Soccer Exercises And Training Drills

The Place For Soccer Coaching And Fitness

Posts tagged 'kids soccer drills'

Youth Soccer Coaching – Some Basic Tips

You Are The Youth Soccer Coach!

The best way to coach or teach anything is by providing training sessions that are fun. This is true if you’re coaching seniors, but even more so if you’re youth soccer coaching.

Kids soccer coaching  ought to be easy. After all, your players are doing something that they enjoy and they’re doing it with their friends. However, sometimes things can get out of hand.

The best way to keep your coaching sessions fun and focused is by sensible planning. This doesn’t mean that you have to have everything mapped out but you do need to be clear about what you want your players to have improved on by the end of the training session.

What you decide to work on will vary depending on the age and abilities of your players, but you should consider the following aspects of youth soccer coaching as you put your training programme together.

Warm-Up

Getting players to warm up and stretch gently increases their heart rate and prepares their muscles for the session. It’s also a good idea to allow some time for stretching in the middle of the soccer training, especially if you plan to step up the pace. What’s more you get the opportunity to keep your team motivated by chatting to your players informally.

Show And Tell

The best way of explaining what you want your players to do is by demonstrating the drill. Your players will understand what you want much better if they see it in action.

If you can’t demonstrate the drill yourself, you’ve got a serious problem. Is the drill badly thought out or too advanced? You should also ask yourself whether you should be coaching in the first place.

Listen To Your Players

Players will let you know if the session or drill is too easy or hard. Don’t take this as criticism – it’s important feedback and will help you get a better idea of what is and isn’t working.

You should always be talking to your team. Warm-ups and breaks are particularly good opportunities for informal chats. If you have a good relationship with your players – in command but approachable and open to ideas – criticism will be constructive and your team will end up playing better.

It’s also very important to encourage respect and the best way to do this is leading by example. If you treat your players with respect, you’ll find that they’ll respect you in return and they’ll also be more respectful towards each other – this will also stop them from misbehaving when your back is turned.

Be Flexible

Never make your training sessions or plans too rigid. You need to be able to adapt, not only because some players
might have difficulty with new drills but simply because what you planned might not seem such a good idea when you actually see it in practice.

For this reason, it’s always a good idea to have a Plan B!

Variety Is The Spice Of Life

Keep training interesting by mixing things up and using different variations of similar drills.

By changing things you keep your training sessions fresh and stop players from getting complacent. Keeping your players on their toes and continually learning will guarantee you a mischief-free session. If you make your training sessions boring, you’re heading for trouble.

Youngsters respond well to a predictable training format that contains a few surprises.

Put New Skills Into Practice

Once you’ve completed the technical side of training, always remember to try and incorporate the new skills learned in a game situation. Always try and end the session with a small sided game that will allow your players to experiment with their newly-acquired skills.

The greatest mistake you can make as a youth soccer coach is to starve them of the ball. Your role is to teach by showing but you also have to be able to stand back and let them learn from their own mistakes.

Don’t Make It Feel Like School

Don’t preach or lecture them too much – otherwise you might as well send them to school. Most importantly, allow your players to enjoy soccer without you trying to coach every second of the play.

You should also bear in mind that more doesn’t necessarily mean better. So don’t pack too much into your training sessions. It’s often more productive to concentrate on a few new skills in each session allowing plenty of time to go over drills that you’ve worked on previously.

*
In many respects, coaching youth soccer is a question of common sense – being prepared, flexible and practical will mean that both you and your team get more out of training sessions, and that’s a great way to start building a great soccer team.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

Kids soccer?

My 9 year old son is into soccer. He has only been playing a little while and would like to improve his skills. I never played the game so I have no clue how to help him. Can anyone suggest a good lesson video or drills book? Or even a camp in Colorado? I kinda enjoy playing with him, so I would like to learn as well. I’m an old man but I sill have some kick left in me.

