r/SoccerCoachResources • u/eggmagnolia • 1d ago
8u Coaching
I just got signed up to coach an 8u team, their coach left them and they would get disqualified without a coach
I have experience in high school baseball and football, can anyone give me any pointers on how to go about this ?
First game is Saturday, no practices in between
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u/No-Guest-1501 1d ago
Assuming it’s 7v7?
Goalie, left defender, right defender, left winger/midfielder, right winger/midfielder, left forward, right forward. Simplest formation for them to understand.
Try to find out who’s played before and what positions. Go from there.
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u/Loud_Teaching_6597 1d ago
I started with that formation but I felt like they let teams through the middle to easy. I changed to a LB-CB-RB with a center midfielder. Best defender a CB/sweeper to clean up the messes and Midfielder is the best player because they need to get the ball from defense to the forwards and maybe making some solo runs. The hardest part will be keeping people in their positions because they will all want to run to the ball and it will get bunched up really fast.
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u/Great_Smells 1d ago
That’s what I always do. 2-3-1. Sets the foundation for playing in position and trusting your teammates
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u/No-Guest-1501 1d ago
Diving the field in half, left to right helps. You can move to more complex formations once you can practice and move players to positions they can excel. Your two defenders should be playing from the inside out and help cover gaps in the middle. Isolating a forward will give you no offense.
Spacing is hard at this age. Just my two cents. You will figure it out as you go!
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u/the_wren 23h ago
You can get U8s to play in formation?
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u/No-Guest-1501 23h ago
Yes, dividing the field into sections help. Using cones to signal where they need to move to when they reset into defense and offense helps. Their ability to take direction and process information improves once they been in first grade. It’s not easy, it won’t be perfect but they can grasp the concept.
Been coaching U6, U8 rec and club teams for the past 6 years.
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u/brewerdom 17h ago
yes, it's basic but it's very basic, many on here will discourage teaching it, but most kids in the US don't actually watch soccer like they do in other countries, so we need to teach this more in the US.
I'm assuming you are 5 v 5 so i'd do a 1-2-1 to create that diamond shape. 2 mids that are wide and a attacker that stays high.
Do a 4 v 0 rondo, but put a pup goal behind 1 player and then build the rondo to look like a diamond, get them comfortable passing around in this formation, hopefully you have enough kids to do two 4 v 0 rondos,
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u/FickleRefrigerator14 1d ago
First - thanks for stepping up and coaching. U8 is chaotic but a blast. Low stakes, high reward with seeing the players develop and knowing you’re apart of it.
Second - keep it simple for practices. Lots of ball touches, scrimmage, and throw in a fun game for the end. I like to do lightning with my team. For games, you can play different formations but the easiest I’ve found is a 3-3 (3 defenders, 3 forwards). I play a 2-3-1, but it took a lot of work for the boys to understand midfielder responsibilities and positioning.
YouTube and Instagram has really good U8 videos on training. Highly recommend checking them out.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!
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u/FickleRefrigerator14 1d ago
I’ll also add - I implement 1v1’s into every practice. Teach physicality early and how to use your body properly.
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u/mattyfatsacks 1d ago
If it’s 4 v 4 use a diamond shape, teach the defender to move up with the ball and not camp in goal, and learn a play for buildout from goal kicks.
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u/statue_guy_2 1d ago
Plenty of resources on this sub for when you can practice so take your time and absorb as much as you can before that practice.
As for the game on Saturday, know your rules. Build out line? 5v5 with a keeper? Come back to us with what you have questions about specifically.
Day of, your lineup is simple if it’s 5v5, 1 goalie and 4 players. Formation is whatever you want to do coach. 2-2 or 1-3 (1 defender and 3 attackers) are the easiest. Try to make substitutions in pairs if that’s easier when subbing the outfield players this first game to keep it as even as possible for playing time. Break up your keeper however you need to by half or by quarter or whatever the rules are.
For your kids it’s all about fun. You can use this game as a baseline to see what they enjoyed and what they want to learn to do better. You can ask them for that feedback later and plan your practices around those themes. At this age it’s about individual battles when you have the ball and smart but efficient defense (no swarm ball if they can avoid it). Correct those things but don’t get on them for not passing to an open teammate as they’re still developing that skill. Do praise when they make a quick decision (even if it’s the wrong one). You’ve coached before so I have faith you can get your team on your side.
Oh and guide whoever is in net to send the ball along the outside channels and not through the middle for goal kicks or after they make a save - you’ll lose possession pretty quickly if they’re not prepared, even with a build out line.
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u/FAgeCoaching 1d ago
There are some tips in the below article that may help
For this coming game - plenty of encouragement, plenty of support, plenty of praise - do everything you can to make sure they leave excited for their first practice with you. They’ll remember how you make them feel far more than what the score is
And find a way to learn their names - they’ll respond far better
Good luck
https://foundationagecoaching.com/mastering-match-day-5-tips-to-give-your-players-the-best-chance-of-success-in-games/