Whether you know it or not, the expectations you form as a coach about players on your team affects not only your own behavior toward them but also the feelings and performance of those players. Having such an influence on your players' athletic experience and development is a huge responsibility and a process every coach should understand. Here's how the process works.

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing youth soccer coaches is getting their players to play ball on their own. For sure, the first step is making practices so much fun that players fall in love with the sport. But children today have such a vast variety of pastime options that even those who are passionate about their soccer may need prodding to get the soccer ball out.