U10-U12 Coaching Manuel: Part I Intro

U-10 & U-12 ACADEMY/SELECT

COACHING MANUAL

This manual is the third component of a comprehensive set of guidelines for player

development prepared by the Georgia Soccer Coaching Program. The guidelines deal

with players in the U-5 to U-19 ages, but the main emphasis is to cover the player

development continuum from U-5 to U-12, the important formative years and the stage

related to small-sided soccer. The three components are:

1. Club Player Development Manual. This is an operational manual for

clubs. It provides guidelines on clubs’ coaching infrastructure and addresses the

club’s Mission Statement, coaching organizational structure, roles of the Club

DOC, and recommendations for the clubs’ recreational and select programs (can

be found in www.gasoccer.org click on COACHES and then click on

DOCUMENTS and scroll to find it).

2. KINS Implementation Manual. The coaching manual for U-5 through U-

8 players that emphasizes the skill of dribbling and lays the foundation for

individual creativity (can be found in www.gasoccer.org same place as above).

3. U-10/U-12 Academy/Select Coaching Manual. The coaching manual

for U-9 through U-12 players. This is the ‘Golden Age’ of player development,

the stage of technical foundation and the dawn of tactics.

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U-10/U-12 ACADEMY/SELECT

COACHING MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

A. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES 2

B. U-10/U-12 PLAYER CHARACTERISTICS 5

Characteristics of U-10 Players 5

Characteristics of U-12 Players 10

C. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MODEL 14

Ingraining Good Habits 14

Technical and Tactical Progression U-5 to U-12 15

Field Size Considerations 19

Forming Teams: Balanced versus Ability-based 20

Coaching Characteristics of U-10/U-12 Coaches 21

D. TECHNICAL TRAINING FOR U-9 TO U-12 24

Maximizing Touches 24

Replicating the Technical Demands of the Game 25

E. TACTICAL TRAINING FOR U-9 TO U-12 30

Team Formations for U-10 and U-12 Play 30

Developing Versatile Players 31

Key Tactical Coaching Points 32

F. PRACTICE PLANS FOR U-9 TO U-12 49

Organization of Practice Areas 49

Activities with Numbers Up versus Numbers Even 50

Designing Practices 50

Tournament/Festival Format in Practices 52

Samples of Recommended Activities 53-65

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A. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

This manual is for coaches who work with players in the U-9 through U-12 age groups.

These age groups are often coined as the ‘Golden Age’ of player development, where

players’ increased capacity for learning and endless enthusiasm makes for an extremely

fulfilling experience for students and teacher alike.

It is also a crucial stage in player development, the cementing of a technical foundation

and the dawn of tactics. Youth clubs must pay careful attention in programming for these

age groups. Their long term impact cannot be overstated.

Youth coaches must look at player development through ‘bi-focal vision’. They must

understand the present needs of their age group while, at the same time, retain the long

term vision of the ideal end product. Without this bi-focal vision, it would be hard to

design a road map for a developmentally appropriate program that allows players to reach

their full potential.

Nowhere is it more so than with U-10/U-12’s. Coaches in charge of U-10/U-12’s must

have well developed observational skills for assessing the current needs of players while

keeping a patient perspective on long term goals. It’s the overriding message behind this

manual, a coaching manual specifically targeting a stage that is both the golden age and

the beginning of the journey of player development.

This manual is player-centered, as opposed to being coach-centered. A coach-centered

approach would focus on teaching coaches generic coaching methods and training

principles with the aim of creating a better coach. A player-centered approach focuses

more on the needs of the player and guides the coach towards a better understanding of

what is appropriate for a specific age group and level. It is hoped that the reader of this

manual will become not just a better coach, but better at coaching U-10/U-12’s.

Soccer in this country is still searching for a culture, a soul. What type of a soccer culture

will eventually take roots here? What kind of a player development philosophy will we

grow to embrace? Will our youth soccer experience be dominated by endless travel

across the country to play countless games? Will our game at the youth level succumb to

the instant gratification of wins at the expense of practicing and teaching the

fundamentals? Are we going towards national championships at U-10 and a win-at-allcost

mindset? Will we label ten-year-olds as ‘winners’ and ‘losers’, celebrate the former

and allow the latter to drift away from the game? Can we afford to do that? Are we

burning out our players and contributing to the ever increasing attrition of children

dropping out of organized sports at the ripe old age of thirteen? Or can we evolve into a

culture that appreciates what it takes to develop well rounded, skillful players. Can we

become an embodiment of a teaching to ‘play’ philosophy rather than teaching to

‘compete’? Do we recognize the difference between teaching players how to play instead

of how to run plays? Do we understand how the latter can hinder players from reaching

their true potential? These are very critical questions. For, once a culture is embedded,

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it’s nearly impossible to change. It becomes the modus operandi, the “that’s how we do

it here” standard response of resistance to change.

