Written by soccer great and championship Stanford coach Bobby Clark, COACHING YOUTH SOCCER: THE BAFFLED PARENT'S GUIDE tells you how, starting at point zero, an uninitiated coach can meld kids into a team and help them enjoy one of the most rewarding experiences of their youth. (In the end, you may be the one who reaps the biggest reward, as you watch kids learn and grow in an experience they'll treasure for a lifetime.)

Expert advice to make youth soccer more fun for players, parents and coaches. Robert Koger coached youth soccer for over twenty-five years. For the thousands of new coaches taking over teams every year, the advice he offers will make their lives easier and their teams better. Koger covers everything a new coach needs to know: the rules of the game, the layout of the field, the logistics of finding playing space, setting up practices, and even handling pesky problem parents. If you want to understand the offsides rule, clarify what goalkeepers can and can’t do inside the penalty box, need advice on conditioning and training players, you’ll find it here. Designed specifically to help coaches work with young players ages four through eight, Koger’s goal is to make the game fun for kids, parents, and coaches. With fourteen million American children playing in organized leagues, and more new coaches needed every year, this book is essential and helpful reading for anyone who chooses to take up the whistle and manage a team. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

"Scott and David have done a fantastic job getting into the psyche of these very young players. What I really love is their emphasis on FUN, and that kids learn by DOING. This book will make a great extra assistant as you prepare for your season."—Bobby Clark, Head Soccer Coach, University of Notre Dame; author of the best-selling Coaching Youth Soccer: The Baffled Parent's Guide Coach. You're the new coach of your child's soccer team, and you're not sure how to teach your players the fundamentals of soccer while also ensuring they have fun. Don't panic—Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer is here to help. Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer offers straightforward advice, tips, and techniques, including reward-based games and drills; your first six practices in an easy-to-photocopy format; and how to teach soccer basics to 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds in ways that are fun for you and your players. This complete tool kit for a new coach includes: The twelve easy-to-run drills that work best with young soccer players How to keep your young players happy and active while they learn How to make parents your best assistants and supporters How to keep the focus where it belongs—not on winning or losing, but on having fun How to have a terrific time coaching young players "Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer shows you how to teach your young players the right way—through lively games that encourage kids to use their creativity and self-expression when playing."—Brandi Chastain, Olympic and World Cup Soccer Champion; author of It's Not About the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back into Competitive Sports "I have no doubt that young players will come to love the game of soccer if their coaches follow the simple, straightforward advice in this book."—Anson Dorrance, Head Women's Soccer Coach, University of North Carolina; author of The Vision of a Champion: Advice and Inspiration from the World's Most Successful Women's Soccer Coach "I highly recommend this terrific book to coaches who want to instill good sportsmanship and the love of the game in their young players while building a solid foundation in basic soccer skills and teamwork."—Jeremy Gunn, Head Men's Soccer Coach, Fort Lewis College

Packed with drills and tips for practice and game days The fun and easy way(r) to kick-start your soccer coaching skills Volunteering as a youth soccer coach can be a great experience, both for you and your squad. But what if you've never coached before? Don't worry! This friendly guide explains soccer rules, shows you how to approach coaching, and gives you practical pointers on improving your team's soccer skills and encouraging good sportsmanship. Discover how to Understand soccer rules Develop a coaching philosophy Teach soccer fundamentals Run great practices Lead your team during a game Communicate effectively with parents

The key to successful coaching is preparing your players to make intelligent decisions on the field. For years, the best-selling Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer has helped coaches of every level do just that. Now, soccer’s premier coaching resource has been updated and expanded to provide you with more insights into developing individual talent, team tactics, and winning play. Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer provides you with over 125 drills for teaching skills and techniques. You’ll also learn how to develop these skills in realistic game situations with beginning, intermediate, advanced, and all-star players. Essential skills are presented, including collecting and controlling, passing, dribbling, kicking, heading, and goalkeeping. You’ll then apply those individual skills with attacking and defensive tactics, team formations, and set pieces. With Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer, you’ll learn the what, how, and why of soccer through these essentials: Over 125 drills for beginning, intermediate, advanced, and all-star players Progressing basic drills into realistic, competitive situations Tactics in attack and defense Tactics in set plays Team management Mental and physical preparation for games Handling problem players and parents Fitness and conditioning Preparing and developing coaching sessions Establishing a coaching philosophy Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer is an invaluable guide for coaching any team in any setting. The best team doesn’t always win—but it usually does.

101 Great Youth Soccer Drills is an exhaustive collection of the very best drills available, providing a solid foundation for you to build your players' skills. Filled with simple step-by-step instructions and diagrams, plus a sample practice program, this encyclopedia of drills provides you with solid skill-building fundamentals as well as the advanced techniques you need to get your players in top form.

This book demonstrates what coaches should and should not be doing with young players in the sport and enables you to identify if effective coaching is taking place."Any parent whose child is playing youth soccer should read this book as the information is going to have a powerful impact on your child's experiences, development, and ultimately their success in the sport. This book is an essential tool for any club, coach, or parent who is truly focusing on player development." Manchester United Youth Academy Coach - Dean Whitehouse Using insightful anecdotes, personal experiences, and perspectives of numerous development experts, they passionately provide the reader with a clear and compelling breakdown of critical issues involved with youth development. Holding nothing back, they unveil the damaging problems that currently exist in U.S. youth soccer due to high numbers of administrators, coaches, and parents demonstrating misguided and outdated beliefs, and/or harboring ulterior motives that are simply not beneficial for the players' best interests. They emphasize how conventional thinking in youth soccer leads to so many youngsters encountering negative experiences during their formative years and is a major driver as to why 70-80% of young players drop out of the sport at a young age before they have even had the opportunity to unlock their true potential. In this book, Mairs and Shaw reveal how coaches and parents can positively impact young players' involvement. They demonstrate how to ignite young players' passion for the sport and arm players with the powerful tools which will help them become successful players in the long-term.