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Andrew Hemingway - Friday, November 21, 2008

GONG!!! A Youth Soccer Game!

Andrew Hemingway - Thursday, October 30, 2008

Coaches,

You have got to check this out! I just found the coolest game on the web! It is called:


This is one of the best games online, and it is built around soccer. I love this game, and haven taken a lot f time to play it, because it teaches the fundamentals of the game of soccer in a away I have never seen. Here are  a few screen shots of this great game: 



Tell your players about this game and see their understanding of the game of soccer grow.  You will probably get addicted to this game as well. There are a ton of really cool levels to play, including the beach, the street, and several fields to play on. Go visit Gongonline.com!!


Enjoy!!

What formation to use for U6 soccer team?

Andrew Hemingway - Tuesday, October 21, 2008

What formation do you use for your U-6 soccer team? Do you adhere to the US youth Soccer standards, or do you wander and do your own things? I am curious to see what your responses are! How many players do you use on the field at one time etc..

Awesome new Blog!!

Andrew Hemingway - Sunday, October 05, 2008

I wanted to let you all know about this fantastic new blog that I have found. Jeff Pill is a contributor to this site. He is a world renown coach, and has coached players like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and others. He has an international coaching record of 11-0-1. Jeff has just started writing a blog, and I know that it will be very beneficial for you as a coach. Go check it out at www.jeffpillsoccer.com

Nutrion for Youth Soccer

Andrew Hemingway - Thursday, October 02, 2008

Nutrition is not a topic regularly covered here on this blog, but this week Sam Snow Director of Coaching Ed. sent out an email with some new FIFA guidelines. I found these to be very good guidelines for nutrition and wanted to pass them along. Click this link: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/medical/nutrition%20booklet_e_1534.pdf

I'm sure that you will see that some of the guidelines will not apply to every group, and in about the middle of this pdf they break it down by players groups. This si GREAT!! The youth guidelines are fantastic and should be taken very seriously. I do not see why any coach would not follow these to a "T".  I thank Sam Snow and US Youth Soccer for this resource!

3 Youth Soccer Coaching Tips you NEED

Andrew Hemingway - Tuesday, September 30, 2008

As many of you approach the mid point of your seasons, it is important to remember a few simple tips, that will ensure you have a great rest of the season!

1. Have 1 fun Practice-The mid point of the season is a great time for some team building practices. Take the team for a hike, or play another sport, take a practice, and do not touch or talk about soccer. These players have been going non stop for a few months now...give them a little break and see how they respond!

2. Remind yourself why you are coaching- it is important to remind yourself why you are coaching in the first place. You love the sport, you are wanting to spend time with your kids, all of these and more. Whatever it is the motivates you to coach and to be involved reflect on that, and jump start your batteries!

3.Have the best season ever- At the mid point you have to make a decision to either throw in the towel, or have the best season ever. I don't care how your season started it is time to regroup, and refocus on the goal. Is your goal to teach the players the basics of the game...how are they doing? Is your goal to win "x" number of games...How is it going? What were your goals at the beginning of the season....DON'T GIVE UP! Keep going, and inspire your players to do the same!!!


The midpoint of the season is critical. I hope that these three tips will help you have the season of a lifetime!!

Youth Soccer Drills: Small Side Games

Andrew Hemingway - Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Small group objectives are the same as stated for individual attackers or defenders.  Even though small group action essentially boils down to individual actions, there is a better chance that the action will succeed when a well-coordinated group undertakes the task.

ATTACKING

Although an individual scores the goal or plays the ball into a space behind the defenders, they do this primarily as the result of an individual's defending mistakes.  The group, with well-coordinated actions, can force positional mistakes, thus creating an opening for an individual.

The way the group does this is to force a defender to make a split-second decision between two or more positions, both of which can be made wrong.  Examples of this will be looked at later.

DEFENDING

Since an individual defender is at times vulnerable, a group of defenders can do two things to improve the defender's situation:

_reduce the risk of being beaten by providing support and cover;
_isolating the individual defender into a position where their actions are limited and predictable and which favor the defense.


ATTACKING

1.    Attack quickly before cover for the exposed defender arrives.

2.    The player with the ball runs right at the defender, forcing them to commit.  Make a simple decision, pass or dribble. This forces the defender to make a choice quickly.  Also, going straight at the defender makes it nearly impossible for the defender to get between the two attackers, thus isolating the player with the ball.

