Soccer Fitness Training

Let me ask you a simple question. Almost all soccer coaches tend to ignore the soccer training tips while designing training programs for kids with the intent of just making up the numbers and going through the motions. Do you fall in the same category?

Before you design your next training programs, make sure you set some specific goals for your team. Decide on what you wish to achieve from the training program and then take all steps necessary to realize your goals.

Include new, innovative, and exciting soccer drills in the training programs to introduce variety. It will break the boring routine of performing the same drills every single day. You’ll notice a positive change in your kid’s performance once they begin to enjoy their training sessions.

Regardless of the level at which they play and their age, your players need to learn to listen to you and give due respect. Valuing each other’s opinions and feelings creates a healthy environment for both players and the coach.

Soccer Training

A high level of flexibility greatly benefits every soccer player. The same is classified into 3 parts.

Dynamic flexibility: This is known as the capacity of a player to perform quick movements within the full range motion in the joint, for instance; twisting from side to side.

Static active flexibility: The ability to stretch a tough muscle by using the tension within that muscle is termed as static active flexibility. For example; hold one leg as high as possible in front of you. The hamstrings are stretched while the quadriceps and hip flexors hold your leg up.

Static passive: It’s the skill of using the body weight or some external force to hold a stretch. For example; picture yourself holding your leg out in front of you and relaxing it on a chair.

Now let’s advance towards the next stage in the line of soccer training tips. It requires you to check that kids are wearing an appropriate gear, depending on the weather conditions.

Training for soccer and a fitness program should go hand in hand with a view to work upon those areas that need most help. Following are the factors that must be kept in mind when designing a training program like this.

Kid’s age: There is a direct connection between decrease in the flexibility of soft tissues and the reduced range of movement, as one grows older, notwithstanding the gender. However, decrease in flexibility can be significantly slowed down if we keep active.

Gender: Girls show greater movement, no matter what their age.

Motion: It is natural for kids with an active lifestyle to showcase better soccer skills and a greater range of movement that the ones not so active on field.

Injury: Injuries also hamper the range of motion in a joint.

Pain: Flexibility decreases as pain increases, resulting in muscle spasms. On the other hand, strength training does not affect flexibility if you are doing the exercises correctly and in full range of motion.

Genetics: The amount of flexibility that a player possesses also depends upon his genetics.

So make sure you incorporate these soccer training tips into your training programs with a view to improve their effectiveness and productivity. You can develop your coaching skills by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of articles, newsletters, and significant 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: Soccer Drills For Kids.

What if I told you that stretching as a part of soccer training tips is highly recommended by professional soccer coaches and is widely practiced by players in almost every sport? As a sport, soccer is growing and developing incessantly in its superiority.

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

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.

There are some advantages of practicing stretching discussed in this article that improve a player’s ability to become an exceptional player.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: Constant stretching by players during the day and continuing it over a period of time helps the growth of their muscles, thus diminishing the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of improving the size and strength of muscles.

Stretching affects flexibility: Stretching does prevent 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. One of the most important soccer training tips is to focus on enhancing the player’s range of motion by spreading out the stretching program over a period of months together.

Stretching perks up performance: When stretching program is designed specifically to suit soccer needs of the players, their performance improves.

Make stretching fun for the kids: You can do this by including a variety of soccer drills into your training regimen. Keep varying the warm-up activities you do before stretching. Try various activities like tag games, ball tag, and keep away.

Contemplate on the stretching, sense and know each stretch, along with checking for stiffness in the body.

For a majority of kids, one stretch of15-30 minutes is sufficient for each muscle group but some kids may take longer stretches or more repetitions.

This is because when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, tightness 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. Stretching for five minutes after practicing soccer skills prevents muscles from tightening too fast.

Usually, players who practice an active warm-up ahead of stretching get a superior range of motion than those kids who just stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

I again reiterate that the most important of all soccer training tips is to remember that hurried stretching does not help kids become flexible, gets monotonous and pointless, so let them take their own time to warm up before stretching. 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.