MASA U8 Coaching�Fall, 2022

Part 1�Coaching and the U8 game

The coach during the week

• Practices
• Running and communicating any information about the weekly practice
• Communication to families in advance of each week’s game
• Field number for the Saturday game
• Jersey color for that week’s game (blue or yellow)
• Snack responsibilities
• Reminder to contact the coach if a player won’t be present at the game

The coach on game day

• Primary game day roles
• Coaching from the field (if possible)
• Options (each team)
• One coach on field; one coach on sideline
• Both coaches on field
• Managing the game (officiating) from the field (if possible)
• Identifying and facilitating restarts (throw-ins, goal kicks, corner kicks, kick-offs)
• Allowing second attempts for throw-ins, goal kicks, and corner kicks when initial attempts are illegal
• Timekeeping
• Coaches identify one coach (or parent) to be the official timekeeper for the five-minute playing intervals
• Objectives
• Promoting a fun and positive experience for all players, regardless of skill level
• Game management (timing, officiating)
• Coaching
• Reminding players about playing their positions
• Offering advice and suggestions on restarts such as corner kicks and throw ins

The U8 game – general

• Time
• Two 20-minute halves, each composed of four 5-minute periods
• One-minute breaks occur between periods
• A five-minute halftime break occurs after the fourth period
• Format
• 4v4 with no goalkeepers
• Substitutions
• Substitutions are made between periods
• With the exception of injury or fatigue, substitutions are not permitted “on-the-fly”
• Playing time
• All players must play a minimum of 50% of every game
• Positions
• If possible, all players should play all positions for at least one period every game
• Offside and goalkeeping
• There is no offside in the U8 game
• There are no goalkeepers in the U8 game, so no players are permitted to touch the ball intentionally with their hands or arms
• Direct and indirect kicks
• A direct kick is a kicked restart that can legally be a goal without touching a second player after initial contact
• An indirect kick is a kicked restart that cannot legally be a goal until it touches a second player (from either team)

The 1-2-1 Diamond Formation

• The diamond shape
• The 1-2-1 diamond formation features a defender at the base of the diamond, right and left midfielders at the right and left points of the diamond, and a forward at the top of the diamond
• Positional responsibilities
• Defender
• The defender is the last line of defense against the opponent’s attacks and support for their team’s attacks
• The defender takes goal kicks
• The defender is not permitted to simply stand directly in front of the goal when their team is in possession
• Left midfielder
• The left midfielder is the primary attacker and defender on the left side of the field
• The left midfielder takes throw-ins and corner kicks on the left side of the field
• Right midfielder
• The right midfielder is the primary attacker and defender on the right side of the field
• The right midfielder takes throw-ins and corner kicks on the right side of the field
• Forward
• The forward is the primary attacker for their team
• The forward is not permitted to simply stand in front of the opponent’s goal

Defender

Left

Midfielder

Right

Midfielder

Forward

The U8 Field

End line

End line

End line

End line

Touch line

Touch line

Touch line

Touch line

Midfield line

The U8 game – restarts

• In-play and out-of-play
• A ball is in-play if it is contained within or is in contact with the boundary lines of the field
• A ball is out-of-play if the entire ball has crossed the entire touch or end line
• A ball that crosses the end line between the uprights of a goal frame is a goal
• A player cannot be considered out-of-play
• As long as the ball is in-play, a player can contact the ball no matter where the player is
• Restart
• A restart is an official method by which the ball moves from out-of-play to in-play

Touch line

Touch line

Touch line

Touch line

End line

End line

End line

End line

Restarts – throw-ins

• Throw-ins
• A throw-in is awarded to the opponent when the ball moves out-of-play across a touch line after contacting a player
• A legal throw-in meets the following requirements
• Both of the thrower’s feet remain on the ground for the duration of the throw
• The thrower has both hands on the ball when releasing it
• The ball is brought behind the top of the head before being released
• An illegal throw-in is retaken (possession does not change)

