Published August 23rd, 2007 by Gabby
Training Youth Soccer
Youth soccer is about learning, love of the game, scoring and having fun. Youth soccer drills should be well planned so that they are fun and meaningful for the young players so that their interest is maintained.
Planning practices is very important for a coach to keep the flow of the training going in a positive direction. warm-ups should always be first to get the blood flowing, muscles stretched and to prevent injury.
The next stage of practice should consist of skills/drills demonstrations and practice to teach new skills like dribbling, passing, defense, first touch and receiving the ball,heading and attacking the ball.
One of the most important skills to teach is the first touch. A good first touch is vital in controlling the ball and without the offensive game will suffer. They players will learn to move through the field with more control and will improve the ball movement on the field.
Drill:
A 10- by 10- yards area.
Players in groups of three with a ball to each group.Two players with the ball on one side of the square face the third player on the opposite side.
Action
The first player passes to the opposite player and sprints around him/her.
The receiving player taps the ball to the side, first touch, as the sprinting player comes around him/her. The sprinting player passes first touch to the next player facing him/her who repeats the action.
The end player changes after several sequences.
For many more drills try this site: Soccer Drills
After the teaching phase small sided games can be used to practice the techniques learned and put the new skills to use. A scrimmage can be done as a way to end the practice to give the players a chance to increase their stamina and learn to work with their teammate to build teamwork.
Coaching youth soccer can be a big challenge, but the rewards of seeing the progress of the young players over the course of a season is worth all the effort.
next: soccer fitness training
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