If they leave with a smile on their face then what I’ve found is that they are energized at the very start of the next session, in fact most of them sprint onto the training ground!

If your players are energized, share your secrets with us at Junior Soccer Coach, we love to hear from everyone that finds our information motivational and useful… but if your players need a little energizing then these next two points should have them eager to get to your next session.

Well, for starters at the end of any coaching session I do, I gather the players in for a debrief of the main topics that we’ve been working on during the session.

More often than not, this will be in the form of a demonstration or recreation of a situation that occured during training that brought about all of the key coaching points.

But to help with the interactivity, I ask plenty of questions to test the players understanding and comprehension of the topic.

When players answer questions, encourage them by saying well done.  Even if the answer isn’t quite right, build on it yourself and recognise their contribution.

We tend to summarise together the points of the session and then in my debrief I inform the players on what we will be working on in the next session… I don’t tell them everything, but give them enough to look forward to it.

After we’ve had our quick debrief we then have a quick 5 minute tournament at the end of the session, this can be in the form of a penalty shoot out, cross bar challenge, keepy uppy, donkey race… whatever it is its just got to be fun and the players need to have a laugh.

In the 5 minute tournament, there are no coaching points to be made its simply a time to let the players have a bit of a laugh and giggle, but we almost always have some kind of forfeit for the players coming last!

Occassionally, we’ll also include the parents on the sidelines too… now that really does get a laugh!

Make sure you join our Inside Tactics – Free Soccer Coaching Weekly Tip service.  To do this simply, leave your name and email address in the box on the left hand side of this page or visit Junior Soccer Coach – Inside Tactics page and we’ll also send you our free 32 page soccer coaching too!

Frequently during a match, a player may not have ball possession for long periods of time. Whenever this is the case, he should be getting himself correctly positioned to help out in attack or defence, whichever is needed. When he does win the ball or receive a pass, what he does with it is crucial. There are three points you need to address when analysing your squad. These are:

• From a variety of choices, which one did the player choose?

Consider… Did he choose a sensible option? Was he alert to what was happening around him, as regards opposition or support? Should he have passed the ball quickly or kept control? Did he make the optimum use of available space? Did he over play the ball? Was possession used efficiently and effectively? Did he lose position or allow the team to become exposed?

These are only some points to contemplate whilst watching your team play. It’s not possible to instruct during emotionally charged action in a fast moving game but once the player has made his decision, it leads to the second point in the analysis procedure.

• Which technique did the player use?

Again, consider… Once the player has made his decision, observe which technique he employed. Was it an appropriate choice for the situation? Did it turn out as he had anticipated?

• How well did the player carry out the technique?

Once the player has decided which action to take and how he should go about it, his next task is to perform the manoeuvre. Observe his technical performance, how he holds his body, his footwork, his balance and his attitude.

By considering these three points, you should be aware of the player’s coaching needs. These points can also be adapted to allow you to analyse the performance of the team as a whole. Evaluate:

• How well they perform in counter attack

• Regrouping after possession of the ball is lost

• Using penetration during attack

• How defence is played

• Is width being utilized?

Analysing how the team make decisions as a group, how they move as a team, how well they communicate and how they utilize skill, should help you evaluate key areas needing coaching and improvement.

By using these three points, you can identify the developmental requirements and incorporate them into coaching sessions.

Remember each of the three points:

• From a variety of choices, which one did the player choose?

• Which technique did the player use?

• How well did the player carry out the technique?

A common error is automatically placing the biggest player in goal, just because his size means he can cover more goal area. There may be more competent players able to perform the role, regardless of how tall or well built they are. Height should of course be taken into account but there are other areas to consider as well.

Handling capabilities

A good pair of safe hands is a must. A skilled keeper will position himself with the ball, seize it and keep it safe. Proficient handling is more important then height, although finding a tall player with great handling skills would be excellent!

