Have you ever imagined how the use of the head can be an effective way of redirecting the ball when it is still in the air? Doing this skill in youth soccer drills is particularly safe when it is carried out with care and caution.
Before you begin with training the players in the skill of heading, deflate the ball a bit especially when they are doing it the first time. This can be done by letting some air out of the ball so that it shrinks and becomes soft and supple for kids to play. Including heading skill in the kids soccer drills requires you to first teach them the basics of this skill before starting with the practice.
Teach the players to move along the ball in such a way that their body comes directly in front of the ball when they get in contact with it. Teach the players to continue watching the ball all the way through and until that time when it strikes their forehead.
Let the kids understand the significance of keeping an eye on the ball and watch it coming to them and going away from them. They can be seriously hurt of they don’t keep their eyes open. In youth soccer practice, players should be taught to strike the ball with the top-front area of the forehead instead of the temples or crown of the head.
Most of the youth soccer drills highlight the movement required to head the ball properly. Out of many, here are two drills that your players can perform.
Sitting and Knees: When it comes to youth soccer coaching, this drill uses 2 players and 1 ball. One player should ssit on the ground and have their legs stretched out in the front. The second player will stand directly in front of the first one and throw the ball really low towards him or her. The strategy behind this is that the person who hits the ball has to come forward to do it because the ball id thrown short.
This activity should go on with a player positioned with both knees on the ground. Then the player will have to bend forward to strike the ball. Using this drill, the players learn to use their head to steer the ball.
Head out of Hands: You will need cones and a ball for each player in this drill. This drill requires the players to hold the ball with their hands and the throw it off by heading it. They should be instructed to move their head to the ball and then the ball to their head.
The cones can help the players learn heading to a particular location. The players acquire the skill of heading the ball in a particular direction using their head.
There you go; using youth soccer drills, the players will head the ball fearlessly thereby making them better competitors. There is no limit to the amount of information and knowledge available in context of the heading skill and you can subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community to let this knowledge help you too.
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: Soccer Practice.
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