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THE COACHING EDUCATION PROGRAM

Resourceful, confident knowledgeable coaches are vital to the development of young soccer players and to the advancement of the sport. Whether you are a novice coach with no background in soccer or an experienced coach who seeks further education, MSYSA has a program to help you.

We stress the same ideals in our coaching courses and in our In-Service Training Program as with players: enjoyment, positive spirits, enthusiasm, and creativity. If you want to improve your grasp of the elements of the game and learn about organization and coaching methodology at practice and during games, consider one of these MSYSA coaching courses.

Please take a few moments to consider which opportunity will be most appropriate for you. The Youth Module (YM) courses are intended for coaches of younger players, and the E and D for coaches of older, more experienced teams. In addition, you may be interested in our In-Service Training Program as a first-step or as a continuing education application. For example, you may begin with the concise YM course, or the full weekend of the E may be best for you. (NOTE: The E course is a mandatory prerequisite for the D course.)

• The YM courses are “introductions” -- elementary presentations for first time coaches or those with little experience. Our intention in these module courses is to help you become a more resourceful and confident “activity leader” – to combine your enthusiasm and commitment to the game with the basic theory and practical exercises we will provide.

• The E course is for those coaches who want to learn more about the techniques and tactics of the game and more about leading experienced youth teams. This course provides activities and topics for coaches interested in acquiring more advanced strategies and/or advancing within the coaching ranks. A coach must possess an E license to enroll in the D course, so the E license is an integral component of the process. Information on the E Waiver Process click here.

• The D course is for coaches who want to refine their understanding of advanced techniques and tactics and their effectiveness as a trainer of youth players. Our aim here is to help you to prepare yourself to dynamically improve both individual and team performances. Any head coach of a team participating in the Michigan State Premier Soccer Program must have a minimum of a State D license.

You may attend (space permitting) a “refresher” course at the level you have attained to review your coaching craft, at no cost. For example, a year or two after you take the E course, you may want to go through the E again, for free. If you wish to attend, please contact Melissa Campbell at mcampbell@michiganyouthsoccer.orgprior to attending.

All these courses lead to one another coherently and prepare coaches for US Soccer’s National C, B, and A license courses.

DETAILS ABOUT THE COURSES

The Youth Module I course
Duration: 3 Hours
Age Groups: U6, U8
Course Materials: US Youth Soccer Coaching Manual and numerous, relevant pamphlets.
Cost: $25
For whom: Novice coaches or coaches with little experience of U6, U8, U10 and U12 players.
Course Content: Ideas about how to organize practices and game-days, many practical activities and simulated games for practices, and brief demonstrations of basic techniques.

The Youth Module II course
Duration: 3 Hours
Age Groups: U10, U12
Course Materials: US Youth Soccer Coaching Manual and numerous, relevant pamphlets.
Cost: $25
For whom: Novice coaches or coaches with little experience of U6, U8, U10 and U12 players.
Course Content: Ideas about how to organize practices and game-days, many practical activities and simulated games for practices, and brief demonstrations of basic techniques.

The Youth Module III course
Duration: 6 Hours
Age Groups: U6, U8, U10, U12
Course Materials: US Youth Soccer Coaching Manual and numerous, relevant pamphlets.
Cost: $50
For whom: Novice coaches, or coaches with little experience of U6, U8, U10 and U12 players.
Course Content: Ideas about how to organize practices and game-days, many practical activities and simulated games for practices, and brief demonstrations of basic techniques. The Youth Module III course is a combination of the Youth Module I and II.

The E Course
Duration: 16 Hours
Course Materials: USSF E Coaching Manual, FIFA Laws of the Game, and numerous relevant pamphlets.
Cost: $100
For whom: Coaches, with some experience, of U10, U12 and U14 teams.
Course Content: Systems of play, laws and restarts, more games and exercises for practices, more tactical ideas (including the tactics of 2 versus 1 situations and goalkeeping).

