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9 Things Coaches Need for Soccer Practice Free Soccer Patches
Soccer Success Story I have coached for 6 years and scoured the web for coaching help. I really appreciate how much SoccerHelp Premium and the soccer patches have helped me as a coach. Since I signed up for SoccerHelp and studied it and planned my practices, my team started doing great and only lost one game in 2 seasons The prior 2 seasons we only won 2 games. What helped me the most was how to teach my girls to be aggressive and how to score goals. --Brad, BU10 and GU12 Rec Coach, Premium Member
9 Things Coaches Need for Soccer Practice
- Assistants. The more the better. Ask parents to help, even if it is just to pick up balls.
- Shinguards & Water. Every player should wear shinguards & bring a plastic water bottle with their name on it. I always take extra water because some always forget.
- A Ball for Every Player. Ask each child to bring a ball to practice, but buy some extras to bring because some kids will forget. A nylon mesh laundry bag makes a great ball bag. Also, buy a ball pump to keep the balls inflated.
- Small Soccer "Disk" Cones. Disk cones are ideal for marking areas for small sided games. You need 2 disk cones per player (e.g., 30 disk cones for 15 players). Disk cones look like an upside down bowl and come in fluorescent yellow and orange; orange is most visible on brown grass. Consider buying a strap to keep your disk cones on. It is only a few dollars and worth it. As an alternative, you can use strips of brightly colored cloth to mark the areas.
- A Way To Identify "Teams". You can buy practice vests (also called "bibs") for about $6 each, or there are several cheaper ways to identify teams during practice games. One cheap way is to cut the sleeves & bottoms off old t-shirts & use the tops as practice vests; you can spray paint them in different colors to make enough for several teams. Another cheap way is to buy a roll of pink plastic "flagging" at Home Depot ($5.00 in the tool area near the surveying equipment), cut pieces & tie the ends to make a circle that will fit over players heads (around their necks). A third way is to buy a 3-pack of men's "Athletic T-shirts" (about $6.00) in the x-large size. Cut off the top about 3 inches below the bottom of the sleeve & then cut the bottom into 3 cloth circles (just cut it straight across to make the circles). You will get 12 pieces for $6.00. If you need different colors, spray some red or blue paint on them to give a "tie-dyed" look. The bottoms can also be used as field markers.
- A Whistle. A cheap one will do. This will be hugely helpful in getting attention. Use the whistle to stop & start the practice games described herein.
- An Equipment Bag. To keep your gear in. In it should be some Band-Aids or a small medical kit (about $5). One of the 99� instant ice packs is good. (You squeeze these & they get cold. They are at drugstores).
- Do You Need a Goal or a Lined Field? No. None of the SoccerHelp Practice Games require a goal or a lined field. However, a goal or a net backstop is handy if you are practicing shooting.
- A Watch With A Countdown Timer. You can get by without this, but it makes it a lot easier to run timed games. Timex and Casio make models that are available at Target and Wal-Mart for about $25.
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