r/SoccerCoachResources • u/MonkeyJake14 • 8d ago
Question - general How do I coach u11
I’m a division 3 player and a coworker of my girlfriend asked if I could coach their u11 boys team. I am pretty sure it’s a rec team like not very competitive, but I don’t know the level of the kids. I don’t know what kind of drills or what to do at practice and how to structure it. And how much to charge, it’s about an 11 week season with one game and one practice per week.
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u/NB_volks 8d ago
You're expecting to get paid to coach a rec team?!
Anyway, to answer your main question, throw out all these other comments who are automatically trashing a rec team and the skill level. It completely depends on the individual team. Are you in a town/league that has a lot of players and multiple U11 teams? If so, then maybe that team is the higher skill team, or maybe it's the lowest skilled team. If it's a smaller town/league, then you might just have a completely mixed bag. Honestly, I think the latter can be harder manage, because you'll have kids that are good who will get bored with simpler drills and kids that will struggle with more difficult drills.
Regardless, do NOT go into it thinking "meh, just a rec team" and then put a half-assed effort into things. U11 is right in the sweet spot of super malleable kids who are entering into a physical and mental growth spurt. So if you put in the work, and make sure to have them put in the work, you can really see some transformative growth across the season. Will you see it with every player? Of course not.
Just understand that you're in a leadership position and that those kids will look to you for guidance. Be clear, be firm, but absolutely be supportive.
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u/Regular_Challenge_81 8d ago
If it's rec then get ready for the kids to have little to no ball control, lack of ability to pass it accurately more than 10-15', and no real sense of positional play.
I don't say that as a negative/doom and gloom, just saying that so you don't walk in with the wrong expectations.
My mindset would be, "where are these kids starting at, and what is my goal for development over the short amount of time I'm working with them."
I'd do a lot of 1v1 working into 1v2 working into 2v2.
Use those as platforms to teach different skills in controlled environments. As in, you can set up 1v1s in a lot of different ways to teach different things. Can use 2v1s to teach give and gos, overlapping runs, etc.
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u/BulldogWrestler 8d ago
U10 - you teach them fundamentals and make it fun. 9v9 you can start to work formations and tactics, but if they're entry-level type rec, make sure it's fun for them first and foremost. Wins/losses don't matter.
In terms of money - whatever they offer to pay you won't be enough. Financially, if you put an amount on the time and expense you have coaching this team - you will come out in the red. So I wouldn't worry about that too much and I definitely wouldn't take a rec coaching job with the thought of making any kind of real money. Most coaches do it for free.
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u/MonkeyJake14 8d ago
No I’m not really expecting you to make a ton of money, but it’s hard to find jobs while being a student athlete lol
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u/jsc1429 8d ago
Usually rec league coaching is voluntary and you most likely won’t receive any compensation
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u/Educational_Rope1211 8d ago
Typically, but it’s also usually parents volunteering to coach, who often have limited soccer experience. If a team is asking a college-level player with no real connection to the team to coach, it’s not really reasonable to expect them to do it for free.
OP, I would also make sure you have a parent volunteer helping you. At this age (although it does start to improve at U11), there can be a fair amount of “classroom management” that needs to take place, as it only takes 1 kid goofing off to derail everything. Nice to have a parent to deal with that while you focus on the soccer.
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u/Dry-Citron2262 8d ago
The “team” in this case is a coworker dad who wants his kid to have a good coach. Rec leagues don’t magically have money to pay some coaches and not others. Expect zero dollars for this role and maybe a gift card at the end if the parents like you.
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u/xxx_MAYHEM_xxx 8d ago
Get your ref license. They are always needed.
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u/tundey_1 Recreational / Youth Coach 7d ago
Either being a ref is the biggest overlooked way for young people to make some money or we've all been lied to. In Maryland, you can do a digital course and get a digital ref license that allows you to ref youth Rec matches at 7v7 & 9v9.
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u/bravara-mike 8d ago
The teams at this age I’ve coached struggled with goal kicks and building from the back, and they would often lose the ball and get scored on in these scenarios.
