How to Coach Indoor Soccer

Although indoor soccer is played with a soccer ball using only the feet, it is a completely different game from outdoor soccer. The court is much shorter, the goal is much smaller and instead of boundary lines there are walls surrounding the field. Indoor soccer tends to have much more action and movement with focus on quick touches and redirections. A general set of coaching skills will be helpful, but you need to focus on key aspects of the game in order to succeed in coaching indoor soccer.

Instructions

    • 1

      Have each player on the team take turns playing goal while you try to score and observe the player. Because the goal is so small, you don’t need a goalie with great lateral movement that is essential in outdoor soccer. Find the person with the quickest reflexes and make them the goalie. Don’t force anyone to play goal who doesn’t want to, but remember that in indoor soccer, the goalie will join the offense in many situations.

    • 2

      Pick the player with the best one-touch shot to be your striker. Whether you decide to play with one or two strikers, one person will always be responsible for playing close to the opposing goalie and trying to knock in rebounds and crosses. Find the player with the best first touch on the ball and make that player your forward striker.

    • 3

      Have the players practice making passes after just one or two touches on the ball. There is very little room in indoor soccer so defenders can close in on the ball in a few seconds. While it is important for players to be able to dribble with the ball, in indoor soccer they will be passing it out of danger more often than not. Practice one-touch passing, where the player passes the ball as soon as she receives it. Practice two or three touch passes as well, where the player receives the ball and takes a few steps before passing the ball forward.

    • 4

      Practice the transition game by having a player lose the ball and then try to run down the player that took it. Transitions are the key to indoor soccer and if you can teach players to pursue the ball quickly once they lose it, you’ll have an advantage. This practice is not just for the player that loses the ball. The other players on the field need to switch their positions from offense to defense as soon as the ball is stolen.

    • 5

      Set up scrimmages without the goalie in the goal. Don’t exclude the player; goalies need practice on offense and defense as well. Playing without a goalie will force players to play defense more aggressively and teach them not to stop playing defense and rely on goalies to stop shots.

    • 6

      Have the players practice kicking and receiving balls off of the walls. Since indoor soccer uses walls instead of boundary lines, players need to become familiar with the walls. With enough practice, players can even use the walls to their advantage as they can predict where the ball will bounce to and get the jump on their opponents.

    • 7

      Observe the players, especially during games, to find out the areas where they are lacking. Help the players improve their deficiencies during practice, but don’t spend too much time working on drills. Practice time is best spent playing. Don’t only criticize players either, as some players will shut down if they feel they are getting too much criticism. Almost all players do some things correctly, even if it is just effort, so take a moment to throw out some compliments when you can.