The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer

by Bobby Clark, Nomad Communications

Written by soccer great and championship Stanford coach Bobby Clark, COACHING YOUTH THE BAFFLED PARENT'S GUIDE tells you how, starting at point zero, an uninitiated coach can meld kids into a team and help them enjoy one of the most rewarding experiences of their youth. (In the end, you may be the one who reaps the biggest reward, as you watch kids learn and grow in an experience they'll treasure for a lifetime.)

Genres: Soccer

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 1999

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. As a youth recreational soccer coach, I found this book helpful when planning practices as well as brushing up on basic soccer terminology. It is a bit dated (published in 2000), but don't let that fool you. There are lots of great points and advice for coaches in this book. Currently, I coach Girls U8 and found the "Target Man" and "Two-Zone Soccer" activities helpful for practice. These activities along with dozens of others are found in the last chapter of the book (Ch. 9).

[Natalie Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

These guys have done their homework! Great advice for anyone coaching soccer for youth ages 3-10. Best idea in this book is to have small group scrimmages with multiple games going on at the same time. I couldn't find another coach willing to play abiding by this book- and one coach was even the definitive 'bad coach' with parents behind him 100% to WIN WIN WIN, which left me with one of the worst memories of any team we played against. This book had guidelines for picking a name, tons of creative practice, and the most important rule for young players: NO WHISTLES! We even had a great end of the year ceremony from ideas in this book!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book to help Patrick get ready for soccer season. It explains the rules and the ways to manage a soccer practice. It is geared toward team coaches, but it is also good for parents just trying to help their kids.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely recommend this book. I've coached 3 seasons in the candy league (under 6), but bought it before I started the passer league (under 8). Easy to read, lots of good drills and advice. I wish I would have read it my first season coaching.

[Shane Paxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good for talking about drills for skills on youth soccer players, but it was bad for drills on soccer strategy items. The advice in the book for dealing with parents and players was a little hokey.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice book for beginning coaches like me.

[Deryck Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book for learning some basics of coaching soccer. Saved my life this spring, and I finished it off on a plane in July.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good book, especially for a first-time soccer coach like me. Many useful and detailed practice drills and fun games for teaching skills.

[Tara Mcfarlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas for soccer drills & how to communicate with kids & parents

[Nikki S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative! The games and drills all looked very fun for the kids. I would have loved to see a few more pictures when the book described more technical aspects and terms.

[Lee Orthmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Very good book on coaching soccer. I will use much of what I learned in this book with my U7 team.