What makes a good coach?
What makes a good soccer coach? Is it his knowledge of the game? His ability to guide the team? Win games? Or some combination. How would you break down the elements of what makes a good soccer coach?
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I have been a youth soccer coach for the last seven years, coaching essentially the same group of girls. Since I am a youth coach, I am very gentle with my team (although that may be backfiring a bit as they get to be 12-13!). I have always maintained the policy that all players play at least half the game, whether or not they missed practice, etc. I think this has been critical to our success, since all the players get to develop under the pressure of a real game. Also, my coaching from the sidelines often included instruction, but it was all supportive. As I progressed as a coach, I tried to stop giving advice from the sidelines. Practices were their classes, games were their “exams.” Besides, it was distracting to the players. My model is U of Portland’s women’s soccer coach Garrett Smith, who looks as if he’s doing a crossword puzzle on the sidelines: quiet and unruffled.
However, we didn’t start to lead our league until the third season (6 v 6), but we still had problems, ironically because we playing a better game. My team was getting the idea of spreading the field, while other teams still mobbed. The other teams would often win. But my team stuck to it. When we went to 8 v 8 the next year, we had a great season. For the last three years (11 v 11), we were almost undefeatable. Unlike most other teams, I emphasized defense and put my best players there (I always told them that the first rule of soccer is to keep the other team from scoring). As a result, we scored 90+ goals and gave up about 9 those three years.
If your still with me, I’m thinking I’m a pretty good coach. I constantly studied the game, read many books about coaching youth soccer, and as they got older, started to even incorporate drills I had learned from books intended for college-level coaches. I observed high school (Portland Jesuit girls) and college practices (University of Portland, Concordia College). I would spend more time preparing for a practice than the actual length of the practice. I fretted about whether I was doing a good enough job, because although we were winning consistently, was I teaching them the right skills? For example, I never saw the value of “juggling” the ball, because it’s not a game-worthy skill, but every other coach taught it. We did, however, spend a lot of time learning to “receive” the ball and control it. We rarely did a drill or exercise without the ball. I provided opportunities to play three seasons of soccer.
I will be receiving my National D License this spring. It amazes me that other coaches I know never take any formal education about coaching. Maybe they already know everything. After all, I only played two years of high school soccer, and some of the coaches I know played D-I soccer. I am timid about demonstrating skills, as a result (that’s what asst. coaches are for!).
So what makes a good coach? Caring about your team, and the people they are. Being dedicated to being the best teacher you can be by really studying the game and taking coaches’ training. Planning practices. Having an overall sense of how you want your players individually and team as a whole progress through a season. Your team will do well and repay you for your efforts many times over.
As a closing thought, I was just watching a recap of the 1980 Olympic men’s hockey team’s amazing run. There was a lot of talk about the coach. I admired him, and thought “I wish I could be a really good coach like that.” When I heard how he addressed his team in the locker room, I realized that wouldn’t work for young women. That’s why I prefaced this with saying I was a youth coach. What works for a men’s hockey team may not work for your soccer team.
Bringing in or signing players and selecting the first eleven starting players. Because without a carefull signing of players you will not win you games no matter how good you are. You can’t teach players soccer but you can advise them if they know how to play.You need to be soccer player before you need a coach to advise you. COACHING AND TRAINING HELPS PLAYERS TO BE FIT TO PLAY BUT NOT MAKE THEM GOOD PLAYERS.