| September 21, 2009 |
Back to Newsletter Archive Soccer Drills Back to SoccerHelp Home PageSoccerHelp Newsletter Check out the New Soccer Practice Plans Note From David. If you do nothing more than play our soccer practice games your players will improve and have a lot more fun than if you were using drills at soccer practice. BUT you can accelerate their improvement by keeping score and giving tips. I've mentioned this in a few newsletters lately, but this one summarizes it. (This only applies to U8 and older - for U4 and U6, just have fun). Keeping score is important because it creates competition, which creates pressure and causes players to try hard and play fast, just like they do in real games. If players practice slow and without pressure, they aren't prepared to play fast, under pressure and at Game Speed. It's much harder to dribble, pass, kick the ball, or receive a pass fast and under pressure than it is to do it slow without pressure. Giving "tips" at the end of each soccer Practice Game helps in many ways. It lets you give advice so players can see an immediate "Cause and Effect". It's a way of "helping" instead of lecturing or nagging. Here's an example: Let's say your players play the "control-dribbling" version of Dribble Across a Square soccer Practice Game with the smaller Square. At the end of the Game, you start with the winner (first to 10) and say "John's score was 10". Then look at the player beside John and ask "Jack, what was your score?" Then continue around the square. "Billy?" "Sam?" "Jason?" etc. Rather than point out any particular player, you can ask. "Why did John win?" If you get some answers, great! But usually, you won't, and you will have to answer the question. The 2 main reasons players don't get a good score in the control-dribbling version of the Dribble Across a Square soccer Practice Game are almost always this: "The reason John won is that when he was in traffic he kept the ball between his feet, and he kept control of the ball on his turns. If you lose control of your ball you will lose this game. If you keep control of the ball your score will improve." Players will see immediate results if they follow your tips in the next Practice Game -- they will see an immediate "Cause and Effect" -- the players who listen to you will see immediate improvement and start to listen more carefully and want your help. They will see that you know what you are talking about and can help them improve. The players who listen to you will win more Practice Games than those who don't. The benefit is obvious - the more your players listen to you and do as you recommend, the faster they will improve, the more confidence they will have in you as a coach, and the more fun it will be for the players and for you. My Favorite Motivational Coaching Quotes 300 Testimonials for Premium and our Motivational Soccer Patches David at SoccerHelp Coupons for Premium Members We've added coupons especially for Premium Members. They are re-usable and can be used for patches and DVDs. See Coupons for Premium Members
Soccer Practice Plans on Premium
Soccer Practice Plans on Basic Keep Score and Give Coaching "Tips" After Each Practice Game
for U8, U10, U12, U14 and U16 soccer players
How to Help Your Players Improve Faster
How to Get Your Players to Listen to You
Why Keeping Score in Practice Games is Important
A "Soft" Coaching, Guided Instruction Approach
For U4 and U6, Just Have Fun - Don't Keep ScoreRead about SoccerHelp Premium. Premium now has over 1,500 pages, 5,000 internal links, 70 copyrighted soccer drills that are soccer Practice Games, over 300 pages about soccer Formations (4v4, 5v5, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8, 9v9 and 11v11) and soccer Positions, and a soccer Forum where Members can ask questions to Members and David at SoccerHelp. Over 10,000 coaches have joined SoccerHelp Premium.
