subject: Attention All Soccer Coaches [print this page] What soccer coaches should understand is that while coaching, they should not expect every player to be the same in terms of endurance, skills and stamina. This holds true for physical abilities as well.
Each player is different in terms of both mental as well as emotional staying power. It is very important for a soccer coach to make himself familiar with this part of the game. By observing each and every player, he should be able to motivate them and therefore, help them reach their potential and play to the best of their abilities.
While coaching soccer, coaches should first try to figure out the level of competitiveness that exists in every player. They should understand that not every player is looking to win the game. They just want to have fun or spend time with the rest of the players. Unfortunately, the coach may also find a player or two who is not interested in the game at all. They joined either out of sheer boredom or because their parents forced them to. Naturally, these players will not care whether the team wins or loses and coaching them will be difficult as compared to those who are in it to win it.
Different players also have varying levels of aggressiveness. Some players will not get intimidated by others and will try their best to win the game no matter how bleak the situation may seem. Other players may be the complete opposite and will find it difficult to fight as well as the rest. While coaching soccer, you should focus on these players during training drills and create situations that will teach aggressiveness.
Some players are merely unaware of certain rules and stay away from the ball because they think they will get a red or yellow card. This is why it is important to print out a list of rules and make sure that the players go through them every week. To ensure that they have done their homework, quiz them and be patient with them.
It goes without saying that it is not easy to carry out these measures and make use of each and every player's strength and weakness. However, this is the only way to ensure teamwork and allow the players to excel in the sport. Soccer coaches should know how to keep calm and solve internal and external conflicts.
They should know how to calm their players down during, before and after the game. In addition to that, they should also be tolerant with timid players and help them get out of their shells. A soccer coach should create such an environment which is competitive and fun at the same time. An important part of coaching soccer is to help the players understand that failure is not a bad thing and that they will only learn from it. The importance of teamwork should be specified and the basics should be explained over and over again.
