INDEPENDENCE LEVEL

• They have no soccer background.
• They need others to learn from.
• You are their role model.
• You must teach them.
•  You must be PATIENT!

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

• Bones are immature
• Rapid growth in large muscles.
• Growth in height is more pronounced than weight.
• Girls will be one year ahead in physical development.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• They need and want supervision of their activities.
• They do not compete but merely imitate competition.
• They exhibit sudden shifts in behavior from bad to good.
• Boys will fight and wrestle – demonstrating masculinity.
• They have a very difficult time cooperating with others.
• Self-centeredness and boastfulness beginning to decline.
• They enjoy group play – show preference for small groups.
• Group members are continuously changing because of quarrels.
• Boys and girls play together readily –but, for short period of time.
• They want approval but do not seek it as actively as those who are younger.

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

• They are interested in learning.
• Playing soccer is stimulating for them.
• Most know their right side from their left.
• They like structure and are willing to apply rules.
• They are aware of rules governing cooperative play – simple rules only.

UNDERSTANDING

• Don’t bother placing them into positions – they will play bunch ball.
• Gradually introduce them to play in larger groups – Begin with 1vs.1 game.
• They will play at soccer by imitating rather than playing soccer.
• They will play “Bunch Ball” and follow the ball wherever ‘it’ goes.
• Games should not be too complex or too long in duration…

GENERAL IMPLICATIONS

• Very short attention span – be Simple and Brief.
• Provide full, physical participation for everyone.
• They can learn to jump, skip, hop, chase and dodge.
• Fun lies in kicking the ball rather than the distance or accuracy of the kick.
• Opportunity to experiment with technique is more important to them than success in the technique.
• They do not understand the concept of winning and will therefore believe everyone can win.
• Soccer demands that the players be constantly moving; activities that force them to wait their turn are not recommended.

SOCCER IMPLICATIONS

• PLAY SOCCER.
• Be consistent in your practice session routine.
• Give positive points of refinement to help self-improvement.
• Assign homework on things that have been introduced.
• Focus on teaching the 1 vs. 1 game.
• PLAY SOCCER

Written and Submitted by

Koach Karl

(Karl Dewazien)

• Emeritus State DoC of California Youth Soccer Assoc. 1979-2012
• Author – FUNdamental SOCCER Books Series
• Producer – ‘FUNdamental SOCCER -Practice’ DVD.
• Clinician at: www.fundamentalsoccer.com  
• Can be reached at: koachkarl@fundamentalsoccer.com