Too many soccer coaches these days are stuck in the past...running old-school soccer drills that bore the heck out of their players. Kids hate waiting in line for their turn to play with the ball. Most soccer drills are boring, mundane, and best reserved for the military, not the soccer field.
And at best most drills only work on one specific skill...and even that's being generous.
Soccer Drills
For our players to be successful in the United States, we have to step up our level of coaching. It's time to put away the lines and lectures of yesterday!
New trends in soccer coaching allow players to get into activities that resemble the game of soccer more quickly. This keeps them engaged, interested and motivated. Motivated players improve quicker!
We only have the opportunity to coach our players a few days each week. For most of our players, this is the only exposure they will get to soccer for the week. In other countries, kids play by themselves on a daily basis. Not so in our culture, so we have to be very economical with our sessions.
When I say economical, I mean that we must strive to cover multiple skills with each drill that we run. Standing in a line and dribbling around cones just isn't going to cut it. Not only is this not realistic to the game (I've never seen a cone defend anybody), but this type of drill limits the number of touches each player can get in a given training session.
A better option would be to have players set up to go 1v1 with each other inside of a grid. The objective is to dribble the ball to the opposite side and stop the ball under control. Now the players can improve on dribbling skills as well as defending at the same time.
As players will be forced to go from offense to defense whenever they lose the ball, you are creating in them the ability to transition in actual game situations. After all, the best time to win the ball back for your team is right after you have lost it!
Another issue that occurs with most soccer drills is they are too static. Our young players struggle with executing skills like passing and receiving on the move. Too often they are simply lined up across from each other and told to pass.
Instead, look to incorporate movement in your passing drills. Not only will you help your players develop their technique while moving, but you can also begin to get them accustomed to off the ball movement as well.
The same type of philosophy can be incorporated into shooting drills. Don't line all the players up and have them take shots one after another. This isn't realistic to how shooting opportunities occur in game. It is a better idea to have your players set up passing sequences that end in a shot being taken on goal. Your players are improving their passing skills, learning to make creative runs, and working on their finishing abilities at the same time.
This is economical soccer training at its very best. Run activities that encourage proper game behavior, don't just run a bunch of soccer drills.
Soccer Drills - The Golden Rule for Choosing Your Drills
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