Watch them play, critique them later. It is far easier to focus on one player's game when you aren't analysing a whole team performance.

To some extent parents can teach their kids with one on one training. It also depends on the parents football abilities. There does come a time when professional coaching is must. I've even seen ex-socceroo captains sending their kids for professional coaching.

Coaching methods are continually being updated and what might have been great 5-6 years ago becomes outdated very quickly. Also as a parent you must avoid un-knowingly passing on your flaws to your kids. There can also be a conflict in what you see as your kids abilities compared to how professional coaches see them. You might be training them to score many goals but their natural talents may be as a mid fielder or defender.

So I think to some extent yes parents can teach their kids but there certainly comes a time when professional coaching is really needed.

Edited by Aussiesrus: 20/4/2011 09:21:40 PM

Never ever coach your own kid’s team.
Train them on a one to one, be critical of their failing and attempt to rectify them but never coach them.
You will be

A too easy on them
or
B too harsh on them

Neither is fair.
May be just my experience but it has been a major major fail in 2 kids I have seen.

Don’t be too critical of their coach no one gets it right 100% of the time.

have coached 4 of them, prefer not to as it makes it easier to be objective , but having looked at the shite dished up in training ie not alot of football, unattentive kids i didnt want to disadantage their progress.

Many of us have tried this.

Ii also extends to teaching. Sometimes some children have no interest their parents imparting knowledge.

Many of my younger relatives are surrounded by a dynasty of teachers in the family. Few of them want parents to help them with schoolwork. This sometimes extend to grandparents.


Football is also pertinent.

One of my co-coaches in the FFE school said he doesn't want to bring his own son to FFE sessions. He won't listen to Dad. Coach C and I will coach him.

Coach C has coached his two kids all their lives with no problems. This appears to be the exception not the norm.

In the last few years as my knowledge has expanded, my kid finds it almost intolerable when we do sessions together.

This even applied to passing on information on to her coach via email for tactics for the team, training grouind drills, which players were letting the team down and why. The kid's coach wanted some sort of involvement from me in person, but I said my kid hates me being at sessions. Most children think of parents as ignorant who know nothing about anything!!!

When one forumite suggested to another that he coach his chld, the response was a common and prudent one.

Child does not want to listen.

Sagely, he also said training methods had changed since he played.

Moreover, he said decent players don't necessarily make good coaches.

You listening, Chips? This guy played at a higher level than you too. He also has far more cerebral qualities. Playing in the national geriatric, transgender championships doesn't count either.


What have other parents found in relation to coaching their kids?