IMO. Coaches need to know the Laws of the Game.

Would a true understanding of the Laws of the Game help our players?

Have a read:

http://www.goal.com/en-ca/news/4175/major-league-soccer/2013/03/13/3823121/roy-miller-penalty-encroachment-was-intentional

To me, a professional player  making such a mistake is embarrassing.  And his justification didn't help.

We work on techniques, skills, tactics, etc but can we really teach our kids everything we want without a solid understanding of the Laws of the Game?

Here is a direct link to FIFA's Laws of the Game document.

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/footballdevelopment/refereeing/81/42/36/log2013en_neutral.pdf

One thing has always impressed me about baseball people ... they know the rules of their game
inside-out.  I don't play baseball and I know the rules.  Die-hard golfers know their rules and that can sometimes save you a lot of time in the right situation.  There is nothing sweeter than calling "provisional ball" and saving a long walk back to hit another ball.  It's nicer still when your friends asks you what a provisional ball is.

But soccer's "rules" for North Americans?  Not so much.  Many people don't even know the rules are called the "Laws of the Game".

The game has grown so fast and so many coaches have come on board so quickly that not everybody will be familiar with the Laws of the Game.

Do you know how may laws are in the Laws of the Game?  Correct! 17.

Do you know what can be changed in the Laws to accommodate your league or tournament?

• size of the field of play 
• size, weight and material of the ball 
• width between the goalposts and height of the crossbar from the ground 
• duration of the periods of play 
• substitution of players

(N.B.  If I had my way, you would need to have basic referee certification on your resume if you wanted to enter the licensing education stream in Canada.)

We have players/coaches looking to get the ball behind defenders, yet we don't have enough coaches who fully understand Offside (Law 11).  How can you teach/coach the timing of runs, the timing and weight of the pass, etc if you don't fully understand Law 11?  What about the defending part of the Law 11 equation.

Many people don't even know the rules are called the "Laws of the Game".

Does your coach know which calls result in direct or indirect kicks?  It's depressing to occasionally see a player ask if a free kick is direct or indirect while the official is holding up their hand.

We beat a team once in extra time on a direct free kick that was taken immediately after the ball was placed, no whistle.  This was at the U14 travel level.  Their coach told them not to worry, that it will be retaken and to set up their wall.  Our boys were celebrating and the referee was walking back to half.  Their coach blew a gasket yelling at everybody.  A few of his own players were telling him it was a goal and no whistle was needed.  So he turned to yell at me and call me a poor sport. OK.   10 of our 16 boys were already referees at U14.

I can't tell you how happy I was that our boys knew to do that, on their own.  I can't tell you how disappointed I was that his team wasn't ready for it.

Passing on an intimate knowledge of the Laws to your players also keeps them sharper, mentally, during games.  We want our players to be "gamey" and creative and knowing the Laws can help with that.

What can we do as coaches?

• Educate yourself, on your own or through certification as a referee.
• Learn the specific rules of your league or tournament and share them with your players.
• Have one session, annually, dealing with Laws of the Game.  Maybe a fun "what's the call?" type of quiz game, a guest speaker who is a referee.  Invite your team parents.  And bring pizza!
• Enforce the Laws of the Game during small sided games at training. 
• When coaching penetrating passes, enforce Law 11 (offside).  
• Encourage your players to become mini refs when they reach the age.  They learn the laws AND they can make some money during the summer.
• Educate your parents so they don't argue calls they don't understand and confuse the players. 

Some examples of how will you know you're done your job?

• When one of your defenders times a "nice" tackle just outside the penalty area. :)
• When a player gives an extra effort to not let a ball off his teammate cross the goal line and concede a corner kick.
• When one of your players politely asks a ref why a dangerous play resulted in a direct free kick.
• When a player decides to not make a pass when they recognize the target is offside. 

Be a soccer guru and know the Laws.  Your players will be better because of it.