Coaching Soccer

Coaching Soccer

My weekends are spent coaching soccer to children who are 5 years old. I coach soccer for Plainedge Soccer Club with a program called "Little Feet." This is a program for children starting at the age of 2 until about 7 years old. Once the children are above 7 years old, they move to a soccer team. Each session is 45 minutes long, filled with games. 

This program focuses on simple coordination, ball familiarity, listening skills, and teamwork. 

Each week, we have a routine of how we play soccer. First, we begin by stretching. It is important to stretch to make sure we don't pull a muscle while playing. After we finish, we do our soccer skills. Some of these skills are: pull backs, soccer ready, toe taps, rock and roll, and around the world. Next we begin playing our first game. Typically the first game is a warm up, to get the children ready to play. When the first game is over, the children get water at the same time as the coaches set up for the next game. 

As the time goes on, the games become more and more challenging for the children. Rarely is there any downtime. The children are constantly moving from one thing to the next. After we play three games, we then introduce how to play soccer. Last of all, before the children go home, all the children take turns scoring a goal and receiving a sticker. Coaching soccer for the past 5 years has been so rewarding. I cannot wait to see what the future has for all these soccer stars. 

For more information about Plainedge Soccer Club Little Feet Program:  https://www.plainedgesoccerclub.com/page/show/37900-home

Vocabulary: 

• Soccer(noun): a game played between two teams of 11 players in which a round ball is moved toward a goal usually by kicking
• Coach(noun): a person who teaches and trains the members of a sports team and makes decisions about how the team plays during games
• Team(noun): a group of people who complete in a sport, game, etc., against another group
• Coordination(noun): the ability to move different parts of your body together well or easily
• Teamwork(noun): the work done by people who work together as a team to do something
• Stretch(verb): to put your arms, legs, etc., in positions that make the muscles long and tight
• Challenge(verb): to test the ability, skill, or strength of (someone or something)
• Rarely(adverb): not very often
• Introduce(verb): to cause (someone) to learn about or try (something) for the first time
• Goal(noun): an area or object into which a ball or puck must be hit, kicked, etc., to score points in various games

Vocabulary Activity: 

Directions: Unscramble the vocabulary words below.

1. meta 
2. gloa
3. wkrtemao 
4. hrtestc
5. cedutniro 
6. creocs 
7. yearlr
8. oditncoraoin
9. eglhclnae
10. ahcoc

Grammar Point:

The text above uses transition words in order to explain the routine. Transition words are like glue that connect two separate ideas together. They help your readers progress from one thought to another helping them connect one thought from another. Transition words help with addition, emphasis, order and comparison. There are many different transitions words, in this case the transition words help with time.  

Grammar Activity: 

Directions: Write a paragraph using at least 5 transition words that tell time. 

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For Additional Help: 
https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-15162.php
https://youtu.be/R0y89jP-Rfg