Deep River and Area Minor Soccer Club

 

We need volunteers for coaching.

If you are interested the forms are also available on our website .

Training for Coaches

It is the goal of the Ontario Soccer Association that every soccer coach participates in a training program.  Please contact Head Coach, if you are interested in a Level 1 or Level 2 coaching course.  The courses are filling up quickly so call soon!

Volunteer Sreening Manuual (PDF)

Coaching Clinics/Requirements:

The OSA has introduced many changes in minor soccer in Ontario in recent years, including a sustained drive to generally increase the training required for minor soccer coaches.  Anyone wishing to coach at the U10, U12, U14 age levels is now required to have the OSA Level 1 Coaching Qualification.  Anyone wishing to coach a select team at the U12, U14 levels, or any team at the U16, U18 levels, is now required to have the OSA Level 2 Coaching Qualification.  To help local soccer coaches obtain these qualifications the DRAMSC and Petawawa Minor Soccer Club have organized the following clinics:

• Planning underway

Both clinics are of 10 hours duration, with practical and theory elements.  Additional information about these clinics can be obtained at the registration.  The DRAMSC will pay the coach’s fee for the clinics.

General Introduction

This guideline is intended for both new and experienced coaches.  A person who has never coached before is often overwhelmed with the number of issues that arise when taking on the responsibility of a team- “All I want to do is coach!”- The goal of this is to answer a number of question and address issues that are not normally covered in standard coaching books. 

With experience and learning, each person will develop a coaching style that is distinct to that individual.  However, there are a number of common coaching principles and procedures that Deep River and Area Minor Soccer Club (DRAMSC) would like implemented throughout all teams and age groups.  This guideline is only the starting point for a coach, and with experience, observation, discussion with other coaches, and some reading, your coaching knowledge and style will evolve as will your confidence. 

Start of the Season

  At the start of the season, you and your assistant should meet with your players.  At the meeting, describe your background and experience.  Explain how you expect to coach the team, and how you will conduct your practices and games, and your expectation of the players (See following section for guidelines).  Tailor your talk to your team’s age group and keep it short.  Always be honest with the players and if you do not know something, say so but that you will find out.  Work out in advance what you want to be called, ‘Coach’, “Mr./Mrs. Jones”,  or “John/Jane”.  “Coach” works most of the time and it is a fun name (author’s preference).  Get to know your players by name as soon as possible. 

  As well, you should have a parents’ meeting, and similarly as with the players, you should describe your background, explain how you will run practices and game and what you expect from the parents.  It is important that you explain to the parents that it is normal that during your interaction with the children you will have to touch them (an awkward but necessary statement in these days).  Explain that to show a point or correct a movement, you will occasionally have to place the player in the proper position.  Assure them that you will do this with the permission of the player before you proceed.

  At the parents meeting, you also need the parents to volunteers for:

            Team manager

            Emergency Response members

  The team manager handles the distribution of jerseys at the beginning of the season and their collection at the end as well as photos, form filling, and other administrative requests from DRAMSC during the year.

  The responsibilities of the emergency response members are explained in a following section of this guide.

  It is very important that all the players, coaches, team managers be registered with the club.  If a coach, player, or team manager is not registered and a registered player is injured, OSA insurance coverage are nullified, for the coaches, team managers, and the club executive. 

  If you have an injury where a player cannot return to play or seeks medical help, fill out the insurance accident report and then inform the President or Internal Vice–President of the club.  A copy of the insurance form is attached to the end of this guide

Communication

  Good communication between the players and you is very important for the smooth running of a team.  When you are explaining a point, a concept, or a practice drill, bring all the players (including the goal keeper) near and in front of you.  If the players are moving around while you talk, have them sit or kneel and go down on a knee with them.  Have the players concentrate on you and ask the players not to talk while you are explaining your point.  Talking or even whispering between players disrupts your train of thought, makes you frustrated, and distracts the other players.  Do not try to talk over the din; instead stop and ask the player(s) pointedly to stop talking (or moving) while you explain your point.  If you find two friends who just cannot resist chitchat, separate them to opposite sides of the group. 

  Remember, keep your explanations short and to the point.  Depending on the age of your players, you normally only have between 1 to 3 minutes to make your point before you lose their attention.  It is better to have several short explanation sessions during a practice rather than one long one.  When you are finished, ask for questions or comments.  You will often find a very productive discussion will follow but keep on the subject of interest.  It is a very good idea during your explanations to demonstrate the concept or move, either by yourself or, by one of the players (often the players can do it better than you can).  Diagrams on a chalk boards, a white board, or a large piece of paper are very good aides especially for explaining positional play or set plays.

