Have you ever had to keep reminding a 9-year-old to stay in his position? How often do you have to tell your U8 team to spread out? Even if you’ve reviewed and gone over the positional roles of your players a thousand times, they still don’t get it. Why is that? Because kids don’t understand positions. They simply don’t get it. Their brains don’t think that way. And that is perfectly okay! As adults, we love structure. We look at the white board, see X’s and O’s shaped in

“We just worked on this at practice! Why aren’t you doing it?!” and “we dominated possession but just couldn’t score” are two very common phrases by coaches. Very knowledgeable coaches at that. These coaches played and know the game very well, but for some reason, their teams struggle to implement what they have taught. So if it’s not that these coaches don’t know the game, what’s the issue? Is it the activities they use? No way – they use the same ones other, very successful

As parents, many of us worry. We worry a lot. We care so much about our kids and ensuring their safety and happiness that we are constantly concerned about them. In every move they make, we are concerned about how it will affect them. When they start walking toward a pool, we get scared they will fall in. When they eat dirt, we worry they will get sick. When they move to a new school, we get worried they won’t make friends. When they decide to perform in the talent show and t

To be successful in life, the first step must always be to define what success means. What is the end goal? How will we determine whether or not we are successful in achieving that goal? Throughout the United States, there are many youth soccer clubs. Many of them claim to have “the best training” or be all about “player development.” But are they really? Do most clubs really have the best interests of player development in mind? Do they really have top-quality training?

When I was growing up, one of my teammates used to get $20 for scoring a goal, and $10 for an assist. That kind of cash is crazy high for a 12-year-old boy. However, that kind of cash is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what the amount of money is. Any kind of monetary reward for youth athletic performance needs to stop. This means cash, candy, or trips to an amusement park. Adults need to stop using any such reward for the sporting achievements of their children. We all wan