First of all, thanks for all the support and time and effort to take your kids and their teammates to practices and games. We appreciate your support of the club! Thanks for cheering your child on during the games.
However,
it is important to understand the best way to help your child and
his/her coach have a successful, educational experience in soccer.
The game of soccer is a great natural teacher.
Things you Should Do:
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Cheer for your child when he or she does something well. “Nice pass” , “great shot”, “Good hustle”
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Encourage them when it doesn’t quite go their way. “Good effort, don’t worry, keep playing hard” “You’ll get it the next time”
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Cheer positively for the rest of the players on your team. “Nice pass, Jon.” “Great save, Emily” “Nice shot, Will”.
What you Should Not Do:
-
Yell
“instructions” to your child. Remember, being the parent, they are more
likely to hear your voice and follow your advice and that may conflict
with specific instructions from the coach. Let the coaches do the
coaching. If you ever want to get into coaching, please contact us. We
are always open to talking with parents that are interested in volunteer
coaching.
-
Examples of “instructions” to avoid
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“Boot
it” – we don’t want the kids to always just kick it hard down field
with no purpose or thought of where it is going. Let’s encourage passing
with a purpose.
-
“Get
over there and get the ball”. At the younger ages, coaches discuss the
importance of spreading out and not getting “bunched up”. We need to
allow them to learn to play their positions and back up their teammates
accordingly. If our players spread out and use proper spacing and
angles, they can have success possessing the ball, finding gaps in the
defense of the other team and ultimately lead to success on the field.
-
Telling
your player to “pass it next time” after he/she misses a close range
shot. While we want our players to share the ball and play as a team, we
also want to develop players that will have the confidence to try and
beat a player 1 vs 1 and get a shot on goal.
-
Don’t
discourage them when they try a new move, turn or type of pass.
Encouraging players to try new skills during a game, gives them the
opportunity to implement and practice the skills in a game situation.
-
“Push
them back”. We want our kids to play aggressive. Inevitably, there will
be contact in soccer. However, we don’t want the kids to misunderstand
playing aggressive and physical with fouls like pushing, tripping or
shirt pulling, which are all against the rules.
-
Most kids bounce back from a loss or a “bad game” much faster than the parents and coaches do. It is not recommended to immediately go over the game in the car on the way home. If
your player wants to talk about, he or she will initiate it. A recent
study of high level athletes said that dealing with parents’ criticism
immediately following the game was one of the worst parts of youth
sports. Coaches can address areas of improvement and learning moments
from the game at the next practice.
- Criticize the referees. If
our players hear parents and spectators constantly criticizing the
referees, then they will be more likely to show disrespect on the field.
This can lead to heated exchanges, yellow cards and even red cards
(suspension from that game and the next game). Please review the
Alliance 4 All program and videos http://www.iowasoccer.org/alliance_4_all/.
Referees make mistakes, it is part of the game and learning to deal
with decisions that we do not agree with is a great life lesson. If
there is a serious incident or concern about a game or a referee, please
email the Director of Referees and a member of the Norwalk Soccer Club Board of Directors.
- Norwalk Soccer Club, Apex
Soccer Academy, Indianola Soccer Tribe and
Carlisle Soccer Club are always looking for individuals that wish to
become a licensed youth soccer referee. Not only are you giving back to
the game, you can earn some extra money and get some exercise.
Thanks for supporting your player, team and coach in a positive manner.