His team’s coaches know about as much as I do. They are parents who only coach to get the registration fee paid for their own kids. Coaches kids play for free.

A: I’ve been playing soccer since I was about 5, and im still playing it (im a sophomore in h.s. now). I was in an AYSO league, where it was the same way as your son.

My brother is 9 also, and when I word with him… its all about accuracy. Kids like to just kick it! So, what I like to do it put everything in slow-motion and let them take their time.

Passing is very important. When you pass, you use the inner part of your foot. IT shouldnt be the curve in your show, but just a tad bit towards your laces. You want to hit the ball, and little lower in the middle of the ball. Make sure he knows what part of the foot to use. Same thing with kicking, your should never use your toe unless u need a quick tap in the goal, or to push a play out-of-bounce.

Throw-ins. These are basic. I would suggest the “put your legs together” throw-in for now. Make sure he throws to a player’s feet, and not towards their body. A lead off to the players direction is the main purpose for a throw-in. Remember: hands all the way behind the head.

Few more things… dribbling is important, but is a little crazy for the kid’s age. My brother isnt too bad at it, but its a little more experience.

Make sure your son isnt afraid of the ball, if he is, you need to convince him, that it doesnt hurt and its not even half the size of you, etc. I just tell my brother to stop being a girl, and that always works :D

Most important.. HAVE FUN! I know its important to know your stuff, but having fun at this age is awesome… or I should say, was awesome. I dont teach my brother to the point where were both fustrated. Sometimes I tackle him here or there to put in a few laughs.

If I were to suggest videos or books. Their isn’t many book and videos that really give you a proper start. Their very common sense videos, that you learn in gym class. I would watch a travel team, or even watch a pro soccer game. Stick with MLS or more basic. They will show you basics.

The World Cup is great, but its a bit more complicated. And the plays are alot more a organized than I have ever seen. Brazil, France, Italy, Argentina, England, and Portugal have great set-ups. But thats mainly for you to watch :)

Goodluck! Hope I’ve helped a bit or so :)

Technorati Tags: ,

Ideas for drills and games for little kid’s soccer camp?

I am putting together a soccer camp for kids between the ages of 4 and 10. I have some ideas of games and drills to do with them but i need some more. They have to keep them busy and having fun but we only have 20 min at each of the stations so they can’t be longer than that. Thanks for your help!!!

I am running a soccer clinic as well. It is easier with the older kids, but with the younger kids you need to mix it up before they lose their focus.
The first two days of my clinic I taught them simple skills (passing, dribbling, shooting) and now I am starting to play some fun games that involve those skills. Here are a few that I found online:

Numbers
The exercise is good for 1 vs 1 dribbling skills. It is especially good on a hot day as the kids defending can rest a bit. Divide the kids into 2 groups. If you have ten kids, say, assign each kid a number between one and five. So each team has a number one, a number two, etc. Try to make sure the kids with the same number are evenly matched. Set up two very wide “goals” with pylons. Spread the five kids on each side across each goal line. Call out one or more numbers, and those kids come out to play 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, etc. and the rest of the kids stay spread across the goal line as defenders. Throw a ball from the sideline into the centre and let them play it until a goal is scored, the defenders stop it, or it goes out of bounds.

Variation: Colours. Use two each of different coloured pinnies, armbands, or stickers to place on shirts, as younger kids will have trouble remembering numbers.

Monkey in the Middle
All players form a circle and choose someone (the “Monkey”) to be in its center. The players forming the circle pass one ball among them while the person in the center tries to gain control of the ball. When this happens, the person in the circle who last touched the ball goes to the center. Some level of competitiveness develops but never on an individual basis and the “losers” quickly gets a chance to redeem themselves.

Ice Monster
Mark off an area for the game to be played and select one kid to be the “Monster”. Have the rest of the kids (each with a ball) dribble around within the area. The “Ice Monster” attempts to touch each player’s ball, at which point that player “freezes” with their foot on the ball. If a player’s ball goes out of bounds, they also freeze. The last remaining unfrozen player gets to be the new Ice Monster for the next round.

