Coaching Tips To Keep Your Team Focused During Practice

If you have a young team that is particularly difficult to keep on task, it can be frustrating. Try some of the following suggestions:

1. Begin by having your cones and equipment in position before the team arrives.  
    
2. Your assistant/s (if you don’t have one, it is up to you) should have a challenging activity, that the players enjoy, going as soon as the first players roll in.  Make it an activity that can add players easily, but keeps the focus of the group.  
    
3. At some point in practice try to talk to each player about something other than soccer. 
    
4. Shorten up practice in order to make it more intense and focused.
    
5. Try not to stay on a topic for too long.  With under 12’s teach techniques in 2 minute bursts.  Tell them “they have 30 seconds to work on this skill.” Then you can go 30-60 seconds, and repeat.  Also, you can tell them, “You are looking for the player or two that is best doing this new skill”.  Then use that player as a demonstrator.  Make sure to spread this role around.  A little round of applause by the team is appropriate when a player has shown their skill to the team.
     
6.  Keep explanations short.  Just give the players enough information to get the exercise going successfully, and make adjustments when the ball goes dead.  You should only need15-30 seconds to explain an exercise.  “First team to get the ball in play gets possession” usually gets the players sprinting into position.  
    
7. Make it competitive, but don’t harp on winners and losers.  Have each player try to beat their own previous best score.  Juggle and catch equals one point is a very easy way to begin juggling, and there are many variations from there.  Try to make every technical game you play have a score that the individual needs to keep for themselves.  Each tactical game should also have points for passes and goals, but don’t punish players for losing.  One regular or upside down push up is okay as long as its not portrayed as a punishment.  
    
8. Finish with a game; that’s what the players really want.  Promise them a longer game at the end if they stay focused.  Coach very little during the game, and spend your time looking to see if your practice has made a change in their game.  Also, look to see what you should work on next time.  
    
9. Good luck, and above all, have fun!  Thanks for spending your time developing these players as athletes and people. 

Copyright 2004: Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association

Published by Mass Youth Soccer

This page was last updated March 14, 2004