(From "Jeff Pill's Online Drills" at http://eteamz.active.com/soccer/pills/u-10.htm.) Some of the players that are playing as U - 10's are seasoned veterans of the youth soccer scene. Some of them may have already been involved in traveling to play in tournaments. As a result, some of them might be very nervous about the whole process. It is our job to keep things in perspective for these young, developing players. True, some of them are becoming quite skillful and are seeing how fun it is to play the game when they can really control the ball. However, many of them are still learning the ropes. Even the more experienced players need to have the game be fun!!!

Emphasis is still placed on having players learn how to control the ball with his/her body, but now, they need to find themselves in more game-like situations. Training is more dynamic and starting to have players make simple, basic decisions such as "Which way is there more space?" or "Who should I pass to?"

Following are some more items that a coach of U-10 players should consider:

Use small sided games as the main teaching vehicle. Not only will they get more touches on the ball, but the full 11-a-side game is still too complicated for them to understand.

How we group players during training takes on even added significance because of the wide margins of ability levels. We need to mix players up often.

Stretching is becoming more important, along with a good warm-up. Safety and preventive measures take on added significance.

Training twice a week is plenty. Sessions need not go longer than one hour, fifteen minutes.

They should all come with their own size #4 ball. In fact, they still need to be encouraged to play with it by themselves.

Put them into competitive environments as much as possible. This will not only keep them focused, but, it will allow the game itself to teach them. It also will keep things fun for them, and allow you to deal with issues such as 'winning' and 'losing' which is now a very big concern for them.

Now it is possible to teach them positional play with the expectation that they will get it some of the time. However, it is absolutely necessary that you do not allow players to specialize in any one position. They need to learn basic principles of the game, first. Having them play all of the positions is best for their individual development. Remember, our first responsibility is to develop players and let them have fun.

Whenever possible, allow them to solve their own puzzles. Don't immediately give them solutions on how they can play better.