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Arsenal U-13
Effectively Coaching Girls during Football Training
If you are used to coaching boys during football training, you may experience a slight change of pace when coaching girls. While coaching is the same overall, there will be a slight adjustment as far as goals, technique application, and personality are concerned. Here, you will learn ways to effectively coach girls during football training.
The first thing that you should understand when it comes to effectively coaching girls during football training is that all techniques and game play can be achieved from girls as with boys. The main part involved in football training is strength and proper timing. Girls are just as capable of delivering an excellent football game as boys are. It is important that you understand this right up front – this is especially true if you are coaching girl’s football training for the first time.
The second thing that you should understand when coaching girls during football training is that girls are often just as competitive as boys are. It is important that you have faith in their ability to compete and complete tasks as you define for them. Many coaches come over to a girl’s football team in a resentful way because they are so used to working with boys. However, it is important to avoid this mindset. Females have proven to be extremely effective in various types of sports. It is essential that you do what you can to develop each of your players during football practice. Not doing so can result in a negative mindset among members of your team.
The third thing to understand when you are coaching a girl’s team in football training is that there may be emotional differences. Many coaches use various types of motivational techniques to get their team on the ball, however, the same tactics that work for boys may not work for girls. In addition to this, many girls may be quite offended if you yell while giving commands. Many boys do not cry in this situation. However, with girls, this may be a common experience. While it is important to treat both boys and girls as equals, it is equally important to safeguard the way that you act and react with each.
When you coach girls during football training, you will find that the parents can be similar in attitude as far as coaching methods are concerned. You may or may not have issues with parents. If parents do face you in a threatening way, remember to stay as professional as possible. Let them know that you understand their place. If you have an opinion on the situation, then you should express it as well. Parents should be welcomed to express their concerns, ask questions, or share their opinions with you. Let them know that you welcome any and all feedback. This will help to make your coaching girls during football training much easier.
There are many ways that you can effectively coach girls during football training. It is not as important to focus on the fact that you are coaching girls as it is that you are coaching a football team. Keeping this in mind will help make the task much easier.
Ten Qualities of a Good Youth Soccer/Football Coach
Time for a pop quiz – would you rather your child played on a team where the coach calls the game or practice for weather if there is thunder audible, or keeps the children playing through rain and nearby lightning strikes? How about a coach who offers equal playing time to all players, even though their win-loss record is abysmal, or a coach who only plays the best and leaves the other children on the bench?
Do you think you can tell the difference between an OK coach and a good coach?
Here are ten qualities you can look for:
1. A good coach demonstrates his knowledge of and commitment to physical health and safety. He is experienced in CPR, has a readily available first aid kit with him at all practices and games, and teaches the players about injury treatment and prevention.
2. He teaches and models, always, respectful behavior, fairness and good sportsmanship. He will not be teaching your child to respond to adversary with tantrums or cursing.
3. He demands and receives appropriate sideline behavior from parents. He ignores taunts and insults from abusive parents, and does not let a parent to berate a player, even his own child.
4. He understands gender differences, especially on a mixed-sex team, but does not adhere to stereotypes and allows each player to play to his or her potential. He is sympathetic to an all-female team, especially young teens who tend to be quite emotional.
5. He is patient and calm, and always positive. He leaves his personal life out of the gam, and does not take a bad mood out on his players.
6. He sets realistic and age-appropriate expectations for the players. He neither promises them too much, nor encourages them too little.
7. He makes both practices and games fun, emphasizing the “fun” quality versus winning. While winning is important, and everyone should strive to do their personal best, it is not the sole reason in playing team sports. Actually, studies have shown that “winning” does not even rank in the top 5 reasons when children are asked why they play team sports.
8. He adjusts his advice to suit the each player, and is sensitive to their needs. A good coach understands that a team is made up of individual players, and that some need a great deal of attention while others do not.
9. He actively seeks out team-building opportunities, and includes every player. Such activities can include team parties, fund-raising events like car washes, and special team-only pre-game and post-game rituals, like the huddle.
A good coach is someone who a parent should feel no hesitation to approach with any questions or concerns. He should be a good listener as well as a good communicator, and should take into consideration any constructive criticism offered by a parent. He should adhere firmly to his convictions, but he should also be flexible enough to consider new ideas. And lastly, he should be an effective motivator of his players, as well as an inspiring leader. His players should look up to him and want to play their best.
Author: Darcey Deeds
Football Focus 