Coaching Youth Soccer

There’s something I’d like to know from you. Many soccer coaches design their player’s training programs without considering the soccer training tips only to go through the motions and make up the numbers. Do you find yourself doing the same thing?

Set some distinct goals for the team next time when you decide to plan a training program. Establish what you wish to achieve from the training program and take the necessary steps to achieve your target.

Add to your training program such soccer drills that are new, innovative, and fun to perform so as to add variety. It will break the boring routine of performing the same drills every single day. Once players start enjoying their practice sessions, you’ll notice that their performance will improve consistently.

Regardless of the level at which they play and their age, your players need to learn to listen to you and give due respect. Valuing each other’s opinions and feelings creates a healthy environment for both players and the coach.

Soccer Training

Soccer players always have an advantage of the level of flexibility is high. It has been divided into 3 categories.

Dynamic flexibility: It is the ability to perform energetic movements within the full range of motion in the joint, for example; twisting side to side.

Static active flexibility: It is the ability to stretch a difficult muscle using only the tension within that very muscle. One example is to hold one leg in front of you and keep it as high as you can. Here, your hamstrings are stretched when your quadriceps and hip flexors hold your leg up.

Static passive: Ability to use your body weight or some outside force to hold a stretch is termed as static passive flexibility. For example; imagine holding your leg out in front of you and resting it on a chair.

Moving further, let’s now see what is next in the line of soccer training tips. This calls for a need to examine and ensure that the clothes worn by kids to the field are apt for the weather.

Training for soccer should be complemented by a fitness program that is designed to identify and improve upon the weak areas. One should keep the following factors in mind while designing such a training program.

Player’s age: Decrease in the flexibility of soft tissue with aging is directly related to the reduced range of movement as one grows older, irrespective of the gender. Even though, the more we remain active, the lesser are the chances of flexibility decreasing.

Gender: Girls display more range and movement irrespective of their age.

Activity: When it comes to displaying soccer skills, active individuals demonstrate a greater range of movement than inactive individuals.

Injury: Injuries also get in the way the range of motion in a joint.

Pain: There is a decrease in flexibility as pain increases that result in muscle spasms. However, strength training does not hamper flexibility unless you don’t do the exercises correctly and not in full range of motion.

Genetics: A player’s genetics also have an effect on the amount of flexibility that his or her body possesses.

Therefore, soccer training tips like these should always be a part of the training program that makes it more useful and effective. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of articles, newsletters, and related videos to improve your coaching skills.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Drills For Kids.

Did you know that soccer training tips has an important feature; stretching, that is highly recommended as well as practiced by almost every sports person? Talking about soccer, it is constantly growing and developing in its difficulty.

When it comes to kid’s training for soccer, two types of stretching i.e. static and dynamic stretching are included in it.

When doing the static stretching, players draw out their muscles to a given point of resistance and hold it right there for a given amount of time. Dynamic stretching involves rhythmic bouncing, rebounding and recurring motions. Generally, static stretching is considered as more effective and involves less risk than dynamic stretching.

There are some advantages of practicing stretching discussed in this article that improve a player’s ability to become an exceptional player.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: Continuous stretching during the day and performed over a period of time may promote muscle growth that, consecutively, could reduce the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of improving the size and strength of muscles.

Stretching affects flexibility: Stretching does prevent loss of flexibility. But, stretching is more beneficial in the long run when performed continuously rather than during the shorter periods of time.

Stretching a few minutes prior to any event is likely to increase flexibility. But the best of all soccer training tips is to spread a stretching program over a period of months, leading to a constant increase in range of motion.

Stretching improves performance: Stretches, when designed to be soccer specific can greatly improve a player’s performance.

Stretching can be great fun for the kids: If you include a lot of different types of soccer drills in your practice sessions, it can be a lot of fun. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try games like the tag game, ball tag, and keep away.

Focus mentally on the stretching and feel and understand each stretch, checking for stiffness or soreness.

In most of the cases a single 15-30 minute stretch for each muscle group is enough for kids but some may need longer stretches or more repetitions.

This is due to the fact that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, inflexibility decreases and extensibility increases. Those players who wish to sustain or increase their flexibility can partially attain this goal by stretching. It is better, safer, and more productive to do stretching exercises when the body temperature is higher than normal.

That’s why some experienced coaches recommend stretching after a workout also. To prevent muscles for tightening too fast, make your players do some stretching after they’ve practiced soccer skills.

Normally, players who perform an active warm-up previous to stretching get an enhanced range of motion than the ones who simply stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

When feeling stiff or inflexible, the most important soccer training tips is to allow kids to warm up sufficiently, as doing stretches would not help them become flexible, and will become boring and futile. You can get more such tips and tactics by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has several relevant articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

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: Youth Soccer Drills.

If you have a similar bent of mind as I have, you’ll agree with me that soccer training tips for goalkeepers is very important as he/she is the sole player allowed to make contact with the ball by hands and arms both.

Therefore, it’s the soccer skills of a goalie that set him apart in a better position, in comparison to others. But this makes the job of training goalkeepers for soccer even more difficult.

Depending on the method of play, soccer goalkeepers are often the first line of offence and last line of defense. They will not hesitate in putting their bodies in harms way to stop or block a shot into the goal. They are always prepared to grab hold of the ball by pitching into any direction whatsoever.

Goalkeeper’s training for soccer on different skills and techniques can be one tough job depending upon their role requirements and level of play. At the same time, his or her mental state should be kept in mind while teaching him various skills.

Soccer Training

In terms of comparison, only a striker can match the skills and enthusiasm of a goalkeeper. In reality, many goalkeepers have already been great strikers at some point in their careers. You’ll observe that very often, it’s the goalies and forwards that get into a direct battle on the field, no matter what the level of competition.

When it comes to soccer training tips, staying balanced and knowing the center of gravity of the body is of the essence to the goalkeeper. This will improve the activity of the goalie and the state of readiness of the player to make remarkable gains in a game setting.

Although most soccer goalkeepers are tall and have long arms and big hands, but even if he or she is short, they usually compensate for the lack of height with good vertical and lateral mobility.

Goalkeepers need unvarying motivation even though they have a good sense of self-worth and the coaches should never forget this. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Goalkeepers are the leaders of the team as both their role and their personality is quite dominating. So they must be supported by the rest of the team to successfully execute their role by being placed in a vocal and demonstrative capacity.

The ball can be handled by the goalie only in the 18 yard box. If there is anyone other than the goalie, who gets to touch the ball, the opponent team wins a free kick. If it is a goalie’s teammate, it’s a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

So your job now is to use these soccer training tips to improve goalkeeper’s performance on the field as they are the leaders inside the 18 yard box and should be valued by their teammates. Join our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of relevant articles, videos, and newsletters to update your knowledge on the subject.

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: Soccer Drills.