Components of Being the Best Soccer Player     1.    Lifestyle Commitment   ·         Develop/Change/Maintain ·Nutrition ·Rest ·Time Management ·Dependability/Reliability 2. Soccer Skills-Techniques ·         Passing ·         Receiving ·         Heading ·         Shooting ·         Individual Defense ·         Tackling 3. Physical Training/Conditioning ·         Injury Rehabilitation/Injury prevention ·         Flexibility ·         Weight Training ·         Plyometrics ·         Interval Training 4. Athletic Ability/Physical Abilities ·         Speed ·         Quickness ·         Eye/Foot Coordination ·         Change of Direction ·         Cognitive Abilities ·         Personality and Mental Traits 5. Work Ethic 6. Mental Preparedness ·         Knowing and understanding your system of play ·         Displaying a “here and now” – practice and match focus ·         Knowing Game Plans (scouting reports) 7. Effort – which is a combination of Discipline, intensity, and consistency 8. Communication 9. Self-Confidence ·         Having the attitude that: ·You will be successful (“Being the best that you can be”) ·That your team will be successful 10.                   Coachability 11.Attaining Your Established Goals ·         Observable & Measurable Individual and Team Goals ·Statistics in Practice ·Statistics in Match ·Annual Goals 12.                   Fitting into Team System (Your Roll) 13.                   The Right Attitude – Displaying a positive attitude; not letting anyone else affect or choosing your attitude. 14.                   Game Day/ Match Day Performance – “Gamer”

8 Essential Rules for Coaching Kids While you can (and should) play to win matches, your prime objective as a youth soccer coach should be to create right conditions for your players to enjoy themselves, get fit and develop new skills.  They can experience all this while doing what they enjoy most - kicking a ball about. However, to achieve this outcome you need to remember these 8 essential rules: Have a plan but be flexible - if the plan isn't working, do something else! Plan age-appropriate coaching sessions - always bear the physical and mental capabilities of your players in mind. Focus on ball skills rather than tactics - do not waste time trying to teach tactics to players who can't pass the ball properly. Give your players as much playing time as possible - players don't learn anything sitting on the bench except, perhaps, that their coach is not interested in them as a player or as a person. Accept everyone into your team or club - all children deserve the chance to succeed. Communicate your coaching philosophy to parents before you start - if parents know what your are trying to do, they can't complain later. Have clear rules (not guidelines) regarding behavior - everyone should be made aware of how you expect them to behave. Avoid getting sucked in to a 'win-at-all-costs' mentality - that is when you stop being a coach and the team starts playing for your benifit instead.

Coaching tips/tricks for a Good Training Session Keep players active and keep it FUN. Make sure all players have a ball- proper size and inflated.  Make sure you have bibs (scrimmage vests) and cones available. All players need to get Hundreds of touches on the ball per hour session. Keep general scrimmages to 15 minutes per hour.  General scrimmage does not get players a lot of touches. Use practice/training games.  Not drills that keep players in lines. Run small sided games. 2v2 3v3 4v4 ect. and keep time of each game.  1 min., 2 min., 3 min., ect. Or keep score - first group to score 1 goal, 2 goals, 3 goals, ect. Keep players busy.  The younger they are the less attention span they have. Praise hustle, improvement, and good attitude.  Measure each player's performance by his or her personal improvement and effort.  Do not compare their performance to someone else's. When setting up games or drills, make it QUICK.  Do not let players wait for you to set things up.  GET IT DONE. If it is not fun, it is not a good game.  Fun = simplicity, challenging, and rewarding.    Please check back again for new coaching tips and drills.  Feel free to post comments down below.