Lend me your ears even though you may differ with me on this. When it comes to soccer drills, it is important that kids are first trained on the basic skills of the game so that they can get a feel of the game. The soccer training we talked about must happen first before starting with teaching them the more difficult parts or the best way of playing the game.
Since you are a soccer coach, the onus lies on you that the players start on a right note. Therefore, train the players on all indispensable soccer skills which provide for a strong foundation. Given below are a few soccer basics which are essential for all prospective players to learn.
Coaching the players to dribble and shoot the ball: Shooting and dribbling are the two most basic soccer skills to master. To become a successful player, these skills have a major role to play in their game. But, for teaching these soccer exercises, you should see that all preparations are made in advance.
Beginning from one end of the field, arrange all players in a straight line with a majority of players placed all over the soccer field.
Afterwards tell them to start. Running around the field, they would try to grab the ball by their feet as they dribble and shoot the ball in the goal located at the opposite end of the field. The players will improve on these two soccer drills soon after they continue practicing it on a regular basis.
Passing the ball and following directions: These two soccer skills have the potential to inculcate team spirit in the players. After all, soccer is a team game and it should be evenly dispersed between all the players. The players will find it really difficult to play as a team if they lack good passing skills and fail to understand and follow simple guidelines.
There is a simple drill that can be used to teach them about passing the ball and following directions. Start with lining the team up in a single file line at one end of the field. At a distance of about 5-10 feet, any one player in the team should stand in front of that line.
You’ll signal them to go and the first person in line will attempt to catch the ball from the teammate in the field. When they are told to stop, the one with the ball should pass it on to the first player in the line. With the help of this soccer practice, players will learn to listen and also follow your directions.
Handling the Ball: Being the coach, decide and take time to teach players how to handle the ball using other parts of their body besides their feet. This way they’ll be able to perform more spontaneously on the field. This can be done when players practice throwing the ball using their knees or head and to use their back to stop the ball.
Soccer drills like these help in developing players that become match winners and make their way to learning more difficult components of the game. You can have your hands full by joining our youth soccer coaching community which offers an unlimited amount of latest updates on soccer coaching techniques. So register today!
Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Soccer drills.