What if I told you that 50% of soccer coaching drills should focus on enhancing the trapping skills of your players? You will not be convinced with the statement. But you know what! According to a study, in addition to dribbling and passing, trapping too plays a vital role in helping teams win matches.
The ability to capture the ball and retain it for a considerable time is called trapping. These are soccer exercises that permit the use of chest, thighs and feet while doing so.
It’s vital for your players to master the skill of trapping the ball. Failing to do so would mean that they can never be in command of the game since this is imperative. Below mentioned methods can be used to teach trapping skills to the players.
Use your feet: As a coach, you must teach the basic lesson of using the feet to maneuver the ball. Particularly in kids soccer drills, teach the kids to use inside of their foot. It is emphasized for the reason that inside area of the foot is big enough to catch hold of the ball.
Older and well-established players in soccer coaching drills should be trained to use their full foot, just the top, or instep. Train your players to adopt the strategy to apply ankle or shin to catch hold of the ball when it is jumping a lot.
Thigh Movement: A thigh is very useful in controlling the fast and bouncy approaching ball. Players should be taught to face of the ball, use one thigh to catch the ball and the other to stand on the ground. Most importantly, practice dropping your knee once it connects with the ball for the ball to drop down and stay with you rather than getting away.
Continue repeating this exercise till the time you learn it by heart i.e. stopping the ball with your thigh and then tumbling the thigh down so the ball stays somewhere close to you.
Use the Chest: Just like the thigh, chest too has a vital role to play in trapping the ball flying high in the air. Players should be positioned in front of the ball to face it but using the energy through their chest to stop it. The ball will therefore loose its pace immediately and drop down right away to the feet.
But keep in mind that in soccer training drills, young players are given only a few modest lessons on this technique. It is very typical of them to use their hands while trying to stop the ball with the chest. This can prove to be dangerous as the kids might develop a habit of using their hands while tackling the ball.
These soccer coaching drills should be then acted upon instantly. Encourage the players to practice these to a great extent. If you wish to learn a great deal of such tips and tricks, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Training Drills.
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