Weight Training Soccer

What if I told you that young players find it really hard to kick a soccer ball using a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, it’d not just the players but also the coaches who have a problem here. 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 preliminary position in soccer practice for almost all kinds of kicks. The rushing of the foot from below the knee creates an immense impact on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. Still, the style of kick that would emerge would depend upon the nature of contact of the ball with the foot.

For example; it could be knocked very high, driven low, turn left, or sway 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 is the most widely used and the simplest pass. 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 ball makes a contact on the inside of the foot and ankle, and the foot is turned outward.

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 need to be stiffened only at the time when the players is about to get in 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. A contact is made with the ball between the laces and outside edge of the foot with the foot extended and turned inward. By using the foot, the pass is converted into a quick toss for short distances.

In the course of these coaching drills, players should keep their stance relaxed.

The Instep Drive: Here, the two versions; lofted versions and the low driven version are utilized 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”. 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.

Here, the ball gets into contact in between the inside of the foot and the laces which is extended and very firm.

So, go forward and make the kids try different things with the ball by teaching them the basic kicking techniques as well its variations.

If you would like to enhance your knowledge on coaching soccer drills for kids, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has a huge amount of information in form of articles, newsletters and 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 Training Drills.

You’ve probably heard it a hundred times that in coaching soccer drills, all tactics, skills, and teamwork taught to the players ultimately lead to a shot on the goal. It requires both skill and character to produce quality 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 teaching soccer, give a lot of emphasis on shooting.

So many things may come out of a shoot. Shots can be redirected into the goal. It might be that the goalkeeper drops the ball at the foot of your forward player. Wild shots can turn into great passes. Ground shots may return. You might even score a goal directly from the shot.

During the soccer practice, attacking players are always on a lookout to shoot the ball into the goal at every possible opportunity. 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 is because they are always sniffing out 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 have the skills to even convert negative situations into positive ones. 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. One of the most effective techniques of driving the ball is through its middle with the help of laces of the foot. Make sure that the player’s head is over the ball, his toe remains extended, and his upper body keeps steady.

In coaching drills, your players should learn to shoot the ball low and wide of the goalie. At this point, low ground shots are favored 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.

Young players tend to score more when they practice inside regulation sized goals by kicking the ball above the head of the goalkeeper. As a result of it, the players develop the tendency to shoot high goals so this must be discouraged. This practice can be put to stop in coaching soccer drills by not allowing players to adult sized goals.

So now go teach you kids to become master shooters when it comes to scoring goals by checking the goalie’s position once before they are ready to shoot.

You can lay your hands on loads of relevant information pertaining to coaching young players in form of newsletters, articles, and videos by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community.

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.

I don’t know a thing about you, but I’ll bet that it is necessary that you look at some common teaching suggestions before starting out with the coaching soccer drills. Work out a common objective for the team as well as yourself as a coach, for instance; during soccer practice the players must enjoy the game while they are a part of it.

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. 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.

Since you are the coach, you only are responsible for setting high standards of sportsmanship for players. Encourage attitudes like fair play, team spirit, and sportsmanship. When teaching soccer, you have the option to include any number of relevant objectives along with the ones stated above.

The theory of winning is one concept that I’d like to stress upon when it comes to coaching youth soccer. 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

This will take away the pressure off the kids and they’ll focus more on playing their best game rather than just winning it.

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 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.

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 endeavor to explain in instructions, they will not understand it. Relatively, they imitate perfectly.

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

In the end, but still important is to keep the kids involved in several activities. This is more valid if the weather prevents you from having a regular session. You must understand that kids are just thrilled at the prospect of playing in the rain. So, rather than just telling them to go home, it is more beneficial to find ways so that they can still enjoy soccer in some form.

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

Move forward now and start using these tips to your training sessions. You will be surprised by the results.

To get more knowledge on coaching soccer drills, join our youth soccer coaching community that will help you get more of such immense knowledge.

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.

If you are like me, you probably feel the same way that the biggest problem that a coach faces in coaching soccer drills is to decide on the best way of organizing conditioning schedules for its players. That’s probably because the similarity between coaching and educating the players has been getting some recognition in past few years.

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. There have been a number of situations where this educational facet of soccer has not been considered at all.

Yet, there is just one code that must be adhered to while determining the coaching drills for the 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. The coach must therefore base his strategy on the above stated principle.

It’s easy to find out the reason that pushes a player to take on the duty of a coach.
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. But they fail to seriously consider the nature of this job.

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 these reasons are valid and well accepted. 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 enough to have a great career history spanning many years of top rated success and achievements to qualify as a professional 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. As a coach, make sure that during the soccer practice, players feel comfortable in openly expressing themselves by way of the game.

Each player in the team has individual talents, resistance, and competence. The important thing is not that each one of them should have skills and potential of a champion. But what’s really important is that every player must reach his own competence in the due course.

So we must understand that not every soccer player is cut out to be a skillful and a proficient youth team coach. 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; try and figure out the true motivations that cheer you to follow this prospect since it’s a pre requirement in this context.

Register to our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of knowledge on coaching soccer drills available in form of newsletters, articles, and videos relevant to coaching young players.

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.