"You're Just Playing with the Kids — That's Not Real Football Training!"

A Coach's Dilemma

A youth football coach shared his experience:

I don't come from a professional football or academy background — I just grew up playing football. In my thirties, I gave up a stable job to devote myself to youth development. Now I coach kindergarteners and first graders.

I've watched some Japanese youth development videos and deeply agree with their philosophy. Their coaches have very lively, playful personalities. Similarly, I have a natural affinity with kids and love goofing around with them.

My training sessions are basically play — group games with lots of ball touches, letting them get familiar with the ball and learn to control it through play. I think the results have been great.

But the problem is that some peers can't accept this approach. They make snide remarks, saying I'm just playing with the kids and that it's not real football training.

It's frustrating. I want to know — what do you all think?

This question sparked a passionate discussion. Here are responses from various coaches.

Persist — Let Results Speak

Coach A:

Great question! And a very common situation!

You mentioned you don't come from a professional football background, so the coaches criticizing you are probably those with professional playing backgrounds, right?

Almost all the coaches around us disapproved of our training methods — some were even hostile about it.

But after a few years, things have improved a lot. Fewer coaches fail to understand the relationship between training and games, and more have started trying to incorporate fun into their sessions.

So the core of this issue is really about how to deal with peers' attitudes, right?

I think it comes down to persistence — because only with persistence do you get results, and only with results do you have credibility, whether with parents or fellow coaches.

Then you can influence and change others' views — though of course that's not the goal in itself. Also, improving your teaching effectiveness within games is very important.

Distinguishing Three Types of Critics

Coach B:

There's nothing wrong with developing interest. Some coaches disapprove, and they probably fall into a few categories.

The first type: no matter how you teach, they'll have something negative to say.

These people can't stand seeing others do well. Their own sessions are lifeless, and when they see someone else's training full of laughter and joy, they feel unbalanced. They need to throw out extreme remarks to feel better. Every industry has these people — you can simply ignore them.

The second type places great emphasis on football skills themselves and refuses to equate football training with games.

Deep down, they feel that if it's just simple games, you might as well hire a kindergarten teacher. "I'm a professionally trained football coach — my training should be above mere games." These people have a deep-seated disdain for play.

The third type is the most rational and objective. They don't reject the game format but always keep football as the foundation of their teaching.

Interest guides the way toward football. On the surface it's a game, but in essence it develops children's perception of football, rules, teamwork, physical fitness, moral character, and more.

If they find that a game has little or no connection to football, their opinions are worth taking seriously.

In summary, for preschool-age children, the game format is perfectly fine. The challenge is for coaches to do everything possible to uncover the developmental benefits behind each game — especially for football development.

Why do older children's sessions involve fewer games? Because with their skill level and understanding of football, the sport itself is the most fun game.

Younger children perceive football differently — in their eyes, a football is just a round thing that rolls and bounces. So to attract them, you need to design all sorts of creative games.

Why Are Games More Readily Accepted by Children?

Beyond approaching through interest, another reason games are more easily accepted by children is that games better match children's values and way of thinking.

For adults, football is an all-out battle where both sides give everything. But a child thinks: why on earth should I exhaust myself fighting over a ball!?

For example, when playing with a young child, you each take on a character role. Before the "duel," you announce your identity: "I'm a bear, and I have mighty bear power!" Then the child says: "I'm the princess bear, and I'm going to destroy you, you big stinky bear!" When using a skill, you have to shout out its name too — completely improvised, hilarious, and great fun.

Now imagine if you actually fought seriously — would the child have any fun?

That said, an interest-driven approach is something everyone should agree on. The most important question should be: how do we make games serve football better?

For instance, when a game activity is designed, how many teaching points does it contain? Which elements belong to the game, and which belong to football?

Initiation, Not Training

Coach C:

Before first grade, during the kindergarten stage, it should be called initiation, not training.

Once they start first grade, you can gradually change your methods and increase the proportion of technical training.

Stick with what you believe is right.

Coach D:

I don't think it matters whether you have a professional background. In Europe, many coaches can't play football themselves, but that doesn't stop them from being capable coaches.

I believe what matters most is that children and parents accept and enjoy your coaching philosophy. Rivalry and snide remarks among peers — that's just normal.

Early Childhood Football Initiation Is Uncharted Territory

Coach E:

Early childhood football initiation seems to be a blank slate. Even certified professional coaches from football associations rarely have practical experience in this area.

So in this field, there are no real "peers" to speak of — the finger-pointing is just personal opinion.

My view is to keep exploring and practicing. Learn from advanced ideas abroad, but remember that local children's situations differ from those overseas — you need to adapt to your own circumstances.

In short, keep practicing, keep exploring.

We inevitably make mistakes or have flaws in our sessions — how to correct and improve in a timely manner is a real challenge.

I personally hope that experienced, high-level coaches can provide guidance.

More Coaches Weigh In

Coach F:

When coaching kindergarteners and first graders, games should be the focus — it's about play, getting them interested in football. Ignore the snide remarks and stick to the right direction.

Coach G:

It really just depends on the goal of training — is it to develop interest, or to chase results? For initiation, games must be the priority. Getting kids interested is the first step.

