Planning soccer practice- the easy way!

Andrew Hemingway - Friday, August 08, 2008

Growing up I was taught that the easy way is usually not the right way. I have found this to be very true in my adult life, on many levels. But I have found an exception to this rule.
Three years ago, I volunteered to coach at my local Rec. soccer league. I was assigned a team of 2nd and 3rd graders. What a blast! This was the first time that I had coached youth soccer, and was very excited, but at the same time very nervous. Even at the very young age, most of them were very intimidating, add on top of the that parents that watch and listen to every thing you say. I was a little nervous, and like most coaches turned to my Rec. Dept. for a little guidance. I was told that they had a video that I should watch, but they only had one video, and 20 coaches, so they set up a night and had all the coaches come to watch. It was a Friday night, and maybe half the coaches showed up. I only remember 1 staying the whole 3hrs.This was my introduction to coaching youth soccer, and understood why so many coaches bailed. It took two weeks for it to dawn on me, but I said "there has to be a better way". It was then that this site was born. I determined that there has to be a way to provide good quality coaching education to volunteer coaches. Coaches that are not looking to become Pros, or have played for 10 years and know all the lingo. Im talking about the busy mom or dad that volunteers because they love their children, and want to be involved with their lives. There is a great need for quality education for this group of people.
There are problems though, this demographic is very, VERY busy! They have 2-3 kids, and are very involved...in everything! I knew that I wanted good coaching, and it had to be delivered quick. That is why we have top quality coaches. Rob Wright international coach for over 17 years holds the highest soccer license you can get, and Jeff Pill international coach for over 20 years, coached players like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and the whole US womens National Team. These two guys were so nice and willing to work with me, because they wan to make an impact on soccer in the US. No other reason at all!! We all decided that the drills,interviews, and other content had to be in video. That way coaches could log on and quickly determine what drills to use, they could understand the drills, and use them right away. These coaches prepared, and I hired a video crew, then we went out and taped, and taped, and taped.
We took all that footage and turned it into over 75 drills. We are still editing, and loading them to the site. We also have more taping lined up very soon, so more content will be coming out.
We now have a HUGE collection of youth soccer drills, taught to you by professional coaches. I am so happy with the way that these drills turned out, because I know they will help you as a coach, and busy parent. I know, it stinks that we have to charge, but this whole thing is very expensive. It is a very small fee of $15, and you get unlimited access.
This was not meant to be a sales pitch, but rather my story, of how I started coaching, and how and why completesoccercoach.com was started. And this is where the exception has occurred. It is finally easy to plan your next soccer practice,and be sure that the content is of the highest quality!

I hope that my story has inspired you to go out and coach confidently.

Andrew Hemingway

Jeff Pill's Soccer Drills in video!

Andrew Hemingway - Wednesday, August 06, 2008

We have been growing our content. We have been hard at work to provide our members with now over 50 drills all in video. So far we have used a few of the top coaches in the country. Coaches like Jeff Pill, and Robert Wright. Jeff Pill is the creator of the famous "Pill's Drills", these drills were prepared over 11 yrs. ago , and today are still some of the most popular drills online. These drills can be found in writing here : http://www.eteamz.com/soccer/pills/jpill.htm. But we have been working with Jeff, and now have several of his drills now in video. Inside our members area we have over 15 drills by Jeff, and I have decided to let one of these valuable soccer drills slip through the cracks.

5 Tips to plan a great practice!

Andrew Hemingway - Sunday, August 03, 2008

Planning a great youth soccer practice, like every thing takes practice! Our coach Rob Wright has laid out for us the 5 things that are absolutely essential to have a great practice...every practice.

With the fall season fast approaching, it is important to begin planning for your upcoming soccer practices. The following pointers are by no means comprehensive but should help you in the season ahead.

Be safe

The safety of you and your players is always the number one factor in your preparation. Plan ahead by knowing the weather, and be sure to have all your players contact details (and a way to call for help) in case of an emergency. Once on site, make sure that the area is safe (free of class, metal, holes, etc) and that any goals are anchored securely. In the event of bad weather (thunder / lightning), always err on the side of caution and take the children to safety.

Be prepared / organized

As mentioned above, be sure to have accurate paperwork for all of your players. Once on field, have a lesson plan that is age appropriate, and that makes good developmental sense. In addition, have appropriate equipment for the practice (balls, cones, pinnies, etc) and check that it is in safe working order. Being prepared will mean you are less likely to get flustered during practice.

Be flexible

Sometimes, the best sessions on paper just don’t work on the field. As a coach, it is important to realize this and to not be afraid to change your practice if it is not working (you can always go back to it later). Your players will not mind, and you can always change to one of their favorite games.

Know when to join in

Some of the best moments in a youth soccer practice can be when you join in with the players. This can motivate them to play better and with more energy, and can be a lot of fun for you. However, be careful! If you do play, understand the impact your intervention and size may have on less confident children. Also, be wary of getting too involved as a player, and remember that if a child does a good move against you, their reward should be to beat you and move on (not to have you work extra hard to win the ball back!!!!).

Have Fun

Above all else, have fun. Your players are there in their free time and while learning is important, enjoying the experience is paramount. If you are enjoying yourself, then it will show through in your sessions and will be picked up on by your players and their parents. After all, this IS supposed to be an enjoyable experience for you as well as them.

I hope that this article will help you in  your quest to become the best coach you can be. To access over 50 soccer drills, and a library of articles like these Join Now

3 soccer drills to use in your next practice!