Youth coaches might not realize it, but they have a huge impact on the eventual shape of

the American soccer culture. And coaches of U-10/U-12’s are in a position to impact a

generation of players for life and, one dare say, have an obligation to the game. Coaches

of U-10/U-12’s can fire up the imagination of players, can motivate them to watch high

level soccer and get them hooked, can inspire them to work on individual technique on

their own. U-10/U-12 coaches can create the American soccer culture. It is hoped that

this manual will inspire coaches to do just that.

There is no one way to teach, nor one definitive method that guarantees success. There is

no magic formula in player development, nor are there any short cuts. There are,

however, certain principles backed by research or experience that should help guide

youth coaches. Some of those principles form the backbone of this manual. But just as

we preach on instilling individual creativity in players, the same applies to coaches. The

best coaches are those who understand the basic principles of teaching soccer, but are

also not afraid to question norms and to tweak and add their own personal touch. It’s also

important for coaches to travel and study the game and be open to new ideas. It’s not

enough to compare one’s players and one’s methods to the club next door. The soccer

universe is much bigger than that.

It is worth repeating here that the most important skill for a coach is the ability to observe

and analyze. In practical terms, it means that coaches need to assess their own players

and apply whichever recommendations that make sense for their specific needs. And this

assessment process must be continuous. As the years pass and player levels improve,

what was true once may no longer apply.

Although this manual is aimed at the competitive level players, most of the principles are

applicable to all the levels of the youth game. It’s not about finding the next Freddy Adu

or Mia Hamm. It is about helping coaches become ‘teachers’ of soccer who can inspire

players embarking on a road of self-discovery. Most players will not reach the lofty

heights of professional soccer, but all of them can benefit from a child-centered approach

to development. If we can raise the level of the average player, we will bring more

enjoyment to their experience, will likely keep more of them in the game, and will

probably produce more Freddy Adu’s in the process.

Lastly, before we dive with both feet into the world of 10-year-olds, it behooves us to

reflect on the type of players currently produced by the American soccer system.

Although the senior and youth national teams have made significant and impressive

progress in the world stage, knowledgeable coaches agree that the American player still

lags behind the leading nations in terms of technique and tactical awareness. These

deficiencies, coupled with the propensity for quantity over quality in youth soccer is a

concern of many experts. And the roots of the problem are planted as early as the U-10

stage. Below is what some of our top level coaches are saying:

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The following are excerpts from the Region III ODP Staff report from the U-15’s

trip to Mexico:

“Technique: We were sorely lacking as a group in this area compared to the

opposition”…“ I can honestly say in all three games I could not identify a Mexican

player who did not have a comfort level on the ball anywhere he received it, anywhere on

the field, with or without pressure. This series of games showed us the players we

brought, who were big, strong, fast, and athletic, could not contribute to the team because

of their limitations with the ball….”

“Tactics: We had difficulty maintaining possession when we did win it, due to the fact

we had so many players technically weak on the ball”.

“Game Management: This was a part of the game that hopefully every player learned a

great deal from by playing against the kind of teams and individual players we were up

against. The Mexican players are already masters at dictating a game based on the score

and timing of the game. They slowed it down, sped things up, and wasted time, all at

appropriate moments during a game. No matter how much the coaches talked about this

part of the game during the weekend, our players still wanted to get the ball in play,and get forward at all times irregardless of the score, or time left in a game (not that

we got forward very often). Our boy’s soccer intelligence, compared to the Mexican

players’ insight, in the same age-group, was exposed a lot during the games on this trip”.

Some more excerpts, this time from a trip by the U-17 Region team to Argentina:

“Technical Attributes: Overall our opponents were technically better and more

comfortable on the ball by a small margin. The Argentines were very fluid, agile and

addressed the ball under pressure generally very well. We still need more work in tight

spaces playing under pressure. “

Here is what Tony Dicicco, the former Women’s National Team Coach has to say

regarding the American player:

“We are not good enough as a soccer culture at striking the ball. In fact, we are

weak.”…”We need to be better at the basic tactics of the game and the most important

tactic is support.”….”The biggest obstacle to player development in the US at the youth

level is we have travel teams and select teams and super teams with the emphasis on

winning and your team advancing and not the players developing.”

Foreign coaches watching our U-20 National Team compete in the FIFA U-20 world

Cup 2005 in Holland described our players as “Robotic”.

The message is clear. We don’t have to worry about our players’ ability to compete

physically. That’s not the problem. We do need to help our players improve technically,

to become more deceptive and unpredictable, and to become tactically more astute.

Tactically, support play is crucial and is a definite weakness. U-10/U-12 coaches

can play an important role, by beginning to address these weaknesses.