Underage soccer coaching

backwithabang

Hi all

just thought i would throw up a recent observation i had with my young fellas u7 soccer match.

The coach is fairly enthusiastic and tries to get the players to pass rather than whacking the ball and glory hunting. i have no real issue with it, i think he gets excited and wants best for the kids. I was at the sideline at the last match and heard 2 mothers just constantly complain about the coach, saying things like does he think hes coaching in the premier league and they are only 7 etc.. This convo was said loud enough for the coach to hear.

just got me thinking, what is the appropriate level of coaching at that age and should the kids just be left off or should the coaches try to get some structure to their game. i do think the parents having a whine are just ridiculous to be honest, the guy volunteers when most don't but i was also thinking are they right in a way and let the kids do what they want

HildaOgdenx

Mod - Moved to General Sports.

Local charter now applies.

whelan2

Just comment back I'm sure the coach would be delighted to get your expert help to train the team

longrunn

The coach is right, this will stand to the kids when they're older. I'm training an u11 team and like that coach, myself and the other coaches have worked on passing and skills development since they were very young. We've always encouraged passing, often limiting the faster dribblers through various made up rules. A while back, we had an influx of new kids from a different area you could see such a difference, in that they have been playing since they were younger but never had our kind of coaching before. Athletic and powerful lads with plenty of skill, yet wouldn't pass the ball and will take stupid shots that miss. They're after coming around to our way of playing now, scoring plenty of goals, and we will win leagues in the future, I'm sure of that. But the foundations for those future successes will have been laid when the kids were u7/u8, and trust me when kids are in their teens they want to be winning. So in short, the mothers that are critical of the coach don't understand that that coach is laying groundwork for the success of their kids when they're older so if they don't have anything productive to say they should shut up.

backwithabang

Yeah seen it at a game this weekend, he got landed with the not so strong team and had them playing well by the end, passing around and winning.

Parents are just arseholes

Gavlor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122103785#Comment_122103785

there’s your first problem - winning.

I’ve coached all ages inc loi academy level and the main objective at u7 should be fundamental movement and fun. Results are irrelevant.

backwithabang

I'm not a coach, just watching as a parent

Kids are competitive and want to win, that coach wasn't obsessing about winning but getting them to play.

Anyway ideally your way works but lots of clubs are not going by that ethos

Gavlor

it’s u7 though! I know you’re a parent and not a coach but you still mentioned winning. Plenty of time for tactics etc. A little Bit of ball mastery and lots of movements now will turn them into much better footballers when compared to passing patterns at that age. Does anyone think that 6/7 years olds enjoy playing out from the back or playing chess with a football?!

backwithabang

I hear what you are saying, but the opposite to that in a 5 v 5 game is that you get 1 or 2 getting all the ball and the other 3 weaker players getting no ball time which I have also seen so not sure how that benefits the weaker players