Your Impact

I do hope by this stage I haven't scared you off. If you're still reading it does mean you're committed which is very important. I have given you a lot to think about but the fact is that a coach can have a huge impact on a young player's overall career, scary hey? Well if you do it right you will have a positive impact and it is not hard. I cannot stress this enough, you don't have to know everything about soccer but, you do have to know how to be a good role model. The way kids play is massively affected by the effort a coach puts into them. A good coach should know the needs of their players but fairly give attention to all and put in the time. A good coach needs to be able to give individual feedback that is supportive and positive. 

The way we talk to kids can really affect them and a coach needs to be so careful with words, on our children's precious ear's. If you tell a child a drill is hard they will find it hard. If you hype them up as the kids say and make the drills sound fun and easy, they are going to want to do it and have a positive outlook, it starts from you. As a coach you have to have high beliefs in all your player's because after all we all want someone to be supportive and believe in us, and the more we instill this in kids when they are kids, the better off they will be later on. A coach can be one of the most influential figures in a youth's sporting life and by having this role you can teach kids life lessons on and off the field about teamwork, communication and even relationships. So, do it right! No pressure.