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.
U8 Guidelines:
| 1) |
Fun! |
| 2) | Introduce concept of a single teammate in terms of passing and communication. Mini step towards teamwork. |
| 3) | Become more persistent about proper dribbling & kicking technique at this level. |
| 4) | Add some subtle and fun "pressure" games to test and reinforce techniques by limiting space or time. Proper technique will start to make the game more enjoyable at this level. |
| 5) | No tactics, no creating of positional players, try not to be too restrictive, let players experiment. |
| 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. | |
