Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Crash course me in coaching a peewee boys soccer team!
Tessa
Oh, and in case nobody has told you this:
AYSO does not stand for American Youth Soccer Organization. It stands for All Your Saturdays Occupied.
A Saucy Wench
It's kind of like cat herding. I did it last fall for my daughter's 6-7 yo team which was boys and girls. I never played soccer and don't know the game well but at that age there's not much resembling soccer going on--just a pack of kids chasing and kicking the ball as hard as they can. Make sure all the kids have shinguards and try not to let the bigger boys run everybody over. It's kind of fun in small doses.
It's kind of like cat herding. I did it last fall for my daughter's 6-7 yo team which was boys and girls. I never played soccer and don't know the game well but at that age there's not much resembling soccer going on--just a pack of kids chasing and kicking the ball as hard as they can.
Make sure all the kids have shinguards and try not to let the bigger boys run everybody over. It's kind of fun in small doses.
This. Really the only way to prepare yourself would be to visit the local shelter and try to make all the cats run around the building together. Good luck.
Also, find out if your peewee league does strong side/weak side. We do for under 6. (above 6 it is against the rules). This means you get together with the other teams coach and agree to play your strongest players at the same time as his strongest players and vice versa
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
Best Present Ever
I loved watching 'soccer' at this age. For several years, my youngest son was practically the only kid on the field to have a clear understanding that the ball was supposed to go into a specific goal, which meant that he scored goal after goal. He's still a good player (and not a ball hog!) but nothing like the glory days of scoring 10 or more times a game. My eldest had a hard time remembering that there was a soccer game going on. He treated soccer like an opportunity to hang out in the grass with some friends and split his time between picking flowers, chatting (once he actually sat down with a teammate during the game to better focus on the conversation), and kicking the ball around a little. My daughter thought the point of soccer was to do cartwheels on the sidelines until about age 10. I'm not sure 'coaching' was really a factor for the first few years.
Make sure to see Kicking & Screaming with Will Ferrel
No. No 100 times no. That movie was Gigli bad. Bio-dome bad. I actually like Will Ferrell and it was bad. Unwatchable. Burn all copies bad.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
Not dead. Yet.
Your profile picture has a dude holding a megaphone up to his ass. I'm humbled by your amazing sense of comedy lol.
I loved it!
How can we know our limits if we don't test them?
Your profile picture has a dude holding a megaphone up to his ass. I'm humbled by your amazing sense of comedy lol. I loved it!
Ha! I forgot that was there. I love that pic. That's me with the fingers in ears. Good times.
That movie still stinks though. Me and 137 rotten tomato raters can't be wrong...
Feeling the growl again
Oh, and in case nobody has told you this: AYSO does not stand for American Youth Soccer Organization. It stands for All Your Saturdays Occupied.
Crap...
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
In that case it would be AYSAEO. (And Evenings) Last year U6 was T/Th eves & Sat and U8 was M/W eves & Sat. Did I mention on Saturdays the games were at the same time at opposite sides of town?
Pigtail Connoisseur
Good for you coach! When I coached my son's team at that age the most important thing was making sure all the shoes were tied, and that all the kids had fun. If you Google it there'll be tons of drills for you to do for soccer. The best thing I did was before the first practice, I had a parents meeting, simply explained I am not a professional soccer coach if anybody wants to help at practice just let me know. Also explained that were there to encourage the kids and have fun, not yell at the kids. Most importantly have fun!
Good for you coach!
When I coached my son's team at that age the most important thing was making sure all the shoes were tied, and that all the kids had fun. If you Google it there'll be tons of drills for you to do for soccer. The best thing I did was before the first practice, I had a parents meeting, simply explained I am not a professional soccer coach if anybody wants to help at practice just let me know. Also explained that were there to encourage the kids and have fun, not yell at the kids. Most importantly have fun!
X1000
At that age, it's all about trying to make learning the fundamentals fun. It's basically a huge PITA. But I would have to agree about the parents thing... While I wasn't a huge fan of coaching the younger ages, I am much less enthusiastic in dealing with the parents. You'll always find the "experts" who refuse to help. Good luck with that!
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