Coaches, I just loaded a new question and answer document to the free Coach Mark Soccer Club website.
It’s a great resource to get quick answers to your questions.
Remember, the site also has great documents like soccer formation diagrams.
Coaches around the world have many thoughts on which position is the most important and valuable to a soccer team. Even the coaches in the Coach Mark Soccer Club can’t agree. So, let’s figure it out once and for all.
Some would argue that the goalkeeper is the last line of defense, so that position is the most important. Others would say you win by scoring more goals, so your Forward or Striker is the most valuable. Yet, other coaches say the Midfielders or Wings are the players that create the scoring opportunities, and act as stoppers to keep the ball in the offensive end. So, the discussion rages on and there is no end in sight.
Here is your chance to voice your opinion. Please choose one position from the list below and tell the world which position is the most important for you!
You will be able to vote one time, for only one position. Once you vote, you will be able to see the voting results.
Loading ...Coaches,
Across the world, the 4-4-2 soccer formation is the most widely used 11V11 formation there is. It is known as a defensive formation, but with only slight changes, it can be a deadly offensive formation too. Some coaches play the 4-4-2 soccer formation with a diamond formation for the midfielders. Some coaches like to rush one center midfielder into the attack with the forwards. Many coaches choose to keep the other center midfielder back is a “holding” responsibility. No matter what way you like to play the 4-4-2 soccer formation, it can be a great strategy for your soccer team.
Coach Mark Soccer Club has all you need to know about playing this universal formation. I’ve got a free soccer responsibility diagram with a diamond, one more without, one more with an attacking center midfielder, and one more variation also. I also provide more coaching notes than any other formation I’ve provided to date.
Check out Coach Mark Soccer Club and download the 4-4-2 formation and all the wonderful information and coaching notes for free!
To your soccer success,
Coach Mark
Coaches,
I’ve been out of town for soccer tournaments for a while, but now I’m back. And just in time to provide more free soccer coaching help for you.
I wanted to let you know that I will be loading two free ebooks at my Coach Mark Soccer Club website that you can have for free when you sign up for free access to all the best youth soccer drills, soccer coaching strategies, and other free documents for downloading that help you win more games! The ebooks are sold elsewhere for $17 each and thay are yours free when you sign up for access to the club. The best soccer coaching tips, graphical soccer field diagrams, and soccer position strategies are my gift to you!
To your soccer success,
Coach Mark
Coaches,
I’m celebrating! And with good reason. My daughter scored four goals in her last game! So, I just have to celebrate the only way I know how. By giving my fellow youth soccer coaches some more free documents to coach better, have more fun, and win more games.
I have to be fair to you and let you know that I gave my club coaches two new files to download for free. One is a three midfielder soccer formation diagrams, with the complete explanation you need to provide to your team. The second document is a graphical team calendar your team manager and your palyer’s paretns will love you for!
Go over and join the club to get your free soccer formation diagram and soccer team calendar now! Here’s what they look like below.
By the way, did I tell you my daughter scored four goals?
To your soccer success,
Coach Mark
The most important things to remember for youth players in this soccer formation are;
1) To stay in the designated lanes or area of the field. It gets too easy for youth players to “bunch up” or slide toward the middle of the field.
2) The six players that will be on the offensive end of the field can get to focused on the middle of the field. They need to remember to stay wider than their tendency might otherwise be.
3) This formation relies on your ability of your center midfielders and forward midfielders to possess the ball, and pass it effectively to the forward midfielders and the striker.
Coaches, how many of you are really utilizing a soccer field diagram in your practices, your games and anywhere else you interact with your youth soccer players? If you’re not using them every day, Coach Mark thinks you’re missing out on a very valuable communication method. Youth are visual learners; a simple diagram can make all the difference.
Check out my Squidoo lens for much more valuable information on soccer field diagrams.
Then remember to go to Coach Mark Soccer Club to download free soccer diagrams for your use.
To your soccer success,
Coach Mark
By Matt Hick
Coaches have used soccer drills for years to teach a variety of moves and strategies to players. While many players argue that repetitive drills are boring, the benefits of practicing the same skill over and over again can make the difference between a team full of qualified players who are ready to go up against even the toughest team, and a team with little or no teamwork capabilities or soccer skill.
The goal of the coach is to find drill that not only teaches specific playing skills, but which are fun for players. Here are a few basic skills drills to get your team started:
Taking Control of the ball is vitally important in the game of soccer. One way to help players learn to gain control is by separating them into two teams in two single file lines facing each other. Serve the ball into the air while each player fights for control of it.
Read more…
By C Turner
Coaching soccer is not just about drills and fun games – a soccer coach needs to instill his team with a good education about tactics too. While he may decide the tactics, the players need to understand them in order to carry them out. Discover more in this article.
