Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You’re Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book Is Organised 3
Part I: Getting Started Coaching Football 3
Part II: Building Your Coaching Skills 4
Part III: Beginning and Intermediate Football 4
Part IV: Advanced Football Strategies 4
Part V: The Finer Details 5
Part VI: The Part of Tens 5
Icons Used in This Book 5
Where to Go from Here 6
Part I: Getting Started Coaching Football 7
Chapter 1: Coaching Children in Football 9
Striking a Balance between Parenting and Coaching 9
Kicking around the decision with your kid 10
Focusing on family-friendly football rules 11
Doing Your Homework 12
Working with – and not against – parents 13
Deciphering rules and mastering terminology 14
On the Pitch 14
Planning training sessions 14
Match day 15
Chapter 2: Getting Organised 17
Developing a Coaching Philosophy 17
Tailoring your coaching to your age group 18
Emphasising teamwork 20
Motivating players 22
Fostering a positive atmosphere 23
Making every kid count 23
Focusing on fun and skill development 24
Modelling good sportsmanship 25
Understanding the League You’re Coaching In 26
Knowing your league’s rules 27
Playing for fun or first place 28
Chapter 3: Knowing the Football Basics 31
Inside the Lines 31
Taking Up Position 34
Positions on the pitch 34
Placing kids in the appropriate positions 39
Deciphering the Rules of the Game 41
Putting the Ball Back into Play 43
Throw-in 43
Corner kicks 44
Goal kicks 44
Adjusting the Game for the Younger Leagues 45
Smaller pitch size 45
Smaller balls 46
No-goalie games 46
Fewer players 46
Special substitution rules 47
The Men (and Women) in Black: Referees 48
Hand signals 48
Major fouls 50
Types of penalties 51
Minor fouls 52
Offsides 53
Part II: Building Your Coaching Skills 57
Chapter 4: Meet the Parents 59
Introducing Yourself 60
Explaining your coaching philosophy 61
Emphasising good sportsmanship 62
Detailing how you determine playing time 63
‘Who’s playing goalie?’ and other sticky positioning situations 65
Putting Together the Paperwork 66
League paperwork 66
Team packs 67
Assembling Your Parent Posse 68
Choosing assistant coaches 68
Defining supporting roles 69
Going Over Equipment 71
Meeting Players’ Special Needs 73
Answering Parents’ Questions 73
Chapter 5: Evaluating Your Team 75
The Art of Evaluation 75
Evaluating your players’ skills 76
Identifying team strengths and weaknesses 78
Lining ’Em Up 80
Assigning team positions 80
Finding roles for everyone 82
Understanding and Interacting with All the Kids 83
The shy child 83
The uncoordinated child 84
The child with the short attention span 85
The athletically gifted child 86
The child who doesn’t want to be there 87
The disruptive child 88
The child with special needs 89
The bully 90
The inexperienced child 91
The ball hog 92
The average child 94
Chapter 6: Running a Great Training Session 97
Coming to Training Prepared 97
Bringing balls and cones 98
Packing your first-aid kit 99
First Training Session: Kicking Off the Season 100
Greeting the team for the first time 101
Making coach and player introductions 102
Knowing the skills to focus on first 104
Putting smiles on their faces 104
Creating a Training Plan 108
Putting it all together 109
Figuring out how long and how often 111
Thinking about practice games 112
Ensuring lots of touches for each child 113
Letting kids help select training session drills 114
Setting the tone 114
Keeping things consistent 115
Making Training Time Beneficial 116
Recognising the high points 117
Building skills 118
Helping those who need it 119
Ending on a Positive Note 120
Chapter 7: Match Day 123
Understanding Your Pre-game Responsibilities 123
Inspect the pitch 124
Meet with the opposing coach and officials 124
Holding a Pre-game Team Meeting 125
Fire up your team with an inspirational talk 126
Assign positions 128
Keep instructions simple 128
Conducting Your Warm-Up 129
Kick Off! 131
Motivating during the game 132
Communicating tactics 133
Taking advantage of breaks in play 134
Substituting players 134
Making the Most of the Half-time Speech 135
Winning and Losing Gracefully 140
Winning gracefully 140
Losing well 141
Making an Impact with a Post Match Talk 141
Keep the focus on fun 142
Accentuate the positive 142
Recognising good sportsmanship 143
Dealing with defeat 143
Chapter 8: Refining Your Coaching Strategies 145
Dealing with Shifting Team Dynamics 145
Recognising improvements 146
Revising your plan 147
Undergoing a Mid-Season Review 148
Pointing out progress and improvement 148
Setting goals 148
Making plans for players 150
Chatting with Parents 151
Part III: Beginning and Intermediate Football 153
Chapter 9: Mastering the Fundamentals 155
Introducing First-Timers to Football 156
Shooting 156
Explaining the instep kick 157
Ball Dribbling 160
Passing 161
Trapping 163
Receiving 165
Heading 166
