Practice makes a man perfect is something that each of us is aware of. This for sure is applicable to the soccer practice sessions. The kids are hopeful of attempting something new in the field every single day. However, remember that the kids must be made to practice old techniques in soccer training regularly that have been taught by you.
So the challenge before you is to ensure that monotony does not set in despite the kids practicing a few identical drills everyday. To aid you in carrying out practice sessions in a way that’s motivating, regular, and closely controlled; following are some tips.
1. This has been emphasized enough. Kids will learn from you and hence you should be a role model. Be present on the filed before the kids; demonstrate your skill with the ball, let all the kids participate, and arrange sessions ahead of time. This has the effect of winning over the player’s confidence and respect.
2. Educate the kids to carry their personal ball to the field daily. It is mandatory that every kid has a soccer ball. Just in case they forget to bring it, keep some extra balls with you.
3. There are certain soccer moves that need to be practiced on a daily basis. In soccer practice, kicking, passing, dribbling, and throw-ins are indispensible. It’s imperative for the kids to practice these daily without fail. Make sure each one of the kids participate in this even if some of them shy away in the beginning.
4. Introduce more games than soccer drills in practice sessions. The reason is that games require much more stamina and dexterity in contrast to drills. Also, with games, you can experiment and innovate while keeping the focus on soccer.
5. Discipline is the key to success for any team. With kids, it is almost certain that you will have issues. Ensure that you nip all issues in the bud to whether big or small. But keep in mind the method you adopt to do so since kids are sensitive and get hurt easily.
6. When the practice session is on, you will notice that some players just stand there while others chase the ball. Ensure that this does not happen. All the young players should involve themselves in the game. Tell each player his position on the field and then make them accountable for it.
7. Do not make them scrimmage a lot. Ideally, it should not be more than 15 to 20 minutes at the end of each session. And there is no need for a goalie in scrimmaging. This will help the team build its defensive skills.
8. Keep innovating and experimenting with games and drills. That is the best way to keep the interest of the kids alive in the training sessions.
Now, go ahead and make these tips work for you in the soccer practice sessions. These will raise the ability and skills of your players within a short span of few weeks. There is a mass of such youth soccer resources in our youth soccer coaching community. Register today and see your team’s performances get better with every training session.
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: Youth Soccer Drills.
Tags: practice soccer, soccer coaching, soccer drills, Soccer practice, soccer training, training for soccer