Having played football (or soccer for American readers) at primary school and also been manager of a five-a-side football team, here are my thoughts on how to coach the sport successfully.

MAKE IT FUN:
Firstly, make it fun. We're talking about coaching kids here, not Manchester United's first team squad. You sometimes see coaches who make their kids to all these complicated warm up exercises and training drills, such as dribbling the ball through cones, etc. I understand why they include these things but there's a real danger that they dampen the kids' enthusiasm. If the training sessions aren't fun, you will very quickly see a reduction in the numbers who bother to turn up.

KEEP IT SIMPLE:
My school coach taught us the basics. These included how to control the ball when it's passed to you, and how to pass it - e.g. use the side of your foot rather than the toe-poke technique that so many kids start off trying to use!

We then progressed onto playing. It was only when it got to the stage of picking the school team that he started to talk to us about some of the more complicated stuff, like the importance of team shape. Kids, for the most part, tend to all converge towards the ball so conveying to them the importance of the wingers staying wide or the defenders staying back may be a losing battle!

IMPORTANCE OF TEAM:
A well organised team, where all the players are supportive of each other, will usually beat a team that plays as individuals, even if the other team have more skill. The most skillful kid will probably try to dribble the ball around the entire opposition but if you can teach them to pass it and then move to receive the ball back, then you'll be in a good position. Team morale will also be much better as there's nothing worse than being in a great position to score only for the team's best player to decide not to pass to you!

SOME BASIC TECHNIQUE TIPS:
As I mentioned earlier, it's important not to get too bogged down in technical details. However, there are some things that can help your players improve that you can maybe start to introduce as your coaching sessions progress. One of these is the basic ability to pass the ball with both feet. This is something everyone can learn, if taught early enough, but it always amazes me how many professional players can only use their other foot for standing on. Heading the ball is another important facet of the game and it's important to head it with the forehead rather than the top of the head. Again, this is fairly easy to master and kids enjoy heading practice. Keepy uppy is another piece of skill training that kids love. For those not familiar with that term, it's where you try to keep the ball off the ground using any part of your body except for your arms or hands. You count the number of touches that you manage before the ball hits the ground, and then go back and try to beat your previous best.

SUMMARY:
I've focused my suggestions, here, on coaching for primary school kids, so the under elevens. As kids progress into their teens, the training sessions will need to be tweaked and more of a focus placed on fitness and more detailed tactics and technical skills. However, for kids who are just getting into the game, your main task is to make sure that they have fun and that they pick up the basics of the game. It will be extremely rewarding to see them progress and to know how much enjoyment that get from your coaching sessions.

Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
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