U4 DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM (3-4 year olds)

• (6) 45 minute sessions on Saturdays

An introduction to soccer, the beautiful game, in a “nurturing” environment. Sessions are designed to promote personal growth and development. Social benefits from a sports learning atmosphere which better prepares them for the next level. Players learn parts of the field, soccer moves and the language of the game. Professional Coaches with a combined 20 years of experience in player development. Each player will receive an FC Richmond jersey and socks.

The FC Richmond U4 soccer program is designed for our “newest” and youngest soccer players. The program consists of six (45-minute) sessions, held on Saturdays, which focus on teaching the language of the game, movement with the ball, and basic skill and spatial development. Coaches understand the value of fun and seek to engage players in an encouraging environment. Creative games are utilized each session to spotlight a central idea which serves as a building block in players’ development. Each week includes focused instruction, and as players progress through the season, they will move into small-sided games as they prepare for the next level and team play.

FC Richmond's Director of Recreational Soccer, Darien McClurg, and Coach Pat Valero, lead the clinics with the help of volunteer travel players from our Magic and Mystx teams.  They are excited to instruct our youngest players and assist with their development and love of the game.  

U5 DEVELOPMENTAL TRACK (soccer for 4 and 5 year olds)

* League play begins in this track. Players who are at least 4 years of age will practice one time per week with a coach and play games on Saturdays in our House League. The practice is 45 minutes in length and games consist of (4) - 8 minute quarters.

 

U5 & U6 AGE GROUP CHARACTERISTICS & SKILL PRIORITIES

Although sometimes we may mistake 5-6 year-olds for little adults, they are clearly not little adults. They have many years of childhood and development to enjoy before they are able to look at life in a similar fashion to adults. The reason for this is that they need time to intellectually, emotionally, and physically develop. Dribbling should be the primary focus of our efforts, and practices should strive to give each player as many touches on the ball as possible. In order to fully understand this wonderful age group and to make practices run as smoothly as possible, it is extremely important for us to understand the following characteristics about U5-U6 children. 

Typical Characteristics of U5-U6 Players

• Ego-centric - focused on themselves – reality to them is solely based on what they see and feel

• Unable to see the world from another’s perspective – it is “the world according to me” time. Asking them to understand how someone else is seeing something or how they feel is unrealistic

• Everything is in the here and now – forget about the past and future, they live in the moment.

• Heating and cooling systems are less efficient than adults – we need to give frequent water breaks (every 8-10 minutes) or they may just run until they cannot run anymore

• Enjoy playing, not watching – they feel no enjoyment from watching others play when they could be playing too. Make sure every player has a ball in practice so every player is always playing

• Limited attention span - (on average 15 seconds for listening, 10-15 minutes when engaged in a task) – keep your directions concise and to the point.

• Effort is synonymous with performance – if they have tried hard, they believe they have done well. This is a wonderful quality and we should be supportive of their enthusiasm

• Active imaginations – if we utilize their imaginations in practice activities, they will love practice!

• Look for adult approval - watch how often players look to you for approval or to see if you are looking. Also be encouraging when they say “Coach, look what I can do!”

• Unable to think abstractly - asking them to think about spatial relations or runs off the ball is unrealistic

• Typically have 2 speeds - extremely fast and stopped

• Usually unaware of game scores – we should keep it that way

• Often like to fall down just because it is fun – they are just children having fun ☺

• Often cannot identify left foot vs. right foot – they know which foot they use most and if they point to their feet you can help teach them left and right 

 

Skill Coaching Priorities

United States Youth Soccer now offers "Grass Roots" courses for the recreational coach.  The recommended course for this age is the Grass Roots 4v4 which replaced USSF National "F" License and/or State “E” Coaching License - For course descriptions and schedules go to www.vysa.com and click on Coaching Education.

Visit www.FCRichmond.com Coaches Corner for links to educational resources

 

U7 & U8 AGE GROUP CHARACTERISTICS & SKILL PRIORITIES

Although U7-U8 children may begin to be more mature and physically advanced than U5-U6 children, we must remain patient and not try to force them to develop too quickly. 

Dribbling should continue to be the primary focus of our efforts, though passing and shooting should be introduced at this age as well. U7-U8 players tend to work best when in pairs and we should allow them to work in pairs (coach selected) often. We must continue to make sure that fun is a central theme in practice. Player development will occur most appropriately and expeditiously if all players are enjoying themselves.

