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coaching education

COACHING EDUCATION

 

Tonka United Soccer Association offers a concept of total soccer for the development of players aged 4 through 19. We pride ourselves on developing all participants of the game including players, parents and coaches, beginner through advanced.

 

Our coaching philosophy is inspired by our own coaching experiences and coaching bodies such as the United States Soccer Federation, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, English, Scottish & Welsh Football Associations as well as many other teaching and education resources

 

Click on the Coaches Corner tab at the top of the page for more coaches education resources including session plans and video links.

 

“The world belongs to the children and we are only holding it in trust

until they are old enough to take possession”

Klass Kids Foundation

The Role of The Coach

The coaches role is to create the right conditions for learning to happen and to find ways of motivating your players.  The roles that you will find you undertake as a coach will be many and varied and you will find at some stage in your coaching career that you will be: instructor, assessor, friend, mentor, facilitator, demonstrator, advisor, supporter, fact finder, motivator, counselor, organizer, planner and the Fountain of all Knowledge. As coaches we have an abundance of knowledge and the opportunity to educate and inspire individuals.

 

For the Love of the Game

By far the most important goal of coaching soccer is to instill a love of the game in each player.  Even if the coach is unable to accomplish anything else, if they can get the players to love the game and look forward to the next practice, the next game and the next soccer season, then the coach can consider themselves to have been successful.

 

The second goal of youth coaching is to instill a desire to master the ball in each player.  Coaches must convince each player of the need and the enjoyment to develop soccer skills.  Players must learn to want to master the skills and techniques, not feel that they are being forced to master the skills.

 

Developing positive Attitudes

In order to develop positive attitudes players should be encouraged to:

  • Observe the conventions of fair play, honest competition and good sporting behavior;
  • Understand and cope with a variety of outcomes; including both success and limitations in performance;
  • Be aware of the effects and consequences of their actions on others and the environment; and
  • Appreciate the strengths and be aware of the weaknesses of both themselves and others in relation to different skills

 

I Want To Play

 

What I hear, I tune out:

What I hear, see and feel sparks my interest

What I hear, see feel and practice, I begin to experiment with:

What I hear, see, feel, practice and experiment with

I begin to acquire knowledge and skill

This is fun.

I want to play

Not stand in lines!

Listen to lectures!

Or run laps!

 

Punishment

It is not good practice to award physical punishments, particularly to young players, such as sit ups and press ups. Use points/goals in competitions (awarding), soccer specific tasks are beneficial to the individual (juggling, step ups, combinations etc). Ask players to help you with your equipment and use the opportunity to talk to them about what you expect of them. If you ask players to help you, ALWAYS say 'thank you'.

 

The role of the coach is one which:

 

"enables the athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left to his/her own endeavors".

 

Dyson speaking to the 19th session of the International Olympic Academy, Greece 1979, widened the horizon when he said that:

 

"the wise coach develops not only the fullest physical potential in his charges,

but also those capacities and habits of mind and body which will

enrich and ennoble their later years"