Cops and Robbers
Have the kids (each with a ball) line up on one side of the field. These guys are the “Robbers”. Have two more kids (the Cops) facing the Robbers somewhere near halfway to the other side. The object is for the Robbers to dribble to the other side without having a Cop tackle the ball away. If a robber loses his ball to a cop, he goes to jail (designate a small area off to the side or use a Goal structure.) Have the Robbers repeat the crossings until there are only 2 left. Make these guys the new cops, pull everyone out of jail and start over.

Pirate (or Monster)
A keepaway game. Coaching points: concentrate on the player’s close dribbling and screening techniques. Everybody inside a circle (center circle is fine) with a ball. One player without a ball is the Pirate. Everybody starts dribbling around. The Pirate player tries to steal a ball from any player and pass it out of the circle – now, the two players are Pirates and go after the others…..then three, then four. Finally only one player is left with a ball. He/she becomes the Pirate the next game.

Variation: Bomber. Just like above except the “IT” player has a ball and tries to roll/throw it at the other player’s and knock their ball out of the circle.

Kick out
Everyone dribbles and shields their ball within a circle while trying to kick everyone else’s ball out, and simultaneously to protect their own. You can’t kick someone else’s ball out if your ball isn’t in the circle. If your ball goes out you have to leave the circle it gets down to two kids in a duel. The coach may participate to keep the game from becoming to competitive, as the ones eliminated early may feel bad.

Give and go
This one is good for getting the kids to move after they make a pass. It is appropriate for kids a little older, who pass the ball but like to stop and really admire their better passes. Everyone spaces themselves around the center circle. Give the ball to one person and they call out someone’s name and pass to them. They then run to the receiver’s position in the circle. The receiver upon hearing their name called steps forward to receive the pass and yells “I got it!” The sequence is then repeated. Several things are accomplished besides getting them used to movement. The “I got it!” yell addresses the problem of nobody playing the ball in a game because they thought the other was going to play it. We all learn each other’s names quickly.

Invariably, someone is always left out so start a countdown from 10 to 0 and they have to figure out who has been left out (the left out person should be quiet). They start yelling among themselves to figure out who it is and this fosters communication on the field. (It’s pretty humorous too).

After a few practices, they get it down so they look pretty sharp. Then you toss in another ball. They love it! Now they have to think a bit because people are moving and two are busy with the other ball.

Egg Hunt
Have more balls than players. Have the players line-up across one end of the field. Take their balls and spread them out around the field, these are the eggs. At the other end of the field is a goal called the “basket”. Blow the whistle and turn them loose. The object of the game is to get all the “eggs” in the basket as quickly as possible. They are all on the same team, and aren’t allowed to take a ball away from another player. Time them to see how fast they can accomplish the task.

The kids really like this game. The more balls (eggs) the better. You should see them score, and turn right around and go back for more balls.

Marbles
Split your team into two groups and line them up behind two opposing lines. Each player should have a ball. Place an unusual color (or size) ball in the middle. This is the marble (a #2 ball works well). Have them try to move the marble across the other team’s line by striking it with a ball. After the game starts, don’t require them to use their own ball, they are free to use any other ball they can find.

At first the players may get really excited and kick the marble. If this happens, call time-out and put it back.

Variation: eliminate the teams and play it in a circle. The game is over when the ball exits the circle.

Teach the parents
During the last practice of the season have a scrimmage between the parents and the players (with the coaches helping the players). This serves a couple of purposes. The kids love this game. They get a chance to show their parents what they can do and they enjoy beating their parents. (The parents never win, the coaches make sure of that….) Also, since many of the parents have never played soccer it shows them how difficult the game really is. The hope is that a parent may now think twice before “yelling” at a child for missing and “easy” shot in a game. Everybody seems to enjoy this scrimmage.

Technorati Tags: ,

Theme by Wessley Roche