It’s not new for you to when I say, practice makes a man perfect. I’m not sure about others, but it’s certainly true for 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.
It’s therefore your responsibility and a big one at that, to see that repetitiveness does not set in with kids doing few similar drills daily. To aid you in carrying out practice sessions in a way that’s motivating, regular, and closely controlled; following are some tips.
1. Do I need to emphasize this more? Kids emulate you so you need to behave in a way that’s expected of them. Get to the filed on time, expose them to your talent, let everyone take part in drills, and arrange the sessions properly. You’ll get to earn your players respect, their confidence and trust in you.
2. Instruct the kids to bring their own ball to the field everyday. Every kid is necessarily required to have a soccer ball. But have a few extra balls ready in case the kids forget to carry theirs.
3. There are some soccer moves which require regular practice. In soccer practice, kicking, passing, dribbling, and throw-ins are indispensible. The kids must practice these regularly. Make sure each one of the kids participate in this even if some of them shy away in the beginning.
4. In soccer drills practice sessions, introduce games more. The biggest difference between them is that games demand more energy and tact than drills. And it is easy to keep the focus on soccer as also to test new things with games.
5. Discipline is the key to success for any team. Young players tend to make errors. 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. Amidst the action, you will observe that some players do not take active part in the game. Make sure that this is not the case. Every kid should participate in one way or the other in the session. Talk to the players about their respective positions and teach them to be responsible in those positions.
7. Do not allow a lot of scrimmage. If the players spend 15 to 20 minutes towards the end, it will do. Also, do not appoint a goalie when scrimmaging. This will ensure that kids become good at defense.
8. Keep innovating and experimenting with games and drills. This is the most recommended way of keeping the students interested in the training sessions.
Now its time to start putting these tips into action in your soccer practice sessions. In a short time, you will see your kids improving in every department. There are tremendous resources on youth soccer in our youth soccer coaching community. Subscribe to them today and you will see your team’s performance go higher sooner than later.
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.