Soccer Rules

If you think the way I do, I’m sure you’ll agree that in coaching soccer drills, zeroing down the best method to organize conditioning programs is by far the most difficult part. The reason I say this is because in the last few years, the fine line between coaching and educating has gradually dissolved.

Sadly, in teaching soccer, a majority of the coaches still don’t realize that it’s pertinent to devise the coaching plans as per the needs of the players. At the same time, they should focus not only on professionally coaching the kids but also educating them. In certain situations, it has been observed that this educational side in soccer takes a backseat.

However, we should always remember one principle while working out the coaching drills for kids. A young player becomes an elite player of great renown only when he grows as an individual first and then as a soccer player. A coach should therefore act according to the above principle.

If we try to figure out something that cheers a former player to become a coach is pretty easy.
Once his playing days are over, he desires to remain involved in the world of soccer. This is what makes some successful players take a plunge and become kid’s coaches. However, what they don’t understand is the seriousness that this role requires.

Soccer Coaching

Some of them take this as an opportunity to get into the field of coaching and training adult players. There are still others who take this up because they truly love working with kids and wish to share with them their passion for soccer. Both these reasons are valid and well accepted. But it’s not only these duties but additional principles too that need to be taken into consideration.

Communication is the main feature with respect to coaching soccer drills, and unfortunately it’s the trickiest for a majority of people to understand. It is not necessary that anyone who has achieved great success for ten consecutive years in various age groups can be regarded as a skilled youth coach.

There are a few standards that a youth soccer coach is expected to not only set but also meet. Being a competent and skillful coach requires helping young players to love soccer and consider it as a positive and an exciting experience in their lives. During the soccer practice, the players should feel at ease all the time so that their feelings are conveyed openly in course of the game.

In a team, different players have their different styles of playing and a varying potential. What’s not important is that every player must possess the competence and talents of a great player. What is truly important is that each one of them eventually reaches his own aptitude.

So we must understand that not every soccer player is cut out to be a skillful and a proficient youth team coach. He must possess a unique ability to connect easily with kids; a natural gift for individual contact and emotional relations.

Some food for thought; serious consideration of one’s real motivations should always be a precondition in this context.

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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.

Would you be surprised if I let you know that it’s really tricky for the young players to kick the ball with a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, this is by far the biggest problem that a coach and the players face. The player is required to maintain absolute balance and the leg with which ball is to be kicked at is bent at the knee. Both poise and power to kick the ball comes from below the knee.

This is the starting point for almost all styles of kicks in soccer practice. The acceleration of the foot from below the knee creates a powerful impact on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. However, what type of a kick would it be is determined by the precise contact of the foot on the ball.

For example; it could be thumped very high, driven low, turn sharply to the left, or move to the right.

There are three basic passes in soccer namely, a side foot pass, the outside of the foot pass, and the instep drive. Let’s now discuss them some more.

Soccer Coaching

The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, this pass is considered as the most extensively used and the simplest. Normally, it is used to make short distance passes. Though it is a little slow and quite predictable during the game but is very easy for the kids to learn and execute accurately. The ball makes a contact on the inside of the foot and ankle, and the foot is turned outward.

When you are in the midst of coaching soccer drills, teach the players to be at ease with respect to their body. This is by far the most critical rule applicable to all types of kicking actions. The ankle and the foot should be stiffened only at the time of contact with the ball.

The moment players feel confident about carrying out this task well; their action should seem relaxed, simple, as well as smooth.

Outside of the foot pass: This is a little difficult to learn but is extremely important to master because it is accurate, quick, and cannot be predicted. The ball gets in touch between the outside edge of the foot and the laces with the foot extended and turned inwards. With the use of a foot, the pass is transformed into a speedy throw for short distances.

In coaching drills, it’s imperative that the players maintain a comfortable posture.

The Instep Drive: Both the versions of the instep drive namely, lofted version and the low driven version are applied to pass the ball to longer distances. Once mastered, this style can also be modified to make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass”. Since the approach of the instep drive is slightly angled and the non kicking foot is placed about 12 inches to the side of and behind the ball.

The ball makes a contact with the laces and inside of the foot, which should be firm and extended.

So now coach your kids the various techniques of kicking the ball and with variations to let them do different things with the ball.

To know more about coaching soccer drills, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that offers effective and practical knowledge to help you excel in your career as a soccer coach.