Practices

  Prepare a practice plan for each practice session.  Concentrate on one or two aspects that you want to teach and develop.  Practices rarely go exactly as planned but a plan does give you a structure to work with; better than trying to think up the next drill with 10 to 15 children staring at you, or worse going off to kick the ball.  Try to avoid line drills especially with the younger children.  With older children, line drills can work especially with hard running types since the waiting period gives them time to recover from the efforts of the drill, but remember their attention span is still relatively short

  You should be at the field 10 to 15 minutes before the start of practice.  Players should arrive a few minutes before the allocated time with their equipment on (minimum of cleats, shin pads, soccer socks).  Each player should also bring a ball (with their name marked on it), and a water bottle.

  At the beginning, players should be allowed to kick balls around as they wish (usually kicking at the goal) for a few minutes.  When you are ready, bring the players together, and start the practice with warm-up and stretching exercises.  Before starting the practice drills, explain to the players what is the goal of the practice will be, and what drills will be done.  If it is a new drill, you may have to explain it twice (or maybe a third time).  Demonstrate the drill with one or two players before starting.  If the drill is not working properly, stop the drill, explain again, answer questions, and try again. 

  Use a whistle to start and stop drills, it saves your voice and the players can hear even over a large area.  During scrimmages or drills, have your players stop in their tracks when you blow the whistle.  This allows you to explain points on position play, where the ball can be played, or why a player is or is not in the best position.

  A practice usually starts with individual skill development, followed by a small group development (usually with a type of game) to develop passing or defensive skills and finishing with larger scaled drills.  It is a good idea to finish all practices with a scrimmage (from 5 to 15 minutes.  The scrimmage can be a modified game such as only one or two touch of the ball, that emphasizes the skill or technique that were being worked on during the practice.  For most players, scrimmages are the most enjoyable part of a practice and they always want to play. 

Games 

Before you go to a game be sure you have sufficient players for a game.  It is important that players advise you in advance if they are going to miss a game (or practice).  If you know that the team will be short of players for a game, you can invite players from the next younger age group to fill out your roster.  Often younger skilled players enjoy the challenge and like to play with older player.  An under-age player cannot be a substitute if their team is committed to a scheduled game.

  The start of a game is a very hectic time, so have your lineup positions set, and, if you can, fill out the game sheet before you get to the field.  If you are the visiting team, have your team manager or assistant coach fill it out the game sheet as soon as possible at the field.

    Once at the field, it is good manners to introduce yourself or say hello to other coach and the game referee.  Check how the referee will handle substitution, injuries, and any other issues of play. 

Before a game starts, be sure that:

  ·        That the area and weather conditions are safe for the players and yourself.  No soccer is to be played if lightning is present in the area, wet or dry.  Only a referee can call a game because of weather, but ultimately the coach is responsible for the players’ safety.

  ·        There is a certified referee for the game.

  ·        Both teams have the minimum number of players to play.

Before your players start playing, be sure that:

  ·        All players remove jewelry (except medic-alert bracelets, which should be covered with an arm band).

·        The players are warmed up and stretched before playing, in order to prevent injury,

·        You give a good, short, encouraging pep talk from you, the coach.

  During the game, observe the play both on and off the ball: practice themes come from observing what is and is not working on the field.  If you have many substitutions, have your assistant coach prepare the substitutions or vice versa.  For house league play, the goal is to have all players play approximately the same amount of time during the game.  At the younger age groups, players should rotate through positions, but for older players, they usually only like or comfortable playing one or two positions..

  At half time, allow the players a two or three minute’s break before talking to them.  Always start with the positive aspects of the game, such as the good work or effort, good defense or offense play.  Then mention the points that need improvement or a change of tactic.  It is best not to single out a player at the half-time meeting, unless a player is being let down by the rest of the team.  Encourage all players and emphasize that soccer is team sport and that all goals (for or against) are a based on the team’s performance.

  At the end of the game, win or lose, be sure that team shakes (see slap) hands properly and in a proper sportsmanlike manner.  Before the team disperses, gather them around for short meeting. Emphasize what went well good points and, depending of the situation, what need to be worked on. 

Notes for Mini Coaches (U6 to U10)

  1.        Have fun. If the children associate soccer with an enjoyable time, they will come back year on year. There is plenty of time for them to learn about the off-side trap and other subtleties when they are older. Right now enjoyment is the key.

