[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ASC How to Coach U7:U8
U7/U8 General Characteristics:
Mental/Psychological (Cognitive)
- Short attention span, though longer than U6
- Love to use their imagination, pretend
- Limited ability to attend to more than one task at a time (controlling the ball demands most of the attention capacity, so little or no capacity for tactical decision making)
- Beginning to solve simple soccer problems (e.g., pass to a teammate)
- Some understanding of time and space relations
- Language vastly expands
- Ability to recall prior events is enhanced
Physical (Psychomotor)
- Beginning to develop physical coordination
- Improvement in pace regulation
- Skeletal system is growing; growth plates near joints
- Cardiovascular system is less efficient than an adult’s; heart rate peaks sooner and takes longer to recover
- Temperature regulation is less efficient than an adult’s; children elevate their core temperature more quickly and take longer to cool down than an adult
- Catching skills are still not developed
- Improvement in dribbling and kicking skills
- Love to run, jump, fall, and roll
Social (Psychosocial)
- Self-concept and body image are beginning to develop but fragile
- Sensitive, dislike personal failure in front of peers
- Great need for approval from adults; like to show individual skills
- Negative comments from peers and adults carry great weight
- Limited experience with personal evaluation; effort is synonymous with successful performance
- Inclined more toward cooperative activities (small groups)
- Included to establish and cooperate with friends
- Desire social acceptance; want everyone to like them
- Influential person in their life is a significant parent
- Like to play soccer because it is fun; intrinsically motivated; play for enjoyment
- Limited team identity
Components of the Game for U7/U8 Players (in priority order):
Technical: Dribbling (outside of foot), catching; introductions to change of speed and direction, receiving ground balls and bouncing balls, juggling, passing, shooting, tackling
Psychological: Working in pairs, sportsmanship, dealing with parental involvement, “How to play” (social cooperation), emotional management
Physical: Introduce idea of warm-up, agility, leaping, tumbling, eye/foot and eye/hand coordination
Tactical: Being exposed to all positions, 1v1 attacking, 1v1 defending, 2v1 attacking, names of positions, shape of players on field(triangles, diamonds)
Coaching Tips:
- Coach is a sensitive and patient teacher
- Coach has an enthusiastic and imaginative approach
- Coach has ability to understand and demonstrate technique
- General rule of thumb is two players, one ball (except for dribbling)
- Sessions should be fun and imaginative game-like activities
- Sessions should be thematic (dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting)
- Light coaching on simple technique
- Include small-sided directional games (1v1, 2v1, 2v2, 3v2, 3v3)
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