COACH: Coach must be enthusiastic and passionate. Must have the ability to demonstrate. Must be keen and sensitive as well as enjoy children. The coach must seek soccer education. Must respect the game and all who are involved with it. Focus on development rather than the result. Know more soccer rules.

TECHNIQUE: Continued development on individual technique. Ball juggling. All players must have a ball. Control and receiving as well as passing skills should be heavily emphasized. Continued work on shooting. Activities must include lots of repetitions. Teach Goalkeeping skills. 75% of practice should be on technique. Encourage mastery of the ball. Left and right foot with everything.

TACTICS: Build on small group activities like 2v1, 2v2, 2v3, 3v3-both offensively and defensively. Teach some positional responsibilities but don’t spend a lot of time on it. Continue to rotate players in positions. Learn depth and cover as well as width. Teach throw-ins. Encourage flair and risk taking.

PHYSICAL: Introduce stretching and cool downs. They need full rest periods and plenty of water breaks. Players are becoming stronger and faster. Prone to over heating and heat related injury. Players gaining better control over their bodies.

MENTAL: Recognizes basic concepts of time and space but not always certain why. Their focus is on “me” and the “team.” Still in need of positive reinforcement. Want to belong to a group. Enjoy friends. Adults outside of the family are accepted. They will blame others. They are more sensitive and serious about playing. Feelings get hurt easily.