U-6 DIVISION
COACHES HANDBOOK
Characteristics of u-6
Players
·
Warm-up
The
following guidelines are to be used for the U-6 Instructional Division:
1. CONCEPT. The main focus will be on playing and having fun with the ball. All coaching emphasis will be on familiarizing players with the concepts of soccer, basic rules, and individual ball control. There will be no set teams and no scores kept. The goalkeeper position will not be used. Scrimmages will be 3 v 3 format on a rotational basis. Players coming out of U-6 should have a good feeling about soccer, unencumbered by excessive rules and no pressure to score goals or to win. Players should gain a basic understanding of simple rules and have acquired an appreciation for ball control and kicking (shooting). No referees will be used and coaches will control the scrimmages from the middle of the field and only point out gross infringements or show simple game restarts. Coaches will use basic hand signals for calls made so players become familiar with them. Coaches should still attend the basic level clinics we offer in order to get a good understanding of the basic techniques.
NOTE:
If a coach will not be available for a session, he or she is responsible for
finding a parent or coach from
his/her session or timeslot to fill in. If a replacement cannot be
found, the coach should notify the U-6 coordinator in advance so that other
arrangements can be made.
2. RULES. USYSA rules will be followed with these exceptions:
a. No offsides, direct kicks, penalty shots, or slide tackles.
b. No goalkeeper.
c. No penalty for incorrect throw-in. Player to be shown correct method and throw-in repeated.
d. No scores are kept. Each goal will result in a standard game restart (kickoff).
e. Every player must wear shinguards or he/she cannot participate. Uniform socks should cover the shinguards.
f. No
open-toed shoes or jewelry allowed. Cleats of any sort are discouraged at this
age. Glasses should have a band. Mouth guards are recommended.
3.
FIELDS.
Small-sided game-sized fields will be used (20 x 30) with 2 yd wide goals (use
flags). Fields will be outlined by lines or by use of flat cones. No corner
flags. Coaches should check the field conditions before the session for unsafe
articles (glass, loose rocks, holes, etc.).
4.
EQUIPMENT. The
parents responsible for field set-up should arrive 15 minutes early to set up
the fields. The fields should be ready by the first session. After the
final session, the equipment will be returned to the shed. Players should be
inspected to ensure they have their shin guards on correctly, shoes tied, and
for other safety-related equipment. Soccer balls must be kept at the proper
pressure.
5. PRACTICE PERIOD. A 30 minute warm-up and fun games period will precede the scrimmages. Groups should be evenly spread across the fields with each coach performing the same set of practice instructions. It shall consist of:
Coaches
should use this period to get to know the players, determine relative skills
and offer special instruction to those that need it. Be sure to give plenty of
praise for any attempts and reinforce successful accomplishments with a lot of
encouragement. Keep the kids active and moving, and no one will be bored!
Encourage Parent Participation!
For each group of 10 players, at least 2 or 3 parents should help out on the field.
Don’t
be shy
about courteously asking for more help!
7.
END OF SESSION.
Plenty of praise and encouragement should be given. Give the players one
technique to practice at home before the next week. Juggling
and dribbling are prime examples. Players will be given the
opportunity to demonstrate this technique at the next session.
8.
COORDINATOR. One
parent or coach is needed to be a U-6 Coordinator and attend the monthly Board
Meetings. The coordinator will be the focal point for passing out information
and handling situations such as notifying coaches of new schedules, ensuring
enough coaches will be present each week and handling any personal problems.
9.
TIME SLOTS. We
will have up to 4 sessions to handle the number of players who signed up. They
are: 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. The same coaches and
players will be assigned to the same time slot each week (this avoids
schedules).
10.
UNIFORMS. Each
player will receive a uniform before the first session. Certified coaches will
receive coaches' shirt and should wear it during the sessions.
11. CANCELLATIONS. The Vice President of Recreation or his representative will update the toll-free number if games are canceled for any reason. Do not assume a game is canceled just because it is raining, has been raining or looks like rain. Call the toll-free number within 1 hour of playing time.
Once
a session begins, it is up to the coaches to decide if a session should be
terminated because playing conditions threaten the health or safety of the
players.
·
Developmentally appropriate.
·
Clear, concise & correct information:
·
Brevity
·
Clarity
·
Relevance
·
Simple to Complex.
·
Safe & appropriate training area.
·
Does child feel comfortable enough to
take a risk (psychological aspect)
·
Decision making.
·
Do they have to think?
·
How does it relate to the game?
·
Implications for the game.
·
3
L's - No LINES, No LAPS, No LECTURES
·
Are the activities fun?
·
Are the activities organized?
·
Are all the players involved in the
activities?
·
Is creativity & decision making being
used?
·
Are the spaces used appropriately?
·
Is the coaches' feedback appropriate?
·
Are there implications for the game?
Characteristics of U-6 Players
·
Short attention span.
·
Can attend to only one problem at a time.
·
May understand simple rules that are
explained briefly and demonstrated.
·
May or may not understand or remember:
what lines mean on the field; what team they are on; what goal they are going
for. We need to be patient and laugh with them as they get 'lost' on the
field.
·
Easily bruised psychologically. Shout
praise often. Give "hints", don't criticize.
·
Need generous praise and to play without
pressure. No extrinsic rewards (trophies, medals, etc.) should be given for
winning.
·
Prefer "parallel play" (Will
play on a team, but will not really engage with their teammates. Thus, a 3
against 3 game is, in reality, a 1 against 5 game because they all want the
ball at the same time.
·
Very individually oriented (me, mine,
my).
·
Constantly in motion, but, with no sense
of pace. They will chase something until they drop. They are easily fatigued
but recover rapidly.
