Take NOTHING seriously. Late families, crying, staring off into space...all of that is normal for 6 year olds and doesn't need more stress added. Just accept it all with a smile and understanding. The goal is fun even if you lose every game keep it positive and fun. Encourage them to encourage each other too.

1. As said in another post - figure out who are the more aggressive kids off the bat. They almost assuredly will be (a) the oldest, (b) the younger sibling of another player (or two), and/or both. Have a word with your opposing coach on game day or before if possible, and see if you can’t get an agreement to play the best players on a particular field and the weaker players on the other field. It is more fun for everyone.

2. It is a dribbling game at that age, and speed/effort. A slow kid who makes the effort will be fine. Work on getting hard effort out of the kids. I had some success - particularly with girls - in getting the kids right at the beginning of practice to roll in the grass. Sort of like up/downs. The point was we were going to get dirty so let’s get it over with and be ready to practice.

3. Lots of races. Speed, speed speed. Dribble at top speed (for them). Relay races with lots of teams works so basically every is moving and dribbling non-stop for 4-5 minutes. Dribble then shoot. Shot got off but didn’t go in? Chase it down and get ready. Because your turn is coming quick.

Running hard without the ball is also a good starter drill. Relay race with 3 on a team. The idea is to get them moving and thinking speed.

Shooting is also done at speed. Six year old games are herd ball with break always. Mostly they will dribble it into the net. There are no keepers. But, shooting is good to work on.

Finally, juggling. Challenge them and yourself since you are a beginner too. You want to juggle it 5 times. It seems nutty, but every good soccer player is a good juggler. It teaches touch and control and those are the two components of ball handling in soccer. It is the soccer equivalent of learning how to catch and throw a ball in baseball.

Hah this was my husband a year ago and now he’s on his 3rd season coaching. At that age it’s just mostly fun for the kids, keeping them active, moving around, and understanding the very basic rules of the game and very basic drills during practice. Definitely check out YouTube for easy activities to do during practice!

The thing he found challenging was game days. They’re expected to run 2 games at a time - either 3 on 3 or 4 on 4, depending on how many kids are there. Some kids are more aggressive and some kids aren’t. It takes a few weeks to figure out who generally plays well together on the same team at the same time. He’d usually put the most aggressive kids together so that the other kids would have a chance to get the ball in the other game too. At that age no one keeps score during the games, it’s all just for fun.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 6 and is playing soccer this year. I agreed to coach his team because no one else would. I have never played soccer and don’t even know what equipment is used. My kid has never played a sport before. This is all new to all of us.

Any tips?

Having done this, I would suggest:

1. Always be organized. Have a written plan for each practice. Budget around 5-10 minutes for each activity. You'll figure out what your particular group will tolerate, but I doubt it will be more than ten minutes on a single activity.

2. Most of your activities should be games. Each game should be designed to emphasize a particular skill - and in general some element of competition helps keep the kids interested. Some good games for this age are
- sharks and minnows
- dribbling across a square - the kids dribble backwards and forwards across a square with some kids going N->S and the rest E->W. The first to ten trips wins.
- Xs and Os - two teams (3 to a team) dribble through cones up to an Xs and Os grid you have laid out and drop a colored pinny in the grid. They dribble back through cones, pass to a teammate who repeats. First team to get three pinnies in a row wins. Teammates can shout advice to dribbler.
There are lots of other good games - and plenty of web-sites with examples. Switch them up.

3. Finish with some scrimmaging - this can be the last 20 minutes of practice if you want. i.e. it can last longer than the 5-10 minutes for your other activities.

4. During games
- Keep feedback positive and make sure you find positive things to say to all of them. Praise all of them - especially the weaker ones where you need to keep an eye out to notice little things you can praise them for.
- Not sure if 6 is old enough to have positions (too long ago in my past ). It may not be, but if it is make sure all the kids play in all positions. It doesn't matter whether some kids are better than the others - and make sure you give extra praise to the weaker kid playing defense who will likely get scored on quite a bit and needs a lot of praise to help them gain confidence while this is happening. With enough praise and encouragement that kid will improve tremendously.

5. Have a parent talk with all the parents right at the start of the season. Explain your goals and approach and get them onboard. Make sure they understand that you will be aiming to get each kid playing better soccer, not to win games. Although - if you do it right you will likely end up winning most of the games anyway.

I recommend having a soccer ball as part of the equipment you might need.

Monkey In the middle is the most basic six-year-old passing game to play

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 6 and is playing soccer this year. I agreed to coach his team because no one else would. I have never played soccer and don’t even know what equipment is used. My kid has never played a sport before. This is all new to all of us.

Any tips?

Take no advice from this board.. They are ruthless and will have you re-thinking your choice.

LOL!

Use YouTube. Find a blog that might give you some ideas.

Watch a few professional soccer games and learn the rules.

Anonymous wrote:Get on YouTube to find fun drills. Number 1 priority is just to keep it fun

This, exactly.

I am sure the club is helping you in some way. At that age, most important thing to remember is to keep it fun.

Get on YouTube to find fun drills. Number 1 priority is just to keep it fun

First of all remember that is there is just no pressure. It is not serious soccer by any means. People should be happy that you volunteered your time.

I agree. This is where people go to be insulted and judged harshly. If you can ignore certain people then you might actually get some useful information.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is 6 and is playing soccer this year. I agreed to coach his team because no one else would. I have never played soccer and don’t even know what equipment is used. My kid has never played a sport before. This is all new to all of us.

Any tips?

Take no advice from this board.. They are ruthless and will have you re-thinking your choice.

My kid is 6 and is playing soccer this year. I agreed to coach his team because no one else would. I have never played soccer and don’t even know what equipment is used. My kid has never played a sport before. This is all new to all of us.

Any tips?