Coaching Your First Youth Soccer Team - Three Secrets to Success

Success Secret #1: Get the Rule Book

Success Secret #2: Get the league practice and game schedules

Success Secret #3: Have a Parent Meeting

Get the Rule Book: Even if you're a fan of the game and believe you know and understand it, get the rule book from the league when you accept a coaching position. Youth sports often have different rules than High School, College, or Pro leagues. The rules will change by age group and division. Knowing how long the game periods last, how many timeouts you have (if any), and any mandatory playing time rules before the season begins will allow you to plan properly for your games.

*** Bonus Tip: Set your player rotation before you go to the game. Setting it up ahead of time allows you to plan your lineup, making sure that you meet all mandatory playing time rules. It also allows you to focus more on the game instead of wondering if Johnny or Susie has all of their time in.

Get the league practice and game schedules: You may have some latitude in scheduling practices but there will be scheduled times when you are scheduled to practice at the field. You often have to ask for the practice schedule. It is up to you, your team, and the parents if you want to have practices over and above the practices scheduled by the league. If you do, you're usually on your own to find an open field.

Have a Parent/Player Meeting before the season starts: Parent meetings are the most important step you can take to have a successful season. Establishing the rules and behavior expectations prior to the first practice of the season is essential. This is the time when you review team rules, pass our practice and game schedules, solicit volunteers, and ask the parent if there is anything special you need to know about their kids - Attention Deficit Disorder; Asthma; Needs Glasses; Known Allergies; etc. Trust me, you'll save yourself and your players a lot of grief if you find out the special circumstances ahead of time.

Other things to discuss:

Recruit Volunteers for the following positions:

1. Team Mom or Dad - the person who coordinates collections on fundraisers, concession stand and game day snack assignments, picture day, and other miscellaneous administrative type duties

2. Score/Stats Keepers - people who may not want to help coach but who come to the games can keep score and maintain stats for you in the stands

3. Coaching Assistants - you generally need at least one assistant, but if you can get a couple, I'd recommend it. Having extra coaches means help with running great practices and games

Discuss your objectives for the season. For example:

1. Develop the skills required to play the game

2. Have fun

3. Develop teamwork and sportsmanship

4. Give positive reinforcement based on effort rather than results

Describe your expectations of the parents. For example:

1. Be on time for practices and games

2. Volunteer when your schedule allows

3. Get involved and help your child work on their skills at home

4. Encourage good sportsmanship. Be an example by showing positive support for all players, coaches, and officials at every game and practice. Please cheer for your child during games, but try to keep from yelling instructions to them. Much of the fun is lost if their Mom or Dad is always yelling instructions.

5. Let the coach know if you or your child has any issues or concerns as soon as they arise. Problems can usually be fixed very easily if I know about them.

*** Bonus Tip: Hold your Parent/Player Meeting prior to the first practice, and away from the field. I like to use my local public library, which has meeting rooms that are free or very inexpensive to use. Having the meeting in this type of setting will allow you to hold your parent and player attention easier than competing with soccer balls, goals, and whatever else may be going on.

Implementing the secrets listed above will almost certainly assure you a successful season.

Good Luck!

Ric Reeder is the co-author of First Time Coach ? Soccer, First Time Coach ? Basketball, and First Time Coach ? Baseball. Ric coached youth soccer for eight years at the recreation and competitive levels, and is a former Director of Coaching for Madison United Soccer Association in Richmond, KY. He also coached basketball at three different levels: youth, AAU, and middle school, and coached baseball in the local Little League. Please visit http://firsttimecoach.com for more information on successfully coaching youth sports for the first time.

How To Coach Youth Soccer

If you want to coach youth soccer in a way to build a team that could win matches, the first thing that you need to do is to teach them the fundamentals of soccer. Also, make sure that they follow your instructions religiously.

Teaching the basics is very important, as it will eventually help the players to be clever and confident enough to win matches. Having the grip over the fundamentals will let them enjoy their soccer and become good players.

What Should Be Your Approach

When it comes to communicating with the youth soccer players, you as a coach must have this approach - Organize less, Say Less, but let the players do more. Let them enjoy their game.

Giving Feedback

Do give your feedback, but make sure they are short and simple. But again, do not put your feedbacks during the game. The best time to put the feedbacks is before/after practice and during breaks.

Communicating In Age-Appropriate Way

You must know what a child is able to do at a particular age. You should communicate with them in an age-appropriate way.

Communicating With Parents

It is not just the players who a soccer coach needs to communicate with, but there are others as well, including the parents of the players, officials and other coaches.

After the initial meeting, parents usually do not contact the coach during the season, but if they do contact, you must LISTEN to them. Be attentive to their queries and concerns, and try to answer the same in an effective way.

But, whenever there is a meeting between you and the parents make sure that this goes on without children being present in the same. You can do this after a practice session or when the game is over. Communicating on phone or through emails is also not a bad idea.

Communicating With Other Coaches

If you want to accomplish your skills as a soccer coach, you must make an effort to establish an acquaintance with other coaches. So, whenever you get an opportunity to meet and greet them, utilize it to the fullest.

Overall, it is good that you know how to teach the players various skills and techniques of the game, but it is not enough.

Teaching skills blended with effective communication skills is something that can help you create a winning combination. Communication is the key if you want to coach youth soccer in an effective and impressive way.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of coach youth soccer. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.

Soccer predictions from the likelihood theory

Though ecobika exactly knows that a few of you are fed up with betting after yesterday's very annoying and upsetting results happened from NFL and NBA to Premiership and Primera division (ecobika was very disappointed too), if you think gambling seriously, you should forget everything. New day, new possibilities, new likelihoods, new probabilities. Betting is the same investment like trading stocks.

This is a special edition of ecobika.

Ecobika tries to figure out the probabilities some of today's matches. Knowing the probabilities, you can make your decisions easier, if the odds reflect the probabilities or not, correctly priced or not, is there any value there or not?

The method is only and only based on the stats!

West Ham v Fulham Probabilities: Home win: 47.3% X 25.2% 2: 26.9% Under 2.5: 49.8% Over 2.5 50.2% Correct score: 1-1 has the probability of 12%

Bastia v Valenciannes H: 45.7% X: 27.7% 2: 26.3% Under 2.5: 59.6% Over 2.5 40.4% Correct score: 1-0 has the probability of 13.5%, 1-1 has the probability of 12.9%

Leiria v Belenenses H: 46.2% X: 30.4% 2: 23.3% Under 2.5: 69.4% Over 2.5: 30.6% Correct score: 1-0 17.1% 0-0 14.4%

Cesena v Mantova H: 38.3% X: 32.4% 2: 29.3% Under 2.5: 72.2% Over 2.5 27.8% Correct score: 1-0 16% 0-0 16%

Arezzo v Catania H: 51.5% X: 26.2% 2: 21.9% Under 2.5: 57.6% Over 2.5: 42.4% Correct score: 1-0 14% 1-1 12.3% betting uk soccer

NBA: most likely straight winners (moneyline): Indiana, Denver, New Jersey.

These probabilities are calculated from the league tables only. The probabilities does not guarantee win.

However, the ball is round, good luck with your soccer picks. Bet with confidence, bet with gamebookers ecobika do the same.

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