Soccer Drills For Youth

What if I told you that young players find it really hard to kick a soccer ball using a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, it’d not just the players but also the coaches who have a problem here. The player is required to maintain absolute balance and the leg with which ball is to be kicked at is bent at the knee. Both position and control to kick the ball appears from below the knee.

In soccer practice, this is the starting position for almost all types of kicks. The acceleration of the foot from below the knee creates a powerful impact on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. Yet, it is the kind of contact of the ball with the foot that decides what type of kick would originate.

For example; it could be chipped very high, driven low, swerved left, or swung right.

There are three vital passes in soccer i.e. a side foot pass, the outside of the foot pass, and the instep drive. Let’s talk about them further.

Soccer Coaching

The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, this pass is considered as the most extensively used and the simplest. Normally, it is used to make short distance passes. While this pass can be easily predicted and is a little slow, it is extremely simple to learn and easy to carry out. The contact with the ball is made on the inside of the ankle and the foot with the foot turned outwards.

In coaching soccer drills, guide the players to keep their bodies totally relaxed throughout the entire movement. This is by far the most critical rule applicable to all types of kicking actions. The ankle and the foot should be stiffened only at the time of contact with the ball.

Once the players become confident, their overall action should seem relaxed, smooth and effortless.

Outside of the foot pass: Al though a little tricky to learn, this pass needs to be taught to the kids correctly as it’s quick, unpredictable, and accurate. A contact is made with the ball between the laces and outside edge of the foot with the foot extended and turned inward. By using the foot, the pass is converted into a quick toss for short distances.

In coaching drills, it’s imperative that the players maintain a comfortable posture.

The Instep Drive: Both the versions of the instep drive namely, lofted version and the low driven version are applied to pass the ball to longer distances. Once the players are confident in executing it, make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass” by introducing some changes in it. As the approach of the instep drive is slightly angled and the non kicking foot is placed about 12 inches to the side of and behind the ball.

The ball then comes into contact with the laces and inside of the foot which must be hard and extended.

So, go forward and make the kids try different things with the ball by teaching them the basic kicking techniques as well its variations.

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You’ve probably heard it a hundred times that in coaching soccer drills, all tactics, skills, and teamwork taught to the players ultimately lead to a shot on the goal. It requires both skill and character to produce quality shooting. But there is something more that is equally important and that is a persuasive attitude.

Every player should take care of this but it is more upon forward players to shoot the ball. While teaching soccer, put shooting on the top of your priority list.

There are so many things that may result from a shoot. Shots can be redirected into the goal. It may happen that the goalkeeper drops the ball right in front of your forward. Unruly shots can turn into brilliant passes. Ground shots may spring back. You can even score a goal by a straight shot.

When in soccer practice, attacking players are always looking for a chance to shoot the ball right into the goal. They are made to think in a way that they always have goal scoring on their mind. In England, these attacking players are known by the term sniffers. It is so because they are always looking for scoring opportunities.

Soccer Coaching

They take every chance for a shot as if it is the last chance that they’ll ever get. You will see that they are always available when the situation is favorable. They’ll even make the most of being in the wrong place at the right time. So in coaching soccer drills encourage your players to shoot the ball whenever possible.

Normally, anytime the ball is kicked with an intention to put it inside the goal is taken as a shot. One of the most effective techniques of driving the ball is through its middle with the help of laces of the foot. Make sure that the player’s head is over the ball, his toe remains extended, and his upper body keeps steady.

In the course of coaching drills, teach your players to shoot the ball wide and low to the goalie. Herein, low ground shots take priority over high shots. This happens due to the fact that goalies have to stop the low ground shots by stretching their hands a lot more in comparison to high shots, thus making it difficult.

Young players tend to score more when they practice inside regulation sized goals by kicking the ball above the head of the goalkeeper. You need to discourage your players on this as this leads them to a habit of shooting high goals. This practice can be put to stop in coaching soccer drills by not allowing players to adult sized goals.

Now get out there and start teaching your players to look up once before they shoot the ball with a view to check the position of the goalkeeper.

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Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.

If you are like me, you probably feel the same way that the biggest problem that a coach faces in coaching soccer drills is to decide on the best way of organizing conditioning schedules for its players. That’s probably because the similarity between coaching and educating the players has been getting some recognition in past few years.

Sadly, in teaching soccer, a majority of the coaches still don’t realize that it’s pertinent to devise the coaching plans as per the needs of the players. They should concentrate on their professional grooming and simultaneously educate them about the game. In some situations, it is seen many a times that the educational aspect in soccer is neglected totally.

However, we should always remember one principle while working out the coaching drills for kids. A young player becomes an elite player of great renown only when he grows as an individual first and then as a soccer player. It is therefore the duty of the coach to act along with the lines of this principle.

The main reason why an individual decides to become a coach is fairly simple to make out.
After the player is no more a part of the team, he wishes to continue being associated with soccer. This is the reason that a lot of soccer players end up as soccer coaches. However, what they don’t understand is the seriousness that this role requires.

Soccer Coaching

Some of them take this as an opportunity to get into the field of coaching and training adult players. Many of them consider this as their only chance to get one with the sport and contribute to the game by sharing their experience and techniques and helping the kids grow. Both the reasons are equally acceptable and convincing. But at the same time, the person should also be aware of the moral responsibility that his choice implies.

Communication is the main feature with respect to coaching soccer drills, and unfortunately it’s the trickiest for a majority of people to understand. It is not necessary that anyone who has achieved great success for ten consecutive years in various age groups can be regarded as a skilled youth coach.

There are some very important goals that a youth soccer coach needs to set for himself. It’s for the coach to encourage kids to look at soccer as a constructive and an inspiring experience in their lives so that they tend to love the game. As a coach, make sure that during the soccer practice, players feel comfortable in openly expressing themselves by way of the game.

Each player in the team has individual talents, resistance, and competence. What’s not important is that every player must possess the competence and talents of a great player. What is truly important is that each one of them eventually reaches his own aptitude.

It is therefore of great importance for us to realize that only brilliant players having successful careers make excellent and expert coaches. A special ability to work with kids is of paramount importance; an inborn gift to make contact with people and nurturing relationships.

Some food for thought; give some serious consideration to what actually motivates you as it is a condition in this context.

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Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.