These days, tactics play a very important role in the beautiful game. Don’t be confused by them though. In my opinion, your team needs to have the will to win and the ability to play soccer with confidence and no fear of failure. These are the most important things. Tactics though are still very important.
One of the best way for players to learn tactics is to study video. You might think that they already know a lot of basic tactics because they watch a lot of TV but most people just follow the image of the ball and do not easily take in the bigger picture. So one possible use of video is to get some historic footage where the game turned due to a tactical change. For instance, one of the numerous examples of when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came on as a super sub for Manchester United and changed the game.
Read more…
By Nigel Reed
Small sided games are the back bone of developing fundamental concepts of the game and provide the coach and player a like a simplified “game like” environment to explore and teach the concepts. (I have covered the Basic Principles of the Game in another article)
Small Sided Games are a must for the major part of your coaching sessions. You do need to ensure that a lot of ball drills are used to ensure that players are technically able to play, and I structure my sessions such that players get a lot of touches as part of the warm up. Having technically sound players makes it far easier to introduce some of the concepts of small sided games.
However, the vast majority of learning comes from small sided games.
What is a Small Sided Game?
Read more…
By Ken Long
If you spend $30 to buy a book on coaching youth soccer, it will be 200 pages of great advice that your girls cannot use. Your job as a coach is to reduce all that excellent advice into a set of rule sthat your players can remember in the middle of the game while they are running as fast as they can. This is no easy task for the inexperienced coach.
You should have your players maintain a soccer Journal and encourage them to study their notes in between practices. These offenses principles would make a nice one-page entry in their journal. These are the words that you should use in practice to make sure that they understand and apply the principles of offense.
Offensive principles for youth soccer:
When our team has the ball, your job is to:
1. Spread out and use all of the space on the field
2. Use your teammates to invincible
3. Support your fellow teammates and talk to them
4. Take the ball wide and be ready to pass
5. Carry the ball to the corner
6. Cross the ball to the center
Read more…
By C Turner
Many people harbor dreams of becoming the ultimate soccer coach. In this article, I can help your dreams come true.
Soccer (or football) is a global sport. In fact, if you didn’t know already, it’s the biggest sport in the world with fanatic followings in every country and corner of the globe.
This means that you are normally in one of two situations:
- you live in a country that is passionate about the sport and everybody loves soccer.
- you live in a country where soccer is overshadowed by other sports but is growing rapidly.
The great thing is, you can succeed as a soccer coach in both types country.
Read more…
By C Turner
There are many licenses now available for budding soccer coaches, but are they really necessary? In this article, I’ll give you the lowdown.
I don’t know about you but I hate exams. They are such a pain in the back side. Having to sit down in a hall and prove that I know how to coach soccer, or even worse – having to deliver a presentation to a board of examiners. Surely all this is not necessary, right?
Sadly, it is so I recommend you face the reality – here’s why.
Nobody needs a license to coach soccer (actually there is one level where you do, more on that later). You just help out some kids or young adults, assist them with drills, motivate them, make tactical changes, plan for your next game etc. Why would you need a qualification to do that? Surely, there is no replacement for experience?
Yes, experience is more important actually but it’s a “chicken and egg” situation. You need a license to get better jobs to get experience. And without experience, you cannot get the better jobs either. Here’s what you should do. Most countries have a soccer licensing body, usually the national soccer association, who offer a variety of qualifications. Just get yourself what is normally called the “Level 1″ qualification. It’s real easy and a cinch compared to your high school exams. And you’ll actually learn a lot too.
Once you have your Level 1 badge, you’ll find that a lot of doors open to you. People can recognise that you are serious about coaching soccer because you went to the trouble of getting your badge. They’ll help you get the experience you need to ascend the coaching ranks and maybe one day become pro.
Oh yeah, remember how I said that you don’t need a license to coach soccer? Well, actually, the top European coaches now have to take the UEFA Pro license to keep their jobs. So, if even the pros have to take some exams, then one exam for you is not going to hurt now, is it?
Want to learn more about becoming a pro coach? Need to know what it takes to become part of the elite set? Discover what you need to know about a soccer coach license and much more and get a sneak peak look at the new soccer coaching bible at http://www.EliteSoccerCoach.com
By Steven R Parker
The Basic Rules
The following are some of the most commonly observed youth soccer rules, as dictated by the United States Youth Soccer Associations (USYSA) and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Remember that youth soccer rules can vary between leagues and age divisions, so always consult the local soccer authority for the final word on rules and regulations.
Each team is comprised of 11 players- 10 on the field and 1 in goal. According to youth soccer rules, a team is allowed a maximum of 3 substitutions during the match if it is part of an official competition. While all the players on the field must wear jerseys of the same color, the goalkeeper must wear a different colored jersey than their teammates and the referees. Most goalkeepers choose to wear a goalkeeping jersey, a pinnie or mesh training vest, or a t-shirt.
Read more…
