Coaching children under six years of age presents some additional challenges due to their immaturity, short attention span, and less developed muscles. You will also need to deal with a great variation between personalities, physical size, and abilities. Your objective should be for all of the kids to have fun, make friends, and learn some soccer skills that will help them should they decide to continue to the next level. You should not expect to win all of your games or expect everyone to listen to long lectures. Your goal is to introduce them to basic concepts like dribbling and kicking and make it enough fun that they want to keep playing as their bodies and minds mature. Go down to their level of thinking. Don't try to bring them up to yours. What was fun when you were four years old? The kid who is watching seagulls will tell you were the greatest coach in the world if he had fun. He will have fun when he kicks the ball or at least when he makes an attempt and gets praise instead of criticism.

Boys and girls under 6 years of age play co-ed, four or six a side and a goal keeper. Coaches are allowed on the field to help, guide and encourage the youngsters. A number 3 size ball is used at this age level. Children at this age are characterized by the following traits:

• Short attention span.
• Can attend to only one problem at a time.
• May understand simple rules that are explained briefly and demonstrated.
• May or may not understand or remember:
• what lines mean on the field;
• what team they are on;
• what goal they are going for. We need to be patient and laugh with them as they get 'lost' on the field.
• Easily bruised psychologically. Shout praise often. Give "hints", don't criticize.Need generous praise and to play without pressure. No extrinsic rewards(trophies, medals, etc.) should be given for winning.
• Prefer "parallel play" (Will play on a team, but will not really engage with their teammate). Thus, a 3 against 3 game is, in reality, a 1 against 5 game because they all want the ball at the same time.
• Very individually oriented (me, mine, my).
• Constantly in motion, but, with no sense of pace. They will chase something until they drop. They are easily fatigued but recover rapidly.
• Development for boys and girls are quite similar.
• Physical coordination limited. Eye - hand and eye - foot coordination is not developed. Need to explore qualities of a rolling ball.
• Love to run, jump, roll, hop, etc..
• Catching or throwing skills not developed.
• Can balance on their "good" foot.

As coaches of these younger players there are things that we know that we can expect during training and games. If we know what to expect, we will be more effective in dealing with the hundreds of situations that come up. This will help us relax, and, in turn, allow us to enjoy the unpredictable nature of working with these children even more. Here are some of the things that we can expect.

• Most players cry immediately when something is hurt. Some cry even when something is not hurt.
• No matter how loud we shout, or how much we "practice" it, they can not or will not pass the ball.
• Somebody will come off the field in need of a toilet. Somebody will stay on the field in need of a toilet.
• The only player to hold a position would be the goalkeeper. Don't even consider teaching positional play.
• Twenty seconds after the start of a game, every player will be within 5 yards of the ball. There are a lot of cute names for this such as the "Swarm" and "Bumble Bee Soccer" and the "Bunch". Bunching is a favorite topic on a lot of coaching forums on the Internet. No one we've seen has come up with a way to prevent it at this level, so if you do, patent it.
• Several players will slap at the ball with their hands, or pick it up. Several parents will yell at them not to do that. This will continue for many years
• During a season, you will end up tying at least 40 - 50 shoe laces. And you'll continue to tie shoe laces right up to the time they go to a travel team and even beyond that.
• They will do something that is absolutely hysterical. Make sure that you laugh!

It is important to understand at the outset that players coming to any sport prior to the age of 6 years old, in general, do not do so by their own choice. As a result, their coaches need to give them something about which to get excited. Further, at this age, learning to play soccer is secondary to most other things in their lives.

With the above assumptions, lets look at some things that we can do to energize the U-6 players, and, hopefully, get them to the point where they will enthusiastically initiate the sign up for next year!

• Each session should be geared around touching the ball as many times as possible. Involve the ball in as many activities as possible. Basic movements such as running, skipping, hopping, etc. need to be emphasized. If these can be done while kicking, catching, rolling, or dribbling a ball... all the better!
• Training should not last for more than one hour. This is primarily due to physical fatigue and attention span considerations. Train once a week. Any more than this may lead to their and your burnout.
• Have as many different kinds of activities ready as you can get into one hour. Emphasis needs to be placed on what is FUN!
• Every player should bring his or her own size #3 ball.
• Remember, although the children may have very similar in birth dates, their physical and / or mental maturity my vary as much as 36 months. Activities need to accommodate these individual differences whenever possible.
• Team play and passing is an alien concept to these players. They know that if they pass the ball, they may never get it back. In fact, they often will steal it from their own teammates. Do not get uptight if they do not pass, let them dribble to their heart's content.
• Plan for at least 4, 90 second drink breaks, especially in warmer weather. Their "cooling system" is not as efficient as in older players.

Above all, try to enjoy yourself. If you do they probably will too.

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