Different Philosophies for Coaching Soccer

While soccer may be a more free-flowing game than some of the more structured sports like American football or basketball, coaching is still a very important part of the development of soccer players and teams. A soccer coach's work is done more during practice rather than matches, and the coach needs a clear-cut philosophy when approaching his job. There are a number of popular coaching philosophies as well as coaches who combine basic philosophies to create their own.

  1. Technical into Tactical

    • The "technical into tactical" is a very popular method amongst youth coaches. Generally, this philosophy is enacted by coaches of children younger than 14.

      The basis of this methodology is that footskills and proper touch on the ball need to be tackled before tactics. The thought is that the first half of every practice should involve as many touches on the ball, moves and turns per player as possible.

      These practices generally involve a lot of dribbling and one vs. one style games. Passing is usually not introduced until the second half of the practice.

    Coerver Coaching Philosophy

    • The Coerver coaching philosophy is one of the most popular philosophies in youth and collegiate soccer in the United States.

      The basis of the Coerver philosophy is lots of touches on the ball for every player. If a player is not comfortable with the ball at his feet, his speed, athleticism and ability to pass and shoot will be rendered useless.

      There are thousands of Coerver games and drills that can be found in books or online. Coerver also runs academies and schools nationwide. They have over 300 hours worth of video on youtube.com, and there are Coerver DVD's, camps and clinics for coaches and players alike.

      In almost every Coerver game or drill, every single player has a ball at their feet.

    Tactical

    • Many coaches also feel that by making the right tactical decisions, their teams have an automatic advantage.

      This type of methodology is found with "x's and o's" coaches.

      Practices involve focus on proper spacing when passing, offensive and defensive shape, transition to attack or transition to defense, overlapping runs, combination play, runs from the midfield, formations, runs to goal and pressuring the ball.

      Many coaches believe that discipline and structure are the key to proper soccer success and that it's up to the players on the field to properly carry out the team's system of play during a match.

      These coaches are more likely to make adjustments during halftime or even during the flow of play.

    Learn by Playing

    • The old saying, "the game is the best teacher" holds true in soccer more than any other sport. The learn by playing coaching philosophy encourages the coach to interject himself as little as possible.

      This type of coaching allows players to make their own decisions within the flow of the game and problem solve on their own, without having solutions fed to them.

      With this philosophy, as with any of them, a coach needs the right type of players to make this effective, but some players develop and see a lot of success under this type of coaching.