Displays confidence

It’s important that a goalkeeper has a strong character. He must be confident and courageous, not afraid to throw himself to the ground in front of strikers or anxious about hurting himself. There are coaching articles I wrote at Junior Soccer Coach under the title ‘How Goalkeepers Can Protect Themselves While Safely Gathering the Ball.’

Good communication

A goalkeeper is usually the last player in the line of defence, therefore should have a clear sight of all action happening on the pitch. Choose a keeper who not only has good observational skills but also the competence to communicate well with the other players and has the ability to organize them. It’s vital for a goalkeeper to make himself heard, manage the defence and give orders authoritatively.

Ball distribution

Once the goalkeeper has taken control of the ball, either by holding it securely in his hands or at his feet, he must be capable of passing it effectively to other members of his team. He should be adept at using either his left or right foot for kicking and be able to throw using a range of different methods. Under arm, push, spear, over arm and around the house throws should all be within a good keeper’s capabilities.

Good agility

Having good balance, being fast on his feet and capable of maneuvering in the air are all qualities to look for in a goalkeeper. He should have excellent agility, adept at reaching and stretching even in the most difficult circumstances. Also important is the ability to move quickly from standing still to close down any attack and being able to hit the ground from a standing position to block a shot.

Quick reactions

Part of a goalkeeper’s duty is coping with deflections, swerves and high-speed shots. He needs to have rapid responses, able to react quickly to what he sees and position his body and hands accordingly.

These are the six key factors you should consider when choosing a goalkeeper. With all the above qualities, good coaching, lots of support and feedback and plenty of practice exercises to work on these qualities, an excellent goalkeeper could emerge – and one of those is invaluable to any team.

This list is endless. All the traits and characteristics above are to be found in a good soccer team captain. He should have just as much influence over his team off the pitch as he does on it.

The fundamental role of a soccer team captain is acting as a link between the manager or coach of the team and the players. He should have the ability to assist with communication, encourage an enthusiastic attitude amongst the players and promote a good team spirit.

A good soccer captain must also be able to bear responsibility for his players’ actions whilst on the field and make strategic changes as and when he deems it necessary during a match. He should be capable of giving orders and instructions to his team members and act authoritative when doing so. It is important he commands respect from the rest of the team.

Choose your team captain carefully as there are many considerations to take into account. Not only should he have the correct disposition but he must also have the ability to carry out any duties required of him. A soccer captain has many obligations and tasks to perform in his role. The checklist below outlines these.

• Communicate with the coach any concerns the players in the team may have.

• Put forward to coaching staff any suggestions or ideas the team may have.

• Show guidance and leadership both on and off the pitch.

• Conduct himself as a role model, working hard during matches and in training sessions.

• Show good sportsmanship. This includes fair conduct, respect for his team, coach and opponents and demonstrates graciousness when losing.

• Have a positive, committed and enthusiastic attitude. He should encourage others to follow his example.

• He should adhere to all codes of conduct and rules and regulations. He should support and encourage this across all team members.

• If there are arguments or disputes between team members, a good soccer captain will be able to step in and resolve any issues.

• A soccer captain should act as the spokesperson for the team in any communication with officials during a match.

• He should offer praise and encouragement to other members of the team when they are performing well. This helps to bring out the best in each individual player. He should be an inspiration to his colleagues, spurring them on in each game to perform to the best of their ability.

• A good soccer team captain should good knowledge and understanding of how his coach wishes the game to be played, his values and his philosophy. This is crucial in enabling the team captain to exert a positive influence over his team members. Meeting up regularly to discuss these principles with your team captain is an important part of a coach’s role.

Once the time arrives to make the selection for the squad, emotions will be running high for you, your team hopefuls and their parents.

Choosing new members for your squad is a time of mixed emotions for a soccer coach. It is such a rewarding experience, seeing the expressions of joy when trialists are told they have been selected for the team.

However, it’s not pleasant informing those not chosen that they haven’t made it. It’s a tough message to give and even harder for the young trialist to accept.

Delivering the bad news isn’t easy but what you say and how you say it may make a difference.

Make your choice as soon as you possibly can after the trials have finished.

