You might disagree, but hear me out on this. During free soccer training drills, the best strategy is to keep the ball rolling within your own players, watching a loop hole in the defense of the opposite team in order to attack. These skills can easily be imparted to the new players, if, during the soccer coaching drills, the coaches would follow the tips we are going to mention in the following sections.
Match winning approach: divide and rule; keep the ball throwing from one side to the other looking for the space between the defenders to attack. Your team can also release stress by switching the ball.
The quick switch or the blind pass: Train one or two of your mid-fielders to dribble to the right, using the right foot, and then swing the ball to the left, sending almost a blind pass.Rapid Switching or the Blind Pass: Develop a skill in one or two mid-fielders to move the ball with right foot while kicking it to the left, showing almost a blind pass. Left-footed mid-fielder, can perform the trick by moving the ball using the left foot and throwing it back to the right side using left foot.
Your team will have an excellent chance to achieve the goal, since the opposite defender won’t be expecting the pass.
All players in the team will have to adjust to the expectation that a switch is always coming so tell your team to frequently switch the ball. Of all the soccer drills, your kids may find this drill rather difficult but it is it’s competitive nature that guarantees player’s total participation in soccer practice.
To complete this drill, six small goals are to be setup on both the sides of the ground. In case the player makes a goal which are placed in the middle of the field, a score is made by the team. Setting points—say two points, for passing through the last goal, will encourage switching.
In performing free soccer training drills, make sure that the goals are wide enough to explain that there is no use simply positioning a player between them to stop a run or pass. Running from point A to B should be assigned to one player. To prevent the attackers to score, the players must remain between the goal.
Young defenders usually move away from their designated positions. They normally gather around the ball. Hence the defenders can be caught by surprise if the mid fielders learn to identify the opportunity areas and move the play on the other side of the field.
In the subsequent football drills session, spend some time demonstrating to players how to cover the total width of the pitch. Teach them the skills and rehearse a few moves with them to let them know where the attacking threat might come from.
As now you have the complete information, remember to include these trainings to your free soccer training drills, so your players are always ready and the opposition mid-fielders find it difficult to catch your defenders out. Enhance your knowledge on coaching tips by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has a plethora of informative articles, newsletters, and videos.
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: Soccer Training.