Bobby Clark - The Baffled Parents Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer

THE BAFFLED PARENTS GUIDE TO
COACHING YOUTH
SOCCER

Bobby Clark
Head Coach, Stanford University Mens Team

With Nomad Communications
Norwich, Vermont

To all the kids whove ever played
for Upper Valley Lightning Soccer.

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Whenever I am asked to speak to parents at various soccer clinics, I am usually introduced as the head coach of the Chicago Fire. Although that sounds nice and might impress people, I always remind everyone that I have three soccer-playing children and have been faced with the challenge of coaching their youth teams on many occasions. I guess it is a little like running a good birthday party. Will the party be organized and a positive experience for everyone, including the birthday boy or girl, and the parents? Will the kids enjoy themselves and want to come back next time?

It really doesnt matter that I coach the Fire. Understanding the game of soccer helps, but its far more important that I have a way with kids. Parents should understand this idea very well. Indeed, its exactly what happens with all our children in their elementary school classrooms: all teachers know the material, but only the very special ones bring their classrooms to life day after day.

The same is true in soccer. I have been so fortunate to share the game with a few extraordinary individuals who are great with kids and love soccer. One of the best is Bobby Clark. Bobbys credentialscoaching in Zimbabwe and New Zealand as well as at two prestigious universities, Dartmouth and Stanfordare top-notch. But his credentials dont tell the whole story of Bobbys success. The many players who have come in contact with Bobby over the years know the real story: they would remember that Bobbys love of soccer and total enthusiasm made soccer fun and exciting for them. They would never forget the way Bobby Clark brought the game to life for them.

Coaching Youth Soccer: The Baffled Parents Guide wont magically turn all our soccer parents into Bobby Clarks. It will, however, give all of you a wonderful opportunity to share the game with him. Best of all, it will inspire you and fill you with ideas to provide the type of positive soccer experience for your players that Bobby Clark has always given his players. Best of luck.

Bob Bradley
Head Coach, Chicago Fire, Major League Soccer
Assistant Coach, U.S. Mens National Soccer Team
Former Head Soccer Coach, Princeton University

US Youth Soccer (USYSA) is a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to foster the physical, mental, and emotional growth and development of youth through the sport of soccer for all ages and levels of competition. US Youth Soccers job is to make soccer fun and instill in young players a lifelong passion for the sport.

On pages 126 through 129, US Youth Soccer offers its recommendations for short-sided games for players under six years old and players under eight years old.

For more on US Youth Soccer, see page 125.

Most of my early socceror fitba, the local slang for footballwas played away from adult interference. In Glasgow, fitba was king and everyone played. That was why I thought I went to schoolso that I could play soccer on the playground before school, at morning break, at lunchtime, and at afternoon break. We played these games with a tennis ball. To think back, it must have been a fascinating sight to see four or five different minigames crisscrossing the tarmac playground all at the same time. Games were usually governed by class, and each had its own goal made up of a chalk mark on the wall.

Upon coming home after school I played more football. This time it would be out on the spare bit of grass in the neighborhood. We would put our jackets down as goals, and the games would begin. The games would vary depending on how many mates turned upwed play anything from one-on-one dribbling and heading games right up to small-sided games. These were great times and were very much the romantic period of my development. My friends and I pretended we were the heroes of our day and imitated what these players did on the field, just as young players today try to imitate Eddie Lewis, Brian McBride, Mia Hamm, or Cobi Jones. Even now as a coach, I still love to give a good picture so that kids can really immerse themselves in the game. When I was a younger coach, I was able to supply these pictures myself, but now as an older coach, I love to have young vibrant assistants who can provide meaningful actions the kids can imitate.