10 keys to evaluate a coach

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While I wouldn't ask some of these questions it does raise some points that are of interest.

Thoughts?

http://learn.captainu.com/2014/09/12...=evaluatecoach

While tryouts are a time for coaches to evaluate players, it is also a time for parents and players to evaluate coaches as well. Here are some questions to consider before try-outs. Figure out what is important to you and how you can get answers to those important questions.

1. Is this a team of equal playing time or the best players will play?

2. Will you teach my child the skills to improve at this sport?

3. How do you handle disciplinary issues on the team?

4. What experience do you have with coaching in general? What experiences do you have coaching this age, gender, sport, or competitive level?

5. Do you have a child on the team? How will that affect my child?

6. What is your coaching philosophy?

7. How will the coaching staff work together? Is there a head coach? Co-coaching?

8. How many players would you have on your team in an ideal situation? Is that how many kids are on the team?

9. How would you like questions about playing time to be handled?

10. When is the best time to talk to you about my child? How would you like to be contacted?

[Unregistered]

1. Is this a team of equal playing time or the best players will play?
Players will play at least half a game if they are in good standing with attendance and give 100% effort in training/games. If not I will talk to the player as to why his playing time was cut for this game.

2. Will you teach my child the skills to improve at this sport?
I will teach your child the four principles of soccer (technical, tactical, pschological and physical). It is up to them to want to learn and apply the skills to improve and practice on their own.

3. How do you handle disciplinary issues on the team?
Quickly and firm, fair and consistant. We are a team first and foremost. Nobody is above the team including myself.

4. What experience do you have with coaching in general? What experiences do you have coaching this age, gender, sport, or competitive level?
NSCAA Advance National Diploma, USSF B and played D1 college soccer. Been coaching U13 to U18 for 10 years. Have won many tournaments and leagues.

5. Do you have a child on the team? How will that affect my child?
No, will never coach my child at this level but I do have a child in the club and my team comes first and my child does not get special treatment for team placement. He is on the 2nd team at a different age group in our club.

6. What is your coaching philosophy?
To teach players to love the game of soccer. Develop players based on the 4 principles of soccer and winning will take care of itself.

7. How will the coaching staff work together? Is there a head coach? Co-coaching?
I have an assistant coach and he works with the players not involved in the functional trainings. He is responsible for watching the other team during games to assist me with tactical adjustments. We work together to plan our next training session based on our game performance.

8. How many players would you have on your team in an ideal situation? Is that how many kids are on the team?
17 to 18 players which include 2 keepers. I do not feel players are able to play 70 to 80 minutes of soccer without a break. It is not how long you are on the field but what you do while on the field.

9. How would you like questions about playing time to be handled?
If you can talk profession, when ever you want except during the game.

10. When is the best time to talk to you about my child? How would you like to be contacted?
Not during training or games, you are paying me for a service and I need to be available for you to ask questions. I would prefer that you son talked to me since I coach older players. They need to start taking charge of their life and fight for what they believe. You are always welcome to talk also. I prefer face to face communication. Nothing gets lost in translation an is more personnal.

I am a current club coach, do not ask what club. I do not recruit. I believe my reputation and word of mouth is how I get better players.

[Unregistered]

I like this even more...

http://blogs.wsj.com/wsjam/2012/05/2...s-should-know/

10 Things Soccer Parents Should Know

1. Parents speak out of both sides of their mouths.

They want their kids to become better players, yet they’re disappointed when they lose. You can’t always have it both ways. A winning team doesn’t guarantee players are being developed, and a losing team doesn’t necessarily mean players are NOT being developed. For children to become better players, they must get playing time at all positions, even ones in which they’re uncomfortable.

2. Parents ruin things.

What are the first words out of your mouth after practice or a game? If it’s not along the lines of, “Did you have fun?” Or, “Wow, I really like watching you play soccer,” then you’re saying the wrong things. One survey found what kids hate most about soccer is the car ride home with mom or dad. That’s because the first things out of parents’ mouths too often is “How did you lose that game?” or “What was wrong with you out there?”