·
Development for boys and girls are quite
similar.
·
Physical coordination limited. Eye - hand
and eye - foot coordination is not developed. Need to explore qualities of a
rolling ball.
·
Love to run, jump, roll, hop, etc.
·
Prefer large, soft balls.
·
Catching or throwing skills not
developed.
·
Can balance on their "good"
foot.
It is imperative that coaches get the parents involved. Not only are they a major resource for
your team, but the U-6 player still views their parents as the most
significant people in their lives. A pre-season meeting should be held with
the parents so that objectives and team policies can be addressed. Some topics
that you may want to address at this meeting are:
·
Identifying the team manager-someone to
handle all of the details (phone calls, orange list).
·
Discuss the laws of the game.
·
Carpool needs.
·
Training and game schedules. How you feel
about starting and ending on time, what your attendance expectations are, what
you think is a good excuse to miss training.
·
What each player should bring to
training: inflated ball, filled water bottle, soccer attire, shin guards
(Cleats are not mandatory.)
·
Most importantly, your philosophy about
coaching U-6 players. Let them know that everyone plays; that the game does
not look like the older player's games; that you are there to ensure that
their player is safe and has a good time, as well as learn about soccer.
·
What your expectations for them are
during game time. How do you want them to cheer? Do they know that they should
not coach from the sidelines?
·
Above all, try to enjoy yourself. If you
do they probably will too.
As coaches of these younger players there
are things that we know that we can expect during training and games. If we
know what to expect, we will be more effective in dealing with the hundreds of
situations that come up. This will help us relax, and, in turn, allow us to
enjoy the unpredictable nature of working with these children even more. Here
are some of the things that we can expect.
·
Most players cry immediately when
something is hurt. Some cry even when something is not hurt.
·
No matter how loud we shout, or how much
we "practice" it, they can not or will not pass the ball.
·
Somebody will come off the field in need
of a toilet. Somebody will stay on the field in need of a toilet.
·
Twenty seconds after the start of a game,
every player will be within 5 yards of the ball.
·
Several players will slap at the ball
with their hands, or pick it up. Several parents will yell at them not to do
that.
·
A model rocket that is launched from a
nearby field will get 100% of the player's attention. By all means, stop
whatever you are doing and go watch for a couple of minutes!
·
During a season, you will end up tying at
least 40 - 50 shoe laces.
·
They will do something that is absolutely
hysterical. Make sure that you laugh!
It is important to understand at the
outset that players coming to any sport prior to the age of 6 years old, in
general, do not do so by their own choice. As a result, their coaches need to
give them something about which to get excited. Further, at this age, learning
to play soccer is secondary to most other things in their lives.
With the above assumptions, lets look at
some things that we can do to energize the U-6 players, and, hopefully, get
them to the point where they will enthusiastically initiate the sign up for
next year!
·
Each session should be geared around
touching the ball as many times as possible. Involve the ball in as many
activities as possible. Basic movements such as running, skipping, hopping,
etc. need to be emphasized. If these can be done while kicking, catching,
rolling, or dribbling a ball... all the better!
·
Training should not last for more than
one hour. This is primarily due to physical fatigue and attention span
considerations. Any more than this may lead to their and your burnout.
·
Have as many different kinds of
activities ready as you can get into one hour. Emphasis needs to be placed on
what is FUN!.
·
Every player should bring his or her own
size #3 ball.
·
Remember, although they may have very
similar birthdates, their physical and/or mental maturity my vary as much as
36 months. Activities need to accommodate these individual differences
whenever possible.
·
Team play and passing is an alien concept
to these players. They know that if they pass the ball, they may never get it
back. In fact, they often will steal it from their own teammates. Do not get
uptight if they do not pass, let them dribble to their heart's content.
·
Plan for at least 4, 90 second drink
breaks, especially in warmer weather. Their "cooling system" is not
as efficient as in older players.
Here are some items that should be
included in a U-6 training session:
Warm-Up:
A brief warm-up is appropriate in order to get the players thinking about
soccer and to prepare them physically for the time ahead. This should involve
individual body activities that may or may not involve the ball. They can
chase their ball as it is thrown by the coach, bringing it back with different
parts of their body. Or, they can chase someone with their ball at their feet.
Static stretching is also appropriate at this time, again, hopefully done with
the ball. "Soccernastics" activities are very appropriate, like:
rolling the ball with the bottom of their feet, with their elbows, backwards,
with the back of their neck while holding on to it; throwing it up and
catching it; keeping it up with their feet while sitting.
Individual
Activities:
Follow the warm-up with some kind of individual activity, not a real 1 v 1
game, but some kind of activity where players act as individuals in a game
environment. An example would be a kind of tag game, or "Red Light -
Green Light", or a game where players are trying to knock their ball
through gates. Keep players in motion at all times. Avoid having them wait on
lines. Play games of "inclusion" instead of games where the
"loser sits".
Play the Game: Move on to the
real game, but, make sure it is a 2 v 2, 3 v 3, or 4 v 4 game. Switch the game
every 5 minutes or so. Be creative. Play with 4 goals, or 2 balls. Play with
or without boundaries. Use cones if you don't have real goals. Keep players
involved. Have more than one game going on at a time if necessary. It is
important that every player has a chance to shoot on goal as often as
possible.
Warm-Down &
Homework:
Finish the session with a warm down. Give them some more stretches to do with
the ball. You may want to review what you started the session with. Also, give
them some homework so that they practice on their own. Think of some ball
trick that you would like to see them try to do, like, bounce it off their
thigh and then catch it. It is important to finish on time. This is especially
essential if the players are really into it. Stop at this point and you will
get an enthusiastic return.