How to make a success of that first soccer coaching session

Question I am set to take my first soccer coaching session soon. What key bits of advice can you offer to help me make it a big success? Answer by Nick Judd, youth soccer coach at Finchampstead FC The main piece of advice I would offer is not to rush into anything. Youth soccer is about building up rapport, ideas, skills and team spirit, so if your development is gradual, that’s actually no different to what you expect of your team. It’s not going to come overnight, so relax. Many coaches worry about non-soccer matters at first. Will the kids like me? How will I remember their names? What if no-one turns up? But just remember that kids are often much more patient than adults and they’re coming to soccer practice because they enjoy playing the game. Get going with simple passing and shooting drills, and show you’re interested in every single player, irrespective of individual abilities. Also don’t be afraid to let players make decisions over how the session develops – it doesn’t all have to come from you. They’ll like the fact that you respect their opinion, and it will give you a useful opportunity to see who the ‘leaders’ are in the group. Move on to some skill and technique training and get players to work in pairs or small groups rather than standing around waiting in lines. And always ensure you finish with a small-sided game so players can put into practice the things they have learned. At the end, ask players what they liked about the session and what they didn’t, and take those thoughts on board for your next get-together. There are drills, games, warm-ups out there that will really enhance and improve your players, and it’s really tempting to run before you can walk, but keep it simple at first to ease your way into youth soccer coaching. Good luck!