The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer [Paperback]

Simon Whitehead (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Authoritative Guide to Successful ... | Publication Date: April 1, 1991

This is the definitive manual for coaching America's fastest-growing sport for kids aged 8-19. Written for both beginning and seasoned coaches, The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer shows you--in concise, easy-to-understand terms--how to organize, motivate, and lead your youth soccer team to success on the field. Included are:

• Step-by-step teaching points
• Rules and strategies of the game
• More than 100 illustrative diagrams
• More than 75 practice and competitive drills
• Complete 10-week season plans for each of three separate age groups

Designed for easy, on-the-field reference, author Simon Whitehead's proven practice drills are designed progressively to develop maximum skills for both individual and team play. Simon Whitehead lives in Minneapolis and has coached high school and college soccer in England and in the United States for more than ten years. Using proven European teaching methods, he shows the soccer coach how to maximize each young player's enthusiasm, involvement, and personal success in soccer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809240726
• ISBN-13: 978-0809240722
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Soccer
  • #43 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Children's Sports

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent book for beginners and intermediates, May 3, 1997

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer (Paperback)

This is an okay book for beginner and intermediate level youth soccer coaching. There are two main problems with this book. One is that the illustrations are extremely crude, often reduced to literally stick figures. The other problem is that, having collected several other youth soccer coaching books and videos, I'm not sure that I actually learned anything new from this book, and so in retrospect, I don't think I would have gotten this book. For beginner coaches learning how to coach very young kids (i.e., ages 4-8), Karl Dewazien's "FUNdamental Soccer" is a better book in terms of the illustrations, and in its emphasis on how to handle these very young children. For a more detailed explanation of tactics and intermediate to advanced skills for older children (ages 8+), Alan Hargreaves' book "Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer" treats essentially the same topics in a much more thorough fashion. For teaching soccer dribbling "moves", Wiel Coerver's "SCORE!" is the ultimate book (although, as I noted in my review of that book, the companion videos, viewed in slow motion, are more useful). However, if you haven't gotten any soccer coaching books yet, and are looking for your first ever youth soccer coaching book for slightly older kids (ages 8+), this book might be useful. It does have a cookbook set of week-by-week soccer drills that will get you through your first soccer season, if you don't want to have to think too hard about what it is that you're going to have to do.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginner youth coaches book, August 9, 2005

By 

R. Ciranna - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer (Paperback)

I purchased about 5 books on coaching soccer, particularly youth soccer (13 and under). This was by far the best of the lot, most covered only rules and strategy and not teaching basic skills. This is the first coaches book I found that actually explained how to kick a ball! It does a great job in explaining how to teach the basic skills, which is what most of the young players need. The drills were helpful and made a definite improvement in the play of the team.

4 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great coaching skills for beginner coaches, May 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Book of Coaching Youth Soccer (Paperback)

goes in detail of coaching young kids [fantastic