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 Training Drills.

It is well known that in coaching soccer drills, every skill and teamwork imparted to the players has only 1 objective; to shoot the goal. It takes both skill and instinct to develop the art of good shooting. But there is something more that is equally important and that is a persuasive attitude.

It is the responsibility of every player but more importantly that of the forward players to shoot the ball. When you are teaching soccer, give shooting top priority.

There are so many things that may result from a shoot. Shots can be redirected into the goal. The goalkeeper might drop the ball exactly at the feet of your forward player. Rowdy shots can turn into accurate passes. Ground shots can get a timely rebound. A goal might result out of a straight shot.

When in soccer practice, attacking players are always looking for a chance to shoot the ball right into the goal. They are made to think in a way that they always have goal scoring on their mind. In England, these attacking players are called sniffers. This is because they are always sniffing out scoring chances.

Soccer Coaching

They consider every chance the last chance to score a goal and hence shoot accordingly. You will see that they are always available when the situation is favorable. They’ll even make the most of being in the wrong place at the right time. Therefore, in coaching soccer drills you must ask the players to hit the ball at every opportunity.

As a general rule, any kick that causes the ball to go towards the goal is considered as a shot. Yet, one technique that is most effective is driving the ball through the middle by use of the laces of the foot. To carry this out, the player should have his head over the ball, his toe should be extended, and his upper body should keep steady.

In the course of coaching drills, teach your players to shoot the ball wide and low to the goalie. Herein, low ground shots take priority over high shots. The reason is that low shots are especially difficult for the goalies to stop as they have to move their hands a greater distance than for high shots.

While practicing with regulation sized goals, players get to score more by hitting the ball over and above the goalkeeper’s head. You must discourage your players to do this as it instills the habit of shooting high goals. In coaching soccer drills, stop this practice by not letting your players to practice in adult sized goals.

So go ahead and make your players expert in shooting the ball to score goals by confirming the position of the goalkeeper once before shooting.

There is a lot more that you can get to know by just subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community which has tons of information on coaching young players in form of newsletters, articles, and videos.

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.

Before you get on with coaching soccer drills to kids, let me share with you some teaching ideas that are sure to help you, whether you agree or not. Let’s say that the soccer practice has one broad goal for both the coach and the player and it is to have fun while participating in the practice sessions.

Herein, you must remain careful otherwise you’ll not be able to follow the fun part. I therefore recommend that you decide on more specific objectives for yourself and your soccer team. For example; develop a sense of team spirit and a sporting attitude in your players, help them identify their individual soccer skills, and emphasize on improving their physical fitness.

You, being the coach are solely responsible to set high standards for sportsmanship. Encourage attitudes like fair play, team spirit, and sportsmanship. However, in teaching soccer, you can have numerous other objectives that you can add to those mentioned above.

One more concept that needs to be highlighted in youth soccer coaching is the notion of winning the match. When you coach your kids, you must instill an open concept of winning in their minds. Make it clear to the players that it is the level of their performance that makes them a winner no matter what the final decision is.

Soccer Coaching

The players as a result will feel totally relaxed but much more responsible to play the game sensibly with the team’s objectives in their mind.

It’s important that your instructions during coaching soccer drills are to the point and exact for players to fetch expected results. Before coaching, you need to teach your players about some explicit do’s and don’ts in soccer. The difference in coaching and teaching is that the former is done with a group of players who are already familiar with the basic skills and concepts of the game.

While coaching drills, it is preferable to first demonstrate the drill to the kids and then give them a free hand in executing it themselves. It is effective because young players are more receptive to seeing than listening. If you attempt to explain an action in words, they won’t understand it. Relatively, they imitate perfectly.

So, as a general rule, demonstrate the skills yourself whenever possible.

Finally, but still very important is your ability to keep the kids engaged in important activities. This is all the more important when it rains or the weather is extremely cold. It is well known that the kids love playing in the rain. So, instead of revoking the session, it makes more sense to find alternative ways to let them have fun.

Just make sure that in a situation like this, your kids have an extra layer of clothing and proper footwear.

Go ahead and make these tips a part of your plan. You’ll be amazed to see the results.

To gain more knowledge on coaching soccer drills, register for our youth soccer coaching community that will keep you updated on topics of youth soccer.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Coaching soccer drills.