Five Mistakes Soccer Parents Make With Their Players
soccer parent In our experience we have all seen both extremes the ranting and raving parent on the sideline the soccer parent who makes their player train seven days a week.
year-round, and the parent who doesn’t show up to anything or seems to take an interest in their child as a player.
But, it is interesting to note that most soccer parents are somewhere in the middle of this spectrum: parents with good intentions who just want what is best for their children. This list is for those parents.
In my experience, parents can have a dramatic impact on their kids’ soccer development through these five behaviors:
1. They don’t encourage their player to make mistakes
There might seem to be a contradiction in this, but we want our players to make mistakes.This is the best way for them to learn!
As much as players focus on mastering skills and winning matches, more of them should put themselves out there to take risks.
There is a wise colleague of mine who always tells her players to “be brave.”. It is okay to make mistakes.”
Parents and coaches want their children to succeed, and it is very important that they know that you encourage them to do so and that you will applaud them for trying, even if they fail.
There is no failure for them, because, at the end of the day, they won’t fail. As a result of those moments, they learn something.
which is invaluable and will help them grow as players and as individuals in the future.
The brave player will learn when to dribble and when to pass without hesitation or fear, instead of passing the ball all the time because he or she is afraid to play 1v1.
2. They fight battles that aren’t theirs to fight
Would you have ever approached a coach about the fact that your kid isn’t getting enough playing time on the field?
Right now, I can tell you that this is the kind of conversation that every coach hates to have with a parent, and it probably won’t help your child in any way, shape or form.
The more you encourage your player to take ownership of their game and to develop as a player, the more likely they are to succeed.
At a certain stage in their development, they should (at a certain age) be the ones to approach the coach if they have concerns or questions.
As a coach, I assure you that if you do this, it will go over better with the coach.
it will certainly result in more useful information, and you will also be able to teach your child several lessons they can apply in their personal and professional lives.
3. They don’t engage their players in the development
Do you know what your player is working on during training? If not, what do you think that might be? It would be great if you could find out!
It is not necessary to call up a coach or a club and ask for the practice plans for the following week.
If you want to help your child learn skills or ideas, you should engage them in a conversation about the skills and ideas they’re learning and what they find challenging.
It is also possible that this will lead to your player setting personal development goals.
4. They coach and cheer for the wrong things on game day
We’ve all heard that parent on the sideline scream, “Shoot it! Make it! Pass it! There is a possibility that it is you.
its nothing wrong with wanting to assist your player on the field, but these actions do not help your player.
There is a parent that has committed both Nos. 1 and 3 at the same time. It is possible for these directions to cause anxiety for a player who is already under a great deal of strain on the field.
Their coach may even have instructed them to do something that directly contradicts what they have been instructed to do.
It is still not acceptable to coach on the sidelines even if you have an A-license from the USSF and are the coach for the team you are coaching.
The best thing you can do instead is to focus on basic encouragement and cheering. After engaging your child in the development process.
Did you discover (after engaging your child in the development process) that your child is working on mastering.
A specific move during training or building confidence in their left foot when using it? Let them know you saw them doing that in a game if you see them doing it and let them know you did see them doing it.
What is the role of ego in coaching and why do we need to continue the charade?
I challenge developing coaches to remember their coaches, teachers, and mentors from when they were young players or students in any learning environment.
Who were the good ones? There is no evidence of my teachers claiming they developed the world’s leading thinkers, researchers, doctors, or entrepreneurs.
so what right do coaches have to claim?
It’s important to distinguish between confidence and ego here. Any coach must have faith in their abilities and have a philosophy that can be backed up by methodology.
I want my players to feel confident to show resilience. But I also value humility and valuing discomfort, both as a coach and a player.
Working in an academy for the first time is extremely exciting for any young coach – but have you succeeded? Not at all. As a coach, you’ve earned the right to work with young athletes deemed to be the best in their age group in their sport.
The hard work begins then. Can you challenge them? How can you learn from them? It is imperative that no matter what level of sport you are working at, you keep the player’s needs at the forefront of your mind.
During a recent wide-ranging interview with England U16 Coach Dan Micciche (in Issue 11 & 12), Dan stated.
“I’ve learned more from my players than they will ever learn from me.” I recommend you take heed of these words when you next sit down to talk with your clients.
When you reach the top of your industry, you are undoubtedly worthy of praise and have worked hard to get there. The dream of working day in and day out with full-time professional players is one of many goals.
I have, but I still have a long way to go. Coaches have ambitions, whether it’s non-league football, managing a Premier League team, or coaching our children’s local teams. If you achieve those goals, celebrate them, but don’t forget why you’re there.
5. They analyze the game with their player afterward
How do you and your child celebrate the end of a game after you play? When you get into the car, do you start analyzing the game and what your player did right or wrong before you even get in the car? There is no doubt in my mind that your child knows what they did wrong. If they don’t, their coach or a teammate has likely told them.
In the aftermath of a game, one of the best things you can say to your player is how much fun you had watching him or her play engage you in a postgame.
Consider picking out some things they did in the game that you know he or she has been working on instead of analyzing the whole game.
Read our More Blog….