Once you go through the article, it’ll be easy for you to believe that it is games rather than soccer drills that are most influential in honing skills during the Soccer practice . Not only are games more stimulating than drills, but the energy required is also the same like in a real tournament.
In relation to soccer training, games command passion, is a source of great fun, and in the process of learning it, kids benefit from various phases of the game. You must remember the following rules while bringing in games in the training sessions.
1. Ensure that each player has the ball and gets to play with it frequently.
2. Ensure equal participation of the players in the games. It shouldn’t be a case where the weak players do not get to touch the ball or get knocked out.
3. The strategy of reward and reprimand should be done away with. These are not intended for the games.
4. The focus of the games should always be soccer skill building.
5. Preferably, you should abstain from enforcing any laws or limits in a game.
6. Games should be such that are easy to recognize and take part in. If games are complex in nature, they lead to wastage of time and energy.
7. Last of all, it’s a good idea to keep increasing the amount of challenge in the game once they have cleared a certain level.
Every player doing soccer practice should have at least 200-300 touches to the ball in one session. This has the effect of ensuring each player’s progress in improving soccer skills. Following are a few popular, interesting, and effective soccer coaching games that help in improving the skills of the players.
1. Shoot the coach: Here, the kids try to put the ball into the goal by moving in a crowd and keeping their head held high. It helps improve dribbling and also concentration ability of the player. The most effective way to play the game is by introducing 3 kids initially and slowly adding on the number.
2. Freeze Tag: Teach the kids the skill to keep the ball away from the defender with this game and it’s also an amazing war up exercise. Each player in this game has a ball apart from one player who is required to touch and not kick the ball. When this happens, the player with the ball is frozen and must act as a goal post. Only when the other player has hit the ball between frozen player’s legs can that player be de-frozen. Continue to play till all the players are frozen.
3. Red light, green light: In this game, the kids stand in a line. The coach shouts green light and turns his back to the players who must then move forward with their balls before the coach again shouts red light and face the kids. If a player fails to come forward, he must return and start again. This is a game that develops dexterity and attentiveness in kids.
Now you know! If you like to know more about such soccer practice games, register for our youth soccer coaching academy where you will find several such resources.
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.
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