Think back to a time you found yourself in a similar situation. Maybe a job interview that you really hoped was successful. Think about how nerve wracking it was and how stressed you felt waiting for an answer.

Multiply these feelings by hundreds and you’ll get an idea of what the trialists are going through. It’s only natural that they are eager to hear the outcome, so make your selection in a timely manner.

You can help control expectations using good communication at the start of the trials. Ensure trialists and their parents are told in advance of when you will give your decision.

Give your decision personally.

Never deliver your message in a written letter. This can prove devastating for those trialists unfortunate not to make the team.

Putting it in a letter may seem like an easy option for you as a coach but is most certainly not the right way to go about it.

The trialists gave you their best efforts during the trials, now they deserve your courtesy and consideration on their game.

If you have lots of players who haven’t been selected for your squad and it really isn’t possible to tell them all individually, get them all together and inform them as a group. However, always offer to meet privately to discuss the matter.

Make it obvious your decision is final and the reason for the meeting isn’t to give parents or trialists a chance to make you change your mind but is for you to explain your reasons for not choosing the player.

Think back again to the job interview that was unsuccessful. All you received was a letter informing you of that. No explanations. No feedback. Nothing to suggest where you could have improved or where you were lacking. If this had been explained to you, it would have been invaluable in knowing where you need development, so improving your chances of success the next time.

Tips on having the conversation

You don’t want to make the player regret that he attended the trial. Understand that it is probably painful for him and he will be feeling somewhat upset at not making the squad.

What you say to the trialist and more crucially how you put it can make all the difference in how quickly he recovers from the disappointment and whether he uses the situation to his advantage by having the determination and motivation to develop his skills.

Receiving such news can have a detrimental effect on the self-esteem and confidence of a player of youth and junior soccer age. Do all you can to make this setback as easy on the player as possible; the last thing you want is to wreck his enthusiasm for the game.

Make him understand that it isn’t a reflection on him as a person. Give him praise where it’s due and tell him and his parents skills you were impressed with as well as what areas need working on.

Offer specific advice on how the trialist can improve his game and encourage him to come back and try again next year. He may need another season to develop his skills and hone his game enough to be capable of playing at a more competitive level.

If you have read the articles in this series, you should have the relevant know-how to give this feedback. Use notes and evaluation forms that have helped you make your decision.

Sometimes parents find it difficult to accept that their child hasn’t been successful and will try to compare him with other players who were selected. You must be clear and firm in this type of situation.

How to deliver the good news

This one is easy. Just simply tell the player he has been successful and enjoy seeing the happiness on his face!

The next job is to integrate him effectively with the rest of the squad but that’s for another day and another soccer article!

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial – Part Four

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial – Part Three

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial – Part Two

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial

Four other key elements are vital when choosing new players for your squad. These factors will ensure new members integrate well within the team and are a positive addition.

• Teamwork

• Demeanour

• Mental state

• Coachability

Teamwork

Evaluate how well the trialists play alongside their teammates. Are they selfish with the ball or does their game have a balanced approach? Do they know when to hold the ball and when to delegate to other team members?

Don’t have the notion that you just require a highly skilled player. It’s essential he can integrate effectively with your squad and offer a positive contribution.

Demeanour

To fit in with the rest of the squad successfully, the new player must possess a good demeanour. Does he get visibly annoyed when a teammate doesn’t pass accurately? Is there physical anger shown at other players’ mistakes? Does he shake his head or despair of a teammate who doesn’t take delivery of his pass or who misses a goal scoring opportunity?

Choose players who give encouragement to and are supportive of their teammates, not those who only offer negativity.

Mental state

Don’t forget the psychological aspects as well. Observe what kind of participants they are. For instance, when they lose possession to a defender, do they stay focused on getting the ball back? Or do they get annoyed and lack enthusiasm to chase after it? Do they adhere to rules and play fairly or do they turn to dirty tricks occasionally?

