The Mighty Kicks Blog

How a Soccer Coach Supports the Players

As a soccer coach, your players count on you during the season for guidance and support. The following are some ways to help your kids through the soccer season:

  • Be specific with your praise

  • Stop practices to point out when a player does something well rather than when they make a mistake

  • While providing feedback, use the “sandwich” method by placing a critical remark between two encouraging comments

  • Pile on the praise for kids giving their best and displaying good sportsmanship

  • Provide constant positive reinforcement — it’s the key to improvement

  • Focus on fun and safety instead of wins and losses

  • Be passionate and enthusiastic and it carries over to your players

  • Have reasonable expectations and set attainable goals for the kids

  • Remember that kids making mistakes is all part of the learning process

Reference

Coaching Soccer For Dummies
From Coaching Soccer For Dummies by National Alliance for Youth Sports [with Greg Bach]
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/coaching-soccer-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html