

10. Be able to dribble/beat an unskilled defender by use of simple cuts and changes of pace.

11. Be able to shield the ball and hold in 1 v 1 situation to count of 8.

12. Understand basic principles of keepaway (talking, taking the ball where the defenders aren't, basic rules of

support triangles, planning your reception to take ball into space/away from pressure).

13. Understand usual game rules (restarts, fouls, fair play, ref signals, basic offsides if applicable).

14. Understand/follow the team rules (paying attention, bringing proper equipment to practice, cleanup,

subbing, calling if late/missing, no hassle of teammates, etc.).

15. Be able to juggle the ball with the foot or thigh at least 5-10 times.

16. Be able to pass the ball appropriately to a teammate who is 10 yards or more away, both when teammate is

stationary and when moving (i.e., understands the concept of leading a moving player so that he does not

overrun the ball).

17. Be able to receive a well-struck ball passed with the inside of both feet, and with at least the outside of the

dominant foot.

Updated 31 March 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 10 printed 08/23/99

The Most Important Skills to Teach

Soccer players need a lot of different skills, and it does not matter for most of these skills whether you teach Skill A

or Skill B first. However, there are some skills that are absolute "must-haves" for any player- and are so important

that you probably will want to teach them first.

These are basic ball-holding skills (receiving and shielding); basic ball-stealing skills (defense); and basic take-on

skills (attacking). Most kids naturally seem to have a few basic defensive skills, even if they were never formally

taught. The other two areas require instruction to accomplish with even minimal competency, so there is a good

argument to start first with ball-holding skills; move next to take-on skills; and then to get to ball-stealing skills.

Why ball-holding before take-on? Simple. Once you get possession, the other side is going to try to take the ball

back. If you can hang onto the ball under pressure, you'll have time to make better decisions (including finding an

open teammate to pass the ball to). Also, if you are confident that you can hold the ball, you are much less likely to

blindly try to simply whack it away and let someone else worry about it (a technique commonly known as "passing

the responsibility rather than the ball" or the "hot-potato phenomenon"). What are ball-holding skills? Most folks

refer to them as receiving and shielding skills. The first step (receiving) is to bring the ball under control quickly.

Then, you use your body/legs to get between the opponent and the ball to protect (shield) the ball. It includes really

basic stuff like simply stepping over the ball when somebody is coming in, as well as somewhat harder stuff (but

still easy) like rolling/pulling the ball back behind you or to your side. The rolling/pulling of the ball requires some

work, as you need to learn to use both feet - and to switch feet. However, one of the key ingredients is to learn to

bend the knees; get the arms out; and use your weight to push back into the opponent. As kids get more advanced,

they can learn how to spring off of an opponent (or roll off of him by using a circle turn). However, at the very

beginning stages, they are fine if they can simply get their bottoms down; get those knees bent; push hard back into

the opponent; and get enough weight on their support leg to be able to free their far foot and use it to roll the ball

around. Along with these ball-holding skills, you will want to introduce some basic receiving skills, so that they can

bring the ball under control quickly (which is essential if they are going to have any hope of shielding it).

How to do this? Start with two equal-sized players with a single ball in a grid about 3-yards square and have them

work on holding the ball by using simple rolls, pullbacks and other touches to shield the ball. If you teach your

players ANYTHING, teach them the skills to keep possession. Once they realize that they have the skills to keep an

opponent from stealing the ball, they will gain the confidence to lift their heads up and find another player to pass

off to. Before they gain this confidence, you can expect terrible passing simply because they will get flustered at the

first hint of pressure (and might even "feel" panicked at pressure which is 10-20 yards away). Until your players can

hold a ball 1 v 1 in a grid about 10 feet by 10 feet for a count of around 7-8, they are not going to have enough

confidence to do very well on the field.

After learning some basic shielding/receiving skills, the next thing to learn is some basic dribbling skills. Different

coaches have different philosophies on how to teach dribbling. Many coaches spend a lot of time trying to teach

young players a lot of fancy moves which were made famous by noted international stars (who, incidentally, only

perfected these fancy moves after years and years of hard work on the basics). This approach works for some kids

who are naturally graceful and quick. However, it can have the unfortunate result of convincing an awful lot of kids

that "I can't dribble" when they simply are still growing; are a bit clumsy; and cannot get their big feet and/or

unwieldy bodies to do all of the ballerina stuff.

What these coaches don't realize is that a player only needs to know about 3 basic moves to be able to dribble very

successfully--and that virtually all top-notch players use these same 3 moves about 90% of the time when they are

dribbling the ball. ANYBODY CAN LEARN THESE 3 MOVES (and this includes the coach)!

The moves are the check (a/k/a "magic hop" in some Vogelsinger videos); the simple cut/explosion using the outside

of the dribble foot; and the chop (cut with the inside of the foot). If they can master these three moves, and learn the

standard, straight-ahead dribbling technique (i.e. knee over the ball; front of dribble foot pulls the ball along so it

SC-L Coaching Manual page 11 printed 08/23/99

stays on/near the foot at all times), they can learn to beat a reasonable number of defenders especially if those

defenders are coming in at speed.

