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.

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.)

This is the definitive manual for coaching America's fastest-growing sport for kids aged 8-19. Written for both beginning and seasoned coaches, The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer shows you--in concise, easy-to-understand terms--how to organize, motivate, and lead your youth soccer team to success on the field. Included are: Step-by-step teaching points Rules and strategies of the game More than 100 illustrative diagrams More than 75 practice and competitive drills Complete 10-week season plans for each of three separate age groups Designed for easy, on-the-field reference, author Simon Whitehead's proven practice drills are designed progressively to develop maximum skills for both individual and team play. Simon Whitehead lives in Minneapolis and has coached high school and college soccer in England and in the United States for more than ten years. Using proven European teaching methods, he shows the soccer coach how to maximize each young player's enthusiasm, involvement, and personal success in soccer.

"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

The mark of a great coach is a constant desire to learn and grow. A hunger to use whatever can make them better. The best-selling author of Teach Like a Champion and Reading Reconsidered brings his considerable knowledge about the science of classroom teaching to the sports coaching world to create championship caliber coaches on the court and field. What great classroom teachers do is relevant to coaches in profound ways. After all, coaches are at their core teachers. Lemov knows that coaches face many of the same challenges found in the classroom, so the science of learning applies equally to them. Unfortunately, coaches and organizations have a mixed level of understanding of the research and study of the science of learning. Sometimes coaches and organizations build their teaching on myths and platitudes more than science. Sometimes there isn’t any science applied at all. While there are thousands of books and websites a coach can consult to better understand technical and tactical aspects of the game, there is nothing for a coach to consult that explicitly examines the teaching problems on the field, the court, the rink, and the diamond. Until now. Intended to offer lessons and guidance that are applicable to coaches of any sporting endeavor including everyone from parent volunteers to professional coaches and private trainers, Lemov brings the powerful science of learning to the arena of sports coaching to create the next generation of championship caliber coaches.

Participation in youth soccer continues to grow, creating a greater demand for coaches than ever before. Parents who might never have played soccer are finding themselves on the sidelines wondering what they've gotten themselves into. Over the years, tens of thousands of coaches in this very situation have turned to the American Sport Education Program's (ASEP) Coaching Youth Soccer, and this new fifth edition delivers even more information in an improved format to help calm the fears, identify and organize the tasks and responsibilities, and bolster the confidence of today's new coaches. Written by ASEP in conjunction with Sam Snow, director of coaching for US Youth Soccer, Coaching Youth Soccer is the resource for coaches of athletes ages 14 and under. It presents sport- and age-specific coaching tips and advice as well as general coaching principles and information on sport first aid that coaches need for success on and off the field. This fifth edition includes over 45 activities and 40 coaching tips, combined with more than 70 photos and 50 illustrations, all in a reorganized format to make it even more practical for coaches. Chapters on attacking and defending, along with a new chapter on goalkeeping, are included to provide more in-depth information on playing these positions. The sport first aid section has been expanded to include guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on dealing with concussion (soccer is second only to football in frequency of concussion). Part of the long-running Coaching Youth Sport Series, Coaching Youth Soccer provides a dynamic and effective method for teaching soccer fundamentals, making it a must-read for youth soccer coaches preparing to meet the challenges and enjoy the rewards of working with young athletes.

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