A record 41 coaches attended DC Stoddert Coaching Director Len Oliver’s USSF U6-U8 and U8-U10 coaching modules on Friday, Sept 7 and Saturday, Sept. 8, to earn their ’F’ License, or basic coaching certification.  “The word is getting out," Oliver noted, “that we are serious about licensing coaches.”  

           According to Oliver,  the courses are "age appropriate, examining what young players can handle at each age—thinking, motor skills, and team, and how coaches can adapt their training for each age group." The model has proven highly successful around the country, with foreign coaches coming to the to see what USSF and US Youth Soccer are doing in these courses.

           Coaches are advised early in their training ‘Don’t Coach.’  Rather, encourage young players to ‘learn from the game.’ As Oliver puts it,. "let the ball teach them.’ Thus, the course got coaches to simulate ‘street soccer,’ where players make their own decisions without adult supervision and instruction.

           The course also included instruction on Coaching Methdology, the “Four Pillars” of modern soccer, Team Management, Care and Prevention of Injuries, and the Laws of the Game adapted for younger age play.  

            The highlight of the course, eagerly anticipated by the 41 coaches, was the field work with the young players. Oliver put five U-6 players through a series of exercises designed to enhance their dribbling skills, ten U8 players who were able to master passing/shooting drills, and then a handful of U10s who were taken through a regular practice.

            Coaches completing the course receive their USSF certificates in several weeks, and can then go on to the USSF 'E' Coaching Course when their kids are a bit older.