It's Not What You Know, It's Do You Care "Too often, we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve." Roger Lewin, US Humorist, Author. If you ask players what they dislike most with their coaches - talking too much (over-coaching) would be high on the list. When you try to explain every [...]

The Game "The best and only true test for a footballer is the match itself." Sir Bobby Robson, former England, and Barcelona manager. Being able to assess your players' level of fitness and train them at that level of game intensity is the only way to guarantee optimal team performance throughout the season. Also, this [...]

New Season, Same Plan "You have no choices about how you lose, but you do have a choice about how you come back and prepare to win again.." Pat Riley, basketball executive, and former NBA head coach. If your team is to be competitive during a season, you need to have a plan that starts [...]

Mindset "Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just illusions," Michael Jordan, former NBA superstar. To develop competitiveness, it is not the games or the exercises that are the most important thing, but more your coaching insights. Knowing how to bring your core values to life is critical to building mental strength for [...]

Small Games, Faster Learning https://youtu.be/KPkdyezagdQ "With youngsters, it is not the technique but rather the spirit of the game, the development of the game, the maturity of the game, of competition and the joy of playing that have to be the focus of the coach." Rinus Michels, former Dutch Player and Manager During training sessions [...]

Unlock The Game Within "Unless you feel good about what you do every day, you won't do it with much conviction or passion" as stated by the legendary World and Olympic Champion Mia Hamm. Competition between players is vital for a training session. Competition not only reveals the obvious technical qualities of players, but you [...]

Coaching Is Teaching Active Listening Is Key "Great teachers focus on what the student is saying or doing, and are able, by being so focused and by their deep knowledge of the subject matter, to see and recognize stumbling of the student who's reaching toward mastery, and then connect to them with a targeted message." [...]

The goal of Coaching Reading The Game "It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts... it is to teach them to think, if that is possible, and always to think for themselves," Roger Hutchins, American Educator A common scene at many youth soccer practices [...]

Finding Balance Coach & Player Sharing Ideas "To not do something for someone who could and should do it for themselves is an act of love", according to John Wooden, former UCLA Men's Basketball Coach Striking the balance when to coach, and when not to coach is an important skill that coaches need to apply [...]

Stand Out To See In Observe From A Far "Observation is the one thing we tend to forget about in the long line of qualities needed as a coach, you know, with selecting teams, organizing training sessions, dealing with parents...but observation is what you have to depend on at the end of the day. When [...]

Star Pupils Build The Relationship "Sometimes I might tear my hair out and say that there is an easier pass to the right or to the left or back. He is definitely a player who impacts results. He creates chances, scores goals, and takes risks," according to Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Bruno [...]

Assign Responsibilities Divide The Tasks 'Practice design is what determines the learning focus of a session,' as stated by Gerard Jones, Author of Let's Talk Soccer. Depending on your perspective, limited space for a training session can either be a hindrance or an advantage. Your ability to constantly adapt to the changing dynamics of coaching [...]

"Nothing great in life is achieved without enthusiasm," according to the late Gerard Houllier, former Director of the French FA's player development system, coach of Paris St. Germain, Liverpool FC, and Olympic Lyon. Starting 11, Plus Sub I had the opportunity to attend a lecture and field session by Gerard Houiller at the 2008 National [...]

Video Tape Your Parents' Meeting Leadership is not a position, but a process whereby one must manage themself. As the fall season winds down and winter programs take center stage, now is the ideal to prepare for the spring season. Reflecting is an important method that you can undertake to lead your growth as a [...]