Create a Supportive Soccer Training Environment
Creating the best environment possible is crucial when coaching youth soccer, and it is much easier than you may think. The primary role of the coach is to create a fun and safe environment that players want to return to each practice.
While creating this fun and secure environment, there is still a need to create a learning environment, too. Fun and player development can be achieved at the same time.
Have a Plan
The best thing you can do is have a training plan prepared. Going into practice with a plan allows the coach to keep players focused. In youth soccer, player focus can vary.
Players’ focus, and attention varies based on the individual player, the day, the weather, or any variety of other things going on in the player’s life. When coaches have an organized plan for the session, the player’s focus can be more easily directed toward positive outcomes.
What does this plan look like? It can be very simple. Have a topic to work on for the practice. The topic can be kept simple, an example could be 2v2 defending.
Now that you have the topic, plan to use exercises that focus on 2v2’s. Lastly, you will want to have a few coaching points planned for the players.
By doing this each practice, you can create a repeatable structure of topics, exercises, and coaching points. While this plan is not the only thing needed to ensure a successful practice, it is a significant piece of it.
Our practice plans follow this philosophy, too. Each session has a theme and includes drills that will support the theme.
Make Soccer Practice FUN
A practice plan is essential, and in order to make the session successful, there must be an element of fun. Creating a fun soccer environment can be done through the exercise itself. Players want to compete, so all parts of an exercise should have an element of competition. This could be done as relays, a race to a certain amount of goals, or a small-sided game.
Sticking with the example of 2v2’s, you could have a simple box of 2v2’s where players try to dribble into an endzone. Without competition, players will lose focus quickly. If you make it a game or create a point system, then players will continue to be focused. All parts of the session can be made competitive, whether technical or tactical.
One of the most important parts of a practice is what you do to end with. Ending with playing a game is one of the best things you can do. Young soccer players want to play soccer, so when they go to practice, they should have the opportunity to play.
By playing a game at the end of the practice, it will have players leaving that practice having fun. Players who leave a practice having fun will want to return to the following practice.
Be Positive
When players leave a practice they may struggle to remember what exactly the coach said. This is just natural when in an environment with youth soccer players. What players will remember is how the coach made them feel. Maintaining a positive attitude as the coach is crucial to players wanting to come to practice each night.
Coach positivity will also allow players the freedom to be creative. When a player feels they will be yelled at for a mistake, they play reserved.
Players who know their coach will be positive will play with far more freedom. Mistakes can still be corrected positively. When coaches build that trust with players, it will return with players developing at a faster rate.
Have a Backup Plan. A “Go-To” Exercise
There will be nights when your practice plan goes horribly awry. It could be the last week of school and players are all excited for summer. It could be raining and cold. Equally as much, players can have a night where they do not understand the practice plan.
An important part of being a good coach is knowing when to scrap the plans and revert to a “Go-To” exercise.
A Go-To exercise could be anything: A fun game, relays, competitions, straight to a game, etc.. If there is an activity that
While players need to focus and learn during the session, there will be times when that is just not the case. Trying to battle player behavior can be counterproductive, and a fun exercise could be the difference in turning around a session.
Balancing development and fun is easier than it may seem. It takes time and effort from the coach to create this type of supportive environment, but the reward of doing so is immensely positive on the player’s and team’s experience.
Creating a fun and development-focused environment doesn’t have to be a challenge. With the right plan, you can keep players engaged, learning, and excited to return.
Our Full Season Youth Soccer Coaching Plans provide structured, age-appropriate sessions designed to maximize player growth as well as make practices fun.
Each plan includes themed training sessions, engaging drills, and clear coaching points to help you run effective practices all season long. Take the guesswork out of planning—get your season-long practice plans today!
