Here is my Top Ten List of Words and Phrases That Should Never Be Heard on a Soccer Field:

Number 10: "…and go to the back of the line…" Well, since the last issue had a full article from me on this subject, let me just touch on the key point. Please understand—the line does have a place in soccer. Before the game, the players should line up for equipment check. And, after the game, they should line up to congratulate the other team. But at practice, if you put 10 players in a line for a five minute drill that they do one at a time, you are wasting 90 percent of your practice time. Sure, one of them will be doing something at any point in those five minutes, but at that same point in time nine of them will not. As my daughter's soccer camp trainer said last summer—"We will do it the Dutch way—Always with the Ball!" Whatever you do in practice, do not use lines.

Number 9: "Trap" I don't like the word trap—I can still catch myself using it sometimes, but I don't like it. I know it's been around for a long time. I know there's nothing wrong with the concept of trapping—once you do it right. But I found when I got back into coaching that kids took me too literally. They trapped the ball. They corralled the ball. They brought it to a dead stop. And then, instead of moving the ball to a better location for the pass they wanted to make, they step away from the ball, walk around it until facing in the direction they want to pass, back up, take a stutter step, back up again, and then kick at the ball. When it's them and their ball in practice, that's not a disaster. But once they are on the playing field, the ball and the opponent are long gone before they get anywhere close to making their pass. Now, instead of "trap" I try to always use the phrase "receive and go" or "receive and pass" or "receive and serve." It combines the two concepts of gathering in the ball and keeping it moving toward a goal.

Number 8: "You're Doing It Wrong…" No one ever likes to be told that they are doing it wrong. This is especially true of children trying to learn something new. Only when there is imminent risk of injury should you tell them it's the wrong way. If there's no danger, accentuate the positive. Always look for some aspect that is right and build on that. There is always room for improvement—even at the highest levels of soccer. I think one of the greatest moments from last year's Women’s World Cup—from a youth coach perspective—was Brandi Chastain's own-goal against Germany. It was incredible—an incredible mental error, an incredible lack of concentration, an incredible, unbelievable, how-could-they-do-it-that-wrong-at-this-level mistake. But it was also an incredible teaching tool for youth coaches. On several occasions I have referred to that play when a girl has been upset by a mistake she made. Most of the girls who have been on my teams since then saw that play, and they understand the reference. No matter how good you are, there's room for improvement. Recently, my daughter gave up her first regular season goal in two seasons. She was looking straight into a 25 mph wind. Her sweeper tracked the ball, but didn't hear the keeper call. She tried to stop it, but didn't adjust for the wind and ended up deflecting it out of my daughter's reach for a goal. As we met after the game, I complimented her for the effort she made to try and stop the ball. I also complimented my daughter for the way she positioned herself for the ball. I told everyone that had it not been for the wind, she would probably have heard the call, so the lesson is the goalie can always yell louder and everyone needs to remember to listen for the goalie's call when you are in the box. Knowing the things that can be done better, the girls will work on those positives. Otherwise, the list of things they worry about not doing just grows longer and longer until they become afraid to make any play at all.

Number 7: Cones I don't mind using cones to mark small sided goals or a makeshift penalty box on a practice area, but, in my opinion, teaching players to dribble through cones is waste of time and even counterproductive. I don't let my players practice their dribbling drills around cones. Why? First, I have not yet seen a game where an attacker is defended by a cone—or a stationary player. Defenders move. Sometimes they fall back, sometimes they attack left, sometimes right, and sometimes, straight at you. But they do not stand motionless while a player dribbles close by. Some will say that moving around the cones is a good way to focus on dribbling skills. That may be, but let them focus on those skills against other players. They will develop better skills faster. Even worse, I think cones develop bad habits. I have seen a tendency in better recreational players to rely too much on the dribble. They try to carry the entire team on their own skills. There are very few players at our level that can routinely dribble through entire defenses and get off a shot for goal. I stress with my players that dribbling skills are critical to soccer. But, they should be used to get away from pressure, not fight through pressure. I want them to always be aware of where their open teammate is and make the good pass before they are pressured. There is no player that can outrun a strong pass. Pass—get open—receive a pass—find the open player—pass again. That is always much more effective than trying to dribble through eleven players. And, when young players practice dribbling against cones, I believe they subconsciously reinforce that desire to try it on their own.

I do have a couple passing square warm up drills that focus on precision passing and moving off the ball. When I first teach those drills to girls, I use saucers to mark the corners of a square so that they can focus on learning the drill and not be distracted by where they should be. But once they learn it, all I have to do is call the drill. They can set it up themselves without markers. And that is how cones should be used. They should be markers, they should be lines. But they should never represent players.

Number 6: "Are you blind, Ref?!?!?" This shouldn't really need saying, but it does. Our club is a large one, with nearly 4000 players from U-5 to U-19. For younger age groups, we have to rely on youth referees that are sometimes as young as 12. They are kids. They are just learning to call the game. As adult coaches, we need to remember that no matter their age, they are the authority on the field. We must set the example for our players—and, more importantly, our parents—by never publicly questioning their calls during a match. I recently set up an offside trap, and stood and watched as two players moved past my defense at midfield and merrily dribbled and passed their to the goal with no whistle. My goalie stopped the shot and booted it out with a 25 mph wind at her back, but the referee never said a thing. Once we had the ball at the other end, I quietly asked the linesman why he didn't signal offside. His responded "Oh, does this age play off sides?" Is that his fault for not knowing? Yes, but is it also mine for not making sure before the game that they were aware of our age specific rules. Sure, I could have yelled out about his failure to make a call, but just as players need positive feedback, so do refs. Instead, the linesman got his attention and told him they were supposed to call off sides. The following week, he was the linesman on our side. He overheard two of my girls complaining about a spectator's constant taunting on the other side. When he asked what that was about, I told him the girls were complaining about taunts from a kid on the other side, but that I told them to ignore it because you can't do anything about it. The response from this 12 year old was "Actually, I can." He got the ref's attention a second later before a goal kick, stopped play, walked out and talked to the ref, who immediately addressed the situation on the other side. When they are treated with respect, they act in a way deserving of our respect.

Check back next week for the remainder of the top ten words....