Tips for Coaching U-6 Soccer

• Use line paint to mark your field and as guidance for drills. Paint lines that direct the kids through a dribbling course. You can buy line/marking paint at any hardware store.
• Find a way to incorporate a goal into every drill you run. It helps reniforce the ultimate "goal" of the game.
• Always save about 20 minutes for a scrimmage. I usually do it at the end of practice.
• During the scrimmage, designate one or two people to throw new balls in play each time the ball goes out of bounds and have a couple people shag balls and give the balls to the designated throwers. The kids get a lot more touches if a new ball is always being thrown into play. You can throw the new ball directly to one of the lesser involved kids, which forces them to take touches. You can also bounce the ball into play and encourage the kids to control it with their head/chest/thighs rather than with their hands.
• Kids this young do not need to warm up or stretch.
• 45 minutes is long enough for practice (especially if you don't have them warm up and stretch).
• Depending on the weather, allow two short water breaks of no longer than three minutes each.
• Another coach friend gave me this idea: Designate an area for the kids to keep their water bottles so they don't have to find/pow-wow with their mom's at each water break. I draw a circle to the side of the field with my line paint and have the kids put their bottles there. My friend makes a cicle with a rope.
• In a 45 minute practice, any given kid should have a ball at his feet (or be involved in a scrimmage) for at least 35 of those minutes.
• Make sure your kids shoot quickly during all drills. Kids this age tend to hesitate too long and never end up getting off their shot. Pressure them to shoot as fast a possible, even if it means that they miss.
• On all drills involving dribbling, make sure they dribble at a run. Dribbling at a walking pace is useless and only reinforces bad habbits.