3. You should behave like you’re a guest at a child’s soccer game.

It’s the new phrase in soccer circles. Coaches are supposed to make the game fun. (That’s why it’s called a “game.”) But when parents are shouting instruction to the players, complaining about the referee, or moaning about the play of other kids, they’re behaving like they’re at a professional game. At that level, you pay for a ticket, so you’re entitled to speak your mind. At a youth soccer game, please just pull up a chair and enjoy the moment.

4. Parents should wear muzzles to games.

If your child has the ball, he or she won’t hear what you’re shouting. If he doesn’t have the ball and he hears you, now you’re a distraction. Also, the phrase “Just boot it!” went out of style in the mid 1980s. Cheering for your child’s long kick likely sends a conflicting message, since the odds are that’s not what the coach was teaching the team during the week.

5. Don’t email a coach if you’re unhappy.

I have yet to meet a parent who can accurately convey tone or emotion electronically. If something’s bothering you, observe the 24-hour rule, then call the coach, or speak to the coach face-to-face privately. That’s what adults do.

6. Coaches don’t have the time to coach.

We do it because we make the time. If it weren’t for coaches, the team might not exist if nobody else stepped up to volunteer. If you’re not happy, buy the coach a $10 gift card to Dunkin Donuts at the end of the season, stick it in a Thank You card, and coach your own team next season.

7. The more a coach shouts during games, the greater his ego.

A coach who shouts the entire game just wants to win. Shouting during each play makes them dependent on you. And it makes you hoarse. Letting the players figure things out on their own fosters creativity. Yes, they’ll make mistakes. But recovering from mistakes is part of the learning process. After all, it’s part of how they learn in school and it’s how you gain experience at work. Instead of constantly shouting, a coach should have specific pre-game instructions, encouraging words at half-time, and should be scribbling notes about what the team or individual players need to practice during the week.

8. Parents are the biggest obstacles to their child’s development.

Don’t care to come to practice? Then your kid won’t learn. Kids who come to practice learn through repetition. Not coming to practice will impact your child’s playing time, further hurting his development…and the development of his teammates.

9. Your kid is not that good. Even kids on “travel teams” can sometimes secure a spot on the roster just because mom or dad can write a check. That’s often the reason there are two or three travel teams in a single age division.

10. All the meaningful work is done at practice.

By touching the ball constantly with their feet through dribbling, juggling, passing, turning, receiving and shooting drills during practice, a child learns the basics. Games are merely a way to measure what’s been learned during the week and what still needs improvement, kind of like a math test. Plus, kids touch the ball only a fraction of the time in games that they do in practice.

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1. Is this a team of equal playing time or the best players will play?
Players will play at least half a game if they are in good standing with attendance and give 100% effort in training/games. If not I will talk to the player as to why his playing time was cut for this game.

2. Will you teach my child the skills to improve at this sport?
I will teach your child the four principles of soccer (technical, tactical, pschological and physical). It is up to them to want to learn and apply the skills to improve and practice on their own.

3. How do you handle disciplinary issues on the team?
Quickly and firm, fair and consistant. We are a team first and foremost. Nobody is above the team including myself.

4. What experience do you have with coaching in general? What experiences do you have coaching this age, gender, sport, or competitive level?
NSCAA Advance National Diploma, USSF B and played D1 college soccer. Been coaching U13 to U18 for 10 years. Have won many tournaments and leagues.

5. Do you have a child on the team? How will that affect my child?
No, will never coach my child at this level but I do have a child in the club and my team comes first and my child does not get special treatment for team placement. He is on the 2nd team at a different age group in our club.

6. What is your coaching philosophy?
To teach players to love the game of soccer. Develop players based on the 4 principles of soccer and winning will take care of itself.

7. How will the coaching staff work together? Is there a head coach? Co-coaching?
I have an assistant coach and he works with the players not involved in the functional trainings. He is responsible for watching the other team during games to assist me with tactical adjustments. We work together to plan our next training session based on our game performance.

8. How many players would you have on your team in an ideal situation? Is that how many kids are on the team?
17 to 18 players which include 2 keepers. I do not feel players are able to play 70 to 80 minutes of soccer without a break. It is not how long you are on the field but what you do while on the field.

9. How would you like questions about playing time to be handled?
If you can talk profession, when ever you want except during the game.

