Guide for parents and coaches - Soccer For Kids
WRITTEN BY: COACH BRUCE LOVELACE
PUBLISHED ON: November 5, 2023
Welcome soccer parents and coaches!
You've reluctantly volunteered to help, but where should you start. Whether you're a newbie soccer coach or taking on the job of a soccer team parent, you need some guidance.
The Soccer-For-Kids website gives you the tips and advice you need as a new soccer parent or coach.
Let's face it. Kids are only a small part of our population, but they are 100% of our future. We want to do things the right way for our children. If you're a Newby soccer mom or day here are a few quick tips on good soccer parenting.
Simple Tips For nEW sOCCER pARENTS
1. pATIENCE
It takes a lot of time to learn all there is to know about the game of soccer. With your support, you and your child will be able to enjoy the game at a higher level. Have patience and be supportive at the same time.
2. Fun
Focus on fun, not on winning. Let's face it. We all want our child to win, but soccer is a GAME and games are supposed to be fun. Don't put pressure on your child to win. In stead, focus on the fun of making progress learning new skills and playing in the games and practice.
3. Coaching
During games allow the coach to give instructions. When parents starting yelling instructions from the sidelines, young soccer players get confused. It's a fast-paced activity and kids get distracted and nervous too when they get more than one set of instructions.
4. REFEREE
Referees are not perfect. They try their best, but will make calls that you may disagree with. Remember they don't care who wins. Youth soccer often involves new, inexperienced refs who are learning a new side of the game, too. Set a good example to your children by not berating them.
5. Practice
Make it a point to practice with your child in the backyard. Try some fun imaginative games that are different from the skills and drills that are implemented at team practices. Make it an activity for the whole family. This makes for great family bonding.
6. Rules
Learn the rules of youth soccer yourself before you talk about them with your child.
Soccer For Kids Mission
The title "Soccer For Kids" and the mission statement says it all.
We want to not only help your child learn to play the world's number one game, but also impact him or her with all of the other benefits that come along with participating in a soccer program.
The number of kids who participate in youth soccer is staggering (about 4,000,000) and for many reasons.
It's critical to get the kids involved in the right kind of soccer program, one that teaches more than just the skills of dribbling, passing, and shooting. The life skills that are learned in soccer impact your child in so many other positive ways. Here's more on inspiration that prompted the evolution of this website.
where to start as a new soccer coach/parent
Knowing where to begin is often the toughest part when you're staring a new activity and coaching or parenting young soccer players is no different. Here are 3 ways to get the help you want
- CATEGORIES. You can scroll down the page and start with some of the topics below.
- MENU. Find an area of youth soccer you want to explore by using use the menu at the top of the page.
- SEARCH. You can use the search box below.
categories of youth soccer posts
1. kids soccer equipment
What Are Soccer Disc Cones For + 10 Creative Ways to Use Them For Kids
They are immensely useful to use in youth soccer to increase the enjoyment and skills of young soccer players. What are disc cones in soccer. Helpful guide.
What's The Best Soccer Water Bottle For Kids. Best Water Bottle Guide
It can be confusing with so many water bottles for your soccer player to choose from. This post will help you choose the best soccer water bottle for your child.
How Kids Soccer Socks Are Different. Guide On Socks For Youth Soccer
Are soccer socks needed in youth soccer? How they are different and how do soccer socks fit? All you need to know about kids soccer socks
2. YOUTH SOCCER BALLS
Soccer Ball Pressure Guide. Simple Steps to Get The Correct Pressure
Soccer Ball Guide. How to check and inflate to the right soccer ball pressure. Inflate your size 5, size 4, and size 3 soccer ball to the best pressure
What Size Is a Youth Soccer Ball-How big is size 3,4 and 5 soccer ball
You're wondering about youth soccer ball size by age. Here is how big of a soccer ball your child plays with. Helpful guide on what size is a youth soccer ball
Where to Buy Youth Soccer Balls and How Much Does a Soccer Ball Cost?
