The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching 6-And-Under Soccer

Let me start by saying that I know the game of soccer and am familiar with the rules of the game...BUT when coaching kids under 6 you can throw pretty much all you know out the window! This book is a great reference to coaching the little ones. It gives great insight into the do's and don'ts of coaching young children and offers lots of games as an alternative to "drills" that your Kindergartener or 1st grader will love. They learn the basics of ball handling and they don't even realize it! It walks you through step by step the first 6 practices and your first game day. It also gives you minute by minute sample practices and example letters for parents regarding the season and what your ultimate goal is. This is my first season coaching my 5 year old and this book has been essential to me. Shelly

I am a first time coach and knew next to nothing about soccer. This book has been a great help with my under 7 team, most of whom haven't played before. It's focus on fun games based on ball control makes a lot of sense. The kids are really enjoying their training and the other parents are very happy with what we're doing. I also think there's a lot in this book for the experienced coach who hasn't worked with kids this young.

As a newly recruited soccer coach for a 6-7 year old group, I needed a book that was well organized and gave me the information I needed in a concise way. This book covers the basics from start of the practice season to the end of the game season. The book is short, easy to read and has great insight into the best way to teach this young group--get everyone involved and have fun while the players learn. There are a lot of good suggestions for drills that keep this age group entertained but still allows you to teach. It packs a lot of information into it's small size.

A brand new soccer coach facing six very wild and unruly 6 year-old boys hoping I could teach them the basics of the game of soccer. No easy task. A key concept here is that we need to give very young kids the chance to try new things out, develop their confidence and have fun so they keep coming back - and that this is far more important than winning. This book was a lifesaver my first year. It was rained on, stepped on and dragged in and out of the equipment bag many times during the season. But under all that muck and abuse are some very creative ideas to get the kids engaged while also teaching them basic skills like dribbling, passing and defending. Great book.

I love this book. It's easy to read with fun games for the kids to play at practice and good tips on dealing with the parents. Good job David and Scott. It really is all about having fun for the kids at this age.