Teaching Soccer Fundamentals

Including helpful photographs and illustrations as well as instructions that are easy to understand and apply, this book shares more than 30 years of soccer coaching experience. Author Nelson McAvoy offers tips for maintaining kids’ short attention span and methods for boosting participation, including short-sided games. Teaching Soccer Fundamentals will make next season a more rewarding experience for you and your players.

It is well-written with humor (he confirms something I've always suspected - when you are yelling at the kids during the game, it sounds to them like you're speaking Bulgarian).

I have used more drills and ideas from this book than any single other book.

I highly recommend this one.


Teach the game   March 17, 2002
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

Regardless of whether you know the game, if you want to learn more about how to teach the game, this is the book for you. I grew up playing, but starting coaching was a struggle to get the kids to understand -- until I bought this book 2 years ago. I still recommend it, and I still use it. This shows you what skills to start with and how to progress as the kids catch on. With the philosophies and games in this book you can keep the attention of your team for many many practices.


Can't wait to get out there and use this!   August 5, 2000
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

Nelson McAvoy briefly coached my sister, and was one of the best even back in the '70s. Every word in this book resonates with the experiences of what works and what doesn't. You'll learn just how much learning to mix in with the right amount of fun, and the book is chock full of drills that will train the players to act like a soccer player without thinking about it. I just know when I get out there on the field armed with this book that the kids are going to enjoy it enough to sign up next year, and are going to learn the game without realizing it because they're having a blast.


An excellent book for the thoughtful youth soccer coach   June 10, 2001
Rosenhaus (Chicago, IL USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Nelson McAvoy is a former rocket scientist who coaches youth soccer. He has thought and learned a lot about HOW kids learn to play soccer, and in this book he tells you about it clearly, entertainingly, and compellingly.

I don't have his experience in coaching kids in the 9-11 year-old range, but I still found the book invaluable, because now I know what I can and can't expect to accomplish with younger kids. I also understand how important it is to be a teacher, and how it can hurt the kids' development if you just "let them play" without introducing the right skills when they are ready to acquire them. Any coach who reads this book and doesn't become that kind of teacher for kids in that critical 9-11 year age group must not have been paying attention!

This one is a keeper.


Outstanding for beginner and experienced coaches alike.   October 26, 1998
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

A study in how to teach soccer. Each section includes interesting games and drills that will allow you to teach players the fundamentals of the game, often without them realizing it. How to teach progression from elementary to advanced technical and tactical subjects. I have been through the book twice now and it is heavily highlighted. If you think you know everything, read this book and learn even more!