However, don’t always presume that discontent and irritability are negative factors in a player. One of the players in our team is a star. He does have a bad temper, sometimes criticizes teammates and occasionally gets upset at his own performance. However, he is still a champ.

He has a passion for the game and strives to succeed. As his coach, it’s my duty to focus and guide his enthusiasm in positive ways.

Coachability

In order to perform well as part of a team a player must be coachable. This means he should be able to take instructions and carry them out to the best of his ability. It’s no good having a player who does as he pleases on the field, he must demonstrate he can listen and comprehend what the coach is telling him. Is your player aiming to learn and improve his abilities? Is he willing to carry out all that is required of him?

Even a player with lesser abilities can through good coaching, develop excellent soccer skills.

In the fifth and final part of this series on holding an effective soccer trial, we look at how best to deliver the good or bad news to the trialists awaiting your decision.

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial – Part Three

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial – Part Two

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial

This doesn’t mean you just sit back and watch. Offering occasional feedback when it’s appropriate shows the trialists you have an interest in their growth and development. The added advantage of giving feedback is it allows you to observe the players reactions to instructions, feedback and constructive criticism.

If some of the trialists make it into your squad, you may end up coaching them for a long period of time. It’s extremely worthwhile having an early perception of how responsive they are to feedback. Take for instance there is one vacancy left in your team and you have a choice of three players to fill it, they all have equal ability – which player should you choose? Responsiveness and attitude to feedback are an important part of the agenda in soccer trials.

As each trial session finishes, always ensure you thank all participants for carrying out instructions and for delivering their best efforts.

It’s a good idea to thank the trialists’ parents for their support and for bringing them to the session. Assemble the parents and trialists together before they leave the field and ask if they have any questions they’d like to put to you. The most common question is ‘When will we find out if we’ve made it into the squad?’ Tell them you’ll let them know as soon as all trials are finished.

It’s beneficial to watch the trialists over a period of weeks, whilst they work alongside the regular squad. As discussed in a previous article, this reduces the pressure and stress of a one-off try-out and should allow the players to demonstrate their real talent over a longer stretch.

Assessing and choosing trialists

A well-organised trial is the initial step toward selecting new players for your squad. As the players demonstrate their abilities, your task is to keep a close watch over them to establish which of them deserves to play in your squad.

Should you make the decision as to who joins your squad by yourself or should you enlist some help? Bear in mind the following issues:

• Someone has to be accountable for the final decision

• If coaching assistants are part of your team, it’s only right they should have some input. After all, they will be coaching the new members too.

• If you’re holding a large trial, logistically some help may be necessary.

If there are several coaching assistants helping out, ensure they get to have a look at all the trialists. This is valuable for the overall assessment of the players. If they only get to see a percentage of the players, their appraisals won’t be as comprehensive or accurate as possible.

When using assistants, get them to participate in the set-up of the trial. This demonstrates to the players that the assistants are onboard and not just evaluators with clipboards. This benefits you as well as it allows you to spend a little time with the players instead of organising drills, games and exercises.

Always be consistent when evaluating players whether it’s carried out alone or with the aid of assistants.

Draw up a list of skills you’d like your assistants to keep an eye out for. These include:

• Control

• Speed

• Shielding

• Passing

• Shooting

• Dribbling

• Aggressiveness

• Tackling

• Qualities in one against one situations, both defensively and in attack.

Evaluation of technical ability is vital and the points listed above should provide you and your assistants a good starting base. Start creating a profile for each player by marking these abilities out of ten. Provide the players with sufficient scope to enable them to exhibit all the technical abilities.

In the fourth part of this series find out the key skills you should evaluate the trialists on and how to keep assessments consistent.

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial – Part Two

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial

When assessing a player, check out his technical ability as well as his game play. To enable a review of all these elements, divide the trial into two separate parts.

The first section involves some drill-based ability and the reason for this is twofold.

1. It allows the trialists to perform technical based abilities, which should be relatively easy for them and increases confidence ready for the match based analysis.
2. It gives you as a coach immediate feedback on their abilities to understand and carry out simple instructions.