3.    The player without the ball maintains width so that the defender cannot defend both players at the same time.  They bend their run behind the defender.  The timing of the run coordinates with the moment the defender gets into tackling range.

4.    Anything more complicated than one pass behind the defender wastes time and thus favors the defense.

5.    Force a choice on the defender to either:

●    Defend the dribble, thus conceding the pass; or
●    Defend the pass, thus conceding the dribble.

The basic idea is to make the 2 v. 1 a 1 v. 1 and then quickly play the ball behind the defender and into a 1 v. 0.  It is the simplest of all group actions and happens in a matter of seconds.

Second attacker stays wide, and bends run away from first attacker.  The ball is then played intothe space behind and wide of the first defender.

IN DEFENSE

1.    Buy time.  Keep both players in front of you as long as possible.  If player with the ball attacks you, retreat as fast as you are being attacked.

2.    Try to isolate the player with the ball from their support. Position yourself between the two attackers, gradually bait the player with the ball beside you and away from the teammate.

3.    Limit options, try to take away one of the options the attacker has, either passing or dribbling.  Force the choice on them thus making the play more predictable.

4.    When the ball is beside you, then you can make it a 1 v. 1 situation.  Turning a 2 v. 1 into a 1 v. 1 is the best a defender can do.


This post was brought to you by Coach Jeff Pill.


To see his drills in video visit Pill's Drills

Top 5 Reasons to Coach Youth Soccer

Andrew Hemingway - Wednesday, September 10, 2008

1. Spend time with you child- Many coaches only coach because they want to be involved with their kids lives. This is a great benefit of coaching youth soccer
2. Impact young lives- DO not underestimate the impact that you will have over your players. Use this for good, and teach them life lessons as well as soccer lessons
3. Learn about yourself- there is not experience other than maybe marriage that you will learn more about yourself. Like it or not coaching brings out the very best- or worst.
4. Learn about the game- you never know how little you know until you try to teach something. Become a student of the game and you will be better off for it!
5. Watching players grow- This is so very rewarding, when you train players all season and you start to see that progress being made. You will remember the moment that it happens and the feeling is much better than that of a win anyday!

I would love to hear why you coach youth soccer. What is the reason that you dedicate time and effort to this sport? Comment below!!

Why coaching kids soccer is so hard!

Andrew Hemingway - Thursday, August 28, 2008

Coaching kids soccer is such a hard job! There are parents always watching and criticizing every move you make, there are league administrators always on you with new rules, and switch fields, and canceled games etc. This is not an easy job, and throw in that you are not being paid!! Most volunteer coaching do it because they 1) love the game that much, or 2) love a player that much. Both are great reasons to volunteer to coach, and both come with great rewards. I want to give you 3 tips to ensure you best coaching season ever

1. Change your attitude!- I know you just left the post right?? Seriously so much of what happens to us can be controlled through our attitude. You are providing an amazing service to these children. You step in as a mentor for those few hours a week that you have these kids. and you can impact their lives with a few simple words, or just your positive attitude. If all they ever hear from you is complaining about this or that, than you potential impact is much lower than it could be. 
2. Be Prepared!- There is an old saying that goes like this " failure to prepare is preparing to fail" This is never more true than when coaching kids soccer.Make sure you have plenty of soccer drills. You can never have enough drills going  into a season, and to have resources at your finger tips is absolutely essential. Organizations life www.ussoccer.org, and the www.Usyouthsoccer.com are good resources, but there are several other resources available like www.pillsdrills.tv, www.completesoccercoach.com ( shameless self promotion) and others. Take a look around and be prepared!
3. Have fun!- I know over used and underdelivered. Really Coaches have some fun! Everytihg in life is demanding now on kids, and to have a place where they can learn, and have fun is what this sport is all about!

Go out and have the best season of your life!!

Great soccer coaching tool

Andrew Hemingway - Monday, August 25, 2008

I just had to write about this exciting new coaching tool I just found. They are a set of pop up goals for youth soccer. These are made by Diadora, and are AWESOME!! They come on an easy to carry bag that fits in your trunk no sweat, and the unfold so easy my u6 team was having a blast with them! I found them over at DiadoraAmerica.com. They work great, and are the perfect size for the U-6, U-8 group. 

My team loved them, and I know that you team will love them too, not to mention never having to hide goals at practice fields,or lug them around from field to field! Go get them and improve your coaching today!!!