The current state of youth soccer

I started playing soccer in about 1979 when I was six years old or so. It was pretty simple -- I showed up at Flying Cloud fields for games wearing a little yellow T-shirt with my name ironed on the back.

But as I learned this weekend while working as a field marshal for the Badger State games, a lot of things have changed in the last 28 years. I snapped this picture of a team of 10-year-olds, who not only have full unform kits, but their own traveling bench of fold-up chairs. And while my elementary school games never took me beyond Flying Cloud, teams of 8-year-olds were traveling hundreds of miles and staying overnight in hotels to be part of the tournament.

What was most unbelievable were the comments hollered at the kids by coaches and parents. (And when I say "hollered," I mean literally screaming direction at the kids from the sidelines. It's amazing the kids could concentrate on the game.) It's been a while since I did any serious coaching, but I feel like I could offer a few pointers:

* Think about holding your breath. One of the most common things you'll hear coming from the sideline is the exhortation to "Boot it!" I've been playing soccer for nearly 30 years and I have no idea what that player is supposed to do, but it certainly isn't to play with any finesse or purpose. Indiscriminately yelling "Kick it!", "Get it to the net!", or "Good boot" doesn't help much. Neither does telling a young player who just had a ball kicked into his hand that he "should know better." It's soccer -- unintentional hand balls happen. And a player who drills a hard shot on goal should maybe be praised instead of immediately being told he should keep his head down next time.
* Let them play. You've probably tried to instill some skills or strategy in practice, but once it gets to game day, it's up to the kids to bring it to the field. Yelling at a player to do something and following it up with "...we practiced that!" means you haven't done your job teaching them.
* Remember they're playing soccer. Not football -- that means that coaches don't wander on to the field. Nor is it hockey -- one coach yelled at a player for not having his "line" ready to go.
* Give good direction. If you do need to scream at a player, try to give some useful advice or guidance. Yelling, "Go, Hunter, Go!" in the same breath as you yell "Stay, Hunter, Stay!" will only strain your voice.