Soccer Coaching Tips

If you also share similar thoughts as I do, you’d know that soccer training tips for goalkeepers have a great importance as he/she is the only player that has the freedom to touch the ball with hands and arms both.

That’s why a goalie’s soccer skills put him/ her in an advantageous position from rest of the ream members. But this makes a soccer coach’s job quite challenging when it comes to coaching goalkeepers.

Goalkeepers in soccer are more often than not, the first line of offence and the last line of defense, based on the playing skill. They wouldn’t mind using their body in every possible way to stop the ball or obstruct a shot from getting inside the goal. They are ready to dive in any direction to catch hold of the ball.

A goalie’s training for soccer can be very challenging, keeping in view their specific role requirements and their level of play. You must also keep in mind, his mental state when you are training him/ her on all important skills and techniques.

Soccer Training

In terms of comparison, only a striker can match the skills and enthusiasm of a goalkeeper. Actually some of the best goalies have already been great strikers at some point in their career. You’ll frequently encounter a one on one battle at various levels of competition between goalies and forwards.

One of the most important soccer training tips for a goalkeeper is to stay balanced and know the center of gravity of the body. In a game setting, this will benefit by improving the goalkeeper’s activity and the inclination of the other player.

Though most goalkeepers in soccer are tall with long arms and big hands, but even if otherwise they easily compensate for the need of physical built with good vertical and lateral mobility.

It is necessary of the coaches to recognize that goalkeepers need constant motivation no matter how good is there sense of self-worth. It is necessary that goalkeepers split up and perform practice soccer drills specific to their role after that have done their 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 ball can only be handled by the goalie in the 18 yard box. If the ball is touched by any player’s arm other than the goalkeeper, the opposing party gets a free kick. If it is a goalie’s teammate, it’s a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

So you should now concentrate on using these soccer training tips by encouraging the goalkeeper who leads the team inside the 18 yard box, and needs appreciation of remaining teammates. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of articles, newsletters, and related videos to improve your coaching skills.

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.

Does it sound familiar when I say that stretching forms an integral part of soccer training tips and is widely recommended and practiced by almost all sportspersons? Soccer is one of such sports that is always growing and developing in its complexity.

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

In static stretching, players stretch their muscles to a certain point of resistance and then hold for some period of time. Rebounding, rhythmic bouncing, and recurring motions are involved in dynamic stretching. It is generally considered as more dangerous and less effective than static stretching.

In this article, you’ll find some good points of stretching that can help average players become great players.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: Stretching helps bring down the risks of injury when performed over a period of time by stretching the muscles daily, thus promoting their growth. Stretching also provides a way of improving the size and strength of muscles.

Stretching shapes flexibility: Stretching puts a stop to any loss of flexibility. However, the support is more convincing for a long-term stretching line up than for shorter periods of time.

Performing stretching for a few minutes before starting any playing activity is likely to enhance flexibility. But, of all the soccer training tips, the best is where stretching program is extended over a longer period of time that constantly improves the player’s range of motion.

Stretching betters’ performance: When the stretching program is planned after considering the player’s soccer specific needs, their performance improves.

Make sure that the kids enjoy stretching: Make stretching fun for the kids by including a variety of soccer drills into your session. Keep changing the type of warm up exercises that you perform 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.

One 15-30-second stretch for each muscle group is sufficient for most players, but some kids require longer stretches and more repetitions as well.

The reason for this is that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, stiffness decreases and extensibility increases. Those players who wish to sustain or increase their flexibility can partially attain this goal by stretching. Doing stretching when the body temperature is higher as against normal makes it more productive, safe, and sound.

This is why some coaches tend to make their kids perform stretching exercises after a workout as well. If your kids stretch for 5-10 minutes after performing soccer skills, their muscles will not tighten too fast.

Generally, players who exercise an active warm-up prior to stretching get a better range of motion than those who only stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

When feeling stiff or inflexible, the most important soccer training tips is to allow kids to warm up sufficiently, as doing stretches would not help them become flexible, and will become boring and futile. You can get more such tips and tactics by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has several relevant 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.