Goalkeeping 168
Defending 171
Determining What to Do If a Kid Just Doesn’t Get It 172
Making a difference 173
Recognising physical problems 174
Coaching with dignity 174
Chapter 10: Fundamental Drills for a New Team 177
Warming Up Right 177
Drills for Attacking Play 180
Passing and receiving 180
Shooting 182
Ball dribbling 183
Heading 185
Defensive Drills 186
Tackling 187
Defending 188
Goalkeeping 190
Chapter 11: Coaching Basic Attacking 193
Planning Different Types of Attacks 193
Understanding Positional Play 196
Kicking the Attacking Skills Up a Notch 198
Shielding 198
Square pass 199
Through pass 199
Chipped pass 200
Crossfield pass 200
Outside of foot pass 201
The one-two 201
Bend it like Beckham 202
Driving 203
Chapter 12: Coaching Basic Defending 205
Exploring Different Types of Defence 205
Man-to-man defence 206
Zonal defence 208
Improving Defensive Skills 210
Marking 211
Block tackle 212
Shoulder charge 213
Side tackle 214
Sliding tackle 214
Hook tackle 216
Part IV: Advanced Football Strategies 219
Chapter 13: Taking It Up a Notch: Drills 221
Attacking Drills 221
Attacking 222
Passing 223
Shooting 224
Ball handling 225
Heading 228
Defensive Drills 229
Tackling 229
Defending 230
Goalkeeping 231
Putting It All Together: Sample Training Session 232
Chapter 14: Upgrading Attacking Tactics and Skills 235
Upgrading the Attack 235
Two-three-five formation 236
Four-two-four formation 238
Three-three-four formation 239
Three-five-two formation 240
Three-four-three formation 241
Introducing New Attacking Skills 243
Delivering crosses 243
Heading crosses 244
Feints 245
Chapter 15: Advanced Defending and Formations 251
Experimenting with Defensive Formations 251
Four-three-three formation 252
Four-four-two formation 254
Four-five-one formation 256
Clearing Strategies 257
The back pass to the keeper 258
Clearing toward the touchlines 258
Introducing New Defensive Skills 259
Chasing down 259
Man marking 260
Moving out 260
Offside trap 261
Chapter 16: Coaching Set Pieces 263
Attacking from Set Pieces 263
Throw-ins 264
Penalty kicks 266
Corner kicks 267
Free kicks 269
Defending Set Pieces 272
Throw-ins 272
The wall 273
Goal keeper’s drop kicks 274
Goalie throws 275
Defending corner kicks 276
Defending penalty kicks 276
Defending direct and indirect kicks 277
Chapter 17: Implementing Advanced Exercises 279
Conditioning Your Players 279
Developing Challenging Exercises 281
Part V: The Finer Details 287
Chapter 18: Keeping Kids Injury Free and Healthy 289
Warming Up to Injury Prevention 289
Stretching to improve flexibility 291
Breaking a sweat 292
Cooling off 293
Handling Injuries 294
Dealing with blood 294
Soothing strains and sprains 295
Coping with more serious injuries 296
Handling emergency situations 298
Be prepared for emergencies 298
Watching the Weather 299
Following a Healthy Diet 300
What to eat – pre-game 301
What to eat post-game 302
Getting enough water 302
Chapter 19: Challenges Every Coach Faces 305
Dealing with Problem Parents 305
Parents who want to win at all costs 306
Parents who think you’re a baby-sitter 308
Parents who want their child to play all the time 309
Disruptive parents 310
Coping with Problem Coaches 313
Coaches who encourage unsafe play 314
Coaches who model poor sportsmanship 314
Disagreeable assistants 315
Handling Discipline Problems 316
The non-listener 319
The talker 320
The perpetually late child 320
Chapter 20: Getting More Competitive 323
Enjoying Top-Level Competition: Competitive Football 323
I Want You and You: The Selection Process 324
Selecting players 327
Breaking the good and bad news to players 328
Keeping the Energy Up All Season 329
Avoiding burnout 329
Keeping everyone in the game 330
Competing in weekend tournaments 330
Hitting the Road 331
Part VI: The Part of Tens 333
Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Make the Season Memorable 335
Challenge the Coach Day 335
Bring Your Parent to Training Day 336
New Exercises 336
Contest Day 337
Midseason Report Cards 337
Bringing in New Faces 338
Team Votes 338
Team Captain for the Day 339
Carnival Day 339
Holiday or Birthday Themes 339
Chapter 22: Ten Fun Ways to End on a High Note 341
Jazzing Up Team Awards 341
Record Your Team 342
Create Individual Recordings of Each Child 343
Distribute Team Stickers 343
Hold One-on-One Meetings 344
Create a Team Newsletter 344
Create a Team Photo Album 345
Schedule a Crazy Training Session 345
Take a Football Photo 346
Have a Team Memento 346
Chapter 23: Ten Recommended Resources and Organisations 347
The FA 347
Getting a Handle on Small-Sided Games 348
Helping Football Parents Be Model Parents 348
Being Up to Speed on First Aid 349
Exploring the Treatment Room 350
Being Part of the Beautiful Game 350
Explaining Rules and Regulations 351
Developing Skills and Drills 351
Going Official: A Licence to Drill 352
Finding Answers on a Coaching Forum 352
Index 353
