Ask The Coach...
Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask
 

Coaches have to deal with all sorts of scenarios week in and week out. Each week John will address a question that has been sent in by an AYSO coach. This week's question is:

"How should I motivate the 'tween' players? I find that 'attitudes' are often getting in the way of practice on my U-12 team."

Click here to the audio link for John's answer.

Coach Certification/Training Policy

Policy Effective Next Year

Staring August 1, 2009, the new coach certification/training policy will be in effect. The new policy requires all AYSO coaches and assistant coaches who wish to coach in the National Games, concurrent secondary play competitions or nationally sanctioned AYSO tournaments to be trained at the level of the team they coach.

Here is the minimum required certification for each age level:

Division                                 Minimum Required Certification
U-10                                                 U-10 Coach
U-12                                                 U-12 Coach
U-14                                                  Intermediate Coach
U-16 & U-19                                      Advanced Coach

Please click here to see the complete policy.

Training Activities Spotlight
Another Game From Malaria No More

Here's the last game in the More Than A Club: Kick it to Malaria series. This week you can teach your players the life-saving importance of bed nets, while teaching them valuable soccer skills.

Bed Net Boundaries
How to Play:
1) Ask a few players to defend the goal and represent the Family. The rest of the team will be the Mosquitoes. The Mosquitoes will line up inside the penalty box and approach the goal all at once, trying to score. The Family blocks as many balls as possible. If a Mosquito's ball is blocked, they are out.

2) The Mosquitoes retrieve their balls and the Mosquitoes who scored a goal line up a quarter way down the field. The Family pretends to hang up a bed net over the goal, just like kids hang them over beds.

3) The Mosquitoes try to score this time with just one kick. Thanks to the "bed net" (represented by the extra distance) the Family is able to deflect the Mosquitoes' efforts and stay safe!

Click here for other training activities for your U-6, U-8 and U-10 teams.