2.        Many people seem confused about the age groups.  The age classification is based on year of birth similarly as school grades,  Current grade 3 and 4 students form the under 10 (U10) group., grade 1 and 2 age the under 8 (U8) group, and JK and SK under 6 (U6) group.

3.        A typical practice for U6 and U8 is 30 minutes of drills and game followed by 30 minutes of a game with another team.

4.        For U10 players a similar format might be advisable to start the season, but as the kids get familiar with the basic skills, a more structured game should be introduced.  This. will prepare the players for the regular games of the U12 program.  In particular, playing true seven a side, positional soccer, with extra children rotating off the bench at frequent intervals, is enjoyable and good experience for the coaches.

5.        With the younger players, instead of the two teams playing one big game, try organizing two smaller games on half a field each.  It adds variation to the practices and means kids get kicks of the ball more.

6.        There are references regarding coaching young players that are useful source of ideas but ultimately the format of the practice is under your control.  Try exercises you think might be enjoyable.  Watching and talking with other coaches is also a good way to learn new drills you can use with your team.

7.        The program in Deep River may be cancelled if the weather condition are very bad; it is at coach’s discretion.  Ask the players parents to phone their coach to ask if the game is on or not.  However, if it is raining lightly, you play.  Most if not all coaches go to the field for every practice regardless of the weather and will run a practice if enough children came.  No soccer is to be played if lightning is present in the area, wet or dry.

8.        There are no requirements for sports clothing colour or style in the Mini program.  Shin pads are required,.  Older children (U8 and U10) will benefit from cleats since they give additional grip but for the U6 player it does not make that much difference.

9.        Pay attention to how well your kids concentrate.  For younger players, exercises where every child has a ball work well.  Exercises where one child has the ball and the others are lining up, only work for older kids.

10.    If you encounter any difficult parents, pass them along to the convenor especially for issues that Club directed. It is convenor’s job to get all the hassle from the soccer program, it is yours to have as much fun with the kids as you can. 

11.    The club is always open to suggestions to improve the Mini soccer program. Please tell your convenor or one of the executives of any ideas that could improve the program. 

Equipment

  Following is a suggested equipment list that a coach should have.  Balls, cones, and first aid kit are supplied by DRAMSC.

References and Guides

  Manual

  Grass Root Coaching

  A basic coaching book published by the OSA for beginner coaches that explains the fundamentals of the game.  The book is a short on drills.  This book will be distributed to all new coaches each year.

  Coaching Young Players

  A basic coaching book published by the OSA with more drills and exercises.  Intended for older players.

    Coaching 6, 7, and 8 year olds

A good book that explains micro soccer concepts.  The club has several copies that can be borrowed.

  The library has a few books but not a great selection.

Web sites

Http://www.dramsc.ca

http://www.soccer.on.ca/

  Is the Ontario Soccer Association web site.  A good starting point to link to large array of soccer (football) links

http://www.eteamz.com/soccer/

Eteamz is a US commercial site but with a wide range of guides and tips for the beginner to the more advanced coach.                                     

Emergency Action Plan

  (The following was transcribed from the 3M Coaching manual.)

  The purpose of an emergency action plan (EAP) is to get professional care to the injured participant as quickly as possible. Unless you have received specialized training in advanced first-aid techniques, leave such care to professionals.

  It is strongly recommended that you develop an EAP before the season begins. Such a plan consists of information on the location of the nearest telephones, directions to the site, and the names of two people:  the charge person and the call person.

The Charge Person

The charge person should have specific training in the care of injuries. You need not be the charge person, but if no one else can assume this role, the responsibility is yours.

  The responsibilities of the charge person are as follows:

            to take control and assess the situation on contact with the injured participant

            to instruct all participants and bystanders to leave the injured participant alone

            to ensure that the participant is not moved

            to leave the participant's equipment in place

            to assess the injury and to determine whether further assistance is required

            to decide how to move the participant if an ambulance is not needed

            to notify the call person if an ambulance is needed and to briefly describe the injury

            to observe the participant carefully for any change in condition and to reassure him or her until professional help arrives.

The Call Person

  The responsibilities of the call person are as follows:

  1.         to know the location of all the telephones that could be used for placing calls.  Preplanning in this area is essential, particularly in remote field locations or in unfamiliar buildings.

  2.         to prepare a list of local numbers - ambulance, fire, police, doctor, etc. These numbers should be written out on a small card - a number card

- and should be on hand at all times (An example of a number card can be found below). If pay phones might be used, the necessary change should be taped to the relevant number card - it should never be assumed that emergency numbers will be posted!  It is also important not to rely on the operator to transfer the message; rather, the required service should be called directly. Once lists of local numbers have been prepared, they may be indexed by location, especially if out-of-town visits to the same place are common.

