Soccer Coaching

Did you know that soccer training tips has an important feature; stretching, that is highly recommended as well as practiced by almost every sports person? As a sport, soccer is growing and developing incessantly in its superiority.

In kid’s training for soccer, there are two types of stretching, dynamic and static stretching that are integrated.

Static stretching requires players to stretch their muscles to a point of resistance and hold for a given duration of time. Dynamic stretching involves rhythmic bouncing, rebounding and recurring motions. Generally, static stretching is considered as more effective and involves less risk than dynamic stretching.

This article discusses some benefits of stretching that go a long way in making a good player great.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: When players do stretching every day and keep doing it for a long time, it promotes their muscle growth that reduces the risk of injury. Stretching also provides an effective way of enhancing the muscle size and strength.

Stretching influences flexibility: Stretching puts off the loss of flexibility. Still, the effects of stretching are way better when it is done for a long period of time than for a shorter duration.

Stretching a few minutes prior to any event is likely to increase flexibility. When it comes to soccer training tips, the best bet is to distribute a stretching program over a predetermined length of time to continuously increase the range of motion.

Stretching improves performance: Stretches, when designed to be soccer specific can greatly improve a player’s performance.

Make stretching fun for the kids: You can do this by including a variety of soccer drills into your training regimen. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try games like the tag game, ball tag, and keep away.

Concentrate all your energy on stretching, experience and identify with each stretch while checking for soreness.

For almost all players, one single 15-30 minute stretch for each muscle group is sufficient but some may need longer stretches and more repetitions.

The reason is that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, tension decreases and extensibility increases. Players who want to maintain or increase their flexibility can partly achieve this goal by stretching. It is better, safer, and more productive to do stretching exercises when the body temperature is higher than normal.

For this reason, some kids are made to do stretching even after their workout also. Stretching for five minutes after practicing soccer skills prevents muscles from tightening too fast.

Usually, players who practice an active warm-up ahead of stretching get a superior range of motion than those kids who just stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

One of the most important soccer training tips to keep in mind is that stretching, if done hurriedly, does not help kids gain any flexibility, and becomes worthless and repetitive, so give them sufficient time to warm up before stretching. Join to our youth soccer coaching community and you can get access to numerous articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

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 have a similar bent of mind as I have, you’ll agree with me that soccer training tips for goalkeepers is very important as he/she is the sole player allowed to make contact with the ball by hands and arms both.

And so, soccer skills that a goalie possesses give him an edge over other remaining players. But this makes a soccer coach’s job quite challenging when it comes to coaching goalkeepers.

Soccer Goalkeepers are often the first line of the offense and the last line of defense, depending upon the technique of play. They will not hesitate in putting their bodies in harms way to stop or block a shot into the goal. They are always prepared to grab hold of the ball by pitching into any direction whatsoever.

Goalkeepers training for soccer on various techniques specific to their role and the level of their play can be extremely demanding. This also requires you to take into consideration his mental state and train him on various skills accordingly.

Soccer Training

A striker in the team is the only player who has the potential to stand in comparison with the goalkeeper. Almost all goalies have essentially played as goal hungry strikers at one point or the other in their soccer careers. You’ll be able to encounter frequent one on one battle between the goalie and the forwards at different levels of competition.

When it comes to soccer training tips, staying balanced and knowing the center of gravity of the body is of the essence to the goalkeeper. This will benefit a game setting by enhancing the activity of a goalkeeper and the promptness of other players.

Although most soccer goalkeepers are tall and have long arms and big hands, but even if he or she is short, they usually compensate for the lack of height with good vertical and lateral mobility.

A coach must always remember that though goalkeepers have a good sense of self-worth but even then they need constant motivation. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Goalkeepers are the leaders of the team as both their role and their personality is quite dominating. So they should be placed in a voiced and representative capacity so that they can successfully accomplish their duties with the support of all the team members.

The goalie can handle the ball only in the 18 yard box. When the ball gets touched by the arm of any player other than the goalie, the opponent team gets a free kick. In the case of the goalie’s team mate, it is a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

So your job now is to use these soccer training tips to improve goalkeeper’s performance on the field as they are the leaders inside the 18 yard box and should be valued by their teammates. Join our youth soccer coaching community that has numerous relevant articles, newsletters, videos, and podcasts to help your broaden your knowledge on soccer coaching.

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.