High School Girls Soccer Coaching Tips

Coaching high school girls soccer goes beyond teaching the game on the field. It also involves dealing with all of the other issues that come up when dealing with teenagers and their families. Managing the paperwork and the people while trying to keep players eligible and teach them the right way to play the game are all critical parts of the job.

  1. Use Discipline Consistently

    • The chemistry of the team and the relationship between the coach and the players is a big thing in high school girls soccer. With high school players there is always the need to enforce team rules and use discipline. The key is to use it consistently. Playing time is a coach's greatest disciplinary tool, but she must take it away from skilled players in the same way she does with less-skilled players. The expectations for attendance, grades and behavior need to be the same for everyone on the team.

    Demand Hard Work

    • Quite often a team can accomplish more with less talented players who exert maximum effort in training and in games than with more talented players who only go hard when they feel like it. A girls high school soccer coach has the responsibility to demand hustle and hard work out of every single player on the team, regardless of ability level. If the coach has high expectations in this area and rewards players accordingly with playing time, the team will improve because its effort will improve.

    Be Proactive About Eligibility

    • The biggest problem for many high school teams is the issue of keeping players eligible to play. Bad grades take players off the field for extended periods and disrupt the flow of the team. In addition to everything else he is doing, the coach must make sure to monitor his players' grades consistently so he can address problems before they lead to loss of eligibility.

    Make Organization a Priority

    • Organization is a key piece of the coaching puzzle, in both practice and game situations. Players and coaches have busy lives, so short, well-organized training sessions improve the ability of players to stay focused and take care of the homework as well. The coach needs to have a well-planned schedule, as well, when it comes to communicating with players and their parents about schedules and possible scheduling changes. More information is a good thing for a coach in working with her team.