  3.         to know directions and the best access route to the facility. The exact location of each facility should be written out on the back of the number card - it helps the call person in times of stress.

  4.         to provide the ambulance dispatcher with the necessary information.  Such information includes a statement that a medical emergency exists and describes the nature of the emergency, the exact location of the injured participant, the best access route to that location, and the telephone number of the phone from which the call is being placed. The estimated time of arrival of the ambulance should be requested.

  5.         to assign someone to stay by the phone.

  6.         to report to the charge person that the ambulance has been called and to tell the charge person the estimated arrival time.

  7.         to go to the main access entrance and wait for the emergency vehicle.

TEAM /EVENT:

SITE:

CHARGE PERSON:

CALL PERSON:

NUMBER CARD

LOCATIONS OF PHONES:

PHONE NUMBERS:

EMERGENCY:

AMBULANCE:

POLICE:

FIRE:

HOSPITAL:

DOCTOR'S OFFICE:

FACILITY:

DETAILS OF LOCATION:

(TO BE READ OVER PHONE

TO EMERGENCY DISPATCHER)

Note: You should have your EAP and number cards on hand at all times. So just make copies of your EAP and number cards after you finish Exercise 1, and keep them both with you - it's as simple as that!

Checklist

·        Access to Phones

·        Practice facility

·        Home facility

·        Common away facility

·        Emergency numbers card (local)

·        Emergency numbers card (common out-of-town)

·        Coins taped to number cards

Access to Sites

·        Cards for directions to practice facilities

·        Cards for directions to home facilities

·        Cards for directions to common away facilities

Information on Participants

·        Personal history card

·        Emergency contacts

·        Medical history cards

Personnel

·        Charge person

·        Alternates

·        Call person

·        Alternates

The Follow-up

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to injured participants does not end when they have been transferred to the appropriate medical care. Rather, you should be prepared to follow up on the status of injured participants and provide as much relevant information as possible to medical personnel.

The charge person should accompany the injured participant to hospital, help reassure him or her, and provide medical personnel with information on the participant's medical history and on the circumstances surrounding the injury. A participant's medical history is best presented via an information card. Make sure that these cards are with the team at all times - having them at home or in the team office is of little use in an emergency!

Basic First Aid Tips for Sports Injuries

It is highly recommended that a coach or trainer bring a bag of ice to each team practice or game.  A short application of an ice pack will often reduce the pain from a scrape or impact.  It is also important to control swelling for more serious injuries (see below)

Bruises or Strains (muscle), Sprain (pulled or torn ligament)

Use RICE treatment principal to reduce pain and reduce swelling:

R = Rest

I = Ice

C = Compression

E = Elevation

Rest the affected area (stop playing, apply ice or Ice pack (15 minutes on and 15 off).  Wrap with securely elastic bandage to compress the affected area. Elevate the affected area, if possible.

For sprains there is immediate post injury swelling, bruising and pain.  This may indicate a torn ligament. Use the RICE treatment and seek medical attention.

Nose Bleeds

Player should sit with head slightly forward (Not backwards, since swallowed blood can be nauseating.)

Pinch nostrils firmly with thumb and index finger for about 10 minutes.

Instruct player to breath through mouth and not to blow their nose for 4 to 6 hours after bleeding has stopped so that blood clots will not be disturbed.

If a nose bleed cannot be controlled, seek medical attention.

Breaks/Fractures or Suspected Fractures

  Obvious deformity -      

DO NOT MOVE THE PLAYER - CALL FOR EMERGENCY HELP.

  Suspected fracture with no obvious deformity - apply ice and immobilize limb and call for emergency help

First Aid Supply

This is a suggested list (subject to change) of first supplies that will be supplied by DRAMSC.  If you use any items please let the equipment manager know.

COACHES’ SURVEY

The following information that you will supply will help the DRAMSC refine the soccer program and determine the problem areas encountered by new and experienced coaches.

Please answer the following questions, and return the form to your convenor.

Why did you volunteer with the DRAMSC?

________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What soccer or other sports training (courses etc.) and/or experience do you have?

 _______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

How many seasons have you coached soccer?  Please list the age groups.

_______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

How can the DRAMSC assist you in coaching your age group?

_______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Are there any other areas or concerns the DRAMSC should be addressing, to improve its program?

________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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