On The Pitch

A little league coach wrote an open letter to his little league parents trying to give them perspective on what goes into coaching and the sacrifices made. This should be required reading for all sports parents.

US Youth Soccer has just released three new coaching guides for U6-U8, U10, and U12 youth soccer coaches. They are packed with useful coaching information as well as a lot of suggested practice activities.

Pickup soccer is often credited with helping many of the world’s best players refine their skills. But in the United States, pickup soccer is seen as a rarity. This article takes an in depth look and finds that may not be the case.

@soccer_nation: Youth Soccer News: PLAYER CARDS STOLEN – Theft of Equipment Bag Ends SDSC B97 Elite Navy State Cup Dreams – what… http://t.co/S3mSthIBEU I simply cannot believe they tossed these kids out. Club registrars are agents of the state association. How could they not certify the roster was legit if they had done the cards [...]

U8 and U10 players often develop bad habits that will hold them back as they get older. Allowing U8/U10 players more freedom can help foster a more creative style of play, but can also cost you some wins. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

Not only has the warm weather returned, it was exciting to se my U8s finally learn to strip the ball 1v1 or when they gained possession on the run, confidently turn upfield with it…

When you coach for player development instead of wins, it can be difficult to keep parents on board. This recent list of questions can help your parents look for development, even if your teams aren’t winning all the time.

Is the USSF Academy program pushing out some of our best players who could be the next Lionel Messi?

One of the biggest challenges I had with my 96 girls team was getting them confident with the ball. They grew up playing soccer in a coed league and had very little confidence to possess the ball because they rarely had it in Rec. The boys usually controlled the ball and the game. It took a couple of years before they really believed they could possess the ball under pressure. You can teach them how to dribble, but you can’t teach them to possess it under pressure. They have to build confidence with the ball. So with my U8 players – I want them to own the ball.

If the rules allow you to add players when you’re down a certain number of goals, why would you refuse to do so? Why would you endure a massive loss and give up a chance for your players to get MORE playing time?

After years of coaching multiple travel and Rec teams in various age groups, I unexpectedly have found myself coaching only two U8 Rec teams this season. I’ve coached many of these players since they were 4, so it’s been an interesting progression to observe. When our league split the younger ages by gender when they [...]

My U7 Girls team had a pretty good season. Their first match was probably one of the most exciting and fun U7 matches I’ve ever coached. Pullbacks, crosses, possession, passing, feint moves, passing back to the defender, dribbling AWAY from the swarm, staying spread out. You name it – they were doing it. I was [...]