Soccer Drills For Parents

Soccer Drill: Kick A Soccer Ball With Power

Bradley P. White — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 22:18:20 +0000

Here is a simple Soccer Drill to show you how to strike a soccer ball for a shot on goal. Now there is no wrong way to put the ball in the back of the net, after all you can use your knee if it gets the job done!

But for sake of proper technique, and a way to practice striking the ball with power and force this demonstration is one to practice.

When you approach the ball you want to plant your non kicking foot beside the ball. You should have your knee slightly bent to allow for balance and you toe pointed toward the target. Ideally you should have your knee over the non kicking foot to prevent the ball from soaring over the goal. Next you want to sweep your kicking foot forward in a motion that is quick yet controlled. More speed will give you more force on the ball. Lock your ankle with your toe pointed toward the ground, and strike the ball with the middle or strings of your shoe.

You can practice variations of this drill by striking the ball on different parts of the foot to experiment with control and direction of ball placement.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Soccer Drill: How To Play Midfield

Bradley P. White — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:44:50 +0000

As a coach and a parent you realize that if you don’t control the middle of the field, it is very difficult to win a soccer game. Midfield players are responsible for the largest area of the field and need to be in tremendous physical shape. Skills like passing, trapping, and making effective distributions with the soccer ball are essential. Watching David Beckham will show you how essential precise soccer skills are. Midfielders are the leaders of the team.

The main jobs of a midfield soccer player are:

1. To control middle of the field and support the offense on the attack

2. To support the defense in the back to prevent being scored upon.

I can speak from experience that at all levels of the game it is important to have talented players in the middle of the field. At younger ages like U8, U10, U12 you will find that weaker teams have the swarming bumble bee strategy where a group of three or more players suck the entire game into a small area of the field. This make it very difficult to move the ball up and down the field and in addition makes it difficult to score and make effective passes. More skilled players with direction from their coach like you can use in the simple video that follows will result in opening up the space on the field so that creative passing will allow more attacks on goal and less congestion in the middle of the field. Skills like effective trapping and square passing will allow you to maximize your efforts and cut down on chasing the ball all over the field.

Soccer Drill: How To Play Defense

Bradley P. White — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:42:21 +0000

Scoring goals in soccer puts points on the board, but good defense wins games. Your strikers can be the best in the world, but without a strong defense supporting your goalie your team will not win the game.

The fundamental object of playing defense in the game of soccer is to prevent the other team from scoring. There are several ways to do this and all are important skills that when combined correctly can increase your chances of preventing a goal and stealing the ball.

The basic skill of soccer defense is to apply pressure to the player with the ball. This can be done by approaching a player with appropriate speed and angle to force the soccer player toward the touchline. By using this tactic you can actually use the end line as an extra defensive player. The end line cuts off the options for the offense as you force the player to it. It is important to use the appropriate angle of approach to the player with the ball. If you choose the wrong approach you can give the soccer player two options to escape. You want to approach the player at the right speed and angle to only give them one escape, and that is toward the end line. Check out the video here to see some simple applications of this skill in a drill setting. If you or your players can learn the best ways to use your angles and speed you will have a force to be reckoned with in the backfield.

Soccer Drill: How To Play Offense

Bradley P. White — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:16:58 +0000

When you think of offense on the soccer field you think of scoring goals. Players in the forward position are the highest goal producing position on the field. In order to get into scoring position, any player must work with his or her teammates to create space and opportunities for the ball to be played forward into the opposing team’s goal area. Playing the ball forward can be done using a series of dribbling, passing, player movement or runs, and sending high crossing arcs into the goalie area. This video will show a very basic drill that has a player passing a chip shot into the goalie box to create an opportunity for a shot. This drill can be done with a chip pass as shown, or a pass on the ground. This soccer drill can be modified to include passes from different sides of the field an the addition of defenders to make it more challenging to score.