The key to take-on skills is getting the head up to watch the defender which is dependent on having enough ballcontrol

that you know where the ball is and what it is going to do without needing to look. Then, as soon as the

defender tries to stab at the ball, you can take advantage of his "dead leg" (weight mainly on one leg) by attacking

the outside of the dead leg and going around him. Piece of cake!!

Of course, once your players become convinced that they can dribble, they probably will want to work on "cool

moves". This is a great warm-up. In fact, it can be great homework (Coach at end of practice: "Johnny needs to learn

a new move and teach it to us at next practice; anyone who uses it in the scrimmage gets a lollipop"). But don't put

the cart before the horse. Convince them that they can dribble and the fancy moves will take care of themselves.

The next thing to learn is basic defense including simple delay as well as ball-stealing. The first thing to teach is

simple delaying tactics by use of good footwork to get in the attacker's way. Time is the defender's friend, and speed

is the attacker's friend, so you want to delay and delay and delay to allow your teammates to come and help. Once

you're "numbers up", it's easier to steal the ball! The second skill is the standing tackle followed by the shoulder

charge.

Of course, after you've taught these very basic skills, you'll need to work on passing technique and kicking technique

since most kids won't be able to pass accurately or do a laces kick or a chip without instruction (although most will

toe-kick just fine). Whatever you do, please don't teach your kids that the "proper" way to score is to break the net

with a hard shot. Many kids get the impression that they cannot play forward unless they have a very hard shot. This

is garbage. Most goals in games will be scored by passes, not by blistering shots on goal (pull out your WC tapes

and watch - this is universally true for most goals, except for set plays). So, get them used to scoring by simply

passing the ball into the net and their future coaches will thank you. Nothing wrong with scoring by a kick, mind

you. Just don't get them into the mindset that their spectacular dribbling run through 6 defenders needs to end with a

bullet shot as they'll inevitably put the ball out too far in front of them to get the shot off and the keeper will make a

meal of it. On the other hand, they most likely would have scored if they had simply kept the head up; watched the

keeper; and pushed it past him.

Depending on your age group, the next stage is often to introduce wall passes but these take lots of ball

control/receiving/passing skills which often are not present at younger ages or with newer players. You'll also want

to introduce the basic cutback or drop at some stage, as well as the square pass. The cutback or drop (where the onball

player takes the ball to the goal line and cuts it back to the penalty mark) are common support options. These

are all basic 2v1 options for support - and I haven't even added the overlap!

There is not much point in even adding much in the 3v1 or 3v2 attacking category until your kids have mastered the

basic jobs of the on-ball player and the player who is closest to him (the 2nd attacker, in coach-speak). Once the kids

have figured out how to keep the ball; take somebody on; and provide simple 2v1 support; add in the concepts of

basic triangles for support and focus on the job of the off-ball players to promptly move so that the on-ball player

always has 2 safe, short passing options. Along with improving first-touch and some more basic take-on, finishing

and defending skills, this should be quite enough to occupy your team (and you) through the next World Cup.

Along the way, expect them to make mistakes in deciding what was the "best" support option. Expect them to go to

sleep from time to time, and not move into a good support position. Expect their first-touch to fail them. But, if you

work them in these basics and push them to learn these simple rules, they are likely to be among the best players on

the field in a few years.

Updated 6 April 1999

SC-L Coaching Manual page 12 printed 08/23/99

Basic Guide to Formations and Positional Training

Most teams (and new coaches) are thrown into games after just a few practices, often before the coach has had a real

chance to teach the players anything. Thus, new coaches often feel intense pressure to "win", and may take early

losses personally. This can lead them to worry excessively about where to put their players to maximize their "wins"

when they really should be worrying about giving their young charges valuable experience in all parts of the field.

These same fears of "failure" (i.e., not winning) can also cause some youth coaches to focus on a few stars and

relegate the rest to the bench or supporting roles. When this happens, most of the players don't learn anything or

have any fun, and even the development of the "stars" can be harmed in the long run.

How You Define "Winning" Will Affect All You Do

It is important to let players and parents know what the coach defines as "winning" at the start of the season. In their

developmental years, kids really do "win" at soccer or, for that matter, any other sport if they have fun with their

friends; learn enough about the game to become a fan; and get some healthy exercise. Numerous studies show that

while kids certainly enjoy winning contests, their short attention span allows them to quickly forget the score in the

last game, at least until some adult makes a big deal out of it. In addition, because kids are naturally more focused on

their own performance than on the performance of the group, kids can be perfectly happy if they had a great game

themselves even if the team lost in a blow-out.

Because kids have these wonderfully short memories and an ingrained focus on "me", any coach can have a

"winning" season by setting the kids up to succeed at some task in every game and praising them for this

accomplishment. Of course, a good coach also wants to teach them to work together and to whittle down the "me"

focus a bit. Therefore, good coaches will include some team objectives that encourage the kids to work together

(e.g., "Let's see if we can get 3 passes in a row in each quarter"). So, don't be afraid to use a long-term focus and to

define "winning" in a way that gives everyone a fair chance to succeed.

Develop a Long-Term Focus