One of the critical jobs that a coach must perform is to gel the playing style of the team with the physical attributes of the players.
If you are in the fortunate position of selecting the players that will play on your team then prior to selections it is critical that you decide on how you are going to play.
For each position you should have a list of the desirable attributes for the player to fill that position and you can then select them accordingly.
If you are not in a position to select your players then you must choose a playing style that fits the players that you have available to you.
This will have a big bearing on the overall performance of your team.
Some of the key physical attributes that you should be looking for in players include speed, physical presence, first touch control, passing ability, mobility around the field, the ability to play under pressure, the ability to play when fatigued, the ability to read a game and be in position, endurance, and teamwork, just to name a few.
What kind of game do you want to play? Are you going to play possession soccer where the key element is to hold onto the ball and wear down an opponent? Are you looking to play a quick passing game? Do you want to play a wide game utilising overlapping defenders? Do you want to play through the middle of the field? Are you looking to play long balls through to your strikers? The formation that you play will also be decided by the abilities of your players.
Are you going to play with a flat back four because your defenders are quick enough to defend against an attacking through ball? Are you going to play with 2 strikers because your midfield is mobile enough to support them moving forward?Are you going to play with an attacking centre midfield and a holding centre midfield? Some common mistakes that I have seen coaches make by not matching the players physical abilities to the style of play of the team include trying to attack using a long through ball when the striker is not fast enough to beat the defenders to the ball.
Playing with a flat back four when the defenders are vulnerable to a fast attacker and a through ball.
And trying to play a short passing game where the players do not have an adequate first touch allowing them to control the ball effectively in a reduced space.
When you decide the style of play that you are going to utilise this will then lead you to the appropriate training drills.
Match your training drills to the appropriate skills that are required to play the kind of game that you are looking to play.
If you are looking to play possession soccer you need to coach your players to control the ball with a good first touch, move into space, keep their head up and look for the easy pass, and play under pressure.
Your training drills should emphasize these skills.
Matching your players abilities to your playing style and then making your training drills appropriate to the skills you are looking to develop is one of the most critical elements of effectively coaching young soccer players.
You may be in the fortunate position of being able to select the players on your team.
If this is the case you should identify the playing style that you want to use and then select your players accordingly.
If you cannot select your players, you should identify the playing style after you have assessed the abilities of each of your players.
This will start you well on the road to being an effective junior soccer coach.