Soccer Training Equipment

How would you react to the fact that one thing that young players find truly hard is to use a straight leg to kick the ball? In coaching soccer drills, this is the trickiest part as far as the players and the coaches are concerned. The player keeps overall balance and the leg to be used to kick the ball is bent at the knee. Both poise and power to kick the ball comes from below the knee.

This is the preliminary position in soccer practice for almost all kinds of kicks. The increase of rate of the foot from below the knee puts together a powerful blow on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. Nevertheless, it depends upon the type of contact that the ball has with the foot which concludes the kick’s style.

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

The three essential passes in soccer are a side foot pass, instep drive, and the outside of the foot pass. Let’s discuss them further.

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. Although this pass is slightly slow and almost predictable, it’s very simple to teach the kids and perform accurately. The foot turned outward, ball comes into contact on the outside of the ankle and the foot.

In coaching soccer drills, the players should be trained to keep their bodies relaxed all through the action. This is the most basic rule with all types of kicking actions. The ankle and the foot should be stiffened only at the time of contact with the ball.

Subsequently, as players are convinced of their ability to perform it, the action should come out smooth, natural, and relaxed.

Outside of the foot pass: Al though a little tricky to learn, this pass needs to be taught to the kids correctly as it’s quick, unpredictable, and accurate. A contact is made with the ball between the laces and outside edge of the foot with the foot extended and turned inward. With the help of the foot, the pass is modified into a quick flick for short distances.

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

The Instep Drive: Both the versions of instep drive i.e. the low driven version and the lofted version are brought into play to pass the ball over longer distances. There is also an option to adapt this style to make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass”. As 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 then, go on and train your players on these basic techniques of kicking along with the variations so that the ball does little different things.

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.

You may have heard that in coaching soccer drills, all skills have only 1 goal and that is to take a shot at the goal. It takes skill as well as gut feeling to produce quality shooting. But apart from this, there is something else that is equally important and that is forceful attitude.

It is the responsibility of every player but more importantly that of the forward players to shoot the ball. When teaching soccer, give a lot of emphasis on shooting.

There are so many things that may be a consequence of shooting. Shots can be redirected into the goal. It is a possibility that the goalkeeper may very well drop the ball at the foot of your forward player. Rowdy shots can turn into accurate passes. Ground shots may return. You might even score a goal directly from the 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. These attacking players are referred to as sniffers in England. This happens because they are always reviewing scoring chances.

Soccer Coaching

They take every shot as if it was the last chance to score a goal. You’ll always find them at the right place at the right time. They’ll even make the most of being in the wrong place at the right time. Hence, in coaching soccer drills, you must instruct the players to hit the ball whenever they get a chance.

Normally, anytime the ball is kicked with an intention to put it inside the goal is taken as a shot. One of the most effective techniques of driving the ball is through its middle with the help of laces of the foot. The player’s head should be over the ball, his toe extended, and his upper body should remain steady.

In the course of coaching drills, teach your players to shoot the ball wide and low to the goalie. In such a scenario, high shots are less preferred that low ground shots. This is because goalies find it difficult to stop the ground shots as they have to stretch their hands relatively more.

Young players tend to score more when they practice inside regulation sized goals by kicking the ball above the head of the goalkeeper. You must discourage your players to do this as it instills the habit of shooting high goals. When coaching soccer drills, put a stop to this activity by not permitting kids to play 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.

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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.

In coaching soccer drills, there are certain training tips that I’d like to share with you before you initiate your training program even if you have been doing this for quite a long time. During soccer practice, focus on a specific objective like kids must have loads of fun in the game as it benefits both the coach and the players.

At this point, it’s important to stay alert or else you’ll get distracted by other things. I therefore recommend that you decide on more specific objectives for yourself and your soccer team. Some examples are; focus on player’s individual soccer skills, promote the importance of their physical fitness, and help them grow into mature, professional, and sporting soccer players.

When it comes to sportsmanship, the onus lies on you to set a high standard for the players. Encourage attitudes like fair play, team spirit, and sportsmanship. There are several objectives important in teaching soccer that can be incorporated in your list along with these.

One more concept that needs to be highlighted in youth soccer coaching is the notion of winning the match. During the training sessions, introduce the open concept of winning and try to place it in their minds. Teach them that as long as their performance is out of ordinary on the field, they are winners, no matter what the final result.

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 you start coaching your team, educate your players on some specific do’s and don’ts in the game of soccer. The variation between coaching and teaching is prominent because coaching deals with a bunch of players who already play soccer pretty well.

In coaching drills, it is great idea to first demonstrate to the kids about 5 to 6 times a specific drill and then let it di it themselves. This is because young players generally do not respond to oral instructions very well. If you attempt to explain an action in words, they won’t understand it. However, they are good at replicating things.

Hence, make it an imperative exercise to give a demonstration at every possible opportunity.

In the end, but still important is to keep the kids involved in several activities. This becomes even more important when the weather is windy, wet, or cold. It is well known that the kids love playing in the rain. Hence, instead of simply cancelling the session, it makes more sense to have them play soccer games or something like that.

Ensure that in situations like these, the kids are wearing proper soccer gear as well as additional protection.

Move forward now and start using these tips to your training sessions. You’ll be amazed to see the results.

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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.

In coaching soccer drills, there’s no doubt that perhaps the most complex part is that of finding out the most appropriate method of managing the conditioning schedules of the players. There is a reason why I’m saying this and it’s because the thin line between educating and coaching the players has somehow vanished.

Regrettably, many coaches still don’t understand that when teaching soccer, drawing a coaching plan based on the player’s needs is of paramount importance. At the same time, they should focus not only on professionally coaching the kids but also educating them. There have been a number of situations where this educational facet of soccer has not been considered at all.

Still, we must not forget one theory on which the coaching drills for the layers should be based. A young player becomes an elite player of great renown only when he grows as an individual first and then as a soccer player. Therefore, the coach should act strictly as pre the above mentioned principle.

If we try to figure out something that cheers a former player to become a coach is pretty easy.
It’s the feeling to stay with the game in either ways after he has stopped playing for the team. As a result, many successful players become soccer 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. Some others decide to take up this role due to their love towards the sport and an intention to instill the same passion in the kids. Both are compelling and very well acceptable reasons. But along with this, there are some ethical responsibilities as well that come hand in hand with being a coach.

When it comes to coaching soccer drills, communication is the key concept and unfortunately, it is still very difficult for people to accept. 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.

In order to be accepted as a great coach, certain standards need to be set and followed. It’s for the coach to encourage kids to look at soccer as a constructive and an inspiring experience in their lives so that they tend to love the game. As a coach, make sure that during the soccer practice, players feel comfortable in openly expressing themselves by way of the game.

In a team, there are players with varied talents, stamina, and caliber. What’s not important is that every player must possess the competence and talents of a great player. What is most important is that every single player must be able to reach his own ability ultimately.

This needs to be understood that every soccer player, no matter how skilled, renowned, and competent he may be, is not capable of coaching young players. A special ability to work with kids is of paramount importance; an inborn gift to make contact with people and nurturing relationships.

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

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 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.