“Private Soccer Coach Near Me”: What Orange County Parents Should Actually Look For

What an actual 60-minute session looks like

Here is a composite of a real first session, details anonymized. Ten-year-old boy, competitive club, dad’s complaint on the phone was “he disappears in games.”

Minutes 0-10, diagnostic. No lecture, no warmup speech. Elmer puts the player in simple pass-and-receive work and watches three things: what the first touch does under a little pressure, where the plant foot lands on strikes, and whether the head comes up before the ball arrives. Most parents expect the first ten minutes to be conditioning. It is observation, and it is the most valuable part of the hour.

The fault found. Two, actually, and they were connected. The plant foot was landing behind the ball on strikes, so everything ballooned. And the first touch, when a defender closed, went straight into his own feet, which is why he looked slow and why he “disappeared” – he was not slow, he was stuck.

The three cues. Plant beside the ball, not behind it. Touch across your body, into space, away from pressure. Check your shoulder before the ball arrives, not after. Three cues, not fifteen. A ten-year-old can hold three.

Homework between sessions. A short daily block against a wall with the same three cues, done at game speed rather than comfortable speed, plus one instruction to the parent: watch the plant foot at the next game and say nothing about it in the car.

Four weeks later. The strikes stayed down. The bigger change was the shoulder check, which is not a skill so much as a habit, and once it was there his first touch had somewhere to go. He stopped looking slow. His coach thought he had gotten faster. He had not. He had gotten earlier.

That sequence – watch, name the fault, three cues, homework, retest – is the mechanism. Everything else is packaging.

Credential #2: is the coach still coaching competitively?

Ask any prospective trainer what team they are currently coaching and at what level. A trainer who only does private sessions has no live feedback loop on what today’s game demands.

Coach Elmer coaches at the MLSNext level with Strikers FC Irvine, the highest tier of youth competition in the country. In his first season as Head Coach at Fairmont Preparatory Academy, he took the boys’ program to the CIF quarterfinals for the first time in school history. He has served as Director of Coaching for California Rush, as Youth Director and Technical Director, and holds regional and national championships as both a player and a coach, with clubs including Irvine Strikers and Slammers Huntington Beach. The full background is here.

What that means for your player: a coach working at MLSNext level knows precisely what the next rung looks like, whether that rung is a stronger club team, a high school starting spot, or a college roster.

What we are not good for

An honest trainer will tell you when to spend your money elsewhere. Top Notch Training will turn away or redirect:

• Players under about six. At that age the need is play, not correction. A structured 1-on-1 hour is the wrong tool and the family will not see a return on it.
• Players whose parents want the sessions more than they do. The stated standard is that the player brings effort and energy and is coachable. If the kid is being dropped off against their will, no cue survives the drive home.
• Athletes already training five days a week. Adding a sixth session to a full club load is not development, it is load. Sometimes the honest recommendation is fewer sessions and a parent guidance conversation instead.
• Families looking for a guaranteed pathway. Elmer’s players have gone on to play at higher levels while excelling academically, but that comes out of the work, not out of a purchase.

The standard, stated plainly

“If your player provides the effort and energy, is coachable, and willing to bring effort and energy to train, I can help transform them into a better player and individual.”

That puts a real requirement on the athlete, which is the honest way to do it. Parents consistently report the difference showing up in confidence and how their kid carries themselves, not only in the play.

FAQ

How much does a private soccer coach cost near me?

As of August 2026, private 1-on-1 soccer training in Orange County generally runs about $75 to $150 per hour, a wide bracket because it mixes unlicensed trainers with licensed, actively coaching ones. Top Notch Training’s own rates are $95 per hour for private 1-on-1 and $50 to $70 per player per hour for small group, depending on group size. Travel to your field and any field or facility fees can affect the total, and adding a sibling or teammate makes it a small-group session at the lower per-player rate. For a fuller breakdown of how private and small-group sessions work in Irvine and what moves the cost, start there. Call (714) 248-2592 for current pricing on the exact format you want – tell them the length, the location, and how many players, and you will get a real number rather than a “starting at” figure.

What certifications should a private soccer coach have?

Ask for a U.S. Soccer license and ask specifically which one. The USSF B License is the fourth-highest certification in U.S. Soccer, two levels below what is required to coach in MLS, and very few private trainers hold it. Then ask a second question most parents skip: what team are you currently coaching, and at what level? A coach still working competitively has a live read on what the next level demands. For the rest of the questions worth asking, see this parent’s checklist for evaluating a youth soccer coach.

How often should my kid do private soccer training?

Top Notch private sessions are structured weekly or bi-weekly, which leaves enough space between sessions for a player to absorb and apply the homework instead of just accumulating hours. If your athlete is already training five days a week with their club, the honest answer is often bi-weekly at most, or none at all until the load comes down.

Is private training better than group training for young players?

Not automatically. Private training is best for diagnosing and fixing one specific limitation, because the coach sees exactly what is holding the player back. Group training supplies repetition, competitive pressure, and speed of play against peers at a similar level. Fixing something in private and never testing it under pressure is how a “fix” quietly disappears by the next game.

My kid does not want to be coached. Should I book anyway?

No. The stated standard is that the player brings the effort and energy and is coachable. If the sessions are your idea and not theirs, start with a parent guidance conversation instead – those can be in person in Orange County or by phone or Zoom from anywhere – and work out what is actually going on before spending on field time.

Do you offer soccer training outside Orange County?

On-field training is based in Southern California. Parent guidance meetings can be held in person if you are local to Orange County, or by phone or Zoom from anywhere in the world.

How do I book a session?

Create an account, click the activation link in your email, then return to reserve your spot for the session or event you want. You can pay at the event or via Zelle, and cancellations require 24 hours’ notice. Call (714) 248-2592 if you would rather talk it through first.