10. When is the best time to talk to you about my child? How would you like to be contacted?
Not during training or games, you are paying me for a service and I need to be available for you to ask questions. I would prefer that you son talked to me since I coach older players. They need to start taking charge of their life and fight for what they believe. You are always welcome to talk also. I prefer face to face communication. Nothing gets lost in translation an is more personnal.

I am a current club coach, do not ask what club. I do not recruit. I believe my reputation and word of mouth is how I get better players.

Outstanding!

I think this represents a reasonable and professional standard. Having coached just as long and experienced almost as much in terms of certification, I think it's fair to say that USSF and NSCAA (especially) promote these ideas as part of a "best practices" approach, but I'm cynical enough to understand based on experience that this is more exception than rule. Why? My opinion is that coaching for game results (winning), while it shouldn't be, is often mutually exclusive with coaching for player results (development).

Parents should make objective judgments about player progress over a longer period of seasons/years, but tend to make more emotional judgments about team progress over a shorter period of hours/weeks.

[Unregistered]

10 kleys to evaluate a coach

Excellent information offered. Thanks.

Also, I have asked club coaches what percentage of practice is typically spent on player development and what percent on team development (tactics) and why. I've gotten a variety of answers, some defensiveness, some "deer in the headlights" looks.

[Unregistered]

1. Is this a team of equal playing time or the best players will play?
Players will play at least half a game if they are in good standing with attendance and give 100% effort in training/games. If not I will talk to the player as to why his playing time was cut for this game.

2. Will you teach my child the skills to improve at this sport?
I will teach your child the four principles of soccer (technical, tactical, pschological and physical). It is up to them to want to learn and apply the skills to improve and practice on their own.

3. How do you handle disciplinary issues on the team?
Quickly and firm, fair and consistant. We are a team first and foremost. Nobody is above the team including myself.

4. What experience do you have with coaching in general? What experiences do you have coaching this age, gender, sport, or competitive level?
NSCAA Advance National Diploma, USSF B and played D1 college soccer. Been coaching U13 to U18 for 10 years. Have won many tournaments and leagues.

5. Do you have a child on the team? How will that affect my child?
No, will never coach my child at this level but I do have a child in the club and my team comes first and my child does not get special treatment for team placement. He is on the 2nd team at a different age group in our club.

6. What is your coaching philosophy?
To teach players to love the game of soccer. Develop players based on the 4 principles of soccer and winning will take care of itself.

7. How will the coaching staff work together? Is there a head coach? Co-coaching?
I have an assistant coach and he works with the players not involved in the functional trainings. He is responsible for watching the other team during games to assist me with tactical adjustments. We work together to plan our next training session based on our game performance.

8. How many players would you have on your team in an ideal situation? Is that how many kids are on the team?
17 to 18 players which include 2 keepers. I do not feel players are able to play 70 to 80 minutes of soccer without a break. It is not how long you are on the field but what you do while on the field.

9. How would you like questions about playing time to be handled?
If you can talk profession, when ever you want except during the game.

10. When is the best time to talk to you about my child? How would you like to be contacted?
Not during training or games, you are paying me for a service and I need to be available for you to ask questions. I would prefer that you son talked to me since I coach older players. They need to start taking charge of their life and fight for what they believe. You are always welcome to talk also. I prefer face to face communication. Nothing gets lost in translation an is more personnal.

I am a current club coach, do not ask what club. I do not recruit. I believe my reputation and word of mouth is how I get better players.

This is my favorite line to say to the players:
"If you work hard to get better, the winning will take care of itself."

One thing to consider if this is a version of your resume... you mention winning in #4 when not asked about it, then dismiss winning slightly in #6.

That said - I'm sure I'd enjoy watching you coach.

[Unregistered]

Excellent information offered. Thanks.

Also, I have asked club coaches what percentage of practice is typically spent on player development and what percent on team development (tactics) and why. I've gotten a variety of answers, some defensiveness, some "deer in the headlights" looks.

That can vary greatly depending upon team age group. Younger ages are, or should be, more heavily weighted toward technical and that shifts as they mature. Of course, spend too much time on one or the other and it will show itself on Match day.

