Coaching kids of different ages. Nabila Shamsheri & Soheila Sharifi

About Us!

Soheila Sharifi, OCT -Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology Specialist from York University -Bachelor of Education from UOIT (Durham) -Special Education Certification -Head Coach at Sportball Inc (Multisport Teaching Organization) -Coached Soccer and Basketball at elementary level -Played on Varsity teams

Nabila Shamsheri, OCT Bachelor of Biological Sciences, UOIT Bachelor of Professional studies ( Niagara University) Master of Science candidate ( Niagara University) Coached Al-Huda school girls’ volleyball team Coached Soccer, basketball, volleyball at elementary level

What does the research say?

Too Much, Too Young? Soheila Athletes who specialise in one sport at a young age are 70–93% more likely to be injured than children who played multiple sports. Overuse injuries account for up to 50% of injuries in paediatric sports medicine. There are psychological dangers too. Parents who’ve invested time and money expect results. This brings pressure and stress. Family relationships can become strained. Burnout and dropout rates are high. There are strong links with inactivity in adulthood. It’s also recognised that children with a wider repertoire of physical, technical, tactical and mental abilities (accrued by playing a variety of sports) stand out later on in life from those whose skills are limited to a single sport. What does this mean for Soccer Coaches? https://www.connectedcoaches.org/spaces/17/coaching-children-ages-5-12/blogs/general/215/too-much-too-young Soheila

What about competitions? Too much competition is not a good teacher at a young age. Coaches who are pressured to win often focus on strategy and not on skill development Parents and coaches must realize that MUSCLE MEMORY is developed through hours of practise in various skill training activities Competitive games is similar to making a student take a grammar test everytime they come to class Competitive games are good..but only after the GROUP has been taught the basic skills; socially, physically, and mentally. Nabila

Athletes Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development Model Soheila

Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) Model LTAD-If you’re raising a child athlete, think long-term Active Start: age 0-6 years FUNdamentals: age 6-8 years females, 6-9 years males Learn to Train: age 8-11 years females, 9-12 years males Train to Train: age 11-15 years females, 12-16 years males Train to Compete: age 15-21+/- years females, 16-23+/- years males Train to Win: age 18+ years females, 19+ years males Active for Life: enter at any age following Learn to Train Soheila

Soheila

Canadian Soccer Association also uses LTAD to guide coaches in their leagues. Soheila

Soheila

What makes a good coach? 1. Create an effective learning environment. 2. Start a session with an introduction which includes aims and objectives. 3. Use demonstrations where possible (a picture paints a thousand words). 4. Allow adequate time for practice of skills and techniques. 5. Give constructive and positive feedback. 6. During drills a coach should analyze the participant’s strengths and areas for improvement. 7. A coach should give guidance. ***You are not just a coach. You are an advisor, assessor, counselor, demonstrator, friend, facilitator, fountain of knowledge, instructor, mentor, motivator, organizer/planner, and supporter. Nabila Team discipline is crucial to the overall success of any team endeavour. Not only do disciplined teams perform well on the field, but, if teams are able to maintain good discipline both on and off the field, the overall soccer experience is far more positive for all involved; parents, players, coaches and administrators. Often, coaches are lost or ineffective because they are unable to maintain order and discipline with their team. Plan ahead. Choose your activities carefully.

Coaching U6 athletes Children around this age learn best through play and imagination. Hit the Coach: Ball control, kicking and dribbling The box should be big enough to contain your whole team with a bit of extra space to move around. The goal of the kids is to kick the ball and hit you with it. They are really learning to get their foot on the ball for the first time. Once they kick the ball into your legs, they get to tell you what animal to act out. Red Light, Green Light: dribbling, ball control, stopping and speed adjustments Same game as the original except with a soccer ball at your feet. It can be played with them starting on one side of the field and racing toward you. It can also be played where they are just running around the field at random. Green light means go fast. Yellow light means go slow. This helps them work on speed change. Red light means stop the ball by putting your foot on the ball. Volcanos: dribbling skills You will want to set a bunch of cones semi-close together in random formation. The kids have to dribble the ball through the cone maze and come out on the other side without hitting any of the volcanos (cones). I make an exploding noise if they are hit. nabila

Coaching U6 athletes Guard the Spaceship: Defence The box by the goal is called the spaceship and tell the kids they need to defend the ship. Place 2 kids in front of the box and they are in charge of guarding the ship. The balls are the bombs that people are trying to use to destroy the ship. They need to do all they can to protect the ship by kicking the bombs away. The Battle: Ball control, dribbling and learning how to steal a ball from an opponent The coach kicks the ball and yell out two names. The two kids battle it out. They run to the ball. The goal is to get the ball and bring it back to me. If one person has the ball, the other wants to take it away to bring it back to me. The Tunnel: Teaching kids to kick with the inside of their foot The coach creates a tunnel by spreading his/her legs wide. The kids get in line and, one at a time, try and kick the ball through the tunnel by using the inside of their foot. They can then run to the other side and retrieve the ball. nabila

Coaching U9 Athletes Follow the Leader 2. Mini Shuttle 3. Weave In/Out soheila

Coaching U12 Athletes 4. Super Shuttle 5. Slalom 6. Box Drill Soheila

Coaching U10-12 Athletes Training children between 10-12 years of age: • Cooperative Drills (working cohesively with the team) • Enhances and develops gross motor skills • Builds muscle memory Drills: 1. Attack vs Defend 2. Diamond Shooting Drill Purpose • To engage players in effective teamwork, focusing on the physical and mental aspects of the drills and how to think ahead by using offensive and defensive approaches • Increase/Enhance players ability to improve and perfect the skills and techniques learned to allow for a more competitive game Soheila

Coaching U13-15+ Athletes Training children between 13-15 years of age: • Youth Development • Player Development Goal • Set Routines/Engaged at all times Drills: 1. Up and Down 2. Pin Point Purpose: • Teams compete to score the most points with goals below head height • Encourages players to Counter attack quickly and push forward as a team, and recover as a team to defend • Reacting to the ball being lost or retrieved, speed and direction, passing and forward runs, defend and delay to use tactics, and recovery runs Soheila

ONE GREAT ONLINE RESOURCE FOCUS ON ONE OR TWO SKILLS A WEEK AND LEARN SOME DRILLS FOR THAT SKILL. https://www.soccercoachweekly.net https://www.soccerxpert.com/u10-u12-soccer-drills.aspx Soheila

Athlete for Life Can be at any age Athlete should have enough confidence to continue later in life Usually remain amateurs but continue their love for the sport Can usually transfer skills to other sports Allows athlete to feel confident in overall physical abilities so that they can pursue an active lifestyle later in life Nabila

What about GIRLS? General trends between boys and girls teams: Intense motivational approach for boys vs. a democratic approach for girls Focus on the individual for boys vs. focus on the relationship among the players for girls Encouragement for the girls is required and not always expected from the boys More interaction between coach and players on a girl’s team vs. a more distance relationship between coach and players on a boy’s team. Nabila

When coaching any sport: Final Tips When coaching any sport: Keep it simple Motivate, motivate, motivate Players need to play, so give them time and space Improve yourself, learn the drills! Soheila