Andrew Hemingway - Friday, August 01, 2008

Press Release- Resource for Soccer Drills

Andrew Hemingway - Thursday, July 31, 2008

COMPLETESOCCERCOACH.COM “KICKS” OFF NEW WEB SITE FOR SOCCER COACHES

New Online Resource for Soccer Coaches Launches; Online Coaching Certificate Designed by World Renowned Soccer Coach
Robert Wright
Bristol, New Hampshire -- August 01, 2008 – The Internet’s first comprehensive soccer coaching resource is now live at completesoccercoach.com. Designed specifically to support coaches in both planning and enjoying their coaching experience, the site features a comprehensive video library that showcases soccer drills, activities and tips, and an extensive library of “How To” articles for soccer coaches of all levels and experience.
Interactive features likes blogs and discussion forums also allow visitors to share their experiences, lessons learned and offer advice on soccer drills, techniques and everyday coaching practices to fellow coaches.  In addition to the site’s unique tools, resources and coaching centric focus, Complete Soccer Coach offers an online coaching certificate course from expert coaches, and one-on-one customized advice and support from experienced and professional staff.
 “At completesoccercoach.com we help remove the anxiety that can come with volunteering to allow coaches around the country to enjoy the soccer and mentoring experience with their players,” said Andrew Hemingway, President and Founder of completesoccercoach.com “Our experienced coaching staff provides innovative coaching content that is developmentally appropriate, safe, and enjoyable for coaches and players of all skill sets. completesoccercoach.com has all the tools and resources to help visitors become successful coaches, mentors and stewards of the game.”
The site’s online coaching course was written by Robert Wright, a former coach for Arsenal F.C./World Youth Promotions, and the director of coaching education for Online Sports Coaching LLC. Wright, who designed the course to help coaches understand the basics of coaching youth soccer, has more than 17 years experience coaching soccer at the professional youth, college and recreational levels. He has also recruited, trained, and managed more than 700 U.S. and European coaches to teach soccer to American children.
“Coach Wright combines passion for coaching and US soccer culture with nearly two decades of experience to give new coaches everything they need to be successful and enjoy the game,” added Hemingway. “We’re pleased to have him be critical part of completesoccercoach.com and we look forward to seeing how his teaching and advice contributes to coaches and players getting the most of their soccer experiences.”
completesoccercoach.com is guided by our overriding corporate philosophy that centers on the following three core attributes: the safety of players should come first; coaching sessions should be enjoyable, player focused, and developmentally appropriate; and soccer should be fun for all; players, coaches, officials, and spectators. For more information, please visit: www.completesoccercoach.com
About completesoccercoach.com
completesoccercoach.com is the first comprehensive resource on the Internet specifically designed to support coaches in both planning and enjoying their coaching experience. The site features a comprehensive video library that showcases soccer drills, activities and tips, an extensive library of “How To” articles for coaches of all levels and experience, and interactive features to allow visitors to share their experiences with fellow coaches.  In addition to the site’s unique tools, resources and coaching centric focus, Complete Soccer Coach offers an online coaching certificate course from expert coaches, and one-on-one customized advice and support from experienced and professional staff. completesoccercoach.com is a privately held company based in Bristol, New Hampshire and a subsidiary of Online Sports Coaching LLC.

Contact:
Andrew Hemingway
603-217-5590
admin@onlinesportscoachingllc.com


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Advice for youth soccer coaches

Andrew Hemingway - Wednesday, July 30, 2008

see more pwn and owned pictures

Just thought you all might like this. It was too good to pass up!

"Hurry I need to plan my soccer practice"

Andrew Hemingway - Wednesday, July 30, 2008

This is a comment often heard by us here at CSC. Many parents are so busy with their professional lifes that they just do not have time to read, study, and plan their kid's soccer practices. On top of that many Have never even played soccer before, let alone coach it! This is exactly why we are here...This site exists to teach the volunteer coach how to coach their teams. We provide you all this is the most time efficient manner we can. So that you can log on the night before get a great practice that you understand( all drills in video) and can effectively teach to your players. All the time looking like you know exactly what you are doing. Don't be the "jerk" parent that just shows up and let's the kids do anything and never teaches them. Use our site, and earn the respect of your players and their parents, who knows...You might even have a little fun while your at it!

Youth soccer player hits Grandma in head!

Andrew Hemingway - Tuesday, July 29, 2008

I know, I know, not exactly what this blog was created for, but this is funny. We feel bad for the grandmother, but this has to do with soccer, so I decided to include it! Hope you get a good laugh out of this!

Teaming up with Technorati

Andrew Hemingway - Saturday, July 26, 2008

WE are teaming up with TEchnorati! So this post is only to activate the spiders so that they can index this blog! Technorati Profile

Youth Soccer Coaching Tips

Andrew Hemingway - Saturday, July 26, 2008

There are certain thing that every coach needs to know. Whether you have been coaching for twenty years, or this will be your first time, it is imperative to know a few certain things! What are those things? Well allow me for the next few minutes to give you a Soccer Coaching Tip.

Always keep the game in perspective! I know that you hear this all the time, but it is so easy for the game to take over your emotions as a coach.I just finished watching the movie 21. It is the story of an MIT student that was exceptionally gifted at "counting cards". The teacher in this story(which is true by the way) tell him that he can never let his emotions make his decisions for him. Of course the student one night loses focus, and allows his emotions to make bad, very bad decisions. This same story is told over and over again as coaches all over, lose their heads, by letting emotions make their decisions. This always ends badly for the coach. Sometimes with greater consequences than others. The lesson this week is to keep the game of soccer in perspective. Is it important? Absolutely.

Is it the end of the world if they lose? No! Keep things in perspective and save yourselves a lot of trouble!

And earn yourself a lot of respect from your players!


Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks we will have more tips to great soccer coaching.