Typical Characteristics of U7-U8 Players

• Tend to play well in pairs – Try to set up the pairs yourself to control the games and manage the personalities

• Are now able to take another’s perspective – they now have a sense of how others are feeling

• Still unable to think abstractly – still do not have this capability, be patient

• Heating and cooling system less efficient than adults– make sure to give frequent water breaks

• Prefer playing to watching – keep everyone active during practice and remember, no lines, laps, or lectures

• Limited attention span (on average 15-20 seconds for listening, up to 20 minutes when engaged in a task) – this may vary greatly on any given day depending on school, diet, etc. Try to get a gauge each day and do not fight crankiness

• Beginning to have an understanding of time and sequence and cause and effect – they now understand “if I do this, then that happens”

• Many have incorporated a third or fourth speed into play – not all players, but many players now have incorporated a speed or two between stopped and as fast as possible unlike the U5-U6’s

• Extremely aware of adult reactions – be very aware of your verbal and nonverbal reactions, as they will look for your reaction

• Seek out adult approval – be supportive when they ask about their performance or try to show you skills. They very much need reassurance and you need to help build their confidence to feel free to experiment and try new things

• Becoming aware of peer perception – a social order is beginning to develop, be sensitive to this.

• Wide range of abilities between children at this age – children all develop at varying paces. You may have an 8 year-old who seems more like a 10 year-old and one that seems more like a 6 year-old on the same team. Your challenge is to manage this range in your practices in a way that challenges each player at a level that is reasonable for each players individual development.

• Some will keep score – the competitive motors churn faster in some than others. Surely some parents are fueling the motors with their own comments/reactions. Regardless, we do not need to stress winning and losing at this age – it’s not important. When the emphasis focuses on results, player development is sacrificed.

• Beginning to develop motor memories – by attempting and repeating fundamental technical skills they are training their bodies to remember certain movements

• Less active imaginations than U5-U6 players – still have active imaginations by adult standards, but some of the silliness that 6 year old players exhibit will not be appreciated by this group. Still use their imaginations; just watch their reactions to games to read how far you can go with things.

 

Skill Coaching Priorities

United States Youth Soccer now offers "Grass Roots" courses for the recreational coach.  The recommended course for this age is the Grass Roots 4v4 which replaced USSF National "F" License and/or State “E” Coaching License - For course descriptions and schedules go to www.vysa.com and click on Coaching Education

For course descriptions and schedules go to www.vysa.com and click on Coaching Education

Visit www.FCRichmond.com Coaches Corner for links to educational resources

 

 

U9 & U10 AGE GROUP CHARACTERISTICS & SKILL/TACTICAL PRIORITIES

As we move up the age ladder from the U7-U8 level to the U9-U10 level there are many differences we must realize in order to provide an optimal experience for young players of this age. However, there are also many similarities. Just as in parenting, it is important to be consistent in coaching and we must make sure that we follow a progressive trend of development for young players. To this end, we need to continue to focus on technique during our practices, as we did at the younger ages. Creating environments in which players get maximum repetitions of technical skills and are encouraged to express themselves as individuals is very important. Players at this age should still work on ball mastery and demonstrate growing familiarity and comfortable with a ball at their feet. 

 

Typical Characteristics of U9-U10 Players

• Attention span lengthens from U8 - they start to show the ability to sequence thought and actions

• Start to think ahead - “If this, then that”

• More inclined towards wanting to play soccer rather than being told to play

• Demonstrate increased self-responsibility – bringing a ball, water and all gear should now be their complete responsibility, not   their parents!

• Beginning to recognize fundamental tactical concepts

• Children at this age begin to become aware of peer pressure

• Players greatly affiliate with their team or their coach - “I play for the Tigers” or “coach Amy’s team”

• Players at this age are extremely rule bound

• There is a wide continuum of maturity evident on most teams – CRUCIAL age for technical skill development

 

 

Coaching Education Recommendations 

United States Youth Soccer now offers "Grass Roots" courses for the recreational coach.  The recommended course for this age is the Grass Roots U9/U10 ( 7v7) which replaced USSF National "F" License and/or State “E” Coaching License - For course descriptions and schedules go to www.vysa.com and click on Coaching Education

Visit www.FCRichmond.com Coaches Corner for links to educational resources

 

U11 & U12 AGE GROUP CHARACTERISTICS & SKILL/TACTICAL PRIORITIES

 

Coaching Education Recommendations 

United States Youth Soccer now offers "Grass Roots" courses for the recreational coach.  The recommended course for this age is the Grass Roots 9v9 which replaced USSF National "F" License and/or State “E” Coaching License - For course descriptions and schedules go to www.vysa.com and click on Coaching Education.

For course descriptions and schedules go to www.vysa.com and click on Coaching Education 

Visit www.FCRichmond.com Coaches Corner for links to educational resources