SoccerHelp Tips Keep Score and Give Coaching "Tips" After Each Practice Game There are 2 reasons why you should try to keep score in every Practice Game and to play Practice games that involve keeping score as much as possible. (This only applies to U8 and older - for U4 and U6, just have fun): (1). Keeping score creates pressure for players to do an activity faster and better, so players learn how to perform an activity under pressure and at "Game-Speed", which is "Game-Realistic". Drills that don't involve keeping score are NOT Game-Realistic because there isn't pressure, they aren't at Game-Speed, and players aren't trying their hardest. Drills that don't involve pressure and that allow players to practice at less than their fastest speed are actually counterproductive, because they are training players to play slower than Game-Speed and without pressure. In most cases, which player will perform better in a real soccer match – the player who has trained without pressure and at a speed that is less that "Game-Speed", or the player who has trained under pressure and at "Game-Speed"? The answer is obvious. If your players practice at top speed, they are learning to "play fast" – if they practice slow, they are learning to play slow. Drills that don't involve competition and pressure aren't preparing your players for competition and pressure. (2). Keeping score is a sort of diagnostic test that can show the coach where attention is needed. So, keeping score is critical for both the coach and for the players. A good way to coach soccer skills (teach soccer skills) is by giving "tips" at the end of each soccer Practice Game. This is a "Guided Instruction" method of coaching and players will see immediate results if they follow the coach's tips in the next Practice Game. Players will see an immediate "Cause and Effect"-- the players who listen to the Coach will see immediate improvement and start to listen more carefully and want the coach's help. The players who listen to the coach will win more Practice Games than those who don't. The benefit is obvious - the more your players listen to you and do as you recommend, the faster they will improve, the more confidence they will have in you as a coach, and the more fun it will be for the players and for you: A good way to give tips is by noticing what caused a player to have a low score. Another good way to give tips is by pointing out why the player with the highest score had the highest score. For example: In the Dribble Across a Square Practice Game, most players get a bad score in the Control Dribbling version of the game because they either don't keep the ball near their feet when in traffic, or because they kick the ball too far in front, lose control and can't make a turn. The players who win the game are those who keep the ball near their feet when in traffic, who look up while dribbling and make their turns. Teach your players by giving them "tips" that will help them improve their scores in the Practice Games. That is a "soft" coaching approach and a better and more fun way than "hard" coaching. If you use this "soft" coaching approach, it changes your role from a nagging coach to a teacher who is giving his players tips so the can improve. The reason it works is that when they are playing SoccerHelp Practice Games they will see IMMEDIATE results... so they are getting immediate feedback and seeing that your "tips" really work. Your players will see that the players who follow the coaches' tips win more games than those who don't... those who listen will win, and those who don't listen will lose. Examples of how to give "tips" are in the instructions for the Dribble Across a Square soccer practice game and the Dribble Around Cone & Pass Relay Race soccer practice game David at SoccerHelp
for U8, U10, U12, U14 and U16 soccer players
How to Help Your Players Improve Faster
How to Get Your Players to Listen to You
Why Keeping Score in Practice Games is Important
A "Soft" Coaching, Guided Instruction Approach
For U4 and U6, Just Have Fun - Don't Keep ScoreCopyright SoccerHelp.com, All Rights Reserved
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Read about SoccerHelp Premium. Premium now has over 1,500 pages, 5,000 internal links, 70 copyrighted soccer drills that are soccer Practice Games, over 300 pages about soccer Formations (4v4, 5v5, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8, 9v9 and 11v11) and soccer Positions, and a soccer Forum where Members can ask questions to Members and David at SoccerHelp. Over 10,000 coaches have joined SoccerHelp Premium.
Soccer Coaching DVD's I Recommend: (The links go to the Detailed Review of the DVD) For U-4, U-6 Coaches: Coach Doug SoccerHelp Method of Coaching Ages 3, 4, 5 & 6 DVD For How To Teach Skills: Soccer Success One On One Coaching (Basic and Intermediate Skills) DVD, Mia Hamm Soccer Secrets DVD, England Skills Uncovered DVD, Training Girls and Women To Win 3-DVD Set For Motivation, Fun and Foot Skills (experienced and travel players age 9 and older): GOL! (Brazilian Soccer Foot Skills and Ball Control Training) DVD For Rec Girls: Mia Hamm Soccer Secrets DVD For Moves: Coerver Play Great Soccer 2-DVD Set, GOL! (Brazilian Soccer Foot Skills and Ball Control Training) DVD, SoccerHelp Foot Skills and Soccer Moves Training Program (Motor Memory Training and Aerobic Workout) DVD For Travel Team Players: GOL! (Brazilian Soccer Foot Skills and Ball Control Training) DVD, Coerver Play Great Soccer 2-DVD Set, England Skills Uncovered DVD, Training Girls and Women To Win 3-DVD Set, SoccerHelp Foot Skills and Soccer Moves Training Program (Motor Memory Training and Aerobic Workout) DVD.
