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Tips for Youth Coaches from" Professional Footballer Assoc." |
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on 07 Nov 2006
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coaches should try and develop good habits among the players.
Here are a few starting points:- |
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All sessions should be well
prepared beforehand, and that all equipment is in place
before the players arrive. |
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Coaches should insist on
good timekeeping from the players. There is nothing worse
than everyone waiting for one latecomer.` |
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Whenever possible practice
on good surfaces, whether it is grass, all weather or
even hard core. |
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Expect and demand the highest
possible standards when the coaching sessions begin. To
get this ensure that everyone involved has the right attitude
towards the practice. |
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Give good demonstrations,
this will save a long preamble of words, remember the
players learn much quicker through their visual sense. |
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Practice is vital to success.
Players need to prove they can re-produce technical skills,
learned in practices, into match situations. Furthermore
players need to accept that they need to work at their
game if they hope to improve. Every session should have
a least 15 minutes of technical practice. |
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Young players need to work
with the ball all the time, so that control of it becomes
second nature. The more touches the better for the players
to retain their interest. |
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Coaches should try and assess
the players both in practice and in their teams; especially
the young, who should all have a development programme. |
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Parents can help by assisting
the discipline, attendance and punctuality of their offspring. |
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Group sizes are important
for training exercises. Ideally it should be no more than
15 players per coach. |
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All techniques should be
worked on – not only those with which players are
comfortable. Coaches will appreciate that players of the
same age group generally follow a pattern, and so particular
weaknesses can be worked on within the squad.
For example under 7's will have a tendency to chase around
in a pack following the ball, and so teaching positional
sense will be an item in itself with this young group. |
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Finally remember nothing
comes easy, success has to be worked for no matter how
much natural talent is available. |
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