Every soccer team goes into a new season with hopes of victory. While winning the championship or even making it to the finals might be a bit too ambitious, having a successful season on your own terms is definitely doable. If you’re a coach, you need to make sure to speak with your team about concrete strategies such as these which will help make your next season a great one.
Safety
Soccer may not have the same dangers as American football, but it can pose some threats to players’ safety, particularly based on weather conditions. On a hot day, your players could find themselves seriously depleted of energy. There’s also the chance of players being injured through unnecessary roughness. Although injuries from heat exhaustion, rough play, and accidents are possible, your team can still be successful by taking necessary safety precautions. You should have your team trained on proper stretching techniques and the knowledge to stop when feeling any sort of pain. If a player voices any concerns about the safety of the team or of a player, be sure to listen.
Good Sportsmanship
Poor sportsmanship can make even the best athletes look like anything but admirable. It’s totally understandable to feel proud if you win or disappointed if you lose, but that doesn’t give you any license to ruin anyone else’s mood because of it. Should someone not be taught good sportsmanship at an early age, they might never get out of the mindset. Work on techniques that will instill the importance of good sportsmanship in your teams, such as practicing how they’ll act in the event of a victory or a loss. As long as everyone is supporting one another and not being negative towards the other team, it will feel like a victory no matter what.
Cooperation
Any sort of team, be it a sports team, a work team, or even a family unit, needs to work together. The best-case scenario is that your players all like and respect one another at all times. However, conflicts can easily arise, and players can find themselves at odds with each other before a game starts. It can be tough to put personal issues aside, but you should let your team know that holding grudges doesn’t resolve anything. All it does is lead to further tension within the team. Any players who disagree should learn to see that having a conflict in the present doesn’t mean that it will always be that way. It’s also important for them to learn that respecting a person doesn’t mean you’ll always agree with them or even be their friend.
Too often, the success of a season is seen in binary terms, where it’s all about winning or losing. If your team is only focused on winning, they’re going to end up judging themselves instead of learning and maturing. It’s far better to lose a game but act maturely than to win and act immaturely. The best scenario, of course, is to be a mature winner, and these tips will help your players become real winners, on and off the field.
Here’s another article you might enjoy: The 3 Most Common Foot and Leg Injuries in Youth Soccer
