Consider the following scenario ... What Would You Do?
"I'd say: You usually do the right thing with the ball. I've seen you clear it accurately time after time in practice. I notice you're having trouble with that today, and maybe it's tougher today because the other team's striker is so fast. But I also know you've got a great scissor step. If you use that and remember to look for support and then clear, I'm sure you can be an effective start to our offense. I have a lot of confidence in your ability to execute that move."
- Teg, Youth Soccer Coach (U19), Madison, CT
"I'd start by asking the player what was happening out there. At the age level I coach (U-16), the players know when they are making mistakes, and they often know what they need to do to fix things. It's a lot easier for my players to critique themselves, rather than hearing from me all of the time."
- Molly, Youth Soccer Coach (U16), Chicago, IL
"I think I would try hard to find some things that she was doing well (communicating with her teammates, marking the opposing forward tightly, etc.), and I would pull her aside at half time and mention the good things, while giving her a few tips on how to get rid of the ball faster, so she would not continue to get caught in possession."
- Alan, Youth Soccer Coach (U10), New York City, NY
"This would really depend on which of my players was making this mistake. Some of them can handle it when I offer suggestions from the sidelines, but some of them get distracted when I offer this coaching during the game."
- Amy, Youth Soccer Coach (U12), Washington, DC
"I've had this happen to me, and I found it frustrating because we worked on this so much in practice. My backs know they need to only take a few touches before they distribute the ball, so this would be frustrating. I might consider subbing her out of the game, but I would be worried this might just hurt her confidence even further."
- Eric, Youth Soccer Coach (U14), Wakefield, RI