Coach H:

My approach: for the first three months a child is exposed to football, as long as the games are fun and the kids are engaged and happy, that coach is doing a great job. After three months, talented ones can move to an elite group; the rest continue playing games. The goal of the initiation stage is to make children fall in love with football.

Coach I:

I believe the initiation stage should focus on developing interest, with targeted game activities built on top of that. What's equally important is teaching children how to handle relationships with their peers — let them learn the rules from the very start.

Thoughts on Session Design

The original coach added his practical experience:

People say kindergarteners require patience. I think a big reason is that young children have poor discipline, but I believe that if the session is designed to keep everyone moving and playing, and the coach can set a good atmosphere, it's actually not that hard to manage.

Indeed, "football initiation" is more scientifically accurate. Thanks to everyone for the correction.

Each initiation session lasts between forty minutes and one hour. Sometimes when the session ends, the kids beg to play one more round. Seeing their faces dripping with sweat, it's hard to refuse. But this sense of "leaving them wanting more" is exactly what makes kids want to come back for football.

I also give the kids small snacks after each session. Maximum ten children per group.

My design principles for initiation sessions: minimal waiting, everyone active, maximum ball touches.

Different Ages, Different Methods

Coach J:

Different age groups require different teaching methods. For this age group, I believe he's absolutely right. The ones mocking him don't realize they're actually the ones who are wrong.

Coach K:

With passion, you'll definitely succeed. Don't worry about what others think. Stick with your approach, review and adjust periodically, and you'll grow quickly.

Respect Children's Physical Development

Coach L:

Before third grade, children's physical development and bone strength are insufficient to support them in performing standardized football techniques. Forcing them to do so is counterproductive and can harm their physical development.

Real football instruction should begin after age 9. Before that, the focus should be on cultivating interest — developing children's love for football and their most basic understanding of the game.

Against "Results-Driven Football"

Coach M:

Everything starts with cultivating interest. Today's children have far fewer physical activities compared to previous generations — they lack the joy of group play. At home, they watch adults use electronic devices, or use them themselves.

As the new generation of youth development coaches, our job is to help children fall in love with football through football games.

Is the ultimate goal of youth development really just about producing results? Are only coaches whose players win titles considered good coaches? I think that motivation is fundamentally misguided.

I may be just an amateur youth coach, but I've watched children's teams play matches where the coach screams from the sideline: positioning, passing, shooting... Do 7-8 year-olds even understand these things?

If they already understood everything, what would they need a coach for? A coach's job is to guide, not to force their own ideas into children's minds. Maybe the child just feels happy playing a match and being with everyone.

But the coach insists that only winning matches proves their coaching ability.

Coach N:

Football is just a toy. During football class, I just tell the kids what we're going to play today and to have fun.

In this era of results-driven football, pure football is nearly extinct. Is football about to lose its soul?

If youth development starts emphasizing results, is the football we love still worth loving?

The Magic of Football and the Power of Passion

Coach O:

This coach's approach is absolutely commendable. Cultivating children's joy in football is the most important thing. Football, as the world's number one sport, has infinite charm. With proper guidance, very few people won't fall in love with football.

I think the difference between now and before is:

1. Children's entertainment options are increasingly diverse, especially electronic devices;

2. Parents are overly protective, sheltering their children like flowers in a greenhouse, not wanting them to endure even the slightest hardship.

Being able to pull more children away from electronic devices, away from overprotective environments, to genuinely love football, and to earn parents' trust — that is the top priority.

Football is like an addiction, yet better than any addiction — once you truly fall in love with it, you can never quit. When I was in middle school, I could happily juggle a ball by myself, dribble around obstacles, kick against a wall, and never get bored all afternoon. All the way through high school, university, and work, I actively organized teams, training sessions, and matches...

Even now, in my thirties, I want to give up my job to do youth development... This speaks to the magic of football, the power of passion.

Let more people play football — that's when we truly have value.

Let Interest Be the Best Teacher

Coach P:

Through games, more ball touches, develop interest!

Getting them to love football — that's fundamental. Once interest is lost, the result is twice the effort for half the outcome.

Think about it: if your boss assigns you something you really dislike, will you put your heart into it? Will you be efficient?

Coach Q:

Boring training simply doesn't allow children to maintain their concentration for any length of time.

Games develop children's coordination, which later helps them combine better with the ball. The old-style boring training only makes children lose interest in football — and that would be a loss far greater than any gain.

Coach R:

Any discipline has many training methods, and many methods can achieve the training goals. But unfortunately, many coaches are unwilling to innovate, unwilling to try!

They keep using the same old stuff over and over, and feel great about themselves!

Advanced Thinking: What Comes After Games?

Coach S:

These are just my personal views — I lack experience and welcome guidance from fellow coaches.

I used to have doubts about this too. For young children, games can indeed help them quickly accept and fall in love with football. But after they've fallen in love with football, we need to guide them further.

I think children who stick with football training for two to four semesters should start doing more advanced skill training.

I think player grouping needs to be more refined. The first criterion for grouping should be age — and I think this includes both biological age and training age.

The second criterion is technical foundation — some players are capable of keeping up with training and matches one age group above.

After game-based warm-ups, start incorporating combination exercises. This is undoubtedly laying the groundwork for matches. But the foundation of tactics is still technique, so for this age group, we should devote more time to technical training.