How To Make A Young Player Understand The Game Of Soccer

For certain wunderkinds, the understanding of soccer appears to arrive with their mother's milk. Tiny Kai Fifield of England impressed scouts for Barcelona during an impromptu visit to the Spanish team's stadium for a kickaround when she was just seven years old. Meanwhile, Real Madrid signed another seven-year-old, Leonel Angel Coira of Argentina, based on his promising moves at that tender age. If you coach a youngster who needs things spelled out at a more basic level, you need to provide the required understanding of the game at a perspective suitable for a youth player.

Step 1

Focus soccer training around games, rather than drills, to emphasize learning first what to do and then learning the best way to do it in actual competition, recommends Sam Snow, director of coaching education for US Youth Soccer. Develop a soccer-savvy youth player by immersing him in games that develop "an innate understanding of what is going on around him on a soccer field," and allow the player to develop the talent to influence the direction of a match.

Step 2

Apply the game approach from the first day of training when you begin to teach, for example, passing. Instead of lining of players to take kicks in drills, set up multiple grids to place each group of six players in a 3v3 game. Or place them in 2v2 games with instructions to make four passes before attempting to score. Develop player understanding of what trapping, dribbling, finishing and defending involve with similar appropriate games modified for small teams.

Step 3

Employ guided discovery with players to create inquiring "soccer minds" in your youth players, Snow recommends in "Coaching Youth Soccer." Ask players questions about what they are doing and why they are doing it. Force your players to think about the game to help them develop into creative players who can anticipate and adapt during the game, he advises. "Freeze" the game by stepping in at appropriate moments to stop action and ask questions about any errors you see.

Step 4

Use your questions to clarify the objective of the modified game and how to achieve it, by asking, for example, "What do you need to do to succeed in this situation?" Snow notes. If you get off-base answers, simplify your question to offer two options; for example, ask whether passing or dribbling advances the ball more quickly down the field.

Step 5

Allow youth players to develop and watch heroes of their own, perhaps from the World Cup and Women's World Cup, Major League Soccer, the UEFA Champions League in Europe or even a skilled college, high school or adult team. Allow the child to observe her hero in action and go out on the field and do what the hero does, recommends Danny Jackson, former captain of the Seattle Sounders. Encourage the young player to use her imagination in the game, especially in unstructured, informal play.