Coaches
should be familiar with the age group guideline both above and below their
current age level as every Bloomfield team will have players with varying
levels of skill. Stepping down to a younger group exercise for the prurpose
of perfecting the proper technique is always the right decision.
U12 Guidelines:
| 1) |
Keep it fun yet always challenging, as players at this level want to compete. |
| 2) | Emphasis on field awareness, vision & space. |
| 3) | Tactical introductions of basic systems of play & shape and restart tactics. |
| 4) | Team Defensive and Team Offensive roles (1st, 2nd & 3rd defender and offender) |
| 5) | Aggressive drilling of skill sets. Create skill challenges and progressions adding more and more match related pressure. |
| 6) | Continue to challenge players to learn all positions even if they have gravitiated towards a "favorite" position. More comprehensive education of player responsibilities by position in terms of a total team effort. |
| Look for and celebrate incremental results in learning as the steps of progress are often very small. Keep the competitive fire burning while realizing the big picture is player development not just wins and losses. | |
