I was wondering what approach should be taken regarding the unwillingness by some players to participate in skill building drills and/or games? I have a mixed bag when it comes to skill level and desire to play, so some of the players have little interest in participating during practice due to boredom. I feel that their lack of participation has a negative affect not only on their own development, but also on the development of the players that do want to participate and work on their skills. How should this be addressed in a positive manner since I feel that said drills and/or games are beneficial to the players development?
Great question Coach, thanks!
You’ve been there before… you have a killer session planned, you’re going to solve all of the teams problems in a single day and you can’t wait to see the fruits of your labor show on the field at the next match. But there is just one problem, the kids can’t focus and some just don’t seem to want to be at practice. All they ever say is “are we going to scrimmage?” And figuring that it’s better to have them play soccer than to throw sticks and rocks at each-other, we cave. So much for our best-laid plans. But what happened? Why did the kids not want the knowledge we have to impart on them?
Well, the answer is simple; they are kids. Their attention span isn’t going to lengthen all of a sudden. And before you think that it gets better as they get older… it doesn’t. In fact, it seems they only have more distraction as they get older from class to school dance and the latest juicy social gossip.
So in this edition of Q&A, we will look at ways to focus our players on the task at hand, keep them excited about the game and ensure that they at least attempt to learn something new. This will mainly focus on the age groups of 7-10, however the tips are still applicable to the older ages and even work on the 4-6 age group.
A Few Quick Tips:
1. Choose a topic and stick with it – no information overload
2. Start small, and build it up. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel to teach a simple topic, think about how you can maximize the number of touches each player receives on a ball.
3. No Lines – Standing in one place will only cause them to search for something else to occupy their attention
4. Let them do it – Don’t be part of your own exercise
5. Kids gain their enthusiasm from the coach and surrounding people – the inflection/tone of your voice affects their effort level. Stay positive and encouraging.
Elaboration:
To begin, coaching is a lot like reading a novel… you may remember the first big thing, and the last big thing, but the stuff in the middle has a tendency to get lost… This is why I recommend teaching a single topic at practice. In other words, start your players out focused on a single topic so that they don’t get distracted by the next topic. Players (especially at the younger ages) won’t remember everything you tell them over the course of an hour – but it’s easy for a player to practice telling the ball what to do, and that is what will benefit them the most in the long run. Less talk, more ball.
If your topic is dribbling then play 3 exercises that have a player on the ball. Start simple, perhaps a warm-up where every player has a ball and needs to execute some skill while dribbling in a grid. Then move on to a different exercise that re-enforces everything that just happened. Then add pressure. Then play some sort of game. Scrimmage at the end of practice for a short period of time is fine.
Obviously, you can add your own flair, or tailor it to meet the needs/ability level of your group. How this gets tricky is keeping them interested. Don’t let them have the opportunity to be distracted. If there is a need for a line (sometimes there is) keep it small. If you have more than 3 kids standing still, start a second exercise right next each-other so you can monitor them both. That way, there is more doing and less watching. In activity 3, there are no lines, just add cones to facilitate the movement of kids and ball.
Let them do it – there are a lot of exercises that start with a pass, or include a pass of some kind. Let the kids be the one to pass it. It seems simple enough, but you’ll see coaches doing the passing a lot of times. All that is doing is taking a valuable practice touch (a no-pressure pass) away from the kids. In the example session given, exercise 4 begins with a pass from defender to attacker. Make sure the pass is good, but eventually it will become second nature for your players.
And finally, let them see what they’ve just learned applied in a game situation. There are a vast majority of games you are able to play, this is just one idea – the simple 4v4 to small goals.
If every kid is moving and participating at the same time, then you have created an atmosphere conducive for the kids to learn on their own. When you give the kids less opportunity to be distracted, the kids who really want to be there to get better will shine. And the kids who aren’t as interested in the game don’t become as much of a problem when they are always moving and obviously not the center of attention.
Remember, if you ever have any questions, we are here to assist in any way we can. Feel free to shoot us a note with coaching questions and we’ll answer them for you. Chances are, if you have the question one of your coaching peers will as well.
Go Green!
Mike Clayton