However, be careful when using drills. Take for example if you set out cones in lanes and instruct players to dribble the ball along the cones whilst you time them. If this is all you do, the only thing you will learn is who the fastest player is, who can keep his head down and navigate the cones with technical ability but this isn’t match specific. How well would the player perform if confronted with a defender?

This drill will give you a quick albeit relatively meaningless peek at the basics, which are valid but won’t show you a great deal about the player.

The best method of judging talent thoroughly is by putting the players in match like conditions that accurately reflect the game. This will allow you to assess how the players react to pressure, the choices they make and if they can perform a skill when put under pressure.

To accomplish this arrange some games that will let the players constantly be involved and will offer them lots of scenarios and time on the ball. 3v3 or 4v4 set-ups in a compact area will bring out the very best in a player.

By compact area, I mean an area of usually 10 – 15 yards wide and 20 – 25 yards long. This means players must react to changes very quickly, such as switching from defence to attack and vice versa.

A vital element in this scenario is teamwork. The area is large enough to permit players to show individual skill but means they will need to seek out and utilize other members of the team also.

Part one of this series listed criteria to look out for when holding soccer trials. Here are some additional factors to add to the list.

• Does the player actively move around the pitch? Does he take up good tactical positions? Or is he happy to keep to one area of the field and allow the others to do the chasing?

• Is his style of play better suited to defence or attack?

• Does he make full use of available space and support?

• Is he comfortable with dribbling the ball or does he look to pass it?

• Can he anticipate a pass and deliver it well?

• Can he read the game well and conform accordingly?

To make the right decision when choosing players, it’s vital to assess all this information in order to get a full evaluation of the individual’s ability. Whilst a 3v3 or 4v4 try out allows players to display their technical capabilities and a little tactical know how (defence and attack), it’s still necessary for you to look at their understanding of the bigger game.

A good idea here is the use of a tactic board. Whilst it may not be perfect, it allows you to put up particular situations and then ask the trialists where players should move and why. This enables you to judge their abilities in reading the game. Another advantage of a tactic board is giving the player a prop to lean on so it doesn’t make him feel like he’s being interrogated!

Recruiting for particular positions

The best method of analysing players’ capabilities for a particular position such as a goalkeeper or a striker is to initiate a few drills that allow them to show their skills and technique. If it’s a striker you’re trying out for, get the players to attempt scoring into full-size nets (suitable for the particular age group). Use the same for a goalkeeper.

When using drills for a specific position, don’t attempt to set up too many together and have everyone performing all at once on the pitch. It may be unnerving for a player if you’re not watching but instead concentrating on another drill elsewhere.

Never single out players either. In this kind of drill, allow all the players to have an attempt. This way the players won’t feel as if they are being scrutinised so much.

In the next part of this series, we’ll look at the biggest errors trainers make when having soccer trials plus some features to enable your chosen trialists to fit in well with the squad.

Holding an Effective Soccer Trial

How can you ensure you get the best out of the soccer trialists?

Beginning your session in the correct way is fundamental in ensuring everyone’s time is spent favourably. When the trial starts, it’s important to make everyone feel welcome – including your team, the trialists and any onlookers who are probably just as nervous as the trialists themselves are.

It isn’t difficult to make everyone feel at ease. Just take a few minutes at the start of the session to introduce yourself and give some details about how the trial will work. It’s important here to be organised and have a plan, hopefully you will have this under control well beforehand!

Everyone needs a sense of purpose, including youth and junior football players. Therefore, tell everyone what to expect during the trial. If the players know what’s ahead, they are not as likely to get nervous or anxious and can concentrate on playing well.

Six tips to help get things right

• Arrive early at the session allowing you to get everything organised and give a personal welcome to all those attending as soon as they arrive.

• Put on a warm welcoming smile as you greet everyone.

• Be enthusiastic and happy. This emits a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, which will encourage the players to adopt a similar stance.

• Reassure the players involved that you will review their performances in an objective manner. Explain to the parents the criteria the players will be assessed on.

