Everything You Need to Know...To Coach Soccer

Cliff McGrath, the No. 2 all-time winning soccer coach in the U.S., is the host and instructor for this introduction to soccer aimed at those who need it most: parents. Pointing out that a parent is critical to a child's success, McGrath lays out the basic rules of soccer, offers excellent drills for various aspects of the game (dribbling, receiving, heading [the acknowledged subject of some controversy over the possibility of short-term memory loss], passing, throwing in-bounds, shooting and goal-keeping). The program concludes with a brief Q&A regarding such issues as hogging the ball, accepting losses, and handling substitutions. As a man who knows his soccer like Julia Child knows her (cooking) sherry, McGrath's instruction is top-notch (overcoming the rather limited presentation--which features too little graphics and too much voice-over while action footage of kids playing soccer is shown onscreen). Not as personable or psychologically in-depth as Touch: How to Become Your Child's Best Soccer Coach (VL-3/95), this is still recommended for its solid technical instruction both for parents and beginning coaches. Aud: E, I, P. (R. Pitman)