A couple of years ago my universe started on a collision course with another, as one of my kiddos decided to take up soccer. What started slowly quickly picked up quantum momentum to the point she had taken to the wing and goalkeeper positions, with the latter leading her to winning a local qualifier for a national goalie competition she played in this summer.

Where her and my other spawn were both swimmers, I had one body of knowledge to grow and learn about. Now I had another. Where I was picking up tips on the game from other parents who were lined up along the sideline of the field, I didn’t know all I didn’t know about the game. To that end, my wife picked up for me a copy of Coaching Youth Soccer by American Sport Education Program – not that I would be the team coach (we actually have some awesome coaches) but that I could understand better who was in what position and actually see an offsides before the referee called it.

Coaching Youth Soccer is a comprehensive book, talking about the type of person who can be a coach and all to think about, above and beyond who is kicking the ball to whom. Illustrated with diagrams and photos, I was able to easily follow along, noting takeaways as I learned what my kiddo has obviously already learned.

There’s a lot more to soccer than I thought – Your humble author actually played soccer for 2 seasons. As this is the first time I have ever mentioned it on this humble blog, you are accurate to assume I was not that good. Going into her playing and prior to reading this book, I did know you should not kick the ball with your toe and you should wear shin guards, among a few other basics. From the types of kicks, passes, formations and how they advance as the players age up, there was a lot to learn here. I can’t say after I finished the book I knew and remembered it all, but it gave me the foundation from which I can build on.

Teaching and coaching – Most of my exposure to sports coaches have been through swim and the NFL. Where for the latter I only had distant awareness of the actions of coaches, through swim I recognized what makes a good coach, not to mention what results in a bad coach. This book opens up talking about this and other aspects of the role of a coach – including as a teacher – long before gets into fundamentals. Though all styles are as unique as the individuals, there’s a common thread for good coaches that is obvious in the enjoyment of the game by the player and success of the team.

Not something I want to do – Where I have managed technical teams and software projects of various sizes, coaching a team of about a dozen and a half kiddos is not something I want to do. There are other aspects of the team I am more than glad to contribute to, but coaching is not one. Granted I have filled in when coaches were stuck in traffic on more than one occasion, but I will leave this to the people who are great at it.

Coaching Youth Soccer was a good read and one I actually have gone back to once or twice since I finished it. As it was endorsed by US Youth Soccer, the governing body of the game for kiddos, it is authoritative yet approachable. If you are new to the game or considering stepping up to be a coach, I recommend reading the book. Note the version I read was the fourth edition from 2006 and likely there have been updates, so picking up a more recent copy may be in order if you’re more than a casual reader of it like I was.

As I pass all books along to others after I read them, I am going to offer this to other parents on her team. There’s a mix of parents who actually played the game and those who haven’t, so there may be interest in someone to better understand their kiddos current (and future?) passion. In the meantime, I am still on the quest to see an offsides before it is called.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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