• It’s a good idea to run the trials over several nights as this allows a more objective and reasonable assessment to be made. Doing this will also help players relax more.

• Get yourself familiar with the trialists’ names. Use sticky labels or badges if it helps!

Despite doing your best to ensure everyone is calm and relaxed, the likelihood is that there are only a few places available on the team, which adds to anxiety. Endeavour to reduce this as much as possible and ensure the trial is a positive and enjoyable experience.

Although you may never have any contact with some of these soccer players ever again, keep in mind their best interests and always give respectful and unbiased feedback. Take for instance if one of the players fails to meet the standard you require, it won’t be beneficial to either of you by giving him lots of negative feedback. In later articles we will cover the best ways of handling feedback.

Planning a well structured soccer trial

Players will have more confidence in showing their abilities if it is obvious that you are a competent coach and the trial is well organised and structured.

A soccer trial should be just like any normal training session apart from one feature, the coaching. We’ll come back to this in a moment.

Begin the trial with a warm up. Don’t leave this up to the players themselves, even if that’s what usually happens, instead initiate both static and dynamic exercises. Ensure the players understand that you are serious about how they get prepared and ready for action.

A one hour trial is sufficient for junior players aged 6 -10, increasing by half an hour for youth teams aged 11+. Several sessions enable a more accurate assessment of players rather than judging them after one.

Have specific criteria on which players will be judged. Look for the following seven key elements:

• The players first touch

• Awareness of surroundings (space, support, etc.)

• How comfortable they appear with the ball

• Close control of the ball and the ability to take on opponents

• Their communication skills

• Speed – both mentally and physically

• Their ability to close down and make a tackle

It’s also beneficial to have an evaluation sheet which focuses on four crucial areas – tactical, technical, psychological and physical. These can be subdivided into further areas that can be graded using a scale. Using this evaluation sheet enables you to objectively and consistently assess each player.

Know what to watch out for

If you’re out on the practice pitch, unsure what to focus on or the session is not going how you anticipated, then almost certainly you need to work on your pre training planning. The coaching session should be well prepared, organized and comprehensive, covering all the essential training objectives. Use these key training objectives as the starting point for your observations.

Don’t attempt to watch the whole pitch

If you’re watching all the players intently, both on and off the ball, you’ll undoubtedly see many minor errors. These need to be rectified, however, it’s important to stay focused on the aims of this particular coaching session and keep to the key training objectives associated with it. In essence, errors need corrected but don’t get sidetracked from the main purpose of the session.

Ensure useful feedback

This is possibly the most crucial aspect in any method of soccer training and development. Once it has been established that errors have been made or training objectives have not been followed, you need to consider the best way of getting this across to the players or player concerned.

In this situation, it’s tempting to halt play and then re-create the action. This however, is frustrating to other players within the team, particularly if they are not involved or have just taken possession of the ball. Therefore, any stoppages you make should be suitably timed and appropriate. To do this you need to consider the best coaching method for the situation.

Sometimes allowing play to carry on will be the most suitable option. Take one player off the pitch for sideline coaching, before putting him back into the game. Other times it will be necessary to halt the action and re-create what has just happened. When this occurs, always halt the play immediately and reproduce the play exactly as it happened, as accurately as possible.

Reinforce your coaching point and ask questions about the scenario so the players gain an understanding of the point you are trying to get across. Don’t spend longer than necessary on this and get the session started again as quickly as possible.

Technical and skill analysis

Be aware of the differences between skill and technique. A technique is regarded as the ability to perform a specific action with the ball, away from match conditions and free from any pressure. A skill is having the judgement of when and where to use the technique during a game and performing it whilst under match pressure.

If you wish to practice technique in your training session, players need to have ball possession and if it’s skill you’re honing, your squad need a purpose and an opposition.

Excellent observation is a vital skill for successful coaching. Just as your soccer squad must show ability and skill for the training exercises and games, you must be able to demonstrate excellent observation skills. Keep the four points listed above in mind whilst coaching your players.