eLearning

United Soccer Coaches has launched Get aHEAD Safely in Soccer™, the first interactive online course developed to educate coaches on how to teach safer heading techniques for players ages 11-13. This 30-minute course is free and available to anyone and everyone interested in heading safety.

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This course offers coaches the latest methods to optimize every practice by examining the differences between naive, deliberate and purposeful practice. The concepts are presented by Andy Barton, the Soccer Mindset Academy’s Performance Director, an education partner of United Soccer Coaches. Consisting of five video presentations, each offers advice on best practices and suggestions for how to implement the development based concepts with your players and teams no matter the age or level.

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This course helps coaches to develop an effective philosophy and purpose for their team. The course sets out the key developmental needs of players and how coaches can meet these needs in their sessions. It will encourage coaches to examine their own beliefs about why they coach and how they think soccer should be played and taught. Overall, the aim is to help coaches to create a ‘constructive alignment’ between their players’ needs, their team philosophy, and coaching methods. 

The course takes a holistic look at the development of young players, examining key physical, mental, social and technical changes that take place. The course then encourages coaches to consider these factors carefully when developing their own team philosophy and practices. 

The concepts are presented by Dr. Matt Pain, the Soccer Mindset Academy’s psychology adviser. The course consists of 6 video presentations averaging between 7-10 minutes. The course is suitable for a new coach and a Director of Coaching with years of experience. Each video offers advice to coaches on best practice and suggestions on how to implement the concepts with players and teams. Practical tasks in every module help coaches to start developing their own concrete strategies as the course unfolds.

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The 7C’s are the key mental skills that players need to maximize their abilities and perform at their best week in week out. Research shows that these 7 core mental skills are needed by young players if they are to make it to the top of the game, and are needed by professional players and teams to perform at their best under the severest of pressure.

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Successfully tactical implementation is contingent on the technical capabilities of players. Performances of many youth players remain inconsistent as they continue a journey to peak performance in their mid to late twenties. Player’s technical limitations will severely limit a coach’s tactical options, so it is important to dedicate practice time to enhancing individual technique. All too often we lose sight of the importance of technical development with older and more proficient youth players and/or we restrict our focus on basis activities featuring individuals and pairs. Advanced coaching techniques and attention to detail are the features of these sessions.

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United Soccer Coaches developed a brand new online course highlighting sports psychology and teaching individual mental skills. Focusing on improving mental abilities to progressively improve player development, this Special Topics course provides insight into methodologies that can improve player confidence, motivation, and stress management. You will also be empowered with additional information to improve individual feedback and goal setting. This course is FREE for members.

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United Soccer Coaches has developed the Foundations of Coaching online course as the perfect introduction to coaching youth soccer for the first time, and as a helpful refresher for those coaches coming back to the youth game. Focusing on improving coaching instruction in order to progressively improve player development, the Foundations of Coaching provides insight into targeted training activities and age-appropriate instruction for beginning to advanced players.

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United Soccer Coaches and U.S. Futsal have partnered to create their first-ever coaching course for the most popular soccer variation in the world.

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The short and long term effects of the U.S. Soccer Federation Player Development initiatives are far reaching, impacting all youth clubs and coaches. As a way to prepare you for some of these initiatives, United Soccer Coaches has developed the Small Sided Games: 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9 Special Topics Diploma. This series is dedicated to preparing players, teams and clubs to address the tactical, technical and logistical opportunities presented in this new era in youth soccer. Coaches attending the “United Soccer Coaches Small Sided Games Diploma – 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9” will be treated to four presentations including 42 training activities to support the new playing formats.

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This series explores the five principles of attack, namely penetration, width, support, mobility and improvisation. These concepts are detailed in 4 dynamic 20-30 minute presentations facilitated Ian Barker, United Soccer Coaches Director of Coaching Education. Each session includes 5-6 activities to improve your teams attacking success. If you are a Coach, Professional Educator or Club Director you will not want to miss this opportunity to learn from best practice and achieve professional development credit! Participants registering for the complete volume will receive a Special Topics Diploma and 23 printable, full color activity plans suitable for players 8 and older.

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This series explores the five principles of defense, namely pressure, cover/support, balance, delay and compactness. These concepts are detailed in 4 dynamic 20-30 minute presentations facilitated Ian Barker, United Soccer Coaches Director of Coaching Education. Each session includes 5-6 activities to improve your teams defending success. If you are a Coach, Professional Educator or Club Director you will not want to miss this opportunity to learn from best practice and achieve professional development credit! Participants registering for the complete volume will receive a Special Topics Diploma and 23 printable, full color activity plans suitable for players 8 and older.

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This series focuses on moments in the game that become critical to the result. Topic areas include transitioning into a counterattack, ‘killing’ the game off when in the lead and game-winning restarts, to name just a few. The clinicians in this series are proven winners in pressured situations and collectively have won the World Cup, Olympic Gold Medal and National Collegiate Championships as coaches. The talented group of educators will inspire participants to work with their teams and provide unique insight into decision making at crucial moments in a game. If you are a Coach, Professional Educator or Club Director you will not want to miss this opportunity to learn from best practice.

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An interactive online mini-course developed to help educate coaches about the inclusion and support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes. This 10-minute course is offered as a free public service by United Soccer Coaches’ LGBT and Allies Member Community in partnership with Athlete Ally, a national nonprofit organization that provides public awareness campaigns, educational programming and other resources to foster inclusive sports communities.

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The United Soccer Coaches Goalkeeping Academy has launched Goalkeeping Level 1 as its first-ever online diploma. The Goalkeeping Level 1 Online Diploma provides coaches a basic and working knowledge of instructing goalkeeping to youth and entry level players. This is education coaches won’t find any place else in the game of soccer.

Topics covered include handling, positioning, footwork, communication, warm-ups and mental skills for successful goalkeeping.

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This introductory course is perfect for high school and youth coaches who want to establish a solid foundation of coaching knowledge. The interactive course features an engaging interface that incorporates audio, video and text to teach essential soccer coaching techniques and methods.

Time Commitment: 5 hours (Online)

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United Soccer Coaches has partnered with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) in developing this new online course to educate coaches on how they can prevent and respond to sexual abuse and assault.

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