Soccer Drill: How To Play Goalie

Bradley P. White — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:00:54 +0000

As I get older my admiration and respect for goal keepers increases. One thing that is a given, as your child grows up the players will get stronger and more aggressive so it is very important to learn the basic fundamentals early to prevent injuries later on. I have commented on this blog before about how I play in a men’s league with other soccer coaching friends, during these games we have seen very powerful players shoot very hard shots at our keepers. We even have had a goal keeper on our team injure his hand due to a rocket of a shot on goal. When shots on goal come they come FAST! So lets take this time to review the proper goal keeping fundamentals with this video.

It goes without saying that all goal keepers should wear gloves. Gloves assist in catching a ball and protect the hands from the force of a shot on goal. Special jerseys are made for goalkeepers that have padding in the arms and shoulders to protect you as you dive. Pants are also made that have padding on the hips to minimize injury due to impact.

One of the basic fundamental skills of a soccer goal keeper is how you hold your hands to catch a ball. It is important to hold your hands in a “W” formation. This will allow you to maximize the surface area of your gloves on the ball and increase your chances of holding on to the ball and minimizing injury to your fingers and hands.

Body placement in the mouth of the goal is equally important. You should line up your body with ball, always keep your moving feet moving to get in line with ball. Ideally you want your shoulders to be square with the ball as you collect it. Watch the video below for some pointers.

Soccer Drills: Why Are They Important?

Bradley P. White — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:44:53 +0000

Any good soccer player or coach knows that drills are a crucial aspect of maintaining a talented and well-prepared team. But some aren’t as keen and take the approach of learning through playing. This isn’t the right approach to soccer, and we’ll explain why.

First of all, soccer drills teach players the proper way to do anything from take a penalty to throw in. You wouldn’t sit down to a partypoker match only to find out you’ve got no idea how to go all-in, would you? The same applies here – knowing the rules and knowing the right approach not only saves you time, but stops you from potentially costing your team if you get things wrong.

Secondly, it’s also a great way to keep a team fit, as you’re not only maintaining your skills and knowledge of soccer – you’re also helping keep the entire team fit enough to go into every match at the peak of their physical ability. This is incredibly important – allowing your body to get out of sync with certain activities, whatever position you’re playing in, can damage your ability to perform should you be called on to perform in a role you don’t normally fill.

Lastly, it’s because every player needs to train constantly – there’s no excuse for not doing drills regardless of the sport you play. Performing at a professional level means taking it upon yourself to act professionally and remain dedicated to training and ensuring that every player on the team is competent.

Of course, you’ll learn and develop while on the pitch, but when it comes to training day, would you rather ensure you’re all at the top of your game, or just play soccer for an hour and go home? So check out all the drills we talk about on the site and help your team stay on form.

Soccer Drill: How To Dribble The Soccer Ball

Bradley P. White — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:41:20 +0000

Soccer drills that focus on dribbling the ball may not always excite your kids. But these skills are vital to improving ball control skills that can make a difference between scoring a goal and getting stripped.

This video shows simple back and forth drills to dribble the soccer ball. Each pass shows you how to use a different part of the foot. You can dribble with the inside of the foot, the outside of the foot, the laces, and stepping over the ball.

Once you get the basic “feel” of dribbling the ball with different parts of the foot you can then begin to experiment with changing your speed. Changing direction by using different parts of the foot and mixing up your speed of your dribble can be a formidable asset to your offense and defense on the soccer field.

Now that you have seen all the skills, what can you do to make it fun for your kids? How about making it a contest? You can challenge the kids to count how many touches they have in 60 seconds. You can see who can get from one side of the field to the other the fastest. You can put a couple of defenders in the middle of the field to challenge the kids to use different parts of the foot, speed, and direction to avoid the defenders. Leave your ideas in the comments below the video.

Soccer Drill: How To Take A Penalty Kick

Bradley P. White — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:34:13 +0000

Penalty kicks in soccer are an easy goal, right? Much like the free throw in a basketball game it seems like there is no reason why any player should miss a chance to place the ball in the back of the net from a position that can be practiced over and over again. You know the distance, the goal size, and you can practice the placement repeatedly. But ahh the pressure of the game. All eyes on you, depending on you to place the ball in the back of the net. What could possibly go wrong?

