coaching

Regardless of whether you know the game, if you want to learn more about how to teach the game, this is the book for you. I grew up playing, but starting coaching was a struggle to get the kids to understand -- until I bought this book 2 years ago. I still recommend it, and I still use it. This shows you what skills to start with and how to progress as the kids catch on. With the philosophies and games in this book you can keep the attention of your team for many many practices.

Nelson McAvoy is a former rocket scientist who coaches youth soccer. He has thought and learned a lot about HOW kids learn to play soccer, and in this book he tells you about it clearly, entertainingly, and compellingly.

I don't have his experience in coaching kids in the 9-11 year-old range, but I still found the book invaluable, because now I know what I can and can't expect to accomplish with younger kids. I also understand how important it is to be a teacher, and how it can hurt the kids' development if you just "let them play" without introducing the right skills when they are ready to acquire them. Any coach who reads this book and doesn't become that kind of teacher for kids in that critical 9-11 year age group must not have been paying attention!

This one is a keeper.

Nelson McAvoy briefly coached my sister, and was one of the best even back in the '70s. Every word in this book resonates with the experiences of what works and what doesn't. You'll learn just how much learning to mix in with the right amount of fun, and the book is chock full of drills that will train the players to act like a soccer player without thinking about it. I just know when I get out there on the field armed with this book that the kids are going to enjoy it enough to sign up next year, and are going to learn the game without realizing it because they're having a blast.