FRISCO, Texas (May 1, 2013) — The US Youth Soccer Coaching Department has introduced its latest coaching resources with three age-specific practice activity guides. The three guides — for the U6-U8, U-10 and U-12 age groups — give coaches an idea of what should be covered throughout a season while highlighting activities that focus on development in a low-stress, fun-filled environment.
Each resource covers multiple types of practice activities, from warm-ups and individual training to small-sided and group games. The exercises are tailored to meet the cognitive and physical characteristics of each age group.
The guides each contain individual activity descriptions with accompanying coaching points, so coaches are aware of what to watch for during each exercise. With 20 sessions broken down in each guide, there are more than enough activities to meet the needs of any youth soccer season.
US Youth Soccer U6-U8 Practice Activities
- Provides a list of varying characteristics of Under-6 and Under-8 players in regards to sports.
- How to play Small-Sided Games with "large" rosters.
- Activities focus on individual soccer skills that build on one another.
US Youth Soccer Under-10 Practice Activities
- Provides a list of characteristics of Under-10 players.
- Advice on how to connect with the youth athlete.
US Youth Soccer Under-12 Practice Activities
- Information on inserting tactics into training.
- Activities geared toward development and decision-making.
The practice activity guides can be very beneficial to those new to coaching youth soccer and act as a useful resource for experienced youth coaches. You can download all three practice activity guides below, as well as other useful resources from the US Youth Soccer Coaching Department.
US Youth Soccer U6-U8 Practice Activities [.pdf]
US Youth Soccer U-10 Practice Activities [.pdf]
US Youth Soccer U-12 Practice Activities [.pdf]
Coaches Document Center [link]
Includes the Player Development Model, Vision Document, Skills School and Coaching Manual
Training Session Template [link]
Coaches Section: http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/coaches/