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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So, I have seen this mentioned on here to choose a good coach and don’t worry about the club. I am curious what most people think about that statement. How do you tell if there is a “good” coach in a “bad” club? Does the club have any kind of development plan matter? Can they show the parents what it is? If not, should the coach at least have a development plan or should they just use their “gut” to lead the way? Does licensing matter with coaching? I’ve seen comments stating they do and others that it doesn’t matter at all. Should you go by experience? How many years have they been coaching and at what levels?

I think this is why parents go with club recognition as way to choose the club. It is hard to know what to look for, and by the time you figure it out, it may be too late. So, at least with a big club or a club with a reputation, you have an idea that they are at least using some kind of designed development plan to keep the reputation. If you are just picking a coach, however you found them, you have no way of knowing if they have a plan or if they are making it up as they go.  [/quote]

Coach here-
I'm glad this question was asked as it's a very important one.

Aside from the players own desire to improve I believe the coach is the most important cog in the player development wheel. There are great coaches at small clubs and bad coaches at big clubs (and vice versa). Identifying them can be tough as a parent and is obviously subjective.

A coach should be able to explain or show his philosophy when it comes to player development, especially for the age group(s) he/she is coaching.

Licensing can assist with learning concepts and different methods of coaching, but I personally don't put a ton of weight into it. I do value experience however, I've learned a lot over the years.

An advantage a big club can have is it's coaching pool. Larger clubs due tend to attract more players and larger player pools often lead to success on the field due to the sheer number of talent available, this of course draws in coaches from clubs that struggle to produce more than a team in each age group (and sometimes not even that!). Obviously this sometimes comes with the downside of more politics and perhaps a stricter curriculum which might limit individual coaches ability to tailor to their teams/players.

To summarize while i do think the club plays a role in the overall experience, with so many options in the area find the best coach you can for your child and also where they enjoy playing.

[/quote]

I would add to this that a coach's ability to teach is just as important as his understanding of soccer - perhaps even more important since many coaches have a good understanding of soccer and what they want to teach, but finding a good teacher is actually quite rare.  And this is something that, as a parent, you can judge quite easily.

Does the coach communicate clearly with the kids in a way they understand?

Does the coach ensure each kid understands what they personally need to be working on?  Ask your kid if they know what they are currently supposed to be improving - if they can't answer then the coach isn't doing his job.

Do you see the coach stopping practice (not all the time, but at least a few times a practice) to illustrate a point?

Does the coach teach by asking questions?

Does the coach check for understanding?

Does the coach demand that kids complete an exercise correctly before moving on to the next portion of the practice?

On game day does the coach provide advice before something goes wrong, or just yell at the kids afterwards?

Two examples from my own experience:

1.  One year my son said to me "Sometimes coach tells me I should have passed, and other times he tells me I should have taken the man on - but I don't understand why".  This was, IMO, a terrible coach (despite being a very good soccer player with great knowledge of the game).  However he would yell at the kids during games - after the fact - and somehow the kids had always made a mistake.  If a kid lost a ball - it was always because the kid had made a bad decision - I never once heard him suggest that the kid had made the correct decision but simply failed to execute or been unlucky.  The result of course was that the kids just became confused.  My son learned almost nothing for that entire year.

2.  Another year, with a better coach, I see the coach standing on the sideline calmly during the game, calling out to the players asking them "where should you be?  what should you be doing now?".  Not only providing advice before things go wrong, but asking and trusting his players to provide the solution themselves based on what he had taught them.

This sort of thing a parent can judge.  I would also encourage you to periodically ask your child what he has learned.  You should get a sensible answer.[/quote]

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