Well the good news is that there is no right or wrong way to take a penalty kick. What you should do is watch the video below to get a sense of the many techniques. Generally it is best to pick a side before you approach the ball. You can also go for power straight up the middle of the goal. You can even get fancy and use different parts of the foot to strike the ball. Take care in not letting your eyes betray which side of the goal you are going to aim for. Remember the goalie is watching and he or she has a 50% chance of guessing which side you are aiming for. So practice going low or high to increase your success rate.

Being an Effective Keeper in Soccer

GuestPoster — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:44:05 +0000

Being an effective keeper when playing soccer is a process, but it is one that is well worth pursuing. Those players that make a conscious effort to improve at the position should find that they are able to function more effectively within the team dynamic.

Being a good keeper requires the person to know their place on the field, and the importance of their role whether playing street soccer or on the field. These participants should do everything that they can to benefit the efforts of their team, while being able to hold their own at the same time.

Keepers are responsible for guarding the goal in soccer. These players are directly responsible for protecting the goal, and they are the last line of defense against those that would try to score points.

The keeper is uniquely able to use any part of their body in order to prevent goal attempts from being made. This ability is unique among all of the participants on the field, and gives the keeper a distinct advantage as it pertains to their role.

The player is usually found in the crease in front of the goal. This crease is clearly marked off, extending a good way in front of the goal.

Keeper stay in this position and rove around in it, because it grants them mobility and the option to confront attackers before they have the ability to take a shot. That being said, the player is actually not restricted in any way to the goal.

Another interesting aspect of this position is that the players actually has the ability to traverse any part of the field. While there are distinct advantages and disadvantages to doing so, the generally accepted rule is that the participant will stay near the goal, unless it is a special situation.

These situations include times where the team is overpowering the other team and it is a rout, or there may be times of desperation. These are times where the offense needs another player so badly that the team is willing to risk leaving the goal open and exposed.

Keepers need to understand how to best play defense, and what they are to do when they have access to the ball. The defenders on the line are there to make sure that the other team does not close the gap, but the person guarding the goal will need to be vigilant in case that line of defense fails.

These players have many options for dealing with the ball when it is kicked their way. For example, a shot that the person can place themselves directly in front of can be caught by the participant.

Likewise, shots that are found on the ground can be quickly grabbed by the player, or booted away. The way that the participant deals with each shot it up to them, but there are certain elements at work that make some approaches work better than others.

When the ball is caught, the participant can either roll the ball, drop kick it, or throw it out to other players on their team. The action that is taken will depend on who is open, and how far away they are and how well they are being guarded.

The player also has the option to do all of these things if someone on the other team is going to take a shot. The person can either grab the ball up or kick it away, and then clear it to someone else down the field.

Participants that are in this position should be aggressive, and they need to use their bodies in a very dynamic way that is unique to that position. As such, it takes a certain mentality and dedication to do this role well, because of the effort that goes into it.

Those that understand their role and how to maximize it will benefit their team and help them to victory. Such a role is truly invaluable on the field and prevents the other team from scoring any of the points needed to win.

Being an effective keeper when playing soccer requires the player to assume a dedicated role and stick to it to benefit the effort of their team. Good keepers know their role and will do everything that they can to enhance it.

Soccer Drill: How To Do A Throw In

Bradley P. White — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:13:35 +0000

I play soccer in a men’s over 30 league during the winter. You would think that we all would know the proper technique to do a throw in right? After all we are parents, and coaches of youth soccer players. We TEACH the game right? Well sometimes you get in a hurry or you lift that foot and the referee will nail you! So lets both work together and watch this great video. Remember when doing a proper throw in to keep your feet on ground, hands over head, square up with direction you are throwing the ball. The stronger you get the farther you will be able to throw the ball. But don’t worry so much about making that long ball throw that you get called by the ref for an improper throw in!

Soccer Drills For Parents

Soccer Drill: Kick A Soccer Ball With Power

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Soccer Drill: How To Play Midfield

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Soccer Drill: How To Play Defense

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Soccer Drill: How To Play Offense

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Soccer Drill: How To Play Goalie

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Soccer Drills: Why Are They Important?

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Soccer Drill: How To Dribble The Soccer Ball

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Soccer Drill: How To Take A Penalty Kick

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Being an Effective Keeper in Soccer

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