Skills for young kids

I am a parent/coach for a rec team in Arlington, needless to say, I sometimes do not have any idea what I am doing. So I was wondering if there are any club coaches that do skill training for young kids, that I could send some of the players to, that are seeking more/better training than what they receive through me. Maybe in the process I could learn a few things myself. Please PM me, thanks for your help.

What age group are you referring to? Maturity of the kids will make a big difference on just how 'simple' you will need to break each skill down.

Best thing to do. Take coaching clinics with North Texas. You can find them on their website. Your local soccer association usually pays for these up to a "D" license.

Then you can help your kids and yourself with the knowledge of the game. It make the game much more fun to watch.

Some of the best times with my 2 kids were coaching them either with their friends or on their own. Dont be afraid to pursue just becasue you never played.

One of the biggest problems in youth soccer today is that most of the kids' first coaches know nothing about soccer.

t5house and arsenalfan,

Thanks for the advise, I guess my fear is that I am not teaching them properly, hope those coaching clinics should help me. Are there any reading materials I should pick up or that you recommend, or any websites that have good material. Thanks.

Look up the Solar Red Club in Arlington.

Fantastic exposure for young kids with promise.

IMO you will learn alot more from watch select coaches than you will at NTX coaching clinics for the beginner.The clubs will cherry pick your best players no matter what they say.
The main thing is teaching them to love the game. Not winning or scoring, but playing and enjoying the game. I was in your shoes years ago at U7. Those kids now are U14 and out of ten players four are select players. One is playing up a year and starting select and one is on the 95 ODP team. That from a coach who now looks back and shakes his head at how much I did not know. Keep it fun, DO NOT let parents coach from sidelines or be negative and you will do fine. Remember it is not about soccer, it is about the values and lessons they take away from the game and use in life.

Try this web site (http://www.soccerxpert.com) it has great drills for all ages and skill levels, you'll look like a pro in no time good luck and stay positive.

refhec53 wrote:I am a parent/coach for a rec team in Arlington, needless to say, I sometimes do not have any idea what I am doing. So I was wondering if there are any club coaches that do skill training for young kids, that I could send some of the players to, that are seeking more/better training than what they receive through me. Maybe in the process I could learn a few things myself. Please PM me, thanks for your help.

This is a site I've always kept bookmarked to bring me back to basics when I need to. It has some good stuff if you navigate around the website: http://www.strongsoccer.com/Kingdrills/clipspractice.htm

The other thing is to call some of these clubs and see when they are doing skill sessions. I used to take my older son to two different skill sessions each week when he was U6 & U7 age. In addition to him getting some good training here and there, I picked up some good stuff to use with my rec teams, and saw what I thought was some bad stuff too. But you'll definitely learn something about coaching kids by doing that.

Thanks to everyone for all the info, websites, contact info, etc., really appreciate it. This coming season is already looking better than last, thanks.