I can’t say if you’ll agree with me on this but in youth soccer drills, defense is the foundation on which the game depends. When the score in a game is 0-0, it denotes defense played flawlessly by both the sides.
Yet, in kids soccer drills, there are two characteristics of winning a game. One is when an excellent defense is displayed. And the second is by having a great offense that has the capacity to overcome the other team’s defense.
Your players will not be able to score if they cannot acquire the ball. Some coaches have a tendency to train their players in either defense or offense. But, a player must be given complete training in both playing defense when the ball is in other person’s custody and offense when it is with him or her.
Those players who let go of the ball in youth soccer practice should be the ones who chase the ball. This is necessary and most appropriate because the person who loses the ball is the one closest to the ball. So it’s imperative for him or her to put pressure on the player who has the ball now.
This may also be seen as the player trying to get the ball back as soon as is possible. This will also provide enough time to other players in the team to return to their form and get into the defensive positions. This will restrict the opponent player’s movement in the field with the ball in his custody.
Players can be taught these skills by following the below mentioned techniques.
Immediate chase: When implemented correctly in youth soccer drills, it exerts a lot of pressure on the opponents from all sides. And it ultimately causes him or her to make a bad pass or lose the possession of the ball.
Fall back and delay: This requires the remaining team members to fall back, and challenge the opponent with the ball and delay him or her from getting into their team’s goal area.
Since the center of the field is the trickiest place to be in, ask your players to force the opposition player with the ball towards the touchline. This ultimately leads to the player not being able to make a pass and also move around in different directions.
Arc of Concentration: In terms of scoring, the Arc of Concentration is the riskiest area. Maximum number of goals is scored by players in the arc of concentration. So it’s very important to teach the players in youth soccer coaching to concentrate on moving the ball outside of this area.
This arc falls right ahead of the goal. It starts from one corner post of the goal right through the corner of the goal box and moving right up to the touchline. The chances of a goal being scored are high when the ball is in this area.
These are possibly is the easiest ways to teach your player’s game strategy and youth soccer drills in an effective manner.
There is lot more that you can equip yourself about coaching soccer drills by just subscribing to our youth soccer caching community that offers a great amount of knowledge by way of articles, newsletters, and videos.
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com.