Team Management	Mental Toughness
Team Building
Team Chemistry

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS A HEAD COACH?

1. Facilitator

• Set up conditions and environment for learning.
• Players want to have fun.
• Players need to have positive feedback.
• Players want to experience success.
• Players need to be excited about playing.

2. Positive Role Model

• Show respect for players, parents, referees and opponents.

3. Understand Who You Are Coaching

• Players develop at their own pace.
• Each player is an individual.
• Understand that players participate for different reasons.

4. You Are a Teacher

• Understand how players learn.

5. Know the Components of Soccer

• Technique
• Tactics
• Fitness
• Psychological

The following article appeared in the December issue of Coach:

Youth Coaches Are More Important Than They Think They Are
by Rober Vaughn

Somewhere during my 17 years as a youth coach, I began to realize that I was more important than I thought I was. I began to understand that youth coaches have a golden opportunity to influence young people's lives. Out of this realization emerged a set of rules that now serves as the principles of my coaching philosophy.

1. YOU'RE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU THINK.

Stop and think about the recurring role models in a young person's life; parents, teachers and coaches. All of us can cite examples of coaches who've been called upon to influence a youngster's development.

2. BE PREPARED.

A coach must understand his responsibilities and be prepared to perform them. A coach must realize that to be effective she will be required to do much more than show up for the allotted practices and games.

3. GIVE WARM-UPS THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE

Warm-ups provide an opportunity for young athletes to move from their chaotic day into the more structured environment necessary for a coach to teach. Warm-ups provide an excellent opportunity to work on team building and leadership opportunities. Finally, it makes sense to develop good habits early.

4. BE POSITIVE

Too many coaches are quick to point out the negatives, often with a derogatory tone. Players need to hear that they are doing things well. Research has shown that positive feedback is much more likely to elicit correct behavior.

5. STICK TO BASICS. THEY'RE THE FOUNDATION OF GREATNESS.

Every sport is defined by a few fundamental skills. Make these skills the focus of your drills, and your athletes will bet better.

6. ENCOURAGE

The results are amazing for coaches who use "more sugar than salt" when teaching young players. It suggests that coaches can help their players learn quicker and easier by encouragement.

7. FOCUS ON THE EFFORT, NOT THE RESULT

Without question, the coach's failure to focus on a player's effort is the No. 1 mistake he can make. Too often we care about the score, and not often enough about what got us there. Many youth coaches seem to think that their success is based on their won-loss record. After a period of time, does anyone remember what the team record was?

8. IT'S A GAME; KEEP IT FUN.

How many times have you witnessed someone (or even find yourself) coaching a game as if it were Game 7 of the World Series? Our challenge is to provide the appropriate involvement and leadership to develop the desired results. Coaching under control and focusing on the game is essential for youth coaches. Remember - it's only a game.

Mental Toughness