How to gain authority with young kids as a dad volunteer

I got pressured into being a volunteer coach this year and am struggling to get the group of u7 boys to listen. I have little soccer experience so went through the training and watch plenty of YouTube videos.

The session are chaotic and kids are running all over the field. I got the help of a pro coach last week and somewhat reassuring, he struggled too. I still noticed the following:

• he didn’t let anything slide but remained very calm throughout
• he tells them what to do, not what not to do. This doesn’t come naturally to me, especially when they start hitting each other.
• he gets them to sit down and listen, even if it takes a good 10 minutes before they are while I would rush it to get through the chaos

I have more golden retriever energy so kinda let the kids walk all over me. I see I might not be a strong fit for a coach but how do I make the most of it this season?

What are some practical tips you can give to someone who struggles with authority.

Top replies, most upvoted first

• (+10) Honestly thats a really good start. Keep them moving. Get a parent to help.
• (+7) If you figure out how to kid a bunch of little boys to listen let me know. I've been coaching 3 years and haven't figured it out! 😂 The key is limit how much you're talking, limit how long they're standing in lines, and keep them moving and active as much as you can. As much as we want to tell them verbally, and as much as we're used to transmitting ideas to other adults that way, it just doesn't work for kids. You've got maybe 3 minutes max to talk. And realistically probably more like 90 seconds.
• (+5) My favorite coaching philosophy is no lines, no laps, no lectures. Soccer is fun. Soccer balls are fun. Being around your friends is fun. Listening to a coach is not fun. Every kid should have a ball, or be engaged in a fast paced, clear cut game of some kind as much as possible for the entire duration of the practice. Make it your goal to absolutely wear them out. Bring a speaker and play music, keep the energy high Let them arrive and mess around and play World Cup or take shots at the goal (or coach!) or do some kind of scrimmaging, and when you get critical mass or it's 6 minutes past the...
• (+4) Our club espouses the play-practice-play model. As they arrive, throw them into a scrimmage. That gets out some of the energy. Then work on a specific thing or two in the practice session, then go back to scrimmage. Though at the end of the day, U7 boys gonna U7 boys.
• (+3) As a mom helping coach u8 I struggle with this too. I have some dads help but we have a big group of boys who practice together (10-13 boys)and split up two teams worth of games. I have no advice, just sympathy! I had my husband do practice last night and his only comment afterwards was "they don't listen".
• (+3) Consistency. Kids respond well to what they see often. "1,2,3....eyes on me", the kids will finish this for you if they know it. They'll finish it regardless after a few weeks. Find your own style too. Don't copy the pro coach fully. Keep instructions simples. I often ask the kids why we're doing this exact drill, why it's important etc.
• (+2) I think it's also important to understand that they're 6 years old. Six. One of the hardest lessons I learned when coaching youth was that you can't do the same things you would with a bunch of U18 Academy kids and expect the same results with, for example, a group of u7 boys. For me, I found leaning more into my "golden retriever" worked A LOT better with kids. I think with kids that young, framing practice in a way of "we're all having fun together" vs a "session" is a good start. Be goofy, teach them the game, let them be goofy and chaotic. Obviously, I'm assuming this a is a rec league...
• (+2) I coach u7s too. I spend very little time doing things where the kids need to sit and listen. We’re jumping straight into activities where I’m periodically stopping play to show them different things. Most of what I do is doing and showing.
• (+2) Putting hands on each other like that gets one warning from me and then they’re off to the side sitting down for a few minutes. They’re U7, they just sat in school all day they’re going to be insane. It’s just how it is. Put a couple pop up goals up and let them play 3v3 or whatever for 10 mins so they can hopefully wear themselves out a bit. You don’t need to coach it. Name a couple captains who are there first and let them go at it. With that age you need to bring twice the energy they have to practice. The crazier you are the more fun they’ll have and they’ll start listening more. You can...