Lend me your ears even though you may differ with me on this. It’s important in soccer drills that players are able to have a sense of the game and as such teach them the very basics of soccer. This soccer training should always come first in the training schedule before moving on to the more problematical aspects of training or the right approach to play the game.
As a coach, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that players begin with hitting the right chord. So teach them all the essential soccer skills that form the basis of the game. Following are a few basic skills that each budding player must be skilled at.
Teach the players the skills of shooting and dribbling the ball: Players must first learn the two most basic techniques in soccer, dribbling and shooting. In order to be successful in the game, these skills play a defining role. Nonetheless, training these soccer exercises must be arranged for 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.
Now signal the players to start. The players must then run around and attempt to catch the ball using their foot while dribbling and shooting it inside the goal on opposite side 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. In the end, soccer is a team game that must be jointly shared by all the team members. 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.
In order to teach them first rate passing skills and help them follow directions, there is an easy exercise. To begin with, line up the entire team in one row at the either end of the field. One team member should be then made to stand in front of the row almost 5-10 feet away.
When you give them a green signal, the first one in the row will try to get the ball from other players present on the field. When they are told to stop, the one with the ball should pass it on to the first player in the line. This soccer practice will teach the players to listen as well as follow your instructions.
Handling the Ball: Since you’re the coach, teach the players the skill to manage the ball with their feet and with other parts of their body as well. This will result in players being more natural in their performance on the field. An easy way for players to do it is by practicing to stop the ball with the back or bouncing the ball using knees or the head.
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.
