In "Coach and Performance" John Whitmore (1997) wrote that a pupil only remembers 19% of what a teacher taught him / her three months ago through instructing or telling; 32% of what was demonstrated and explained; and in cases where pupils were given the opportunity to generate the information on their own, with the help of a teacher, 65% of the information was memorized. The point here is that learning is most successful through active involvement.

At YSC we believe this philosophy should be extended to soccer coaching - in many training sessions children spend most of their time standing about and listening to their coach explaining the exercise / tactics / theories to them. Only a small percentage of this will remain with the child. An effective training session should be active and busy and children will learn through their constant and continued involvement. Maximum contact with the ball will improve touch and skill far more than explanation will; children must learn from their own mistakes and learn to correct these mistakes - learning takes place best when the coach is able to transfer decisions to the pupils, (i.e. asking them how to correct their own mistakes.) Coaching points should be made briefly throughout the session - if possible without interrupting the flow of the exercise, longer points should be kept for between exercises or for the end of a session.

One of the reasons for stop-start sessions is the coach's (often unnecessary) need to convey knowledge to the kids. Many coaches have learned the game as adults and not grown up with it and are therefore unsure of when it is appropriate to impart knowledge and game theory. This is why it is important to identify phases of development within the coaching structure. The phases of development allow coaching to be aimed at a specific age group and ensure the most appropriate teaching methods are used for each group; they are beneficial for both coaches and young players. As with education, different skills develop at different ages and coaching methods should reflect this. When children's stages of development are not considered in designing a training program, a gap forms between what the soccer program provides and what the children need in order to learn.

Placing too much emphasis on theory and knowledge at a young age increases pressure on children and reduces the level of enjoyment they get from the game. Children will learn more efficiently when they are in stress-free situation and enjoying their activity. Several studies[1] have identified popular reasons for playing soccer (or team sports) including 'to be with my friends' and to have fun. Reasons for stopping playing included not playing well, making mistakes and worry. Such anxieties do not come from the kids themselves, but from the expectations of their parents and coaches.

The great American Football coach Vince Lombardi said the most important thing is not the winning but wanting to win and this is something that we must stress to the children. We train to win, we play to win, but losing is not necessarily a failure. Children should never be afraid of failing, you must be prepared to fail in order to succeed.