Every children's coach asks themselves how they can support players in training and lead them in tournaments at the weekend in order to promote their technical and tactical development. In children's football, restraint is the method of choice when coaching. We explain how you can help your players at tournaments and in training in a child-friendly way.
In the small-sided tournaments (play more football), the children play independently and solve most problems among themselves within the framework of fair play. They experience many different game situations and make their own game decisions. Coaching during the games is not necessary or useful due to the many dynamic football actions. Coaches and team counsellors limit themselves to the role of a field supervisor. They praise and motivate, ensure that the players rotate evenly, time the game, comfort players in the event of injuries, make sure they take breaks to drink and change the field correctly.
Individual tips and motivating words can be interspersed during the short breaks in play. The coaching principle for the tournaments is: restraint and observation. The coaches allow the children to make their own game decisions and gain a lot of playing experience - mistakes are expressly permitted.
More support for the children is possible during training - if necessary. As a lot of small-sided games are also played during training, the children largely act independently. However, the coach can give individual children tips and point out alternative solutions, e.g. the correct passing technique or the pass to the free team-mate in front of the goal. He does not interrupt the game, but calls individual players to him to demonstrate the technique or point out the possible solution. The game continues so that the other children are not disturbed. In addition, the coach can give feedback to the whole team before and after the training games, give general tips and get feedback from the children themselves.
The coaching principle for the training is: hold back and give targeted tips. The children are allowed to try things out freely in the games and master the coach's tasks with their own ideas. If they cannot find suitable solutions, the coach helps them with specific questions and experience.
In general, the principle of restrained and targeted coaching applies in children's football. Children should be allowed to play freely and try things out for themselves in order to make independent decisions and confidently find solutions to game situations. The coach supports the children and helps with specific tips and feedback. They accompany and observe the children's sporting development without being overly controlling and give the players plenty of freedom, choices and options for self-involvement.