When you are coaching soccer, you are going to want your players to be in excellent shape. You are going to want them to understand their roles on the team and you are also going to want to put each player in the position where they can help the team the most. Players want coaches who are honest and fair. If you tell them what you want and you are consistent, your players will play hard for you from the start of the season to the finish.
Conditioning Drills
You set the tone for your team at your early practices. No soccer team can compete if the players are not in top shape. You must make sure your players are in excellent condition and you will have to give them running drills. Start all your players on the endline. Set up cones at the 20-yard mark, the 40-yard mark and midfield. On your whistle all players will sprint from the goalline to the 20 and back, then to the 40-yard line and back and then to midfield and back. Give your players a two-minute break and then repeat it. Emphasize condition by not allowing your players to walk on the field. They must run from drill to drill and hustle every time they step on the field.
Communication
To foster a team atmosphere and let each player know he is valuable to the team, a good coach will make the effort to get to know his players as individuals and find at least a little bit about them off the field. This will let the players know you care about them as individuals. This extra effort on your part as a soccer coach may mean the difference between conceding a ball to the opponent and going after it at full speed and trying to take it away. Let all players know the rules of the team and be consistent with them. Don't let some players get away with minor violations and others get punished for them. Look players in the eye when you are talking to them.
Tactics
Use tactics that makes sense for your team. If you have a team that is loaded with speedy players, emphasize pushing the ball ahead so you can create odd-man situations and create great scoring chances in the penalty area. However, if you have bigger and stronger players, you may want to emphasize tight defense and keeping players out of your scoring areas. Build the core of your team around your best players. You should put your smartest player as the sweeper, your top passer should be your center forward and your best dribbler should be your striker because one quick dribble away from the defender may create a scoring opportunity.
