What’s one of the absolute worst things you can do as a coach of a youth soccer team? Make practice dreadful. These kids aren’t training to be fighter pilots (Top Gun shoutout, seriously go see it) or practicing for the World Cup–they’re kids! They signed up to play soccer and that’s what they want to do most. Practices can either be an awesome experience or the worst part of their day. Below, we’ll give you a few tips on how to make soccer practice fun.
Following these tips will help you:
- Create team bonding
- Help the kids have fun with the sport
- Introduce the “basics” without making practice boring
- Make your life easier as a coach
1. Talk less, play more
One of the best things you can do to have an immediate impact on the team is to begin practice by playing the game. Too often coaches believe they have to make a big speech or create a slow pace of practice with the same drill or warmup every single day. Why not allow your kids the opportunity to play the sport they signed up for? Get them into team, get the ball out, and start playing.
Doing so will teach the kids the game better than most drills will. At the end of the day, the kids and their parents want at least one thing: they want their kid to play soccer. Kids show up to practice excited about playing the game, not doing a passing drill. While these can and should take place, make an emphasis on beginning practice with a game and letting the kids enjoy being there.
2. Make it competitive
Kids naturally tend to love competition. The thrill of the fight, the prospect of winning, the chance to prove themselves on the field of battle–this is what makes kids the wildly competitive machines that they are. When you put kids on the soccer field, be sure to make every drill and game competitive. Give kids the chance to win and give them something exciting to work towards. Having meaningless games or exercises where nothing matters will make everything boring. Do everything you can to make every aspect of the day exciting and competitive. You kids will work harder with it.
3. Don’t go too crazy with drills
I’m sure you’re getting a slight tone with this blog, but the message shall remain consistent: more playing, less drills. When I think back on my time in sports (having played baseball, soccer, football, basketball, lacrosse, swimming and diving), my least favorite sport of every single one was doing drills, and my favorite part of each and every one was scrimmaging/playing. Which one was better for me? The games. Being put into game like situations was important to me as a kid. It allowed me to simply play the game and not overthink how I look doing a drill.
However, drills are still important. They can teach kids certain techniques, it can help improve on the basics, and they can still be fun. Do try to make them fun and rewarding. Help them realize WHY they’re doing this particular drill and how it will impact their play. Too often kids are thrown into drills with no explanation and they end up feeling stupid, which is a dangerous feeling when playing a sport.