If you want to know where to buy youth soccer balls, here is a helpful page with price checker for kids soccer balls
3. youth soccer quotes
Top 10 Soccer Parent Quotes. Inspiration For Challenged Soccer Parents
Helpful excerpts on soccer parenting. Get some useful ideas and inspiration from reading these soccer parent quotes with a few funny youth soccer cartoons
22 Soccer Quotes For Girls That Your Daughter Can Use And Benefit From
The game of soccer is a great teacher of life lessons that your daughter can use in many areas.Use these upfated soccer quotes for girls to teach them
10 Inspirational Soccer Team Quotes For Youth Soccer. Now Updated
Inspiration, education, and motivation, you can use these helpful soccer team quotes by players + coaches will have a positive impact on your child and team
4. soccer parenting tips
About Coach Bruce Lovelace And The Soccer For Kids Website.
The youth soccer background about Coach Bruce, the Soccer-For-Kid website and inspiration behind it.
10 Youth Soccer Rules Parents Should Know About. Simple Understanding
Soccer parents can easily embarrass themselves by not knowing them. These 7 youth soccer rules parents should know about ahead of time, before yelling at the ref.
Quality Family Time: How Kids Benefit From Time With Extended Family
Advice for parents on quality family time Article on how kids benefit from time with extended family
5. YOUTH SOCCER SAFETY
Youth Soccer Covid-19 Guidelines. PDF Download On Kid Soccer Safety
CDC Guidelines For Corona and how to plan for a return to kids playing soccer. Here is a valuable free PDF download of Youth Soccer Covid 19 Guidelines
What's the Most Common Injury in Youth Soccer. Surprising Statistics
There are definite risks for kids getting hurt playing soccer, but the most common injury in youth soccer statistics might surprise you.
Is It Safe To Head a Soccer Ball. The New US Soccer Rules Reveals All
Is playing youth soccer dangerous and likely to lead to serious injury? Find out if it's safe to head a soccer ball for young soccer players
The Soccer shots franchise I owned before publishing this website
Many of the beliefs I have about being a soccer parent and soccer coach came from coaching my own 3 kids throughout their youth soccer experiences combined with the philosophies adopted by the Soccer Shots franchise
WATCH THE INTRO VIDEO
- The developmentally appropriate curriculum places an emphasis on character development and skill building.
- The program was created under the guidance of childhood education specialists, professional soccer players and experienced and licensed soccer coaches.
- A commitment was made constantly re-evaluate and update ther curriculum to stay current with childhood education standards.
It was Frederick Douglas who said: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
Having fun is number one
I believe soccer for children should be an enjoyable experience. It must be fun
Having fun games for children that use soccer as the teaching tool will foster an affection to the World's number one sport. Here's a graphic on the top reasons why kids quit playing sports.
You can see in this graphic that the number one reason for a child quitting a sport is because he or she wasn't having fun. The date gathered for this illustration was from older kids.
I'd guess, since the kids who participate in Soccer Shots are not worried about grades and don't get injured, that the numbers would be significantly higher if you polled kids who are between 2 and 8 years old.
Parents have a huge part to play in whether a child likes participating in a sport.
Positive encouragement for their child's efforts, not criticism for less than stellar results, is the best thing a parent can do for their child.
soccer parenting tips
We use the terms soccer for kids, soccer for children, and fun games for children when we write about our soccer program because that's what we are all about. Being a kid is all about having fun. According to Wikipedia a "game is a structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool." Sometimes parents and coaches forget that.
- Soccer for children, especially very young children, should not include the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It should involve lots of little kicks of the soccer ball.
- Soccer curriculum should include imaginative, fun activities for children that emphasize participation by all kids in the program.
- You should have every child score at least one goal at every soccer practice. This "fun games for children" philosophy can be instilled in all coaches and it should be a priority in each soccer experience for every child. The key components of every soccer program should be centered around fun games for children.
I hope the articles here for new soccer parents and coaches are valuable. Keep it fun!
Soccer coach Bruce Lovelace started playing soccer in 1974 when, as a young boy, he constructed his own makeshift soccer goal. He played in high school, then in college and beyond. He started to coach his own children in the 1990s and then ran a Soccer Shots franchise for 12 years. Now, Coach Bruce publishes the soccer-for-kids.com website. Find out more about youth soccer coach Bruce Lovelace and what inspires this website.
how to SEARCH the soccer For Kids website for more articles:
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