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Latest Articles
- I Believe That We … Won
Thrown in on 07/01/14 (1 Comment)Maybe Americans will forget soccer for another 4 years, but I don’t think so. This time around feels different.
- It Doesn’t Take A Field of Dreams
Thrown in on 06/01/14 (1 Comment)Kids need ball touches at home to develop solid ball control and to play soccer you need space to play. Right? A nice big yard with lots of flat grass… Right? Well if my kids are any indication, maybe not…
- National ‘C’ License
Thrown in on 10/31/13 (5 Comments)Taking the USSF National ‘C’ License Class the next two weeks. The 234 page course manual starts off with: “Creativity and ball skills always come first” This is going to be a great class!
- Why Do You Coach?
Thrown in on 09/16/13 (2 Comments)When you get asked why you coach youth soccer, especially if you don’t coach your own children, what’s your answer?
- Insights from Claudio Reyna and Player ‘Paths’
Thrown in on 05/03/13 (1 Comment)Claudio Reyna recently spoke about the challenges we still face in developing youth players and what US Soccer is hoping to accomplish as they try to revamp how we develop youth players in America.
- Letter From A Volunteer Coach
Thrown in on 05/03/13 (6 Comments)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.
- USYS Releases New Practice Guides
Thrown in on 05/02/13 (No Comments)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.
- A Look At Pickup Soccer in America
Thrown in on 04/26/13 (1 Comment)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.
- Stolen Player Passes End State Cup Dreams
Thrown in on 04/20/13 (No Comments)@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 […]
- Developing Young Players Without Positions (or Wins)
Thrown in on 04/15/13 (9 Comments)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!
- When Players Finally ‘Get’ 1v1
Thrown in on 04/14/13 (No Comments)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…
- Ten Questions For Soccer Parents
Thrown in on 04/14/13 (3 Comments)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.
Popular Articles
- Anchoring The Soccer Goal Anchors
- In the five short years our local league has existed, one of the stranger challenges we've faced is trying to keep our soccer goals anchored. Soccer goals can tip forward, and can severely injure or e...
- The Making of an adidas Europass Soccer Ball
- Over at 18 Yards, they found a YouTube video of the various steps in constructing an adidas Europass soccer ball, the successor to the Teamgeist, which we've written about a few times before. The Eu...
- Soccer Sidelines – Oh The Intrigue!
- Research psychologists could have a field day studying the chaos that is your youth soccer sideline!
- Top Ten Things Soccer Parents Should Do
- As the spring season approaches, I figured this would be a timely article. As both a soccer parent and coach, it has always been interesting watching the interactions (or lack thereof) of parents and ...
- Coaching From The Sideline – Sometimes
- As any youth coach who has taken a USSF coaching class knows, you are encouraged to pretty much sit quietly on the sidelines during matches and not instruct players. This is great advice - the i...
- BallHype – Social Networking for Sports
- ballhype_story_widget_15485(true); I happened to be looking at my access stats (bored much?) and noticed an incoming hit from a site 'ballhype.com' that I didn't recognize. So I decided to pay ...
- IRS Nightmare for Soccer leagues
- Many youth soccer leagues could be in trouble with the IRS. BIG trouble, if they don't properly classify their officials and paid coaches.
- An Offside Primer for Parents
- As any soccer coach knows - getting parents to understand offsides is a tough challenge. Here is a primer we sent ours trying to improve their understanding of it.
- Soccer Patches The Sequel
- If you've ever wondered how you could motivate your players to try harder or use soccer moves in a match, consider awarding soccer patches. In our third year of awarding patches, we've come up with a wide variety of criteria, encouraging players to work on many aspects of their game.
- U10: To Call Offside Or Not…
- USYS recommends not calling offsides in U10 due to the short field (60 yds) and the inability of the players to understand it. Yet many leagues still call it. What is the right 'call'?
