Greetings AYSO Coach!

Congratulations on accepting the privileges and responsibilities of coaching an AYSO team this season.  As the kids and parents all over the league anxiously await the start of practices and action packed Saturday game days, I hope your preparations in readiness for the season are going well.  In an attempt to fully equip you with some necessary resources, we here at the Area level would like to pass along some official Area recommendations and suggestions to you regarding lopsided/blowout games.

During your term as a coach within AYSO, it is inevitable that you will be on one (if not both) side(s) of a lopsided game.  What can you do to ensure AYSO philosophies are upheld and a learning atmosphere is maintained for both teams?  Glad you asked.  Foremost, there are CLINICS for beginning, intermediate, and advanced coaches in AYSO that you are strongly encouraged to go to.  These clinics will provide, in detail, specific examples of what can be done on either side of a lopsided game.  Please feel free to ask your regional coaching administrator for more information.

Below are some general concepts on how to handle blowouts.

·         Focus on what you are doing right and not what you are doing wrong.  Constant encouragement and reinforcement when something good happens needs to be verbally recognized during the flow of play and not just at halftime or fulltime.

·         Encourage parents and spectators to applaud good play when it happens despite the score

·         Emphasize skill development

1.        Concentrate on basic drill ideas during the game (e.g. 3 passes in a row 5 x’s until halftime)

2.        Create your own goal and forget about scoring them (e.g. hold them offside multiple times, disallow their best player to touch the ball, do not allow a shot within the 18 box)

3.        Allow players to try different positions

 Suggestions for the Winning Coach

·         Emphasize division appropriate advanced tactics

·         Encourage the other team’s players when you see something done well

·         Incentives and creativity are two tools to use to incorporate new game challenges

1.        Challenge team to score using new methods (e.g. only score off of headers from corner crosses)

2.        Have players make runs from the fullback line towards the goal including your own keeper

3.        Use two touch with give and go combos as only means to bring ball up field

4.        Allow multiple touches towards the goal but only one player (usually weaker) can shoot

5.        Bring the goalkeeper forward

6.        When all else fails, tell the team they may only score using a bicycle kick or a diving header

7.        Pull a player

8.        Play keep away (tactfully) in your own end.

 **Above everything else, remember at all times to keep good sportsmanship as the top priority for both you and your team.  No one likes to be blown out in any given game; however, it is within these types of situations when many things about soccer can be learned and accomplished.  It is up to YOU to recognize when these times occur and how best to utilize your coaching resources.  Balancing out a blowout in proper fashion makes for a much more enjoyable game.