How to Get Your Soccer Players to Listen to You
A Positive Approach that Uses a Helping Method
The Result is That Soccer Players Will Want Your Help
Don't Be a Nagging Soccer Coach

(The following article is from Premium)

Getting your players to listen to you is easier than you think: Let's say you're playing "Dribble Around Cone & Pass Relay Race" (which is one of my favorite SoccerHelp Practice games by the way and which you will only find on SoccerHelp because we invented it). Play it once and ask "Who wants to win this game?" Look at the players who responded that they want to win and tell them you will give them a tip that will help them win (looking at those who respond will encourage your players to say they want to win and to ask for your help � if some don't say they want to win, you might say "Those of you who want to win come closer so I can give you a tip." That will make what you are about to say seem more valuable and those who come close will listen more carefully). Here's an example of a tip: Tell them that the player who starts with the ball can kick the ball in front and run to it as a way to go faster. Tell them they will just have to be sure to not kick it too hard. (Demonstrate or have a player demonstrate). Another tip: Pass the ball as soon as you can after you have rounded the cone. Another tip: The Receiver must stay on his toes and watch for whether the pass is going to his left or right and start to immediately move that way � the Receiver's most important job is to STOP the pass, because if one pass gets by him his team will lose the game (this will start to teach Receiver's that they can't just stand still and wait for the ball to come to their feet � the Receiver MUST stop the pass, just as they must in a real game). Another tip: The Receiver can start moving toward the ball as soon as it is passed (that's the rule in this game and probably would also be how you want the receiver to play in a real game), but the Receiver can't just rush at the ball... it's not that simple... he must be sure the ball is coming at him, because if it's a bad pass he may have to move sideways to stop it. Another tip: The Receiver can block the ball in front of him and run to it as a way to speed up (again, this is good training for a real game). Another tip: The pass MUST be accurate... one bad pass can lose the game... the pass needs to not be too hard, but it can't be too easy either... they will learn the proper "weight" by playing this game. These are some of the things this game teaches, and your players will learn by playing the game. If you use this approach, it changes your role from a nagging coach to a guy who is giving his players tips so they 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 positive feedback and seeing that your �tips� really work. They will see that the players who follow your tips win more games than those who don't... those who listen to you will win, and those who don't listen will lose. Once they learn that, they will listen during practice and during their real games.