Restarts – goal kicks

• Goal kicks
• A goal kick is an indirect free kick awarded to the defending team when a member of the attacking team is the last to contact a ball that has moved out-of-play across the end line
• Goal kicks are taken by the defender from approximately five yards in front of the goal
• The player who takes the goal kick may not be the second player to contact the ball
• The buildout line
• The midfield line is the buildout line in U8 soccer
• All members of the opposition must remain behind the buildout line on a goal kick until the ball has been contacted twice by the team taking the goal kick (counting the initial contact) or until the ball crosses the midfield line, whichever comes first

Goal kick ball placement

Restarts – corner kicks

• Corner kicks
• A corner kick is a direct kick awarded to the attacking team when the defending team is the last to contact a ball that moves out-of-play across the end line (and is not a goal)
• Corner kicks are taken from the intersection of the touch line and the end line on the side of the goal where the ball moved out-of-play
• The left and right midfielders take corner kicks from their respective sides
• The player who takes the corner kick may not be the second player to contact the ball

​

= ball placement for corner kicks

Restarts – kick-offs

• Kick-offs
• A kick-off is an indirect free kick awarded to a team following a goal scored by the opposition or at the beginning of a period of play
• One team is awarded the kick-offs before periods 1-4; the opponent is awarded the kick-offs before periods 5-8
• Kick-offs are taken from the center of the midfield line
• Kick-offs may be taken in any direction
• The defending team must remain five or more yards on its defending half of the field until initial contact is made
• Opponents may not move toward the midfield line until initial contact has been made on the kick-off

Ball placement for kick-offs

Further reference

• Additional resources can be found on the MASA website
• Coaching overview
• Coaching materials

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Part 2�Practices

U8 weekly practices

• MASA three-phase structure of individual practices
• Phase 1 (Technical)
• Individual skill development
• Focus is on a specific skill (dribbling, passing, shooting, trapping, etc.)
• Phase 2 (Tactical)
• Team development
• Focus is on a specific team tactic (moving without the ball, maintaining the diamond shape, defending, corner kicks, etc.)
• Phase 3 (Play)
• Scrimmage (intrasquad or between/among teams)
• Focus is on applying the skills from the first two phases and promoting creativity
• A good time to let players work on their creativity
• Seasonal plan for practices
• Introduce simpler individual and team skills early in the season, review them at the beginning of the next week’s practice, and build to higher-level skills across the season
• Review helps to solidify the basics as more complex skills/ideas are being introduced
• Focus on areas for improvement as the season progresses
• For example, working on proper foot placement if you are noticing lots of toe-balls; working on moving as a team if you are noticing a breakdown of team shape during games
• Have a basic weekly practice plan for the season before the season begins

Template: practice plans

for entire season (U8)

Part 3�Clearances

Coaching clearances

• All clearances must be current to coach at MASA
• Required clearances
• SafeSport
• State Police Criminal Record Check (provided free to volunteers)
• PA Child Abuse History Clearance  (provided free to volunteers)
• if PA resident for at least the past 10 years…a complete and notarized volunteer affidavit
• if PA resident for less than the past 10 years…FBI Criminal Background Check (requires purchase of clearance)
• Links to clearances
• MASA website
• “Coaches”
• “Background Check”
• “Safesport Certification”
• MASA risk management coordinator – Todd Seitz
• dtoddseitz@yahoo.com

Part 4�QuickSkills

MASA and QuickSkills

• What QuickSkills is
• Pittsburgh-based professional soccer training organization
• QuickSkills website
• Training sessions
• Weekly skill development sessions that are free to MASA players
• When and where the sessions are (Start/Stop dates TBD, MCP)
• U10 Girls (Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00pm, lower fields)
• U10 Boys (Tuesdays from 7:00-8:00pm, lower fields)
• U6 All (Thursdays from 6:00-6:45pm, middle fields)
• U8 All (Thursdays from 7:00-8:00pm, middle fields)

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Part 5�Communication with MASA

Communication between coaches and MASA

• Coach and Player Development Director
• Dave Hull
• dhull1212@icloud.com