Coaching a team is never easy. Thus, we have a few tips for coaches out there. These are fundamentals and very logical. These info are courtesy of grassrootscoaching.com

 

Winning isn't always about being first. Winning can also mean that a player is improving and doing better than they did before.

Develop a philosophy of personal and team improvement rather than striving to win every training session and match.

Be very aware of your own body language. 80% of communication is non – verbal and players will very quickly pick up on negativity, disinterest or disapproval and this will be reflected in their own performance.

Effective use of the voice enabling players to hear and understand what you are saying. Vary the pitch, tone and pace of delivery. Sometimes soccer requires calmness as well as generating excitement and desire. The pitch, tone and speed of delivery can help create the right kind of mood.

Don’t talk at the players, talk with them i.e. “Come on lads, we’ve got to raise the work rate and effort levels” Emphasise the TEAM not YOU, I or THEM! Remember there is no U or I in TEAM.

Make sure you position yourself so that you can see and gain and keep everyone’s attention when you are talking to a group. Position yourself so that everyone is in front of you and can see you. Consider the weather implications if talking outside. Would you want to or be able to concentrate on someone talking to you in the freezing cold, in the rain or with the sun in your eyes?

Your ability to communicate with your players will to a large part determine your success as a coach.

Provide a coaching environment where players are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning.
Remember: Enthusiasm is caught, not taught.

Fun games and activities are a proven method for ensuring that players learn and pay the most attention to a task. Repetitious drills at will turn the players off the game, especially if they are inactive for long periods of time

More frequent training sessions and shorter periods of training provide a better framework for ensuring soccer skills are retained more successfully. Players will tend to retain improvements made over a longer period more successfully if they have lots of frequent, shorter training sessions.

No matter how limited your soccer skills are, the players love to see their coach join in - be aware of not over doing it and hurting them or yourself

Games and certain training activities can be very anaerobic and hard work, so players will need frequent stops to rest and recover – use these rest periods to make coaching points.

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Motivational quotes:

• Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my Tenacity. -- Louis Pasteur
• You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through. -- Rosalynn Carter
• The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others. -- Hasidic Saying
• If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson