I used to have the idea that soccer is a self-learning sport. Never did it cross my mind to send my children to soccer classes. If you are having the same ideology as me, you might realize that the idea of this ball game is not necessary for play and fitness only. It was when Ashton did a trial class with Coerver Coaching Soccer Academy and I discovered the whole essence of this beautiful game.

3.5 years old Ashton joined the Mighty Mites class, which is meant for 4 to 6 years old and is one of the youngest in the class of 14. It is a session whereby the skills and the rules of the games are put across via fun and games. The 50 minutes session includes warm-up, ball mastery (which includes topics like dribbling, ball passing etc), games and last of all, a briefing for the children by giving them a summary for the kids.

Ashton, is not very exposed to football and a first timer in the class, followed through all the activities with the help of Coach Micheal, a very patient coach, from the Mighty Mites class.

There was some underlying essence of the game that I discovered when I observed Ashton going through the class. Behind the game of fun and play, many life skills were taught to the kids apart from mastering football skills, building confidence with the ball, motor skills and fitness that many parents are probably looking out for in a typical sports class.

Here are some life skills that I have realized :

1. The children were taught how to take instructions well
   During the warm-up, the children were asked to move around with the ball and using different parts of their body to touch the ball. (eg. touch the ball with their head, tummy, right hand, left leg etc.) The children were to follow the instructions accordingly.
2. Learning to be a social communicator and a team player
   There are many games within the class whereby the children were divided into teams and given specific tasks to complete. They learned how to work together to get the task done despite that some group members were aggressive and others were slower.
3. Leadership Skills
   The children were asked to take breaks and sipped some water frequently during the class. After the break, a mini leader in the group was appointed as an in-charge to do a count and made sure that they were not missing out on anyone from the class. Most children love to lead and it makes them happy and proud to be able to help the coach in one way or another.
4. Responsibility
   The children were asked to help with tidying up after the session, picking up every single balls, cones, etc

On general, I felt quite comfortable with the class and the coaches. The characteristics of the coaches are taken into consideration when they were assigned to a certain class. Needless to say, for the Mightly Mites with all the pre-schoolers and the kindergarten kids, the coaches are naturally so much more patient.

What can be improved?

I believe that the class can be even better if there are introductory classes for beginners like Ashton to prepare them better before joining the actual class. If not, it will be great if they have a coach who is a “floater” to guide the new joined children while the 2 main coaches can focus on the main class.

While waiting for Ashton, I spoke to some parents and found out more insight into the course and why did they send their kids to Coerver Coaching.

Here’s what one of the parents say “My 4 year old son likes soccer and has been enjoying his lessons in Coerver Soccer Academy.”

Comments from another parent “The courses are very well structured and organised. After a few lessons, i found my child more active and confidence than before.”

Have you sent your child for any trial classes before? We would like to hear from you, simply leave us a comment :)

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