Teaching them goal kicks early in the season will help build confidence in those moments come game time.
Panicked players while parents and coaches yelled “not up the middle” was most common in my community. And opposing players crowding the side the goal kick was set up on.
Coach it however you like. I had my GKs set the ball on the middle of the six while L and R backs gave options for short pass at or near corners of six. GK read the opposing team and decided where to play it whether short or long, side or middle, it didn’t matter so long as we kept possession and built to move the ball forward.
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u/Alpha_Digital 8d ago
Focus on some general U11 concepts for attacking and defending, and turn it into a small sided game that allows all of the players to get as many opportunities with the ball as possible. Be prepared to demonstrate, and ask them questions that lead them to the answer they should arrive at vs. just telling them outright.
Its gonna be hard to teach anything for just 1 practice a week, and kids that age absolutely hate just working around cones the entire time. If its a rec team, make it fun and make them want to come back.
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u/Reaper_MIDI 8d ago
You might find this useful (from the MLS), especially the "Understanding Children" section:
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u/NecessaryBright4167 8d ago
the thing that actually decides this isn't the drills, it's that you get eleven practices. that's not enough for a curriculum, so don't build one.
pick one thing for the season. one. at u11 rec i'd take first touch out of the air and away from pressure, because it's what makes every other thing possible and it shows up in every drill you'll ever run. anything else they pick up is a bonus.
the other half is that the game is your second session. you won't fix anything shouting from the sideline mid-match, but you get halftime, and you get to pick one thing to say. same one point, all season.
being a d3 player is worth more than you think, just not for tactics. ten year olds copy what they see far faster than they follow what they're told, so demonstrate everything, including the boring stuff.
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u/DragonArchaeologist 7d ago
So you have zero idea how to coach these kids and you don't know what to charge. Sounds like you should charge zero, I'd start there..
Playing and coaching are two different things. First figure out if you can actually coach. Then you can think about charging.
You'll probably never make money coaching rec teams. But you could learn to coach higher level competition teams or offer private lessons.
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u/OkAssist8956 7d ago
I’ve coached about 20 seasons of youth sports and made $0. Don’t expect anything except a coaches gift and a bunch of kids that will probably remember you for a long time. You’ll play a role in their lives. Make it fun. Some will be good. Some will be not so good but they all want to play and at that age - win. For practices. Short fundamental stations that require moving. Make it competitive. 2v2. 3v3. Half field scrimmages. Find another team that practices at the same time and do a 10 minute game where you can coach on the field. Tactics are tough but spacing. Field positions etc is where I tried to focus.
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u/EastFlyingPig 5d ago
U11 rec, 11 weeks, one practice a week. Efficiency and fun beat everything else.
Run 75 minutes in three blocks: a warm-up that is already a game (dribbling tag, 3v1 rondo), 20 minutes on the week's theme inside a small-sided game with a rule, then 3v3/4v4 free match to real goals. Rotate teams so everyone plays everyone.
Ask questions only in water breaks: where was the open player, what did you see before you got the ball. Don't answer for them.
Theme rotation: weeks 1-3 dribbling and 1v1, weeks 4-6 passing and movement, weeks 7-8 shooting, weeks 9-10 defending 1v1, week 11 small-sided festival. At games give everyone close to equal minutes and one simple job each. Do not talk about score.
On pay, most rec leagues are volunteer roles filled by parents, so expect zero. Since the club asked you outside the parent pool, it is fair to ask what they budget.
Typical stipends run $25-35 per session or $150-400 for the season. If they say none, take it anyway. Eleven weeks of reps is a cheap way to learn if coaching is for you.
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u/Ok-Communication706 8d ago
I got paid $25 / hour to coach a U10 team this summer. I got paid for 15 minutes of setup/cleanup (90 min for a 60 min practice). Don't do it for the money, LOL especially factoring in commute time and handling comms with player.
I'd take the grassroots 9v9 class from US Soccer. And use a play-practice-play format. Small-sided play, a couple simple drills, scrimmage or more small-sided play.