Soccer Conditioning

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.

And so, soccer skills that a goalie possesses give him an edge over other remaining players. But this makes a coach’s job tougher and more complex when training goalkeepers for soccer.

Based on the method of play in soccer, goalkeepers are the first line of offense and last line of defense. These players don’t think twice before putting their body in harms way to stop or block the ball from getting into the goalpost. They are all so set to proceed in any direction when it comes to getting the possession 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

Only one player in the team can be compared to a goalkeeper and that is the goal hungry striker. In fact, some of the best goalies have also been great strikers at one point or the other. You’ll be able to encounter frequent one on one battle between the goalie and the forwards at different levels of competition.

Of all the soccer training tips, the one essential for the goalie to follow is that he should stay balanced and be aware of the center of gravity of the body. 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. After the goalkeepers have done their routine warm up rounds with the team, they should then focus on performing soccer drills meant for their specific role in the team.

Goalkeepers have a dominant personality and in that sense they are also the leaders of the teams. 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. If the ball is touched by any player’s arm other than the goalkeeper, the opposing party gets a free kick. In the case of the goalie’s team member, it is a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

So go ahead and use these soccer training tips in improving the overall performance of the team by supporting the goalkeeper who’s the leader in the 18 yard box and should be appreciated for that. 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? As a sport, soccer is growing and developing incessantly in its superiority.

There are two kinds of stretching; static and dynamic, that are slotted in planning training for the soccer season.

Static stretching requires the kids to extend their muscles as far as they can and hold for a given duration of time. Recurring motions, rebounding, and rhythmic bouncing are performed by the players while doing dynamic stretching. In comparison with static stretching, it is more risky and less useful.

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 increasing the muscle size and strength.

Stretching affects flexibility: Stretching prevents 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 for some minutes prior to any occasion is liable to improve 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 altering the warm up exercises that you do before stretching. Try tag games, 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 for this is that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, stiffness decreases and extensibility increases. Kids who feel like to keep up or enhance their flexibility can realize this goal to some extent by stretching. It’s advisable to perform stretching exercises when the body temperature is higher than normal as it is safer and more useful.

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.

In general, players who do an active warm-up before stretching get an improved range of motion than kids who only stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

Some food for thought; one of the most important soccer training tips is that hurried stretching is meaningless and boring and doesn’t help your players gain flexibility, so allow them some extra time when they are feeling inflexible or stiff. Join our youth soccer coaching community and enhance your knowledge about soccer through loads of articles, videos, and podcasts available there.

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.