An effective soccer coach must not only have an in-depth knowledge in everything about soccer. He must also possess special characteristics that will help him become a great coach and produce a winning soccer team. A successful soccer team does not just rely on the physical and technical requirements, but usually more than those. The soccer coach must develop skills to fulfill them.
Here are 10 typical features that every soccer coaches must have.
1. Good Role Model
Every soccer team needs a coach that is a good role model. You have to understand that they need someone worth imitating. Check yourself if you are willing to be your soccer team’s role model. Put in mind that you are going to be their servant-leader and they are relying their success on you. You would be teaching them positive attitudes to win a game. It would be a shame if you teach something you don’t actually apply to yourself.
2. Admirable Appearance
Being a good soccer coach, you must never overlook the importance of appearance. Make sure you look neat and tidy. Cleanliness could add up to your professional look and this will help you gain trust and respect of the team. Remember that you will be the players’ role model, their soccer coach.
3. Be Punctual
Always be early to arrive in the soccer training. This way, you can manage the training set-up before the players arrive. It will also help you to not waste your time and can focus on the training objectives by starting on time during the sessions. If you will be late, there will be big chances that the soccer players will get bored easily, or even be impatient because you are not being professional.
4. Good teacher
An effective soccer coach is a good teacher. Part of your duty is to teach them everything about soccer especially the basics like passing, dribbling, shooting and tackling. You have to make it sure that your soccer team is learning and growing their skills. Always remember to give clear and correct instructions during the training sessions. You can’t coach the soccer players who don’t have any knowledge about the do’s and don’ts in soccer. In teaching soccer skills, demonstrating the drills is better than oral instructions.
5. Friendly
Establish a good player-coach relationship with your soccer team by being friendly to them. You must understand their personalities by knowing their personal lifestyles and interests. This way, you could analyze their varied emotional and mental characteristics and develop strategies that could motivate them more accordingly. But be reminded, you can get personal but stay professional.
6. Good Listener
It is important to constantly seek the soccer team’s involvement, and one way of this is by asking their views after every game. As the soccer coach, you must be a good listener because every person has his own brilliant ideas to share. Always encourage them to speak out and take what they say into consideration. Make notes if necessary, and include some recommendations in your soccer session plan.
7. Good Communicator
It is important that a soccer coach knows the importance of communication. This includes recognizing the players’ performances and achievements. Encourage them to do better and praise them for a game well done. Be conscious with using your words because a coach’s words are powerful and will bring a big impact to the team.
8. Development
Each soccer player’s development is essential. As their coach and role model, you must not only teach them soccer basic skills, but also social skills like discipline, patience, determination, and teamwork. Always put as one of your goals the development of the team players.
9. Team Motivator
Always develop activities in the soccer training session that will help motivate each soccer player to do better every game. Don’t forget to remind them their goals and missions on why they wanted to learn soccer and create a winning team. Words of encouragement and ways for development are very useful.
10. Goal-Centered
Whatever may happen, always look unto your soccer team’s goal – Why you are working so hard, why the soccer players are determined to learn and follow every instructions, why their parents keep on supporting your team. You are all doing your best to reach that common goal. An effective soccer coach knows how to picture out that goal to the players’ minds.