During the course, each participant may have the opportunity to lead a short coaching session, with constructive reaction by the instructor.

Coaches must successfully complete the E course before moving on to take the D. Any coach who wishes to pursue other USSF national licenses must begin with the E course.

There is no performance based testing in the E course. The course has 5 written exams and coaches should allot 1.5-2 hours in the evening to complete the written assignments and training session plan. The E course is not particularly physically rigorous; participation in the practical, active sessions (about half of each course) is strongly encouraged but not required.

The D Course
Duration: 36 Hours – to be taken after completing the E course, which is a prerequisite for the D course.
Course Materials: USSF D Coaching Manual, FIFA Laws of the Game, and numerous relevant pamphlets.
Cost: $150
For whom: the experienced coach of U12, U14, or U16 club or town teams, or of high school teams.
Course Content: Coaching methodology, fitness, goalkeeping, technical sessions on dribbling, receiving, shooting, coaching demonstrations, coaching methods for technical and tactical topics and for making corrections, and a “take home” test on the Laws of the Game and on injuries.

Duration breakdown: The first 3 hours of the D course are a “classroom session.” During the session, the major themes and approaches of the course will be presented and explained, expectations of the coaches will be clarified, and the materials for the course will be distributed. 24 hours of practical and theoretical instruction and activity will follow. Finally, 8 hours of testing is administered at the end of the course (During the testing portion each coach will present a 15-20 minute practical coaching session which will be graded.)

The D course is a rigorous course: it is intended for coaches with at least three or four years of coaching older players (U12, minimum) and, preferably, playing experience. Upon completion of the course, candidates can receive either a “State D License” or a National D License.” In order to enroll in the USSF C course, a coach will need to have achieved their national D license and hold it for at least 12 months. Both the State D License and the National D License allow a person to coach in Michigan State Premier Soccer Program. If you receive a State D License then you must retest in order to obtain your National D License.

We hope that coaches will consider carefully their situation before they register for the D course. The themes, approaches, and methods covered in the D course are not appropriate for players below, at the earliest, U12.

IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM

The In-Service Training Program provides MSYSA-affiliated leagues with three FREE hours of In-Service Training per league in any fashion the league requests. Clinics can be developed specifically for any MSYSA-affiliated league in the state at any time during the year. For example, In-Service Training can be age-specific in nature or cover a wide range of age levels. Classroom presentations, field presentations, or a combination of the two can be offered as part of our In-Service Training Program.

The following list contains possible topics that are available for In-Service Training. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and other topics are possible as well.

• U6 Specialty
• U8 Specialty
• U10 Specialty
• U12 Specialty
• Passing & Possession
• Passing & Receiving
• Goalkeeping
• Technical Skills
• Shooting & Attacking the Goal
• Finishing & Attacking
• Defending
• Dribbling & Feinting
• Zonal Defending 1
• Zonal Defending 2
• Combination Play
• Building Out Of the Back
• Team Building (Sports Psych 13-18)
• Basic Tactical Situations
• Match Analysis/Scouting
• Art of Coaching (Team/Player Management)

To schedule In-Service Training for your MSYSA-affiliated league, please contact MSYSA Office Administrator, Melissa Campbell at mcampbell@michiganyouthsoccer.org or 724-459-6220 x207.

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION

It is MSYSA’s desire to provide each participant in our coaching courses with an excellent, educational soccer experience. As a result, there are minimum and maximum numbers of participants for each course. If there are too few participants, the instructor cannot provide a realistic practice situation. If there are too many, the instructor cannot maintain the excellent educational environment, and the facility may be too crowded. We ask that you conform strictly to these guidelines. MSYSA will be responsible for the registration of all courses.

Course         Minimum         Maximum         Facility
Youth Module     15                     50        Gym or Soccer Field
E Course            20                     50       Gym or Soccer Field
D Course            16                     32       Full size Gym or Soccer Field and lecture area