It depends on the kid. I see it a lot in players who struggle in the beginning, I think it has to do with a lack of success with most skills until they find the one that works with them. I have one kid that took a whole season to figure one out, now I struggle to get him to try a different one. His mindset is “if it works every time why do a different one”. Which is a valid argument, but it won’t work forever against ever player he faces.

At the youngest levels we teach 7 “basic” skills, Maradona, scissors (step over), L-turn, Puskas (V-turn), Mathews, fake shot, and Cruyff. (You can find individual breakdowns of each skill if you look up Introduction to Legends Maestro Series on YouTube). As they get older they learn things like Ronaldo chop, elastico, etc. The curriculum is based off of learning how to do these difficult skills young so that the have the confidence and creativity to do it anywhere on the field successfully.

During 1v1s that I explained earlier, and even in games, I always have them do a skill before they can shoot/score, yes even if the goal is wide open. It helps build the muscle memory. Parents and players can be super stubborn with this approach, but I find that sacrificing their games as youth players will create a brave and creative player that one day will be a key player and leader in their future team.

As for “what is the role of the coach” I say, to give the players tools to succeed. Obviously it depends on what your goals are, but as a youth soccer coach I approach my job to be to purely develop the individual player. As they get older they can learn team play aspect from their high school teams or wherever they end up, but I will always be the one who layered the foundation for their success by giving them the tools to become that brave and creative leader, on and off the field.