One beef I have on the reply from the coach is the reliance on how many wins in league or tournaments they may have. I realize that this is a key component for many parents, but is far from indicative of true developmental success.
Many coaches, myself included, may choose (my case) or get stuck with lower talented squads, sometimes as a result of club affiliation. I have enjoyed my time more with the less talented than with my cracker jack teams due to a variety of reasons. My resume is not filled with lots of trophys, but has its fair share of promoted and developed players. Hard to promote that on a piece of paper, but keeps me happy.

[Unregistered]

I have won tournaments and league divisions over the year but did not play to win. It just happened due to the 4 principles being applied. It is great when the players come together and start playing quality soccer.

[Unregistered]

10 keys to evaluate a coach

That can vary greatly depending upon team age group. Younger ages are, or should be, more heavily weighted toward technical and that shifts as they mature. Of course, spend too much time on one or the other and it will show itself on Match day.

One beef I have on the reply from the coach is the reliance on how many wins in league or tournaments they may have. I realize that this is a key component for many parents, but is far from indicative of true developmental success.
Many coaches, myself included, may choose (my case) or get stuck with lower talented squads, sometimes as a result of club affiliation. I have enjoyed my time more with the less talented than with my cracker jack teams due to a variety of reasons. My resume is not filled with lots of trophys, but has its fair share of promoted and developed players. Hard to promote that on a piece of paper, but keeps me happy.

You make some excellent points. Wins or development? What do parents want most? Which is more enduring for players? Also, I agree with you: the less talented players (teams) are, more often than not, eager to learn and, unfortunately, some of the more advanced players think they have nothing to learn. Your resume is filled with the right stuff: player development. Kudos to you. Please continue doing that.

[Unregistered]

My typical training breakdown is as follows:

Set topic:
5 Minutes warm up before training starts.
10 minutes ball skills at game speed.
20 minutes functional training while the assistant coach works on small sided games with remaining players.
30 minutes phase training with assistant coach.
30 minutes half field game play with topic.
5 minute cool down after training.

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10 keys to evaulate a coach

My typical training breakdown is as follows:

Set topic:
5 Minutes warm up before training starts.
10 minutes ball skills at game speed.
20 minutes functional training while the assistant coach works on small sided games with remaining players.
30 minutes phase training with assistant coach.
30 minutes half field game play with topic.
5 minute cool down after training.

Just curious: How do you take what's practiced during the week and ensure it's implemented in the game?
Thanks

[Unregistered]

Just curious: How do you take what's practiced during the week and ensure it's implemented in the game?
Thanks

Hard to ensure anything when a match starts- it is always a fluid situation.
What you can do is remind the players prior to the match of the goals (no pun intended) and objectives of training and can they show that during the match. Depending upon your coaching style, you can vociferously dictate the play or at half, again discuss the objectives. Of course, your opposition will have some controlling interest as well.

[Unregistered]

My typical training breakdown is as follows:

Set topic:
5 Minutes warm up before training starts.
10 minutes ball skills at game speed.
20 minutes functional training while the assistant coach works on small sided games with remaining players.
30 minutes phase training with assistant coach.
30 minutes half field game play with topic.
5 minute cool down after training.

I bet you got a 'Distingiushed Pass'...

[Unregistered]

We keep it simple. We take one defensive and one attacking concept that we did not do well in the previous game and work on it at training. I think if you try to fix too much then you just confuse the players. We talk about how these two concepts will work into our game plan against this particular team in our pregame talk. I allow the team to play their game but watch how they do with the two concepts we worked on that week. We talk to players when they are going in and coming out about the concepts and we discuss it in our half-time talk. We also give them a grade at the end of the game on how they did with these two concepts. I TRY to not comment to the players during the game but like most coaches this is difficult. I will give positive comments if players are doing the concepts very well.

[Unregistered]

My typical training breakdown is as follows:

Set topic:
5 Minutes warm up before training starts.
10 minutes ball skills at game speed.
20 minutes functional training while the assistant coach works on small sided games with remaining players.
30 minutes phase training with assistant coach.
30 minutes half field game play with topic.
5 minute cool down after training.

besides the warm up and cool down the rest is as generic as you can get.
Training needs to be adjusted to been age appropriatte.
You can't have functional training (especially tactical one) with U-11 players or phase training for that matter.
It is a constant problem with coaches not adjusting to the requirments of age appropriate training guidelines. Revise this and hopefully it will work. Good luck.