U15/U16 (Senior Stage)

By 15 and 16 years old, players should be comfortable dealing with the ball in a variety of situations.  With this in mind, the coach should look to address several issues over the course of the two year cycle that address how basic tactical issues can influence the game.

GOALS FOR PRACTICE, GAMES AND SEASON

At the U16 age coaches should continue to address principles and themes of the game in generic situations, ie, not position based, as well as in functional scenarios.  Coaches can set up small-sided games to multiple goals where players and teams (6’s or 7’s) are dealing with pretty tight spaces, but with several goals.  Defensively the players and teams are focusing on getting pressure to the ball so that they limit the number of goals that they need to actively defend. 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING DURING PRACTICE

Players at these ages still need to learn by experiencing the game.  The majority of the game should still be taught by putting the players in realistic soccer environments and allowing them to feel their way through the challenges that the game presents to them.  As much as possible, these concepts and themes should be taught in competitions where the games or exercises end with winning and losing teams.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING IN MATCHES

The matches should be an extension of the themes that are being addressed on a daily and weekly basis.  There should be an awareness by the players and a discussion prompted by the coach about performance based on the players’ ability to recognize themes during the game, and the players’ technical ability to act on what they see.

BEST QUALITIES OF A COACH FOR THIS AGE PLAYER

Charismatic. Experienced.  Knowledgeable. Articulate.  Disciplinarian.  Managerial know how.  Thoughtful persuader.  An understanding of the 3 lines of the team and how each works as a separate unit as well as part of the team as a whole.