- Spots
- Think 'cleats' and you probably think of a black boot with three white stripes. adidas made them famous (as did many players who wore them), but cleats have been getting flashier and more colorful. Fr...
- The Costs of Youth Soccer
- Talk to most parents with a child in competitive soccer, and you're sure to hear about how much it costs. Just about every article written about the problems with youth development in the US will take...
- Heel Pain in Youth Soccer Players
- Soccer players in U10 through U14 often experience an odd heel pain that seems to be concentrated at the back and on the lower sides of the heel. Places a normal ankle twist or sprain wouldn't hurt. Turns out there is a very common condition among young soccer players called Sever's disease that can result in intense heel pain if not properly treated or prevented. As a soccer coach you should be on the lookout for this to catch it early.
- A Coach’s Gift They’ll Treasure
- Having coached twelve seasons of youth soccer and often more than one team each season, I've received my share of coach's gifts. All are absolutely appreciated, but it might surprise parents how much ...
- Thoughts on U11/U12 8v8 Formations
- When teams move from 6v6 to 8v8, they often move from a 'two line' formation to a 'three line' formation. What works best for a team often depends on the specific players available to us a given formation. Here are some thoughts on 8v8 and using 2 defenders instead of three. Is it worth it?
SoccerDad's Picks
- Top Ten Things Soccer Coaches Should Do
(15 Comments)
- As promised in my Top Ten Things Coaches Wish Parents Would Do, here is the top ten list from a parent perspective and what parents wish coaches would do. Obviously all the items in this list aren’t applicable to ALL coaches. But I’m sure all of us have been guilty of at least one of […]
- Top Ten Things Soccer Parents Should Do
(9 Comments)
- As the spring season approaches, I figured this would be a timely article. As both a soccer parent and coach, it has always been interesting watching the interactions (or lack thereof) of parents and coaches. Usually the interaction is good, but at times it can be strained, to the detriment of the team. We all […]
- An Offside Primer for Parents
(3 Comments)
- As any soccer coach knows - getting parents to understand offsides is a tough challenge. Here is a primer we sent ours trying to improve their understanding of it.
- Trophies, Awards, and Medals, Oh My!
(6 Comments)
- While I was on the other end of the state with my U10 team trying to win a tournament trophy, the coaches in our league decided to have a very informative and spirited debate about end of season awards, participation trophies, and alternatives. As season wrap up and teams decide what to do across the […]
- The Storm Dissipates
(No Comments)
- This is a post that’s LONG overdue, but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to write it when I should have in July 2007. So bear with my procrastination as I take a small trip down memory lane about a U10 Rec team I had the honor of coaching and that I will always remember. This […]
- Youth Keeper Killed By Portable Goal
(3 Comments)
- A 10 year old soccer player died Monday evening during a U11 scrimmage when the portable goal behind him fell over and struck him in the head and neck: A young soccer player died during a scrimmage Monday evening in Winchester. Investigators said 10-year-old Hayden Barnes Ellias was playing goalkeeper for the Winchester United under-11 […]
- Coaching From The Sideline – Sometimes
(2 Comments)
- As any youth coach who has taken a USSF coaching class knows, you are encouraged to pretty much sit quietly on the sidelines during matches and not instruct players. This is great advice – the idea being if they don’t know it already, they aren’t likely to figure it out in the frantic activity of […]
- End of Season Parties
(2 Comments)
- In four years we've done a variety of end of season parties. I'm curious what other unique ideas people have had for end of season parties.
- Soccer Sidelines – Oh The Intrigue!
(5 Comments)
- Research psychologists could have a field day studying the chaos that is your youth soccer sideline!
- The MYSA U10 Storm Bring Home The Silver Cup
(2 Comments)
- I finally got everything posted I had wanted to from this weekend, so now I can post about the fun we had this past weekend. As many of you know, I coach a co-ed U10 Recreational team in our local league and they’ve had a really good season this Fall. We decided to take them […]
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