I don’t know if you know this but communication is the most important element to succeed in coaching high school soccer. Coaching is an art of communication. It explains what you want of people in such a way that allows them to perform it.
When it comes to soccer coaching, I’ve observed that most of the coaches often are the ex-players. Yet, there are a number of issues that they are forced to handle. Most of these issues are a result of lack of communication. There are some major communication issues that you must understand as a coach to make your job easy and more effective.
These have been described one by one.
In the course of watching the young players on field, coaches often get emotional. They forget that they have the duty to observe the players analytically rather than merely watching them play. As such they are not able to see the key points that could make all the difference in their team’s performance. The coaches fail to have an effective conversation that could help the players get to the winning post.
Even though the coaches are well versed with the technicalities of the game, they are not trained specifically on communication. For example; in soccer coaching, use of a video or a flip chart is not very common since most coaches don’t know about them. It’s important for the coach to know the game well but if he is unable to communicate his thoughts, the training gets repetitive.
This is especially important in coaching high school soccer since the players have been into the sport for quite some time. They have been doing these soccer drills for some time but at different levels. One effective method is to continuously vary the format of training in order to avoid the repetition of boring messages.
You’ll be amazed to know that coaches tend to forget sometimes that it is people who carry out the trainings. They tend to get carried away in the process of coaching and training. An example of ineffective communication by a coach is when he fails to use a player’s name while giving instructions which produces uncertainty.
There are certain guiding principles in football coaching which are as follows:
• All messages that come from the coach are very important. So make sure that they are interpreted correctly.
• Your messages should have a positive impact on the players to put their best foot forward. Challenge them to be better rather than punishing them for being poor.
• Pay equal attention to each player in the team. Studies indicate that coaches spend relatively more time with star players in team (up to seven times more!).
• Communicate the potential issues that could arise and have a solution ready.
• Reinforce the player’s self esteem by balancing praise with criticism. When it comes to coaching high school soccer, tilt the balance slightly more towards praise.
Believe me. Once you start to apply this in your training programs, the benefits will far exceed your expectations.
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Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Coaching high school soccer.
Tags: Coaching high school soccer, coaching youth soccer, football coaching, soccer coaching