In the world of youth sports, there are all sorts of coaching experiences ranging from rookies to 10+ year veterans.

However, regardless of seniority, knowledge, or skill, all coaches are trying to achieve the same thing: to make their players better, and to enjoy soccer. One of the wonderful things about coaching (as well as teaching) is that there is no set path on how to achieve this, and everyone develops their own style to teach and inspire their players.

The soccer drills chosen to include in this list are ones the kids will love and be excited about. It is critical that coaches at this level make practices fun and exciting and therefore we put together a list of 7 soccer drills that U8 soccer coaches can include in their practice plans.

These drills are explained in detail and supported with diagrams and animations.  The drills also include soccer concepts that are important for the U8 age level such as dribbling drills, small sided games, ball control techniques, decision making, and developing a love for the game. The list of U8 soccer drills in this article include:

This article is helpful for coaches that are getting organized for their youth soccer tryouts.  We will cover setting up evaluation criteria, age appropriate soccer drills, communication, and how to select the team.

A lot of the resources we mention are available by following the links in this post. For example, soccer drills for particular age groups can be viewed.  There are downloads and additional resources throughout the article.  One more resource before we get started is a helpful page on player evaluation strategies.  Lets get started!

Here are a few ways you, as a parent, can be a positve force on your child's team and therefore contribute to their success.  Parents have a much larger influence on youth teams than most people realize, both good and bad.  

It is not always easy but I promise if you commit to being a positive force it will be reflected in your child’s performance and ultimately your child’s team.  On the flip side, parents can be responsible for small amounts of negativity that can literally ruin the experience for everyone involved.

The internet can provide a wealth of information and resources for youth soccer coaches.  

There are thousands of drills posted online as diagrams and videos.  SoccerDrive.com alone has over 400 (and growing) animated soccer drills and tactics.  Not only is our goal to provide great content that is useful to youth soccer coaches, but to give them tools that will help them: be more organized, be more prepared, be more efficient with their time& communicate with their assistant coaches and players.

A healthy and open relationship between players, coaches, and parents is critical for the success of any youth soccer team!

The focus of youth soccer is not only to watch children learn and grow in both the sport and life, but also for our kids to have fun and enjoy themselves. Coaches and organizations strive to improve the skills children will need on the soccer field as well as important skills they can use in the real world.