with young players (to age 9 or 10) 2 things are most important:
1)touches on the ball- every time a player touches the ball he/she becomes a better player- to get to 1000 touches you must have touch 1,2,etc...its very important that drills and games are designed around this idea. drills that require waiting in line, tactical and strategy run throughs should all be kept to a minimum. games should be short sided on downsized fields to optimize touches and speed.
2)let the kids enjoy it. they should be jumping out of their skin to get to practice. keep competition to a minimum. competitive and motivated players are competitive and motivated people. we learn these traits in life and only hone them on the soccer field. believe me a 7 year old pit bull who would chew of his own arm to score a goal while running over the biggest baddest defender is going to play like this no matter how the coach handles him. likewise a sneaky, creative and cerebral player who may avoid contact and not run as hard as the coach may like is going to become a sneaky, creative and cerebral player no matter what the coach does. let them have fun and reward them for who they are not what you want them to be
