Soccer Coaching Tips

Would you answer this simple question? Not following the soccer training tips, most soccer coaches blindly design training programs for their players just to make up the numbers and simply go through the motions. Do you find yourself doing the same thing?

Set some definite goals for your team before you plan your next training session. Ascertain what you specifically wish to achieve from the training session and do everything required to get that done.

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. You’ll notice a positive change in your kid’s performance once they begin to enjoy their training sessions.

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 can greatly benefit from having a high level of flexibility. There are 3 types of flexibility.

Dynamic flexibility: Just like twisting from one side to another, it’s the player’s ability to carry out brisk movements within the full range of motion in the joint.

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

Static passive: It is the ability to hold a stretch using your body weight or some other external force. For instance; hold your leg out in front of you and rest it on a chair.

Let’s now move on to the next step in following 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 and a fitness program should go hand in hand with a view to work upon those areas that need most help. When designing this training program, keep the following factors in mind.

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. Still, the chances of flexibility getting decreased are very less if we remain active.

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 impede the range of motion in a joint.

Pain: As the pain increases, flexibility decreases and results in muscle spasms. On the other hand, strength training does not affect flexibility if you are doing the exercises correctly and in full range of motion.

Heredity: How flexible is a player’s body depends upon a player’s genetics also.

So, there should be no reason why you should not include soccer training tips into your training program for better productivity. You can develop your coaching skills by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of articles, newsletters, and significant videos.

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.

Does it sound familiar when I say that stretching forms an integral part of soccer training tips and is widely recommended and practiced by almost all sportspersons? Soccer is a sport which is continuously growing and developing in its intricacy.

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

In static stretching, players stretch their muscles to a certain point of resistance and then hold for some period of time. Rebounding, rhythmic bouncing, and recurring motions are involved in dynamic stretching. 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: Constant stretching by players during the day and continuing it over a period of time helps the growth of their muscles, thus diminishing 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. However, the support is more convincing for a long-term stretching line up than for shorter periods of time.

Performing stretching for a few minutes before starting any playing activity is likely to enhance flexibility. But, of all the soccer training tips, the best is where stretching program is extended over a longer period of time that constantly improves the player’s range of motion.

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

Stretching can be a lot of fun: For this, you need to add variety in your soccer drills and focus a lot on performing them. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try tag games, ball tag, and keep away.

Concentrate all your energy on stretching, experience and identify with each stretch while checking for soreness.

For almost all players, one single 15-30 minute stretch for each muscle group is sufficient but some may need longer stretches and more repetitions.

This is due to the fact that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, inflexibility decreases and extensibility increases. Kids who feel like to keep up or enhance their flexibility can realize this goal to some extent by stretching. When their body temperature is higher as against normal, it makes it safer and more productive to stretch.

That’s why some experienced coaches recommend stretching after a workout also. After practicing soccer skills, if kids are made to do some stretching for 5-7 minutes, it’ll prevent their muscles from tightening too fast.

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.

One of the most important soccer training tips to keep in mind is that stretching, if done hurriedly, does not help kids gain any flexibility, and becomes worthless and repetitive, so give them sufficient time to warm up before stretching. Join to our youth soccer coaching community and you can get access to numerous 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 also share similar thoughts as I do, you’d know that soccer training tips for goalkeepers have a great importance as he/she is the only player that has the freedom to touch the ball with hands and arms both.

For this reason, the soccer skills of a goalie give him an advantage over all the other players on the field. But this makes the job of training goalkeepers for soccer even more difficult.

Goalkeepers in soccer are more often than not, the first line of offence and the last line of defense, based on the playing skill. They wouldn’t mind using their body in every possible way to stop the ball or obstruct a shot from getting inside 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. It simultaneously calls for you to consider his mental state while training him on different skills and techniques.

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 frequently encounter a one on one battle at various levels of competition between goalies and forwards.

One of the most important soccer training tips for a goalkeeper is to stay balanced and know the center of gravity of the body. In a game setting, this will benefit by improving the goalkeeper’s activity and the inclination of the other player.

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.

It is important for a coach to realize that goalies have a great sense of worth but still need to be motivated on a regular basis. 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 have a dominant personality and in that sense they are also the leaders of the teams. So they should be placed in a voiced and representative capacity so that they can successfully accomplish their duties with the support of all the team members.

The goalie can handle the ball 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. In the case of the goalie’s team member, it is a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

Your next step? To take what you’ve just learned and apply the above soccer training tips as goalkeepers are definitely leaders in the 18 yard box, and should get due respect from their team. 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.