Behind Every Great Soccer Practice…

While in grad school at the University of Pittsburgh, Michael Jones coached a middle school soccer team at the Lab School, a K-8 school affiliated with the university. He had a great experience, but was hesitant to coach at the high school where he landed his first teaching job. It wasn’t until his two children started playing soccer with Kirkwood Sports, a rec league in Newcastle, Delaware, that Michael decided to get back to coaching. Eleven years later, he’s coached both his boys through every level of rec soccer, including indoor soccer at the high school level. 

Describe the perfect practice

The perfect practice is when we have a plan and the kids are engaged and work hard, and they’re also having fun. By the end, we can see that they have started the path towards improving the skill sets we were working on that day. 

What are some of your go-to drills or games? 

We have this drill that I call the Meat Grinder, but my son called it Shoots and Ladders, which was much more family-friendly. They run through an agility ladder, sprint 40 yards, dribble through cones, then work on a give and go pass. Eventually they have to finish with a shot on a small portion of the net. They get a 60-second break back in line until they do their next one. It’s one of the few times that we actually have a drill where they’re standing around, but they do need to get their breath. The kids like cheering each other on. It’s not a competitive drill. They just have to show that they’re willing to work hard from start to finish. 

Another kid favorite is a drill we call Power Finesse. It’s a shooting drill with two teams and each kid shoots twice for each turn. The first shot has to be outside of the 18 yard box, so it’s usually a two touch situation where they get a long pass from us from the corner and shoot it from 20 yards out. Then they sprint into the box, a fast ball comes in, and they have to tuck that one away. If they make one of the two shots, they stay in; if they make two, they can pull a teammate back who got knocked out; if they make zero, they have to help us shag balls. It’s a great way to end the practice. They just love it. Plus, it’s amazing how often those two skills translate to shots in a game.

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What’s something you’ve learned from another coach? 

Kids don’t really learn anything from standing around. Every time we structure a practice, we try to limit that as much as possible. Games don’t really set up like drills, and you have to be able to run away from people and run with the ball, just like you were running without a ball. If kids are standing around, they’re not learning how to do that. 

What’s the most challenging part of being a coach?

I think the hardest part of coaching for me is when things don’t go our way and kids start to get down on each other. I want the kids to learn how to work on a team and how to be good coworkers with other people. Anytime we’re not seeing that happen it’s a challenge to figure out how to get back to the environment we want and how to do it quickly and in the way that’s the least confrontational and destructive. Children don’t need to be screamed at or put in their place. They need to be taught and guided. 

What’s the best thing about being a coach?

The best thing about being a coach is knowing that we created a community where the kids are learning, growing, enjoying themselves and being good people towards each other. It’s at the end of a practice or a game seeing the kids smiling and interacting with each other in a way that shows they’re having fun together and respecting each other. It’s knowing that they’re gaining what I hope is a lifelong love of a game that they could play and coach for the rest of their lives. 

What’s the secret to great coaching?

It always comes back to smiles on the kids’ faces and knowing that they’re invested in what’s going on because they feel like it’s fun and valuable to them.

 

Michael Jones was nominated by his community for the 2024 ChristianaCare-GoHealth Urgent Care Coach of Year, an award program that empowers leagues to recognize coaches who go above and beyond. Learn more about ChristianaCare-GoHealth Urgent Care.